Low Water, Lower Expectations

 

Peoria

Noun.  The name of a city in Illinois,   An aboriginal term once believed to mean "City of Noisy Yellow Machines", but more recent study has revealed it is better translated as  "City of SHALLOW marinas".  Sheesh

Water levels on the Western Rivers (Yes, that is how the USCG refers to the Missssiippi and it's tribtaries.  I guess that makes the Columbia River System the REALLY Western Rivers, huh?)  

We actually told the dockmaster at the Ilinois Valley Yacht Club that he owed us a credit for dredging his entrance.  Even with our 3.5' nominal draft we plowed mud making it to our assigned slip.  Fortunartely the river bottom is finely ground silt from years if flooding and towboat traffic.  Still, we enjoyed a wonderful  dinner at the IVY Club dining room with Loopers Let Time Go Lightly, Island Wanderer, and  Only Fools Rush In.

IVY could only host us one night, so we shifted a few miles down river to the Peoria Boat Club.  A member-operatred club, the Peoria Boat Club was a study in contrasts with the IVY Club.  No commodore, no dockmaster, no pool, no staff, no dining room. Just a bunch of boaters who enjoy eachother's company and work to keep the club running.  

Three members helped us get settled and one voluterred his grand daughter to take us to the grocery store.  They gave us the codes to their little clubhouse (for bathrooms and free laundry) and their gates and left us to our own devices.  Great people.  But SHALLOW!!  As we arrived, two deep draft Loopers were leaving, having abandoned their attempt to reach the docks.  Sheesh.

Sunrise @ Peoria Boat Club

(Note: at this writing (Oct 10) water levels on the Illinois and upper Mississippi have continued to drop.  Barge traffic has been curtailed and river cruse lines like Viking have had to suspend operations.  And these marinas may well be inaccessible for boats our size.   Sheesh.)

The next day we cleared the Peoria Lock and rejoined Jane and Ray the Mad Scotsman on Pura Vida and Tom and Jane on Picnic Boat at anchor behind Quiver Island.   As we prepared to drop anchor, our windlass quit cold.  No down, no up, no nothing.   Rather than digging iur our spare anchor and line, we rafted up with Pura Vida and Ray and Wade brokeout the tool boxes and went to work.  Two things were amiss.  First the "pressure arm", a wear-and-tear item that ensures the smooth passage of chain thru the windlass appeared to wearing out and had allowed the chain to kink.  This led to the second problem when the windlass locked up and blew its 150 amp fuse.   We cleaned and reassembled the windlass and changed the fuse (with our one spare) restoring some function but elected to stay tethered to Pura Vida overnight as we needed to shift our focus to getting fur-Admiral Maggie to shore.  Fortunately, we found a boat ramps just downriver with a small dock that made a perfect dinghy stop for her to "do her bidness".

Scenes from the Illinois River

Another 33 miles downstream took us to Logston Tug Service in Beardstown, IL.  A working towboat dock and service facility, this place is both a godsend and curse.  On the plus side, it is the only moorage available for larger boats on this stretch of river.  It offers no power, water, or other services, but it is cheap (cash only, no receipts😉)   But it is an industrial site and one that a diligent OSHA inspector could make a career on.  The barge-docks are strewn with cables, tools and equipment with the "headache" balls of two cranes poised above.  And the route to shore is a steep set of expanded-metal steps ascending the towns protective river wall.  The pictures tell the story  But still, we five Loopers were grateful  to have it and enjoyed wandering thru the town's Fall Festval at the City Park for dinner.  

Wonderful and Dangerous: Logsdon Tug Service

The next day took us 67 miles to Hardin, IL, where we tied up at Mel's Riverdock Resturant with Pura Vida, Water Witch, Picnic Boat, and Whoop Sea.  In typical Illinois River form, Mel's Riverdock is nothing more that three battered barges tethered to the shore and accessed by another scary expanded-metal ramp.  BUT, that ramp took us to Mel's Riverdock Restaurant for another Looper dinner (Pur Vida, Water Witch, and Taylored for Two).  It was brisket and fried chicken and biscuits and carrot cake so tall you needed a stool to reach the top.  All for less than $70 per couple, including bar tab AND $20 for overnight dockage.  Everyone collapsed in the food coma after dinner.

The gang at Mel's Riverdock

September 26th marked our last day on the Illinois River. (And there was much rejoicing!)  

Jockying for position on the final miles of the Illinois!

After 36 miles of travel we entered the:

Mississippi River, baby!

The most immediate impact was a 0.5 kt speed increase from the added  current.  And the river got wider. And the water got a little deeper.  And the charts became a bit more detailed. But after just two miles, we pulled over into the Alton Marina at Alton, IL for a three day rest.  Our time there allowed us to reprovision,and perform some much-needed boat cleaning and maintainence (including new starting batteries for our Volvo diesels and a new "pressure arm" on our windlass, which we installed ourselves.).  This is a favorite late-summer stop for Loopers and the crowds for Docktails ebbed and flowed daily. 

And a good time was had by all

Thanks for following.  Be sure to track us on NEBO

Wade and Kathleen Griffith and (fur-Admiral Maggie!)