We're on the Move!!!

 Lock #27 has opened!!!! We heard the news on Thurs. morning, and once again, we were rollin' on the river! Our destination was Hoppies Marina, about 50 miles away, with two locks that would lower us about 35 feet. We were so happy to see both locks open and ready for us to enter! No waiting at all. The only difficult part of the trip was passing tows and barges in the Chain of Rocks Canal, just north of St. Louis. The canal is narrow, and tows were coming and going with little room to pass. At one point we had to keep backing into the current to keep from getting too close to them. The tow captains were very helpful, and one referred to us as "the little catamaran."

Traffic jam!

Infamous Lock 27...both locks have two chambers. We went into the smaller chamber each time.

On the chart, this wreck is in 9 feet of water!

Hoppies is the last place to get diesel for the next 107 miles and gasoline for the next 225 miles…and the only "marina" for 228 miles. We don't have to worry about running low on fuel. We usually get 3 miles to the gallon, but with the extra "push" of the Mississippi, we traveled 67 miles and only used 20 gallons. For non-boaters, this might sound dreadful, but we do better than regular mono-hulls.

At Hoppies we tie up to a series of barges along the river. Most people stop to hear Fern's advice about current conditions and anchorages that they will encounter on their way to the Tennessee River. She has a de-briefing around 4 pm every day which is most helpful.

I have been having trouble getting internet....will try to load pics...