At 9:45 am and for the next hour, we motored around the Hammond Marina trying to find a slip that would work for us. The slips were not overly wide and maneuvering in and out of the slip on a day as windy as this one was not easy. We were allowed to stay in a slip designated for a 60-foot boat which was great, except that the electrical box was for 50 amp service and we use 30 amp. Instead of buying an adapter and risking overpowering our electrical system, we simply relied on solar power that works so well for us anyway.
It rained off and on all day while we did laundry and other chores around the boat. We met Ray and Caryl Houle at the laundry facility and learned that they were Loopers from Gulfport, Mississippi, nearing the end of their “Loop.” The Houle’s boat, Houlegan, is a 40-foot trawler. They had some work done on their boat and by the time that was finished, they learned that they could not enter the river system and continue south because of the “Asian Carp issue.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to prevent the invasive Asian Carp species from entering Lake Michigan by using an electrical barrier. On August 21st the voltage was increased from 1 volt/inch to 2 volts/inch and the waterway was closed to vessels with non-metallic hulls (pleasure craft). The AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruising Association) is working with the Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard to come up with a way to allow passage of the many boats wishing to move south down the Illinois River.
The car rental company picked Gale up at the marina a little after 4 pm for a ride to their office where he completed the paperwork and brought the car back to the marina lot. At the end of the day we were ready for long hot showers and a glass of wine.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment