When we pulled anchor, we figured we could make the last twenty miles in about five hours. We were wrong. The current I’ve spoken about just keeps increasing. We raised the anchor and came out around the island and turned directly into the current. Since we cannot go over 1500 RPM’s we were only making about 3.5 knots. This would take us almost seven hours to get where we needed, and we have a lock to go through.
We made our way south and were coming close to the lock, When I say close, we were within five miles, but at our speed, this was still almost two hours away. We got closer- within two miles, and our speed had dropped to just over three knots, so still and hour away. No need to contact the lock until you can see the lock. I was getting nervous that if the current increased any more, we wouldn’t be able to make headway! We eventually were getting within a mile or so, and I noticed a catamaran coming up from the rear. I contacted them via the radio and told them we were having issues, so we could not move any faster. I also asked if they had contacted the lock yet, and he said they had not. I told them I would continue on and they could initiate contact with the lock, which will let me get closer before we request the lock through. I listened as they contacted the lock master and he informed us a barge was coming down and we should wait off to the side for about 30-45 minutes so he can get out once the lock doors open. Now this meant we had to basically stay pointed into the current and try to hold steady in position. The catamaran was behind us, so I couldn’t slide backwards too much as I didn’t want to get too close to them. We did this for about thirty minutes, then I turned and let the current carry us back past the catamaran. Now we were in the rear, but it was more comfortable than trying to stay up front. Eventually the lock master came on the radio and told us the barge was exiting, and if we stayed close but off to the side, we could enter once the barge had cleared the lock. We inched forward and were off to the side, but the wake of the barge was a force to be reckoned with. Both boats were getting tossed around by the waves, but we made it past him and into the lock. In the mean time a third pleasure boat had come up and was locking through with us as well. We pulled into the lock and Lauren got us secure to the bollard and we waited for the lock to take us up about fifty feet. Once we were to the top, the doors opened and we all departed at the direction of the lock master. We pulled out and moved over to the side so the faster boat behind us could go on. Once they passed, we throttled up to get to our destination.
Now that we were past the lock, the current was not pushing against us anymore and we were making five knots again! Yay! We made our way to the marina and called in on the VHF once we were close. There is an island in front of the bay and I wanted to know if it was deep enough to come straight in, or needed to go around and enter from the other side? “Come on straight in to the fuel dock” was the directions given to us. We motored forward, watching the depths, but not having any issues or scares. We got to the fuel dock and here is where we had to check in, and I requested a pump out. Once all of this was done, we made our way to our assigned slip and tied off. There were about a half dozen other Loopers there waiting to assist with lines when we arrived. We got ourselves settled in and I walked up to the maintenance yard office to inquire about the haul out. They had me fill out some paperwork and said they would be in contact the next day.
Now that we were here and the yard knew our situation, there was nothing else to do but wait. I mentioned the other Loopers, and they were almost all hanging out on the docks around the boats. The marina seems to put the Loopers in the same areas, and we all were socializing, exchanging boat cards, and chatting with each other sharing stories and insights as well. We hung out for awhile and got to know our neighbors. Eventually it was time for dinner, so we retired to the boat to eat and call it a night. It had been a long couple of days and we were happy we finally made it here.
Day 2: The morning was uneventful until I got the phone call to bring the boat around to the lift. They had already had one boat up and down and were ready for us. We got the boat untied and came over to the lifting area. They had the straps in the water already, so all I had to do was pull in and hold it steady while they tightened everything and started lifting us. The rain had started today and was expected to be on and off all day. Once the boat was off of the water, they had me step off. In the haste, I forgot to close the door all the way and the flybridge window was open too. Oh well, nothing I could do about it now. Lauren had Frank and were sitting on the closed on site restaurant patio out of the rain while this was going on. Once the boat was out of the water completely we had our first good look at the damage to the boat.
