Putz'n Around is in her slip

We turned up the St Croix on Tuesday afternoon one day ahead of schedule! It was nice to get back on the calm waters of the Croix!  We put her in the slip at 4:35 in the afternoon.  We traveled 1180.4 miles in 10 days, what a trip.  I would like to thank my crew that helped bring the boat around safely!   Brigitte McConnell, Bill Matthews, Jan Reyers, John Clemency, and Scott Holway!  The all did a fantastic job.  Thanks to all of you that have followed along on our journey. This will be the last post until we head south for Florida  and the next chapter of the Adventures of Putz'n Around. 

headed into th slip

heading up the St Croix

The final four days were a grind as we headed up the Miss. in strong currents and 4 days of all most solid rain! We saw a rental house boat l go under the Dam at LaCrosse and sink ,  11 people went in water and suprizingly they all survived.  The good Lord was definately looking out for them.   There will be one more post soon!

I rained ever time the guys had to go out in the lock.
It also was always 55 degress!

The final leg

You are supposed to go through a lock not drive over it!

Locking through wth a Tow Boat

Putz,n Around at rest at Grafton Harbot the confluence of the Illinois and the Mississippi

New crew member reading the orders of the day

Eating well!

Jan's first day as a crew member, not much work getting done!

Saturday, started at 6 am to beat a tow boat to the first lock.  We had a stiff breeze  out of the Marina so we sprung the boat off with ease.  Boat lines used correctly are your friend!  We set our speed at 2150 RPMs and headed up river into very stiff current.It rained a cold rain all day We breezed through 4 locks witoutissue or wait time. Two of the locks had short secondary locks so we sailed through even with Tows in the main lock!  Sweet!  We decided to push on and make five locks and get into the next town and through one more lock and dam.  As we entered the lock the starboard engine died! As we tied up on the wall the port went out.  After much head scratching we deducted we ran out on fuel even though my math said we had 50 gallons left.  This is not a good thing with these motors to get them started you have to bleed the air out of the fuel system.  One of the lock guys crawled down into the engine room and worked for a while as I called boat US for a tow and a marina for marine engine mechanics.   Two guys showed up and we began a process bleeding the lines and filling some 60 gallons of fuel from 5 gallon cans, four trips worth.  After 4 and ½ hours in the lock we got them started. And left the lock for the closest marina in Clinton Iowa.  We docked at 10 pm . We were very blessed as to where we ran out of fuel rather than in a river running at 6 knots and at a lock with 0 barge or pleasure craft traffic.  Both mechanics and the two guys at Lock 13 were fantastic!!!

Sunday   Now you are all trying to figure out how I could be so stupid,  but as Paul Harvey would say “and now for the rest of the story”  as will filled up at 8 AM we found that my fuel tank only holds 350 gallons of fuel , contrary to what the specs show as 400.  So my math was correct on fuel required!  Quite the lesson!  Today we traveled about 100 miles to Guttenberg Iowa.  It rained hard most of the day.  Nothing notable happened THANK GOD! 

Internet is bad so will post pictures when we get a good signal!

Trip log

Ok my friends I am a little challenged on this blog stuff so will try to catch up!  

Tuesday-Ottwa IL to Havana IL  We got a very late start great Marina but not operating at warp speed.  Opened at 8 but took 3o minutes find the keys to the fuel dock so push off was at 9 not good! We had a 125 miles to cover so we ran at 2200 RPM’s sucking fuel!  Went through Peoria Lock and dam which was flooded, very weird we drove over the dam who’s wickietswhere 15 feet under water. Got to the Tall Timbers Marina in Havana!  We walked into town to the Dollar General for provisions.  Key lesions learned today, I throw a very big Wake and need slow down going past Marinas and Tows.  They told me so with different adjectives!   Also I could not figure out how to get into the bathrooms at the Marina. They said the code was Christmas how do you type that in to a numerical key pad!  12-25 dah

Wednesday   Left at 5:45 headed for the confluence of the Mississippi and the Illinois River at Grafton IL.  6 knot down current into a 15-20 mph head wind.  1-2.5 rollers on the river! Had to slow down multiple times to not swamp river front homes already flooded and they were on stilts!  Drove over another dam, just not right!  We got to Grafton Marina at 2:30, time to wash the boat and go up to the bar for burgers and fries and an adult beverage.   Lessons learned,  how to use a spring line in a 6 knot current and 15- 20 MPH wind during dockage!  The God lord continues to watch out for this novice!

Thursday  -  Turned North into our friend  the Mississippi River!  What yesterday was 2000 RPM and 16 MPH became 13 MPH at 2200 RPM’s , There goes the fuel economy,  actually the that term does not apply!  This baby burns fuel!  But you would not believe the power!  I practiced my spring line lesson in the lock and snapped a line in a quick minute crashing the stern of the boat into the lock wall, but thankfully no damage,  Tonight John Clemency and Jan Reyers joined the crew and we celebrated with no reservations!  In the morning Brigitte and  Bill will drive back to the cities!

Friday, the new crew was off at 6 AM and we enjoyed perfect weather, light winds clear sky’s we sailed through 4 locks including a 35 foot lift! and 3 railroad bridges and some 125 miles.   The new crew worked flawlessly and our new cook John did an excellent Job, although I do miss my breakfast Bloody Mary instead of scrambled eggs. Made it to Burlington Iowa  by5:15!

