Cairo, IL to Paducah, KY

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December 2, 2022: We make the final push to our first real dock in four days.

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(continued from Cape Girardeau, Mo to Cairo, IL)

I woke early (as usual) after a relatively good night sleep. The anchorage had been quiet and relatively calm, considering its proximity to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and all the related barge traffic. I had my coffee in the dark, watching the moving lights of a barge across the Mississippi, trying to decide if it was moving or we were. By the time it got light enough to see — and for the simple fact that it remained in sight for so long — I realized that it was us moving: a near constant gentle swaying in the current coming down the Angelo Chute.

One of the tows that passed us downbound on the Mississippi as we were doing our morning things.

After we all had breakfast and I coaxed my pups into using the green turf mat for some of their relief needs, we prepped to go. I was excited about this last day on our long run between fuel stops. I was eager to get the boat tied to a dock and get some fuel into it so my fuel worries would be over. Not that I was really worried about fuel usage — we’d done an excellent job making that 145 gallons of diesel last. But I’d been warned that turning up the Ohio would seriously cut our speed and increase fuel consumption. This would be the tricky part of the trip and I wanted it over.

Same Old, Same Old

Of course, I had the same problem starting the engine that I’d had on the previous morning. But now I knew the workaround. I shut the Volvo system down, turned the Parallel battery switch to ON, and came back to the helm. I powered up the Volvo system and pushed the Start button. The engine started right up. I then went back outside, turned the Parallel battery switch to OFF, and closed up that panel. Yes, it worked, but it didn’t work the way it was supposed to. This problem needed to be resolved.

The next challenge was the anchor and it also gave us the same trouble. I had Alyse sit at the helm while I dealt with it. The windlass worked, but it didn’t want to continuously pull up the rode. It required me to open the anchor locker, grab the rode under the windlass, and pull it down while operating the windlass. It was a royal pain in the ass and I needed to do something about it, mostly because I didn’t think I could do it without a crew member at the helm. After all, once the anchor is off the ground, there’s nothing holding the boat in place and it can drift. The longer it takes to get the anchor in, the farther it can drift. And that can be trouble. This problem needed to be resolved.

Turning Left

I turned around in the anchorage and pointed the boat back into the Mississippi River. We passed under the tall Cairo Highway Bridge, past mile marker 1 on the Upper Mississippi. From that point on, the Mississippi would be known as the Lower Mississippi. But that wasn’t our route. Instead, I turned left and started our journey up the Ohio River and mile marker 981.

The hit to our speed was immediate. We’d been heading south with a 2-3 knot current helping us along. Suddenly, we had a 1-2 knot current trying to push us backward. The net affect was a 3 to 5 knot hit to our speed.

It was also windy and the river, which was wide, was churned up into some pretty large waves at some points. The worst was waiting for Olmstead Lock. We had to wait about 90 minutes to lock through and spent that time driving in circles just downstream from the dam, fighting current and wind-generated waves. It was not fun. I couldn’t simply drift because it tossed us around so much and kept us in a constant rotation. I had to keep driving. I don’t know what the Lockmaster’s problem was — he had two lock chambers to use. Finally, I guess he took pity on us and let us lock up while waiting for the next tow to come down the river.

My view out the window as we locked up in Ohmstead Lock.

After that, the condition of the river varied depending on which direction we headed in. When it curved one way, the water would calm down. When it curved another way, the waves would build up. And the whole time, the current was against us, slowing us down.

And did I mention the tows? We had a handful to pass in either direction. Below the lock, the channel was narrow, but above it, the channel was much wider. All of the tow operators were very polite. I think they really appreciated me calling them when it was time to pass. The AIS system made it easy; I cannot imagine operating a boat in this area without it.

We passed this dredging operation just west of Paducah.

Arriving at Paducah

I’d called ahead to arrange for fuel when I knew our ETA and was pretty disappointed that the dock was empty — no boats, no people. I wasn’t even sure where to park. I finally came in on the outside of the dock where the fuel pumps were. I hoped I wouldn’t have to move. We tied the boat securely — it was still windy and the dock was not well protected at all — and I got on the phone again. It was 30 minutes until quitting time and I wanted fuel on board before I went to sleep that night.

Do It Now looks pretty lonely all by itself at Paducah City Transient Docks. That’s a typical Ohio River tow passing in the river.

I took my pups for a walk in the nearby park area while waiting for the fuel guy to show up. They were very relieved — in all senses of the word — to get off the boat and onto some grass. The guy came and we fueled the boat. I took just 85 gallons; I guess all of my fuel conservation efforts had worked. 85 gallons for 204 nautical miles works out to 2.4 nautical miles per gallon. That’s pretty damn good for a boat like mine.

When he left, Alyse and I brought 3 days of accumulated trash up to the trash cans in the park; there were none on the dock. Then I left my pups in the boat and Alyse and I took the short walk into town in search of civilization and a good meal.

Here’s our Nebo log for December 2, 2022. Download a PDF log file with more info. Track Do It Now on Nebo.

In Paducah

Paducah, KY is a nice little town and I bet it’s really rocking in early October when the Loopers are all coming through. It has a nice main street area with shops and restaurants. It was only around 4 PM when we got in and the restaurants that looked worth eating in weren’t open yet.

It was about three weeks before Christmas when we arrived at Paducah and the town was decorated for the occasion.

Connie on La Principessa had strongly advised us to go to Kirchhoff’s Bakery and Deli and to buy the cranberry walnut bread and chicken salad; fortunately, it was open and we were able to get both. (I say “fortunately” because we ate them over the next few days and they were both excellent.)

We made the mistake of being sucked in by a Happy Hour sign to a place called Over/Under. It was an upstairs bar with too many big screen TVs, too much noise, and a bartender who made a “cucumber martini” that tasted like a margarita. (Simple syrup? Really?) We had an appetizer and drinks. Honestly, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Across the street, we stopped at Hooper’s Outdoor Center where I bought a solar powered, collapsable lantern. I thought it would come in handy for nights at anchor where I’m trying hard to conserve power. Alyse bought a Grinch t-shirt for her significant other back home.

At 5 PM, we were at the door for Max’s Brick Oven Cafe. After verifying twice that we did not have a reservation, we were taken to a table for two. We had excellent service and a great meal that included a very good and reasonably priced bottle of wine. I felt as if I were celebrating the end of the most difficult part of the Great Loop journey. (Little did I know what lay ahead for us.)

By the time we were finished, it was after 6 PM. We walked back to the boat in the dark. It was cool out, but not cold. I fed my pups and took them for another walk up in the park. There was no one around, so I let them run loose. They had a lot of energy to work out.

Because we were plugged into shore power, I set up the electric heater before we turned in. We stayed reasonably warm, but the boat rocked most of the night.

(continued in Paducah to Grand Rivers, KY)