Monday, February 18, 2013

Day 82: M 12/3- Rough Paddling


   The wind was mild as we started out, but picked up significantly as we rounded the bend at 318 and started heading east.  There is a stretch here that has a number of outflow channels, where they draw water off of the main river for industrial purposes.  The maps warned us to stay on the other side of the river to avoid turbulence.  We managed to do that, even with strong head winds, but ended up crossing back to the east bank too early.  We thought we were clear until we heard warning horns and saw flashing lights as we rounded the bend.  At this point we were in 2-3 foot chop that came from all directions.  There were a couple of tugs and construction boats who I’m sure thought we were insane.  We took it slow and made it through with no problems, in part because there wasn’t much large barge traffic to dodge. 
   By the time we made it past that mess, we were exhausted and it was barely noon.  We stopped for a break and an early lunch and by the time we started again, the wind had let up, thankfully.  We ended up stopping at 298, having gone 26 miles for the day.

No comments:

Post a Comment