Somewhere on the Southern Illinois River

Saturday, September 28, 2014

Stats:

Havana Illinois to Willow Island. 7:00 a.m. -  5:30 p.m.  90 miles

Today was a travel day.  We wanted to get within close rage of Grafton, the next town stop we have.  Knowing it was going to be a long day, we christened our new twelve-volt slow cooker. We plugged it into the cigarette lighter beside the helm and all day we had the delicious aroma of dinner cooking wafting past.  It worked great! Yumm!

As is evident in the pictures above, the river looks pretty much the same as we travel along.  It is very rural and for the most part there aren’t even cottages.  We spent hours peacefully floating down the river with the very occasional passing tow or fisherman to give a friendly wave to.  Hours are spent watching the constant wildlife show and the subtle changes in the surrounding landscape.  

With tunes softly playing in the background a heron dives for dinner, a couple of butterflies flutter by doing their little butterfly dance, a fish jumps up and splashes down after a showy acrobatic spin, a swarm of swallows plays tag alongside, the sun is warm and its reflections sparkle all around us.... you get the picture? We comment on a tree hanging on precariously to the bank by what’s left of its roots or an abandoned fishing boat washed up on the shore.  It’s a lovely way to pass a day.

We're kept on our toes avoiding the constant barrage of deadheads that are always present and the occasional passing tows.  They are pretty huge and intimidating when you see them slowly coming towards you.  

Here’s the procedure when you see one approaching: First, you find a point of reference on the chart.  Then you contact them on the VHF on channel 13, saying something like: “Northbound tow at mile marker 182, this is the Southbound pleasure vessel Gran Vida approaching you. We’re requesting a slow pass.  Do you have a preference side for a pass?”

Then he’ll get back and say something unintelligible, like: “A-aw-blah-oo-isl” with a marble-mouthed, staticy voice. 

We’ll look at each other questioningly. 

“I think maybe he said to pass on the one?”  Which is Tow driver code-talk for passing port to port or each staying to the right side of the channel, like you would on a road. Occasionally, when they're taking a wide corner, we're asked to stay on the "two".  After the first few times, it’s a piece of cake.  

We anchored behind the Southern tip of Willow Island, just off the channel.  We didn’t see or hear another boat.  Just lots of crickets, birds, fish jumping and big hunks of floatsam bumping into our hull all night.  Ouch!

                                                               Our view tonight.  Anchored behind Willow Island,  just off the main channel