Chapter 15: Prayers and a Little Luck

With a little luck and lots of skill, Bill has docked our boat nearly 50 times. When we get to a marina often someone will come to “catch” our lines and help us tie up. At the Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, Sam Z gave us a helping hand. Sam and Ginger were Loopers on their boat “Knot Normal.” Together, the four of us traveled about 50 miles on Aug. 29 to Hennepin. When we arrived, our boat smelled terrible inside. Bill discovered one of our four batteries was hot and bulging. Hennepin was a small town of only 700 residents and the nearest store that sold batteries was 30 miles away. A sweet young man named Aaron said he would drive Bill to the store. Long story short…Bill got the wrong battery, the next day the marina owner drove us back to the store for a battery exchange, then Sam helped lower the 60-pound battery into the engine room. It worked perfectly! Amazing kindness from Hennepin townspeople. And Sam helped us not twice but three times. At another marina in Grafton, IL, we experienced problems with our electrical cable splitter. Sam let us borrow his until Amazon angels could deliver a new one. Our network of Looper friends has grown and we are oh-so-grateful.
Over the next couple days on the river, Bill got really good at talking on the VHF radio to lock masters, bridge masters, and tow captains. The tow captains moving multiple barges were the coolest. They would say, “Pass on the one whistle,” (port-to-port side), “Uh, 2 Explore, you’re gonna need to back that down,” and one called Bill “big daddy.” Oh geez.
After a long 94-mile day, it was time to anchor. No marinas or wall tie-ups around so that was our only option. We anchored successfully in a quiet, safe spot along the riverside thanks to teamwork, a prayer, a little more luck and our great boat.
Closing this chapter with a few words about our Looper besties, John and Vicki Lewis. We caught up with them and enjoyed their sweet company and “concerts” at the IVY Club, Grafton and Alton marinas in early September. If we are truly lucky, the four of us will be lifelong friends.Read more