GLORY DAYS ON THE GREAT LOOP: CUMBERLAND R. TO GREEN TURTLE BAY

DAY 110 WED. SEPT. 28, 2011
AM FOG CLEARING PM SUNNY
DEP. CUMBERLAND I. TOWHEAD 08:25 ARR. GREEN TURTLE BAY MARINA 2:30
D. 31.7 sm / 2208.1

Our planned departure was 7:15, however, we looked out over the Ohio R. and saw fog. We called some tows on the Cumberland R. and they were “socked in.” So much for early to rise! We weighed anchor at 08:25, entered the Ohio R. at the junction of the Cumberland R. and immediately met up with some tows. We are still going upstream, and the current against us at the junction of the two rivers is up to 4 mph, and swirling in whirlpools making the boat do the old Miss. Mambo. After we get through the first 5 miles, the river settles down and we are bucking a current of about 1 to 2 mph. The Cumberland R. is much narrower at this end than the Ohio. It is home to many industrial sites and has a lot of tow traffic. In any case, we make it to the only lock we have to go thru for the day, the Barkley Lock & Dam. As we approached the lock we saw a tow ahead of us. We could have overtaken him before the lock, however, the lockmaster would have taken him first, regardless. We waited behind him for 30 minutes while he tried to squeeze into the lock, and another 40 mins. while he went through and they turned the lock around. Finally through, we headed for Green Turtle Bay (GTB) Marina and Resort for what was to be a 3 day stay. We were first assigned a covered slip, which sounded good, except for the fact that it was away from the other Loopers by a very long walk. Also, it was very cool in the shade all day long. OK in the summer, but not in the fall.