We are outta here.

We are planning to leave Polestar Marina, St Charles, MO around 11:00 this morning, July 22nd. Headed to Green Turtle Bay Marina on the Cumberland River 313 miles downstream. We’ll travel around 70 miles a day, and hope to average 12 mph. There is very limited fuel and even fewer marinas for overnight docking along the way. Floyd is busy with last minute cleaning (gotta look good going down river), fueling, adding water and getting a pump out. Though really, we are just waiting for the FedEx guy to deliver the spare fuel filters that we might need on this voyage. We figure better to be a few hours safe than a few days “sorry” on down the line. Here’s the plan (you knew there’d be one): Today’s travel will include the Melvin Price lock and Dam, the Chain of Rocks Canal and lock and dam, St Louis. We’ll spend the night at Hoppie’s Marina in Kimmswick, MO. Our last marina night until Green Turtle. Wednesday night will be at the Kaskaskia river Lock and Dam where they say there is a place for mariners to tie off to a free floating guide wall or a small cove for anchoring out. Thursday night we’ll be at the Little Diversion Canal. Friday we’ll have reached the Ohio River where we can tie off on some free mooring buoys. Then Saturday, good Lord willing, we’ll arrive at Green Turtle Bay. Hoppie’s and Cape Girardeau are the only fueling spots. I’m more than a little skittish about all this rope throwing and knot tieing. Floyd, on the other hand, is grinning from ear to ear and hoping the FedEx guy comes early. Between here and Green Turtle we’ll have to stop where we can, not necessarily when we want. It’s an adventure. We’ve been talking about it, analyzing it, planning for it…and now it is started. Woo Hoo…boogadie, boogadie, here we go.