Sailors and Fools

Sailors and Fools

I have heard said that God watches out for sailors and fools. The crew of Danny’s Fault definitely falls into at least one of those two categories!

Last week we stopped in Chicago to see our friends Bud and Shirley Zalon off the sailboat EZ Baby. They treated us like royalty, picking us up from Belmont Harbor, taking us to their home for showers and a bed where our feet did not get tangled together and where we could enter the bed from the side as opposed to the head of the V berth. Not only were the showers and sheets clean, they treated us to a wonderful dinner at a rib place and then to breakfast at a pancake house. We had enough leftovers for an additional dinner and breakfast. Thanks so much Bud and Shirley.

After being delivered back to Danny’s Fault we proceeded to remove sails and lower the mast. All went well. The mast was strapped down/lashed to the mast cradle and deck preparing for the 4 mile trip to the Chicago River.

Up until this point the trip has been going better than planned. That was about to change. When we got out into Lake Michigan on Thursday morning the Lake was showing us some of what she is capable of. We had 3-6 foot waves on the port bow. This caused Danny’s Fault to both pitch and roll, pitch being fore and aft and roll being side to side. After about 15 minutes into the now 1 hour trip (due to the conditions) the mast began to move. The entire framework shifted forward and down. The down motion then caused the lashings to become loose. As I sat there for the next 45 minutes all I could see was the front end on the mast moving around and Jude looking up from the companionway where she was hanging on. All that Jude could see was me, the concentration on my face and the aft end of the mast. Fortunately her view of the mast was not as disconcerning as mine. The end that she could see had not moved after the initial shift.

We made it safely into the harbor in Chicago and locked into the river. The water was calm, the sun was shining, and the city was all around us. We took the time and circled in the river tightening the mast lashings and picking up the pieces down below. We were now ready for our trip through the city. All that we had gone through to get this far was worth it. It was fun to catch the sights of a city that we have seen from street level from a different perspective. We were about 25 feet lower than those walking the streets above us. Some waved; some asked where we were headed. All was at peace again on Danny’s Fault.

After the first hour in the river the scenery turned to industry. The air had an aroma that we are now glad to be out of. As we proceeded down river there was more and more barge traffic. The river is so narrow there is barely enough room for the barges to pass those tied on piers along the sides of the river. We had to keep a constant vigil to make sure that we were not coming down on a moving barge. All went well.

We made it to Joliet that evening and tied off to the city pier. It was a free dock with power. We then ran into two other sailboats tied up there from Sandusky, OH. The guys came on board and helped me reset Danny’s Fault’s mast.

The next morning we headed out in the rain (this becomes important) to catch up with Pat and Lynn Lortie, of Midland, ON. They are doing the Loop (down the rivers, around Florida, to the Bahamas, then back north up the east coast). We found them at the appointed spot, tied up along side (they were anchored) in the rain. We had happy hour on their boat, Adamant I, and it rained. Lynn made a wonderful dinner for us. We ate on their boat, and it rained. We all slept peacefully, and it rained. The next morning we were debating whether to leave as it rained. There was a sucker hole in the rain and they had been sitting there for a couple of days waiting for us so we left. This was shortly after a 6 foot log, 6 inches in diameter passed between the boats.

As we proceeded down the river it rained. When we got to the next lock we had to wait for a tow to lock through. We waited 2 hours and it misted. When we finally got our chance to get into the lock it started to pour. Three miles down the river we passed Heritage Marine. We were headed to Ottawa, IL, where there were some free city docks. Another 3 miles we were at the city docks but there was only room for one boat as a large rental houseboat had taken their half in the middle. We then checked our cruising guide and it showed us that there was an anchorage another 3 miles down river. Both boats motored downstream. By the way, did I mention that it was still raining? Or did I mention that the wind had now increased? Upon arriving at the anchorage we decided it was not suitable under the current conditions. Jude got the guide out and called the two marinas down stream. The first could not accommodate our depth and the second had nothing more than an answering machine. We decided to turn around and head back to the city dock where DF would tie up along the section of dock and Adamant I would tie off on us.

