Our friend Jerry wanted to make sure we said hi to all of his rebel friends “down south”. He even waved an American Flag from the deck of their house on the Mississippi when we pulled out of Red Wing. This ones for you Jerry! The first Rebel flag we’ve seen! Just below lock 25.
Ark. About 10 miles above lock 25, Marc radioed us and said there was a south bound tow a few miles ahead of us. Marc has a VHF radio with AIS. AIS is a system which will show you any other boats nearby which are AIS equipped, who they are and what they are - commercial or pleasure. We decided to run for it and try to get ahead of the tow so we wouldn't have to wait at the lock. We put the 20BUCK$ up on plane and ran 32 MPH at 4100 RPM for about seven miles to clear the tow. When we got well ahead of him , we radioed the lock to let them know we'd be there well ahead of the tow. We slowed to let Marc try to catch up to us. They are a little slower in the trawler. About two miles out from the lock, the tow called the lock and the lock said we were near but it didn't look like we were in any hurry. Well - we putted as slow as we could to give Marc a chance to catch up, but took the lock without them. We later talked to them and they are anchored upriver for the night. We'll see them tomorrow and have a cold one ready for Marc and Michele when they get to Grafton. Just above the lock, this nice little pleasure craft passed us going north. Nice ride!
We are running as I am blogging. We are at mile 230 heading for Grafton, IL at mile 219 for a two night stay. Grafton is a significant destination in our trip, as it is where we officially begin the Great Loop. This is where the Illinois River and the Mississippi meet, at this red / green buoy.
We’ll be back here in a year, God willing!
Tomorrow, we’ll show you the “Water World” boat in Grafton Harbor, and tell you about the Swedes next to us.
Captn Ken
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