Day 2: A Day of "Firsts"

This morning was our first morning after anchoring out.  The original plan was to be on our way by 8, so we were up at 7, breakfasted and caffeinated by 7:45, and ready to start hauling the anchor. Of course, we had only seated the repaired windlass and fed the chain through it - we hadn't actually connected any power to it.  So we began using the manual winch handle for the first time, which worked great until we got to the chain, which came up from the bottom completely coated in thick black mud.

Connecting the washdown pump is another one of those jobs that we said we would get to as we were travelling. That was a big mistake - probably not our first, and certainly not our last.  We got a bucket, tied a rope to the handle and brought up buckets full of water to slosh over the chain while scrubbing with the deck brush.  This exercise sent muddy water coursing down the decks, which meant that practically the whole boat needed to be doused with the bucket.  What a way to start the day!  We decided then and there, that we would head for a nearby marina and complete the necessary jobs to ensure we didn't have to repeat this!

We arrived at Guntersville lock shortly after 9 am, eagerly anticipating our first U.S. locking experience.  Michael has traveled the locks in Canada and I have experienced the canal locks in England and Wales, but they are all quite small compared to these.  The lock master told us there was a tow coming up, and there would be about a 90 minute wait before we could continue.  We tied up to the wall to wait in beautiful sunshine, and recover from our early morning exercise.  Edee came onto the bridge to join us, and settled down for a nap in the sunshine - a first for her, too.

As we waited, we noticed a line of large black birds sitting all across the gates of the auxiliary lock.  Closer inspection revealed them to be vultures - a bit disconcerting to see them patiently waiting for some kind of meal.  Is this the fate that awaits those who don't handle the lock well??

The tow coming up was big enough to need to be split. In other words, the barges came up in one trip, and the tug had to come up separately.  Finally, we were summoned into the lock with a long blast on the horn.  My job was a simple one - when Michael got me close enough to the dolphin (mechanical bollards that rise and fall inside a channel in the lock wall), I was to wrap a line around it twice and secure the line back to the boat.  Sounds simple enough, and only took me 3 tries to get the line wrapped and secured.  Another 'first' out of the way.

There were only two other boats in there with us, and one of them was another President - just like ours only 2 feet shorter.  Michael had met them at Goose Pond earlier in the week - Lane & Joyce from Michigan.  Once we were all secure they started to let the water out.

The scenery below the dock is very pretty.  While the river channel is relatively narrow here, there are beautiful sheer cliffs, very reminiscent of the Niagara Escarpment.  We followed our two lock mates along the course, passing another tow along the way - thankfully in a wide section to give us all plenty of space.

We took a space at Ditto Landing in Huntsville in order to complete the work on the windlass and washdown pump.  The forecast for Sunday was for rain, so a good day to get on with the chores.

Today's miles:  18 - Tennessee River Mile Marker 334

Total miles:  45