Chugging along on the Ones and Twos
Cowboy Carl, Pere Marquette, Pintail, Joyce Hale, Pin Oak, Anne Elise, Deborah Ann, Drulourette, Praire du Rocher, Wayne LaGrange, Dredge Potter, Susan Stall...some of the endless names of the tows we've passed along the Illinois River. Life is slow on the Illinois. Fits the image of the silty lazy river. During those stretches of river where we have her to ourselves, and the birds swirl overhead, and heron stalk the shoreline, it's easy to imagine a barefoot boy, on a makeshift raft, poling his way down the river. The shoreline is fairly routine. Not much variety excepting the occasional town, silos, and opening in the tree lined embankment to higher berms.
We've traversed almost 310 miles of rivers and canals starting in Chicago and what a stunner start that was. A canyon of massive structures, bright and glimmering in the morning sun. It was soon followed by one of the dicier segments we are likely to encounter on the great adventure. The canal was narrow. One side was taken up by a long series of parked barges. Not a problem unless there's a barge coming the other way, which was the case. This shifts the brain from alert code yellow to code red. A quick review of options floods the brain but first order of business is to grab the VHF and contact the captain of the barge looming larger ahead. Thankfully our electronic navigation system names the barge. "Pere Marquette, Pere Marquette, this is the PC* Polaris headed southbound. Would you like us to pass or lay back till you pass?"
"Cap'n, why dunt you hol back," he says with the thick mumbling Lousinana accent. ( We since learned, with few exceptions they all have a Loosiayna accents.) Thankfully, there was a small basin to starboard where we could drift in a holding pattern till he passed. Then we moved into the channel....but not to soon lest we get caught in the tow's prop wash! The engines and props on the tows are massive and powerful. They can shove a pleasure craft around like a cork, something we experienced exiting a lock further down stream.
There were 6 of us PC types in a lock. We were the 4th to exit after locking down. Immediately waiting at the exit to take the lock up was a barge and tow. We watched each PC ahead tossed about and shoved to port 15 feet when passing the stern of the tow. Curiously at that moment some kayakers milling around waiting to cut across to the other side, chose to do so right in front of us as we passed the tow. I was still on the bow, my usual post when locking, and a bit incredulous at this kayakers poor timing to execute this maneuver. I yelled ahead and suggested he wait till we pass. I think this request converged with his own reconsideration, and he kindly backed off. Phew.
Passing barges along the way offers some of the few change ups in this otherwise lazy transit. It's not hard to execute, but it does involve some lingo. Once contacting the capt of the tow, you request to pass on the "one" or the "two". For my own purposes, and so as to not get confused by whose port or starboard one it referring to, 1 means "pass to 1 oclock" and "2 means pass to 11 o'clock." Whether you are overtaking a tow or converging on a tow, it works. Passing always involves a friendly wave.
Snags. These are trees lodged in the river and they are scary looking. Thankfully, though a common sight, they exist predominantly along the shallows outside the channel for the most part. Less frequently, we encounter floating logs. Sometimes you see these floating on the surface....sometimes they are submerged. That's bad. They can crack the hull. If you are going downstream, that's better. We hit something yesterday going briefly back upstream. It's not a nice sound. We all exchanged glances and hoped for the best. So far so good.
Aside from facing off with a barge that fills the channel, our other biggest issue has been anchoring. There are not a lot of marinas along the Illinois. Half of those are too shallow for us. The other option is anchoring in a backwater area. This is dicey. Along some segments of the river areas marked as anchorages have been only 6, 7 feet. We've learned that water levels can fluctuate a couple of feet. We've had to pass up places that afforded too little extra depth for comfort. So on we press. This is when I invoke one of my favorite bible verses for this trip...."The Lord goes before to find a place to camp." Deuteronomy 1:33. He always has.
*Pleasure craft
Cowboy Carl, Pere Marquette, Pintail, Joyce Hale, Pin Oak, Anne Elise, Deborah Ann, Drulourette, Praire du Rocher, Wayne LaGrange, Dredge Potter, Susan Stall...some of the endless names of the tows we've passed along the Illinois River. Life is slow on the Illinois. Fits the image of the silty lazy river. During those stretches of river where we have her to ourselves, and the birds swirl overhead, and heron stalk the shoreline, it's easy to imagine a barefoot boy, on a makeshift raft, poling his way down the river. The shoreline is fairly routine. Not much variety excepting the occasional town, silos, and opening in the tree lined embankment to higher berms.
We've traversed almost 310 miles of rivers and canals starting in Chicago and what a stunner start that was. A canyon of massive structures, bright and glimmering in the morning sun. It was soon followed by one of the dicier segments we are likely to encounter on the great adventure. The canal was narrow. One side was taken up by a long series of parked barges. Not a problem unless there's a barge coming the other way, which was the case. This shifts the brain from alert code yellow to code red. A quick review of options floods the brain but first order of business is to grab the VHF and contact the captain of the barge looming larger ahead. Thankfully our electronic navigation system names the barge. "Pere Marquette, Pere Marquette, this is the PC* Polaris headed southbound. Would you like us to pass or lay back till you pass?"
"Cap'n, why dunt you hol back," he says with the thick mumbling Lousinana accent. ( We since learned, with few exceptions they all have a Loosiayna accents.) Thankfully, there was a small basin to starboard where we could drift in a holding pattern till he passed. Then we moved into the channel....but not to soon lest we get caught in the tow's prop wash! The engines and props on the tows are massive and powerful. They can shove a pleasure craft around like a cork, something we experienced exiting a lock further down stream.
There were 6 of us PC types in a lock. We were the 4th to exit after locking down. Immediately waiting at the exit to take the lock up was a barge and tow. We watched each PC ahead tossed about and shoved to port 15 feet when passing the stern of the tow. Curiously at that moment some kayakers milling around waiting to cut across to the other side, chose to do so right in front of us as we passed the tow. I was still on the bow, my usual post when locking, and a bit incredulous at this kayakers poor timing to execute this maneuver. I yelled ahead and suggested he wait till we pass. I think this request converged with his own reconsideration, and he kindly backed off. Phew.
Passing barges along the way offers some of the few change ups in this otherwise lazy transit. It's not hard to execute, but it does involve some lingo. Once contacting the capt of the tow, you request to pass on the "one" or the "two". For my own purposes, and so as to not get confused by whose port or starboard one it referring to, 1 means "pass to 1 oclock" and "2 means pass to 11 o'clock." Whether you are overtaking a tow or converging on a tow, it works. Passing always involves a friendly wave.
Snags. These are trees lodged in the river and they are scary looking. Thankfully, though a common sight, they exist predominantly along the shallows outside the channel for the most part. Less frequently, we encounter floating logs. Sometimes you see these floating on the surface....sometimes they are submerged. That's bad. They can crack the hull. If you are going downstream, that's better. We hit something yesterday going briefly back upstream. It's not a nice sound. We all exchanged glances and hoped for the best. So far so good.
Aside from facing off with a barge that fills the channel, our other biggest issue has been anchoring. There are not a lot of marinas along the Illinois. Half of those are too shallow for us. The other option is anchoring in a backwater area. This is dicey. Along some segments of the river areas marked as anchorages have been only 6, 7 feet. We've learned that water levels can fluctuate a couple of feet. We've had to pass up places that afforded too little extra depth for comfort. So on we press. This is when I invoke one of my favorite bible verses for this trip...."The Lord goes before to find a place to camp." Deuteronomy 1:33. He always has.
*Pleasure craft
Sandy and Jim shared your link, looks like you guys are having a great time. Be safe and enjoy!
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