Newer pic's and daily logs

Crossing Lake Michigan on Sunday like glass!

Heading into the Chicago River Monday AM

                                           

Running down the Chicago sanitary and ship canal

Pictures for your viewing pleasure

7:00 AM we pulled out of Port Washington (Low 50’s) and head down Lake Michigan, it was Sunday and the Lord was certainly shining on us!  Dead calm and glass for over half the way, then only 1 ½ foot seas were all that met us.  We Monday

pulled into Chicago at 3 some 111.4 miles with an arrival  temp of 83 degrees. Wow what a sight!  We stayed a DuSauble Marina, Downtown next to the lock and the Chicago River. Cocktails under the Sky Scrapers and then walked to town for dinner.  A couple of us may have been over served?  Yours truly nodded off in the helm chair under the city lights of Chicago!  Go figure!

Tuesday: 

Up early a big day ahead, cast off at 6 AM. We locked thru the Chicago lock and into the Chicago River and right through downtown Chicago.  What a trip!! 55 bridges through Chicago and over 75 for the day.  We were only held up at the Amtrak Bridge for 25 minutes.  Now we had four Lock and dams to go, with a drop of 42’, 35’,35, and 25’!  We faced stiff head wins all day, around 20 -25 mph. At two locks we when through the lock with a tow boat and a barge!!! New boat with a lot of sail area, wind and in the lock with a barge, are you kidding me!!!!  All is well.  We got tied up at Heritage Harbor, Ottwa, IL at 8 PM. Just ahead of a Thunderstorm! Dinner at ten and am just now posting.  Some technical difficulties so pictures should follow soon!  So 90.2 miles in 13 hours and 45 minutes!  Long ass day but all good!  Can’t thank Bill and Brigitte enough for their expert crewing!  And putting up with a cranky Capt’n of a new boat!,

Cheers.

We're off on the journey!

At 8:05 this morning Putz'n Around left Sturgeon Bay and into Lake Michigan heading South!  We set a course on the Auto Pilot for 4 miles off Rawley Point this was approximately 1/2way to Port Washington, WI.  Next order of business was Brigitte making us a well desirved Bloody in honor of  first Crews ( Bill Matthews, Brigitte and I) first leg of the great adventure,  We Ran about 16 mph in 1-3 ft seas.  At Rawley point we adjust the  course a little SW and the seas flattened to 1-2 '.  At just seven hours and 110 miles latter we pulled into the Port Washington Municipal Marine and topped off  our tank to see what this girl burns, which turned out to be 146 gallons, you do the math. Tomorrow will back down the RPM a tad!  Took a walk through the little town of Port Washington and strangely ended up at a Bar.  Gee a Bar in WI,  go figure.  Had some bar food apps.

I will digress, prior to the trip We had some matching Tee Shirts made with the map on the back and the name of the boat plus either Captain, First Mate, or crew on the front.  As married couples do Brigitte was sure I had not given her the First Mate shirt and I being right said I had not and she misplaced it. Back to the Bar----as we were recapped the day and looking at Bill we discovered he was wearing the first Mates woman's shirt!  Didn't look half bad!

I will sign off for now as Brigitte is preparing scallops and shrimp in home made Marinara sauce and caprese salad.  Had a un-believable first day!  Off in the AM for Chicago!

Cheers!

"A rigid plan of infinite flexibility"

We are already to go and can't get past Chicago!  The rivers are a mess with major flooding! Open the attached link this is the lock we were supposed to go through this coming Monday!  A major disappointment but only a minor blip in our travel plans compared to those that are losing everything!
Our new start date is either the 11th or 18th of May!  Stay tuned!
http://gcaptain.com/flooding-barge-accidents-wreak-havoc-on-mississippi-river/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain.com%29

Provisioning and shake down cruise

Well the only shake down cruise this week end was our teeth chattering!  We arrived in Sturgeon Bay Sat. morning at 9 ish only to find the wind had switched to from the west and filled the bay and channel with ice from Green Bay!  So our plans to fuel up were scrapped as we had 3 " of ice slabs behind the boat and 30 MPH gusts coming down channel pinning us against the slip. The good news is we were able to unpack a pickup load of essentials? on to the boat with out snow on Saturday ! Sunday the winds increase and shifted to from the East and late in the day we had a good blow of wet snow and sleet with the temp. at about 39! all and all we had a blast on the boat.  There where only 3 boats in the  water as crazy as us in the 4 or 5 marinas in Sturgeon Bay Putz'n Around is ready to head south on Sat. the 27th!

The Adventure Draws Near

After years of boat searching Brigitte and I found our dream,  a 1999 44' Ocean Alexander CMY.  This will be our home for Winters in Florida and a future Great Loop adventure in our retirement.  We are not retired yet, so back to reality.  The boat, Putz'n Around, is in Sturgeon Bay, WI on Lake Michigan.  We will bring her to Stillwater via the great waterways of Lake Michigan, the Illinois River, the mighty Mississippi and finally the beautiful St. Croix River. The adventure begins with a shake down and provisioning trip the 20 and 21 of April.  We cast off our lines the 27th of April weather permitting, for a 10-14 day 1100 mile  cruise including some 35 plus locks!  Follow us along on our Journey!