August 17 - 18, 2018
Murphy and I spent much of the day together in the salon
while Clay guided the boat under rainy skies up top. I broke stride from
cleaning boat woodwork (the dirty floor was my main motivator having been
tracked over and stepped on and littered with dirt, gravel, probable duck poop
and the like) to take lunch to him, then was pinned in the galley while
torrential rains dumped their moisture on us. A break in the rains had me
joining Clay on the flybridge to plan our attack on the second lock of the day,
New Cumberland Lock. We idled in the channel until the lockmaster was finally
convinced we really did want to pass through (also had to await the departure
of the barge in the large chamber, the small being inoperable). As luck would
have it, Murphy’s Law in effect, a second torrential downpour commenced as we
entered the chamber. Donning Gortex jacket over my life jacket, I mentally
prepared myself to be drenched—and was not disappointed. We exited the chamber
some fifteen minutes later; skies cleared; and we traveled the additional
eleven miles to dock uneventfully at Holiday Yacht Club, Chester, WV.
I held my breath as we connected our 50 amp cord through the
twin 30’s splitter until we had power! Yay! We have air conditioning (first in
about six days) along with hot water, belly laundry, and the many other
amenities that go with a good electric connection. Talk about simple pleasures!
With this new GFI issue, we can’t be guaranteed a source of land power in these
parts. We opted to eat dinner in when gray clouds yet again gathered and dumped
a gentle but insistent rain on us. It looked as though this pattern would
continue for much of the evening making us all the happier to have food in the
frig and cool air conditioning on us.
Clay and I found the fence opening in this ‘gated’ community
Saturday morning thanks to an early riser and her two yapping puppies. We had
the key fob to get back in, but the owner had not installed a control box to
allow those on foot to get out. Once freed, we climbed a rather insistently
steep hill to arrive at the one main street through town. We made quick stops
at Frank’s Pastry Shop and the Sparkle Market grocery store (a very nice shop
for this size town), then returned to the boat to prep for departure. Upriver
ten miles we would encounter Montgomery Lock, and word around the
harbor/campground was not encouraging for our continued travels. The Montgomery
lockmaster had estimated our wait time at his lock to be 2-8 hours; the main
chamber was under repair, making the small 365’ chamber the go-to for ALL
vessels. Each barge in a fleet had to go through separately making the process
lengthy and painstakingly slow. And, commercial vessels had priority over rec
boats (us; we’re now called a rec(reational) boat, not a pleasure craft). With
these parameters in mind, we weighed our travel options and decided to forge
onward as we usually do.
Amazingly, we cruised right through Montgomery Lock with
only the shortest of waits to allow the departing tow with its barges to get
out of our way. Looking way up above me, I solicited the guidance of the
lockmaster as I handed him our stern-tied 100’ line which he then looped over
two ‘pins’ and dropped back down to me for a midship securing. I was
apprehensive in this maneuver because, although we’ve done over 250 locks, this
procedure was a new one for us—and one we would use here and at the next three
locks to our destination, Fox Chapel Yacht Club on the Allegheny River. Worked
like a charm—here and at the ensuing three locks.
Midafternoon we arrived at the confluence of the Allegheny
and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River at MM 0. We made it! In view
were the Pittsburgh skyline, the various ball team stadiums, the Point State
Park (36-acre Pennsylvania state park in Downtown Pittsburgh), and many
boaters, joggers, shoppers and vacationers enjoying this Saturday afternoon on
and around the waterway. We turned up the Allegheny and traveled through Lock 2
(Lock 1 is long gone as is Lock 1 on the Monongahela) to arrive at Fox Chapel
Yacht Club. This is to be our home for the next two nights, and I’m well ready
for a down day—or two! Our lines were caught by Dockmaster Skip and a couple of
neighboring boaters Pam and Larry who welcomed us, giving us an informative
orientation to the area. We are in the lap of luxury after many days of less
than. And, our electric worked immediately upon pedestal plug in.
The lure of the nearby shore had Clay and me off the boat
and walking the land area of the marina which encompassed a lap pool complex,
the Baha Bar and Grill (indoor and outdoor dining), a large marine service and
sales center, a day spa along with shower rooms, a laundry facility and a live
band on the evening’s agenda. We hit the jackpot!
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