It’s Tuesday morning and another beautiful fall day. We’re still in Grafton and will be here until we push off for Paducah on Friday. Yesterday we received notice from Alton that they will be unable to accommodate us due to receding water levels! They are concerned the inlet to the marina has insufficient depth to permit the boat to enter the marina. Our primary reason for stopping there was to take on fuel - it’s the last fuel stop until Paducah, about 250 miles by my measure. This means we’ll need to go to Port Charles, MO, about 3 miles up the Mississippi River to take on fuel before Friday. Thus, we’ll depart from Grafton on Friday. We would have departed sooner but the three-day travel schedule puts us in Paducah over the weekend while they’re holding a riverfront BBQ festival and dock space is unavailable. Meanwhile I am learning to read NOAA river flow charts and interpret navigational charts which show “weirs”, “chevrons”, “wing dams” and such - all underwater structures used to divert water flow but are potential obstructions to navigation especially at certain water depths. Since we’ll be at anchor for two nights, I need to fully understand approaches to and exits from the anchorage areas. We have already heard stories from boaters hitting submerged objects and damaging props, drive shafts, etc. I don’t want to be a part of that group!
The forthcoming trip will be broken into three parts. The first leg is about 100 miles to a seldom used lock (and dam) at the Kaskaskia L&D where we can tie up to the outside of the wall leading into the lock. We have been warned not to leave the boat or walk on the wall. The next stop is about 80 miles farther downriver into a canal that is allegedly sufficiently deep and wide enough to enter and drop anchor. A notice is not to anchor here if rain is expected because the canal is subject to flash flooding. From there we make the last run to Paducah which means navigating from the down-flowing Mississippi to the head current of the Ohio River. This is where fuel burn will double or triple while only maintaining the same speed. I’m anticipating averaging 4-5 gph / 10 -12 mph to the Ohio River, then 15 gph and 10 mph up the Ohio River. It looks like it’s only 60 miles to Paducah on the Ohio.
From Paducah we go to either the TN River or Cumberland River to enter the TN River system. The TN River entrance is closer and more direct but carries more commercial traffic than the Cumberland. The next marina is Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY and is a place of respite for all Loopers.
Today we’ve obtained use of the courtesy van and will go to Alton for provisions. Internet and Verizon cell reception is hit or miss here. However, we can get reliable TV reception.