Lock 52

Day 58, September 29, 2009

We left Boston Bar at 0700 with the Ohio River just 7.7 miles down the Mississippi. We knew that with the current it would take us an hour to get there. I was concerned about fuel consumption on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers as the current would be against us for 270 miles. When we fueled at Hoppies two or three days ago, we knew that there would be nowhere to get diesel for 228 miles. We are carrying five jerry cans with 100 litres plus Periwinkle's tank which 41 litres.

When we turned unto the Ohio just after 0800 our speed dropped from 7.5-8.0 knots on the Mississippi to 3.5-4.0 knots with the engine wide open. By 1700, we arrived at the town of Metropolis Illinois where we tried to anchor four times before the anchor set. Gill and I were not happy where we were because of the current and debris in the water so we called the lockmaster at lock 52 about two miles up the river for suggestions. He told us to anchor opposite his lock on the Kentucky side of the river and we would be alright. Periwinkle and Twice 's' Nice arrived at the spot just as it was getting dark and it turned out to be the best night's sleep we'd had in several days.