Alison and I had two very different and interesting conversations recently.
We are docked at Hoppies Marina, on the Mississippi, 25 miles south of St Louis. Hoppies is legendary in the laurels of Loopers reference reading material, in part because it is an oasis in the middle of this wet desert. The last marina was north of St. Louis, some 50 miles upstream and there will no other marinas for 150 miles or so. Actually the term marina is somewhat misleading, we are tied up to a decommissioned barge that is clinging to the river’s shore, in part held by a cable off an old tow truck… a somewhat hokey, disheveled red neck marina, by any Canadian/Thousand Island standard.
All that said, we are very glad to be at Hoppies because of a 78 year old woman named Fern. Fern’s husband is Hoppie and his dad started this business some 50 years ago. Fern has been working here over 40 years - we dubbed her the Queen of the Mississippi. She has no teeth, likes to smoke within 15’ of the gas pump while she holds court on her dock barge, imparting all of her wisdom and advice to novice boaters taking on the Mississippi and beyond.
Conversation #1 > Chain smoking her time away, Fern holds court on some tired lawn furniture on her barge under an improvised roof late in the day, after her transient boaters/loopers have arrived for the night. Unbeknownst to us, her goal is to convey to you all the information you need to proceed safely downstream for the next 150 miles. I have my reference map with me and take notes for the next 40 minutes…notes on weir dams, wing walls, wicket dams, tow heads, anchorages, barge tow radio frequencies, river running safe boating practices, emergency contingencies, dam escort protocols, downstream dam construction status and route selection advice. I then proceed to ask questions of her for another 20 minutes.
There is nothing that Fern does not know about the rivers (Mississippi, Ohio & Cumberland), and I am so grateful for her to impart her wisdom with such motherly care and concern. I told her I only wish I had this conversation when we came off Lake Michigan because boating on the Great Lakes is one thing, but these big commercial rivers is something else… and boating on the mighty Mississippi is entirely something else again.
For example, you are flying downstream on the Mississippi at around 13 knots, the current is with you at almost 5 knots and you have a 10-12 knot tail wind (our trawler’s normal top speed is generally 8 knots). The water is brown and there is debris everywhere (we are talking entire tree trunks sometimes), floating along side…at least debris that you can see. Remember, the water is an opaque mud brown color, and there is a submerged wing wall just downstream from where you have to enter the marina. The entrance to the marina is approx. 60 feet wide and is at right angles to the river. How do you intend to execute the marina entry maneuver? Well Fern pretty much anticipated and answered that question before I even asked it.
Consequently, I highly recommend to any Loopers to stop at Hoppies Marina’s somewhat hokey, disheveled red neck marina to listen and learn from the font of river knowledge, a 78 year old maternal Queen of the Mississippi named Fern.
Conversation #2 > Later that evening, Alison and I were reflecting on our time with Fern and the predicaments we have encountered, the things we have learned and contemplate all that we have yet to learn. We wholeheartedly concluded, that we would have been somewhat hesitant to take on this looping adventure, if we had known then, what we know now. Despite all the reading, research, and courses taken, until you are on these waterways and experience first-hand, these dynamic, often unpredictable variables, you do not know what you are in for.
We learn new things every day and often encounter other boaters, like Fern, who willingly share their experiences with you. These are fellow boaters who want to impart their lessons learned; even if it was derived from an embarrassing or costly experience. Think about that for a moment… you met this person all of 20 seconds ago on a dock, and they are telling you about their recent conundrum > this is what they learned and this is what they recommend to us, so the same fate does not befall you...this happens all the time fellow boaters yet complete strangers!
It is Fern and the others like her, who help us along this journey. They advise, encourage and provide their knowledge to overcome and mitigate our lack of experience. Consequently, every day we make better decisions and feel more on top of our game.
In conclusion:
Were we naive to take on this loop adventure? Arguably.
Do we regret taking on this loop adventure? Absolutely not.
At this point into the journey, we recognize there is a daily incremental transformation occurring, both individually and as a couple. Something tells me once this loop adventure is all said and done, we will look at ourselves, our marriage and our life differently and all for the better. In the face of future decisions, I expect we will find ourselves saying “hell, we did the loop…we can take on just about anything!”
Stay tuned for more adventures!
