August 6 - 8, 2018
We arrived in Louisville this Monday late afternoon after a
Mickie D’s lunch (first time for kiosk ordering) in Corydon (state in question;
it’s hard for me to know what state I’m in without the old-fashioned paper road
maps of days long gone!). I had convinced Clay to drive directly to the marina
to unload car contents and take a stab at stowing before our provisioning run
(which was quite necessary as we’d closed up Sally’s Galley for the 10+ days we
were gone).
Locating a Walmart one stop shopping opportunity with an
adjacent Sam’s within a ten mile radius of River Park Place, we departed the
marina even later Monday afternoon (making it more like early evening) with
shopping list in hand. We returned shortly (not really…just making sure you’re
paying attention) with $150+ in provisions and a rotisserie chicken. I knew it
would be a late night, even later on the clock given the fact that we’re now on
Eastern time. Unless you are a boater or have boated with us (or have/had a
second home or cabin on the Lake), you can’t fully appreciate what it takes to
go through the buying-toting-stowing process we just completed!
Note: As I left the Y after my last swim for the summer
season recently, one of the desk gals said, “Have a nice vacation.” I replied
that I didn’t consider this a vacation, but rather living on a boat. I further
said that I should keep the mindset of ‘vacation’ and see if that makes any
difference. So far, I’m still just living on a boat. And, we’ve only just
begun! I’m certainly trying, though!
Captain Clay issued orders Tuesday that we’d leave the
marina and take on fuel. That’s not nearly enough detail for this first mate!
Having researched the area, Clay knew that fuel was to be had upriver about six
miles at Juniper Beach Docks. But we still needed to return the Enterprise car
and retrieve our folding bike from Bill—as in, when would this happen? Details
details? Details were left in question, and I in a quandary, as the day
progressed. Too, I had a second mini ‘wish’ list of provisions for which we had
storage space; might as well fill ‘er up when we can!
As Tuesday played out, the boat never left the harbor. Clay
cleaned on the boat while I organized and played catch-up. With the car due
back at 2:30 and a half-hour grace period, we left at 2:40 p.m. (really, what
was the man thinking?) with our Kroger mini list (love having a Kroger for
shopping), made a QUICK dash through the store (adrenaline high to check out
and meet our Enterprise deadline), and pulled into the Enterprise lot at 3:00.
Whew! Returning to the boat, Clay continued to clean; and I continued to pick
up, organize, stow, whatnot and so forth. Bill stopped by for a chat, returning
the newly-repaired bike (thank you, Bill!), and the evening played out with a
little thunder, lightning, and rain on the radar screen. Another night in port
which was not my expectation, but quite A-OK by me.
Now Wednesday with storm clouds and a not-so-good weather
forecast, we disconnected power cord and water line, untied our lines and cast
off for Madison, IN upriver at MM 557.8, approximately 45 miles and no locks.
In my substitute Y gym, I got a great biceps workout coiling extremely heavy,
wet lines from overnight rains. And, I knew I’d be put to work with the
upcoming fueling and pumping out processes. Ah, but I’d rather be crewing than
driving!
No nearby facility could accommodate both fuel and pump out
needs, so we knew we had two intermediate stops on the way to
Madison—guaranteed to be a rather time consuming procedure. What we didn’t know
was that both processes were self serve. I’ve NEVER used a self serve fueling
station for our boat; pump out, yes. But fuel, no. Kinda like pumping gas into
the car, we had NO help from any source, not even a cheerful voice on the phone
to field our questions (we didn’t really have any, but if we had…). Gulp at the
high price of diesel here, we proceeded to swipe the trusty ole credit card,
add Stanadyne to the fuel tanks and go for it. No challenge but for the stern
wind that kicked up unexpectedly midway through pumping; we were tied
sufficiently, but the wind just added another detail to factor into our
departure.
“Quick, Sally, call Captain’s Quarters” (if it sounds
familiar, it is; we ate lunch at this lovely restaurant and marina recently—and
I’d much rather be dining than pumping out here!) Ever the resourceful one,
Clay had gotten a tidbit of info that Captain’s Quarters had a pump out
station. First mate duty to get the ‘skinny’ on the detail via cell phone (no
radio monitoring by Captain’s Quarters), most especially the water depth—and it
was only a mile upriver, so near yet so far. The smooth voice of the maître ‘d
assured me he’d do his best to get the answer to my depth question and to give
me explicit directions to said pump out station. That said, we cruised
confidently up Harrod’s Creek, lassoed the dock cleats, and proceeded to pump
out (I swore early on—like five years ago—that I’d not do pump outs…and here I
am…again). Even rinsed both tanks per the good Captain’s wishes. What’s a nice
girl like me doing in a place like this? Vacation? I’m still having an awfully
difficult time with that mindset! Note: The entire process took 1.75 hours, so
it’s now closing in on noon which means…lunchtime. Clay’s stern planter
(defined as a planter on the stern rail of the boat) survived our absence with
a little help from dockmaster Troy’s occasional liter of water dump. But the
basil and cherry tomato plants aren’t looking too good (hopefully a little
Miracle Gro or like product will help), but they are producing enough for me to
make caprese sandwiches for lunch. I told Clay it will take a little
imagination to deem them ‘gourmet.’ Kristen, I’m using whole wheat bread, swiss
cheese slices as substitute for your awesome ciabatta bread and fresh
mozzarella, but we do eat well! Basil leaves are a bit skimpy right now; let’s
hope that improves!
Now approaching Madison, IN, Clay requested that I call
(currently no cell service) a marina which might serve us better overnight if
their depth could accommodate us. Our plan to stay at the City of Madison
Courtesy Dock (no water or electricity) might be compromised with storms
a’brewing. Plan B, and thus, as we tucked into the harbor of Rivercrest Marina
with an assured depth of 4.5’ (gulp, we draw 4.5’), we stirred up considerable
mud which had me holding my breath and saying a quick fervent prayer that we
make this work. Trent, a personable young man with a huge interest in boating,
arrived via jet ski (a first for us to be ushered to our slip by a
jet-ski-riding dock man) and helped us with the process! Again, we’ve been
hugely fortunate to encounter some wonderful folks this summer!
On that note, I will sign, seal and deliver as Clay peruses
the restaurant menus in Madison, IN. Hint: I imagine we’ll choose the one
within closest walking distance as we are on the outskirts of this fair town
and time marches on toward suppertime!
No comments:
Post a Comment