Day 9 - Tuesday - Smithville to Columbus  

Another early start

         Tuesday is another busy locking day with three locks today starting with Wilkins Lock.  We wait for about 20 minutes for a barge to clear Amory Lock but it is smooth sailing through Aberdeen Lock with the gates open as we arrive.  Today we are reminded that this is a working waterway as we pass some large and long tows. I find it interesting that these tugs (actually pushers) have propellers that approach 6 feet in diameter but they do not throw up nearly as big a wake as the fast pleasure boats that pass us.  

 It's a working river

And they are BIG

           The roiling of the water in their wake however is another matter.  The turbulence is strong and both Brett and I can feel AURORA moving erratically a few feet in either direction whenever we are at the wheel and a tow boat passes us or we pass one of them. This movement is in contrast to our normal solid, straight-as-an-arrow wake from AURORA’s full keel.

AURORA's full keel = straight course

         Between Amory and Aberdeen we encounter an Army Corps of Engineers barge dredging the main channel.  I am thankful for Brett’s good eyesight because mine is not. When the barge captain asks us to pass “on the two,” I have trouble spotting his port and starboard visual signals (there are a lot of posts, flags and other paraphernalia hanging on a dredging barge in operation) but Brett spots it immediately and we pass the dredger starboard to starboard without incident being mindful to thank the barge Captain for his help in keeping us out of trouble.  

Passing barge "on the two"

        We have a pleasant surprise awaiting us upon our arrival in Columbus.  Two boats that have passed us previously are on our dock and both are from the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan and we mutually congratulate ourselves for not having to winterize and haul our respective boats.  An even bigger surprise it that Dennis and Wanda off of VELA NARCOSIS are at the marina having spent a couple of days here visiting with local friends.  Ever the organizer, Dennis has arranged for a courtesy car and we six are re-united for a fun evening in town at one of his favorite restaurants along the Tenn-Tom route.  In spite of the lateness of the evening after waaaaay too many toasts to new friends, Brett and I still expect to push off in the AM once again.  Sadly, James and Stacey want a day of rest and will remain behind. I can only imagine Louie is ecstatic over enjoying a day on land sniffing and lifting a leg to mark new territory.  On a positive note, Dennis is also ready to shove off in the morning and we agree to buddy boat the next few days. One door closes but another opens.  I am happy to accompany Dennis since he is on his sixth round trip to Florida and has all the local knowledge of anchoring spots that I do not.  It is a great weight off of my shoulders to be able to tag along with VELA NARCOSIS particularly in light of the fact we travel at similar cruising speeds. 

Our last view of GLASS SLIPPER for a while