We weren’t sure when we anchored out if we would have any power in the morning.
I had read some article saying that leaving the radio on all night could mean a dead battery in the morning. The article also mentioned that the refrigerator was a huge power suck.
We had wanted to keep the VHF radio on so that we could broadcast AIS. When we went up to the helm to check where a beeping sound was coming from, we saw that the low voltage alarm was going off.
So, we turned off the radio. We also turned off the refrigerator. We didn’t think the battery was powering the refrigerator enough to keep things cold anyway.
We went to bed just after 10pm. We were sure how much sleep we were going to get. Greg was worried about drifting ashore and now I had put the worry of a dead battery in his head as well.
I felt wide awake. Once I turned out the lights, though, I figured the sound of he water would lull me to sleep.
One advantage of going to be so early was that we would be up early. One of my goals this journey is to become a morning person.
Sunday, Sunday
When we woke up Sunday morning, the port engine battery was dead. That means no water and no lights in the bathroom. That’s not too bad. We have jugs of water and we can go a few days without showering.
Greg was reluctant to continue south on an unreliable starboard engine. We have tow insurance, so he called the company to see what our options would be if we needed a tow.
The company said there were no boats within 100 miles of us and gave us a number in Logsdon for a private tow operator. (The company would reimburse us if we got a private tow.)
The Logsdon guy was a bit pricky so we decided if that was the kind of help we were going to get, it would just be better to keep going south.
No port battery means no anchor windlass, so Greg had to pull the anchor up by hand.
No port battery also means no instruments, so we are navigating by phone.
GETTING THROUGH THE LOCK
Less than an hour into our southward journey, we had to go through a lock.
We had our phones, so we could call the lock. We also had a handheld VHF radio that we could use to hail it.
The lock didn’t answer the phone or respond to the hail.
So we headed straight for them.
Our plan was to tie up to the wall to the right of the lock, If they didn’t like us there, they would contact us.
Our plan worked.
They told us to hold up and that they were lowering the wickets so that vessels could bypass the lock. Thunderstorms were expected all day and the workers can’t go out for half an hour after a lightning strike. This would create a huge backup for the barges trying to get through.
Southward, Ho!
Once we got through the lock, we intended to keep heading south to Port Charles.
We would have to anchor out again Sunday since we wouldn’t be able to navigate in the dark without instruments.
If Port Charles puts us on a wait list for repairs, we’re going to ask them if the boat will get fixed any faster if we leave it in their yard. If the answer is no, we’ll see if we can stay at Alton Marina for as long as it takes. Cost is, of course, a factor. We may have to stay at a motel if that turns out to be considerably cheaper.
We have to get the boat fixed now. We can’t travel the Ten-Tom with it in the state it’s in.
Night Moves
On Sunday night, we kept going until 7:30pm. Not the wisest course, perhaps, but when we reached the first place we could have anchored, the rain was coming down in sheets and lightning was crackling all around us.
At one point, the sky was an eerie pink. In retrospect, I suppose that was the sun setting, but the pink was all around us and not just in the western horizon.
It was pretty dark by 7pm. Our navigation lights weren’t working. At least the rain had stopped.
We had a very bright flashlight in our batch of emergency supplies. I held it up to light the water so Greg could see. The river was filled with logs, branches, and bark.
We did our best to avoid the first two but weren’t always successful. We didn’t hit any logs, but a branch or two thumped our hull.
When we finally reached our anchorage point for the night, Greg managed to lower the anchor by hand. We’re pretty sure it caught because the current here is very strong.
We figured sleeping was going to be difficult. If the anchor came loose, we’d be ashore pretty quickly. Or mid-channel in the path of a barge.
Did I mention we didn’t have an anchor light? It was working Saturday night but the rain may have caused it to go out.
Boy you guys are troopers. Stay safe and I can’t wait to continue on the journey with y’all.
Thanks Kay. We’re having the time of our lives. Sometimes we wish we could do it a little easier, but then we wouldn’t have as many stories to tell.