Miscellaneous bits of interest ...
We are about to arrive in Florence, Alabama tomorrow. After a few nights there, we will move along to Rogersville where we are attending a “loopers” gathering sponsored by the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association of which we are a member.
There will be some 200+ boats congregating to attend a 3 ½ day seminar on everything you wanted to know about looping…or four nights of socializing. We are excited to meet new friends and learn new things…and enjoy a change in our boating routine. Our plan is to extend our stay in this area for a couple of weeks, given how inexpensive dockage is and warm weather incents us to stay on. Besides, we have time to kill before we venture out into the Gulf of Mexico, waiting for hurricane season to conclude.
Speaking of which, what has been our boating routine? Typically I do the route planning research daily to assess weather, anchoring/marina options, consider contingency plans etc. Alison and I will then discuss what our goals are for the next day. During the day, we share driving time behind the wheel, but typically Alison will be at the helm for docking manoeuvres, while I scramble with lines/bumper positioning/jumping off to secure the boat.
There has been one other very important and uniquely American aspect of our boating routine. One must be ever vigilant to identify fishing boats early on and SLOW DOWN as we approach on the river! We had been advised early on to never “wake” a fishing boat because odds are there is also a gun in that fishing boat…need I say more.
We have had one additional, rather unexpected addition to our boating routine… slow motion time. We have found ourselves face to face with 'Slow Motion' every day ever since the Illinois River. 'Slow Motion' is an old, tired house boat carrying two old guys and an old British bull dog, slowly making their way back to Florida. They are a happy go lucky pair of biker hippies, who are navigating south with no maps or electronic references. They talk to anyone and everyone they can hail on the radio, to get directions and confirm their location. They have adopted the low cost, muddle on down the river boating philosophy. For example, one time we witnessed them in front of us on the Mississippi River, getting caught on a bend in the river with a strong current/wind overwhelming their small engine. They were fighting to keep the house boat from hitting the shoreline, only to miss the approaching 600' barge pressing down on them, fighting the same wind and current. BARGE HORNS BEGAN WAILING! They barely avoided becoming a bumper ornament on that very large barge!
All that said,we have gotten to know them over the last couple of weeks and mutually laugh every time we not-so-randomly find ourselves crossing paths. We have made many new friends on this trip but these guys will probably prove to be the most memorable…safe cruising Slow Motion!
Stay tuned…