I was expecting the worst. Between the sound of the grounding, the vibration at higher RPM’s, and the overactive mind, I was not expecting what I saw. There were a couple of scratches along the bottom, but only on the solid steel keel underneath. The propeller blades were bent, all three, which I had expected. The bottom paint was in good shape and not in need of any repair or repainting. The last piece was the shaft: this could be major, both in cost and repair, but it seemed okay. I couldn’t be 100% sure, but to my untrained eye it looked good. The mechanic took the propeller nut off and tried to remove the prop. It wouldn’t budge. He was trying everything, but nothing was working. He worked on it about twenty minutes, then they all took a lunch break. During this time the rain started to fall harder, and Lauren, Frank and I took cover back on the covered patio. It was getting cold and we were a bit wet now too, so that didn’t help. Eventually the crew returned and they had a blowtorch! I walked over and they now had the propeller off of the boat. I watched as they used a precision tool to measure the shaft as it spins; they would turn it by hand and the tool would measure if a bend would make it go up and down. There was a little, very slight wiggle, but it was diagnosed as good to go. No need to replace/repair this. That was a huge relief. Someone took the propeller to a local prop shop so they could see if they could repair it. We would have to wait to find out about this. They eventually put the boat back in the water and used a work boat to push us back to our slip, so we could have power and water for the next few days as it is supposed to get very cold. As they were pulling us into the slip, they got the call from the prop shop- it is repairable. This was great news! At this point all we can do is wait for the prop to get fixed, then we will get hauled once more, prop installed, and off we go.
Now that we were back to our slip, I washed the boat down. I figure it could rain on a clean boat, but she definitely needed a scrub down. While I was doing this, Lauren did some laundry. We also were chatting with our neighbors and was told of ‘dock-tails’ being held on another Loopers boat tonight at 5:30pm. This sounded like fun, as we’ve not really had the opportunity to experience this per se. We’ve certainly hung out with others on the dock, but not an organized get together. We cleaned up and walked over to the dock and boat hosting the party. There were at least twenty two other people there, and it was a duel celebration of someone’s birthday. Everyone brings their own beverages and food if you want to contribute. We passed out our boat cards and received so many. There were snacks and cake, and many laughs and stories. Everyone left around 7:30pm, and we made our way back to our boat for dinner. After dinner I found myself hanging out with the neighbors in a small lounge that is set up in the middle of our dock. We hung out for a while, watched the World Series, and eventually called it a night. All in all I was pleased with the diagnosis.
Day 3-6: We took the courtesy car and explored Shiloh National Military Park, the sites of the most epic struggle in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Nearly 110,000 American troops clashed in a bloody contest that resulted in 23,746 casualties; more casualties than in all of America’s previous wars combined. From the website: “Shiloh is one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields anywhere. Within the nearly 4,000-acre Shiloh National Military Park you can visit historic sites like the Bloody Pond, Hornet’s Nest, Pittsburg (spelled correctly- no ‘h’) Landing and the General Albert Sidney Johnston death site. Shiloh National Cemetery holds 3,584 Civil War dead from battles in the area, 2,359 of them are unknown. “The two-day battle, April 6 and April 7, 1862, involved about 65,000 Union troops under Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell and 44,000 Confederates under Albert Sidney Johnston (killed in the battle) and P.G.T. Beauregard. The battle resulted in nearly 24,000 killed, wounded, and missing. The two days of fighting did not end in a decisive tactical victory for either side—the Union held the battlefield but failed to pursue the withdrawing Confederate forces. However, it was a decisive strategic defeat for the Confederate forces that had massed to oppose Grant’s and Buell’s invasion through Tennessee. After the Battle of Shiloh, the Union forces proceeded to capture Corinth and the critical railroad junction there.” We toured the visitor center which is filled with interesting artifacts, visited the cemetery and drove around the battlefields and memorials. During the drive there were an unbelievable amount of up rooted and destroyed trees from the storm we had a few days ago when we were in Birdsong Marina. The damage was unbelievable to see, with massive tree after tree toppled with giant clumps of dirt still around the roots, not to mention the debris scattered about as well- it truly looked like a war zone. We completed the tour and headed back to the marina.
The next few days have been spent doing some cleaning, maintenance, shopping and waiting. We were told we should expect to be here until mid week next week. This morning I was told maybe we will have the prop back tomorrow (Monday), so I am being optimistic, but not sure if that could happen. I spent a Saturday hanging out with the locals who have their boats around us, and we took the car again to Walmart to stock up. We want to be ready to go once we complete the repairs. The Browns suck and I wasted an evening watching that. Ughh. I should also mention it has been unseasonably cold here, as it has been in the 30’s at night and mid 50’s during the day. Good thing we have many blankets and comforters, and we have used a few bottles of propane in our heater to take the chill off.
I’ll update again once the prop is on and we are at the next stop, but until then we will be hanging out here at Aqua Yachts in good ol’ Iuka, Mississippi.