HURRICANE ISLAND, KY TO CUMBERLAND TOWHEAD ISLAND, KY

Sunday, August 24th, 2014

Day 20
Miles Traveled: 31
Total Miles Traveled: 584



  The anchorage at Hurricane Island was very calm once the storm blew through.  The anchor so far has been working great.  We like anchoring behind islands because it usually gives very good wind and barge wake protection.  
  We planned a short travel day due to extreme heat and humidity.  The heat index was 105 - very hot!!  


  We passed through our last lock (Smithland) on the Ohio River until the Fall of 2015 when we reenter this river.  One website that we have found very helpful is the Corp of Engineers Locks Website.  It gives you the river conditions and lock status of all those managed by the Corp of Engineers.  The Lock Status provides information about how long the wait times are for the barges locking through, which could be an indication that there may be a delay for recreational boats (although not always).  It also gives information about lock repairs and if any of the bollards (floating things to tie off to in the locks) are not functioning.  For those boaters out there the website is: http://corpslocks.usace.army.mil/lpwb/f?p=121:1:0::NO:::   


  Like the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, just downriver from Smithland Lock and Dam, has wing dams.  These are man made barriers (usually of rock) that extend partway into the river.  This forces water into a fast-moving center channel which reduces the rate of sediment accumulation in the channel, thus helping to maintain a deep enough channel for navigation.

Wing Dams on Ohio River

  Before going to our anchorage, we got a sneak peek of the next day - The Cumberland River.  In this picture the Ohio River is on the left and the Cumberland River is on the right.  There is a lot of tow boat traffic in this area and communicating with the captains, so as not get run over, is a good idea.  The past several days we have talked with a number of them because the Ohio River has been very tortuous, and a plan on how to pass is often necessary.  For those boaters out there, DO NOT BE AFRAID to hail these tow boat captains on your VHF if you are unsure about how to navigate around them.  They have always been courtesy and glad that we spoke with them. 

Ohio River far left - Cumberland River center and to the right

  We discovered that even tow boats run aground.  This towboat ran aground at the tip on the island that we anchored behind.  We know this because when we hailed him on the VHF with our intention to pass behind and by him, he advised us that he couldn't "hit us if he wanted to" because he was aground on the sandbar.  We watched as he detached from the barges and went along side to push them off.  He was successful and off he went up the Cumberland River.  

What is wrong with this picture? Tow boats usually don't push the sides of the barges!

We think this falls under the category - "You never know what you are going to see on the river.".  This is the first tow boat we have ever seen aground.


  We found a great anchorage behind Cumberland Towhead Island.  The horse flies thought it was a good location as well.  They buzzed around all afternoon.  Dan was not a friendly host.  Dan - 9 and counting,  Horseflies - 0