“Carp Captives”  --  Outbound from Chicago

 

Wednesday, August 26^th

 

After 2 nice days in the city of Chicago, we decided to move to a less expensive marina.  We were still in a waiting mode for news on when the river would open, so we wanted to be close to the jump-off point but at a more reasonable dock price.  The night before we left, our friends from Indy were in Chicago for a CG Auxiliary meeting.  Bob & Dee Hendrickson, Bob Mayes, and Jeff Hammond paid us a visit and we all went to the Columbia Yacht Club for an enjoyable dinner. 

 

At 6:30 a.m., we left in a steady rain, along with Barefoot Shoes, Rae & Steve Mason from Canada.  We went under God-knows-how-many bridges through the city of Chicago.  Any pictures of our boat underway were taken by Rae.  This trip would have been much nicer on a sunny day, but it was ok.  I held my breath as we went under 2 bridges, around 17 feet clearance.  Our boat is 15-1/2 feet off the water – not much room to spare!  We only encountered one tug/barge that backed out in front of us, with virtually a minute’s notice.  Luckily, Roger was at the helm and he reversed us -- full throttle.  That’s just a snapshot of what’s to come!

 

We arrived at Marine Services marina in Dolton, IL that afternoon.   Roger was in touch with a number of people and organizations such as the Great Loop association and BOAT/US to try to influence a way for the Coast Guard to allow pleasure boats to go through the restricted zone once or twice a day by lowering the voltage.  Things were starting to happen in the background, but we were still on hold.   Exhausted, we ended up going to bed at 8:30.

Thursday, August 27^th

 

Another rainy, wet day.  We stayed on the boat all day, did some work and catch-up and still tried to get things moving to allow us to go through the zone.  There was one tow boat that was taking pleasure boats through for $600.  He had only taken a few boats because most people like us were waiting for a better option.  

 

Friday, August 28^th

 

We borrowed a courtesy truck from the marina, and 5 of us headed down to the river for a press conference that was scheduled for 10 a.m.  Rae Mason asked me, “What do we wear to a protest?”  Kind of funny and unexpected to be in this situation, to say the least! 

 

Our little group and one reporter from the Chicago Tribune were the only people other than representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.  It was a little discouraging, but we took advantage of the opportunity to plead our case.  The bottom line was that the Asian carp traveled up the river faster than anyone expected and the Corps of Engineers had to increase the voltage quickly to prevent them from getting into Lake Michigan.  The Coast Guard set up this restricted zone because they cannot guarantee safety of people or their vessels here.  In fact, the Captain told us that she had instructed her staff patrolling that area that if anyone fell into the river, they were prohibited from aiding them until the person cleared the area and floated down river, which would take 35 minutes from end to end of the zone.  Scary thought!  So there is no end date to this restriction yet and we need to make plans otherwise.

 

Later that afternoon, I borrowed the marina’s “Monster Truck” and drove 3 other ladies to the grocery store.  This is not such a nice area and I will be glad to move on.

 

As I said, there is a way to get through, and we are working on a less costly option, but it might not happen until Sunday.  Five boats are here in this marina, just waiting for the green light (or a better price).    Four of them came over to our boat last night for cocktails and discussions.  We had eight people sitting in our salon comfortably, and we had a lot of laughs, even though this situation is really not funny.  Roger and I have a good attitude, and we have been patient with everything so far.  Let’s hope it lasts!