Catrina said goodbye to Mark this drippy morning. He has been so helpful and a great teacher that we hated to see him head for the train station for the next leg of his trip. Please note his creativity and cheerful disposition.
Before we leave Joliet we must retrieve Tom's mail from the Postal Service. This may sound like a simple chore but it isn't. After a number of phone calls this morning Tom found out he had to follow the rules of the PO no matter what. First, he had to go to a different PO to pick up his mail than the one he had selected close the Des Plaines River because the PO would only hold general delivery mail at the main branch. Second, only he could pick up his mail. Debbie could not retrieve his mail and let him stay off his painful knee. You guessed it. He is riding a bus in the direction of this PO and then hiking in the rain!
Yesterday was our initial experience with Barges.
This roomy live aboard tug is only pushing two barges up the river.
Captains like to be addressed as "pushers." If you refer to them as tug boat captains, they won't answer.
Captains like to be addressed as "pushers." If you refer to them as tug boat captains, they won't answer.From the Left Above there is a barge at the river side, one in the middle passing (look carefully and you can just see it) and on the right one coming up the river. Under the Red Flag on our mast is the hole open to us. We waited behind!
Now the hole is beginning to open up and we can pass along but only with permission of the barg captains. Tug boats push barges, not pull, and there can be anywhere from one to fifteen barges (1200 feet long). Communication with the barg captain is over VHF channel 13. Verbal communication is best but sometimes whistle signals are used, i.e.: "one whistle" or "on the one" means to pass on the left side; "two whistles" or "on the two" means to pass on the right side. Don't forget that! ALWAYS confirm with the pusher this passing agreement.
As we looked down the river it was completely block by a tug pushing barges filled with coal. Tom put the boat in reverse and waited. The tug pushed the barges to the side and then joined them. Then we got the okay to pass.
Same group from the rear or downriver. This is a relatively small Tug and he was pushing three barges.
To bring you up to date. Tom did not get his mail. They gave it to someone else who returned it. Then it was sent back to Carol the day before we arrived! Hopefully the disc will arrive tomorrow and he can get it before it is returned.
At 5 p.m. we had a Captain's Meeting on the walk by our boats. First mates also came some supplying nuts and dip. Tonight we have five boats: Ken and Barb on Barbara, Linda and Jack on Cynthia Faye, Peggy and Bob on Baby Grand, Rose and Gary on Rose's Pick and us.
Good News - All locks are now open. The barges will go first followed by all the boats that have been waiting some up to two weeks. We are happy to be at the end of this group and out of the crowd!