We slugged our way back against the current in the Illinois River. After a bit of work we got both boats tied up at the city dock in Ottawa. We went below on Adamant for drinks at about 6:30 PM. At 8:30, of course after dark by now, the owner of the houseboat came by, knocked on our boat and said that he was moving his boat because of the flooding that would be taking place. Pat and I went out to help him. Pat then moved his boat fwd on the dock and we tied off both boats in a manner that we could cast off from the deck of the boats without having to get off of the boats. While Pat and I were tying off boats the ladies were listening to the flood warnings on the radio; the river was to rise 8 feet overnight. It had gone up a foot since we had tied off the first time and the water was less than a foot below the dock.

After some discussion with some local boaters we were convinced this was not the place to be. With some phone calls at 9 PM we were casting off lines and headed back up river the last 3 miles back to Heritage Marina. The rain had stopped and it was a fairly clear sky. We could see lightning off in the distance. We ran the two boats side by side up the river. We figured it would be easier to spot debris and buoys with two spotlights, each hitting only one half of the river. My big light crapped out. I was stuck using my small 6 volt light. All and all, the trip up the river in the dark ended up being one of the most peaceful part of the day. When we arrived at the marina, the staff was there with lights on and hands on deck to help both boats tie off.

Our "dock" the next morning, just past the light post

We slept very comfortably at the marina on the floating docks. When we got up in the morning to go take showers the docks had risen so high that the ramps leading to shore were leading into the water. We waded to shore. I got wet up to the lower part of my bathing suit. I had to hold up my foul weather jacket to keep it from getting wet. Jude did not fare as well, she tripped on the cement step that was under water and she went down on all fours. Not completely soaked, but water on the front of her t-shirt and inside the sleeves of her foul weather. Oh, did I mention that it was still raining. I showered then had to wade back through the water to get back to the boat. Not sure how clean I felt after that.

At about 2 PM, Sunday, we borrowed the courtesy van and went into town to check out where we had been docked the night before. The four foot posts that we had been tied to were under water, no where to be seen. The river reminded me of the rivers in Alaska. There were trees (30 feet long, 18 inches in diameter) racing down stream at a good 5-6 miles per hour. Besides the trees there were all kinds of other unidentifiable objects floating out there. Oh, did I mention that it was still raining?

Jude, Lynn, and Pat with our "dock" in the background. Note the floating dock over Pat's shoulder.

Today is now Monday and it has stopped raining, well almost. We just had a short little shower. It looks like we will be here for a while. When we came into the marina the water was 11 feet deep. The last time I looked, it was 22 feet. The top of the posts that hold the floating docks in place were above our heads when we came in here Friday night. The tallest ones are now about knee high. We had to get the dingy off the deck to get to shore. The dock has not moved but the shoreline is now about 100 feet away, due to the flooding. The river is closed to any traffic. The water is only about 3 feet below record flood level. The water is flowing over the locks making them unusable. The water is to crest today. They will not open the locks for 5 to 7 days after the river crests. We have 7 boats here that are doing the loop, 3 power and 4 sail. We are working on a group dockage rate given the time we are here.

To add insult to injury while we were out in the dingy we had our first run-in with an Asian Carp. As we motored along this 4-5 lbs fish was jumping along out of the water behind the dingy acting like he wanted to attack us. A local tell us that one hit a 4 year old in a boat a while ago and killed her. I cannot get on line now to confirm that but I seem to remember something about that.

Lessons learned:
The mast—jack lines when out on the big water—I know this but I need to follow my own rules. Just because it was a short trip should not make any difference. With the jack lines I could have clipped on and gone fwd to secure the loose mast.

The flooding—Never having done any river boating neither us nor Adamant I were aware of the significance of the flood warnings. We were lucky to have some “local knowledge” to guide us out of danger. It was safer to move in the dark, up stream against a building current, than it was to stay put.

As was said, sailors and fools.


Rob
Monday, September 15, 2008