Golconda Marina, Golconda, IL - 9/9/12

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Sunrise on the Mississippi

 We pulled our anchors (bow and stern) at 6:15 and followedBobbi Two out of the towhead on the Mississippi and turned the corner onto theOhio River for our 80 mile trip today up the river.

New Lock on the Ohio

 The very noticeable change in current hit us on thenose.  Now we are going 2,000 rpms andgetting only 9 mph.  This area is verybusy with tows and we had to thread our way through.  We are to meet up with Blue Heron around 8a.m. at the new Olmsted Lock that is being built where they anchored lastnight.
 

Blue Heron

Bobbi Two

Lock 52 Raft Up

 Lock 52 is just a mile or so from the new site and we were throughinside half an hour.  This was a very oldand rustic lock with less than 100 feet of flat wall so we had to raft all 3boats together.

Inside Lock 52

Raft

 Craig had already called lock 53 which is known to be slowto see when we could lock through and was told that if we could make the 20plus miles by noon and it was now 10 a.m. we would go through.  So we all took off but our boat being fulldisplacement was much slower than the other two plus we were starting to showsigns of needing to change fuel filters.

Leaving 52

A tow had pulled up to the doors so we had a very small hole to get through.

 The other two boats made it to the lock by noon and we gotthere about 12:15 but the tow coming out was still inside the lock and wedidn’t get through until 1:30.  At least20 tows were waiting to lock through on each side of the river.  A little known fact about federal locks … ifpleasure craft are at a lock they will be locked through after 3 commerciallockages.

The other two boats left me and headed for Green Turtle Bayon the Cumberland and we proceeded north on the Ohio toward ourdestination.  

Cumberland River Exit

 When we got to the Cumberland River intersection, weofficially crossed our wake and had to perform the ceremony of releasing ourtwo passengers into the water plus change our worn looper flag to the gold one whichsignifies that we have completed the circumnavigation of the east coast.
 

Goodbye Don

Goodbye Darrin

Hang the Gold

Still with Elliott

Ricki and Elliott

We still had one lock and about 30 miles to go to GolcondaMarina and arrived after they closed at 6:05 and assumed our assigned spot on ADock.  We will pay them and get fueltomorrow morning when they open at 6 a.m.
Tomorrow our destination is about 112 miles upriver but wedo have a plan B if we get held up at the one lock we need to go through.
N 37  22.190  W 088 28.920