July 16, another early start with coffee along the way. We hoped to get through two or three locks before days end. The river system narrowed and was very scenic and enjoyable to travel. Boats are always full of surprises, and before noon I had one. What do you do when you are travelling 6 knots in a narrow channel, then you are heading towards the shore without steerage; Panic, or anchor. It is certainly a surprise when the wheel spins in your hand without turning the boat. It's definitely the fastest time I have ever anchored. A quick inspection of the steerage found a chaffed cable that wore through near the crossover. Mike and I jury rigged two lines to previously installed padeyes on the rudder. Luckily we were close to Lock 12 and we stopped at Whitehall Marina in hopes to commence repairs. We tied up and went inside to see if we could acquire new cable. The manager could only get galvanized wire, so at least that would keep us moving toward home after it was installed. We tore the binnacle apart to get the length, then installed our new parts. Sounds easy right? Nope, it was not, plus it was too darn hot, but in the end, it got done! I confess, I may have even got a little cranky along the way. The Marina was great, as was the manager. They let us borrow a car to pick up some groceries in town, so I brought Suzanne to get whatever she wanted and needed, ...plus wine. Not the day we had expected it to be, but by bedtime, we were ready to head out and be moving through the locks when they opened in the morning. A bit behind where we expected to be, but we were back on track. It was a tough day overall. Whitehall Marina is full service and was fantastic helping us out immensely. If you are going to break down, this is a great place to do it. Even better, just stop by and enjoy it. Great facility,people and we were treated very well.
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