Author: BHelminen

One Wednesday morning
We Left Lac La Belle,
Fished Stannard Rock
But didn’t do well.

Six hours later
At thirteen knots,
Then White Fish Point
Supper in the pot.

Sault Locks on Thursday
With no delays,
Bruce entertained us
On his Ukulele.

Next at Saint Ignace
Met Captain Jim,
Diesel expensive
But won’t have to swim.

The Mackinaw bridge
As viewed from below,
Is quite a wonder
As my pictures show.

We went through the straits
With ships on both sides,
My tug hit their wakes
But I like how it rides.

Changing agenda
Because of the wind,
3 nights at Beaver Isle
My patience was thinned.

First night at anchor
And having my doubts,
Waves slapping and noisy
I let more rode out.

The anchor held strongly
And kept us in place,
The next day was better
Welcomed with grace.

Enjoying the island
We went for a ride,
Exploring the trails
The residents’ pride.

One hundred plus miles
To Sturgeon Bay,
Passed South Fox Island
Two nights we did stay.

Waiting for parts
That never came,
For my bow thruster
It’s broken, lame.

Two Rivers last night
Then Port Washington,
And one more day
And we’ll be done.

Going back home
We’ll resume in November,
We have lots of pictures
To help us remember.

It’s been seven months
Since I sold the Trawler,
And only three
Since buying another.

She’s a bit smaller
Than my Yooper Looper,
But I’ll get the job done
Though there’s only one pooper.

We did a shakedown
And I got my wish,
To Isle Royale
Where we caught some fish!

This Nordic Tug boat
Needed attention,
To live aboard safely
Caused apprehension.

My pocket book flatter
Because it takes money,
Electronics and davits
And support from my honey.

Adding a railing
A windlass and motor,
Takes lots of time
It’s the life of a boater.

She’s named Yooper Too
Almost the same,
As Yooper Looper
From whence the name came.

Called a FAST trawler
As some people say,
Can cover more water
In the course of a day.

The plan to head west
Through Canadian waters,
Was spoiled by Covid
But don’t really matter.

We’ll just head south
Just like last year,
The old Mississip
Holds nothing to fear.

Now underway
As I’m telling my story,
Why don’t you join me
And share in the glory?

Unusual Christmas
With a small family,
And lights on the boat
In the shape of a tree.

So far down South
No snow to be seen,
With temps in the 60’s
And lawns that are green.

Had dinner with new friends
A potluck by all,
Sang carols on docks
We all had a ball.

The day after Christmas
The boat still our house,
I worked on the fly-bridge
With Bruce and my spouse.

Took down the enclosure
From high in the air,
To waterproof the top
I sprayed it with care.

Putting Rainex on windows
Bruce wearing my cap,
Being young and still limber
To him was a snap.

Up before sunrise
Lockmaster gave a green light,
Apprehensions so high
Gave Margaret a fright.

Through Demopolis lock
With water so high,
And flowing so fast
We really did fly.

Logs on the ‘Bigbee
And concern for my prop,
We had to watch out
Or get forced to stop.

Found a good anchorage
At David Lake,
Bruce looking for fun
A swim he did take.

Made one more stop
Before Mobile Bay,
Once we got there
A week we did stay.

Mommy went home
She drove for 3 days
Now WE cook and wash dishes
It sure changed OUR ways.

The windy days keep us
From venturing out,
The bay, it gets nasty
With breeze from the Sout’.

We left from Dog River
At Lulu’s we’d stayed,
Just me and my son now
And next day we made…

Just 10 more miles
Anchored for the night,
With Pelicans and dolphins
A beautiful sight.

Dinner with Roiko’s
At Rajala’s had coffee,
Then bike rides prevent us
From becoming softies.

Rode trails that are endless
Through the state park,
Then back to our boat
Just before dark.

At Orange Beach Marina
With thunderstorms coming,
On our roof up above
The raindrops are drumming.

Now it gets lonely
Just me and my sonny,
Wishing to curl up
With Margaret, my honey!

A friendly marina
In Columbus we stayed,
House batteries replaced
Then Stennis Lock we made…

Our way down the Tenn-Tom
Us tourists enroute,
Then Tom Bevill Center
To see what it’s about.

The Montgomery steamboat
A snagboat displayed,
And replica mansion
An hour we stayed.

Soon after Tom Bevill
A 30 foot drop,
Cochrane was a cut-off
The main river we stopped.

This part of the Tenn-Tom
With oxbows both sides,
You have to be careful
Or you might take a ride…

Or get your boat grounded
And ruin your prop,
Needing a tow
For an unscheduled stop.

Next day was a short one
Twenty miles or so,
To Howell Heflin Lock
Tombigbee Ox Bow.

Anchored in current
No houses in sight,
A bridge up the river
Where we spent the night.

With frost on the railings
And deck down below,
A cold, chilly morning
At least it’s not snow.

The white cliffs of Epps
Were pretty to see,
Then ends the Tenn-Tom
Start Tombigbee.

Kingfisher Marina
Near Demopolis lock,
Spending 3 days
It’s a great stop.

A break from the river
And stock up on food,
Got water and groceries
We’re in a great mood.

Even though rainy
And not very nice,
A tour of Bluff Hall
For a very small price.

To see how they lived
So long ago,
In Mansions so roomy
The river below.

Tomorrow we leave here
With more sights to see,
Feel free to call us
Not sure where we’ll be.

Now before posting
This rhyme on the net,
Our plans took a turn
As right here we set.

The rain causing flooding
From here to Mobile,
Stranded on boats?
Now this is surreal!

From Alton down river
By St Louis we go,
Cold icy weather
Banks white with snow.

Wing dams cause swirling,
Shifting currents galore,
Downstream was helping
More miles to score.

The radio blared
“Don’t go that way,
The rocks are shallow
To the left you should stay.”

It was a barge
Behind us a ways,
A friendly captain
Who kept safe our day.

Guided to safety
Avoiding rapids below,
Saved us from rocks
That our map didn’t show.

Next day before dusk
Mississippi was done,
Up the Ohio
River to run.

We dropped 2 anchors
Just to be sure,
The boat wouldn’t drift
And get grounded ashore.

Cairo behind us
The anchors we weighed,
Cruising at sun up
Wish we had stayed…

To see Metropolis-
Superman city,
Had to move on
Seemed like a pity.

Motored past Paducah
Then Cumberland River,
At Barkley Dam
I started to shiver.

The warm sun had set
The moon coming up,
Nothing to do
But start making sup.

The wait there was long
To get in the lock,
Had time for dinner
And plenty of talk.

A train went across
As we waited below,
In the darkness we heard it
The whistle did blow.

The lock was our first
Going upstream,
A 60 foot lift
A small part of my dream.

Shining our spotlight
‘Bout midnight or so,
Into Green Turtle Bay
To dock we did go.

After a shower
A shave and some sleep,
We’re headed for home
And snow that is deep.

We’ll go back
In a week or two,
Continue our adventure
Until then – Adieu!

We saw lots of bridges and industrial sites.

After staying in port
Not cruising that day,
Wind subsided
We’re underway.

Quickly through
The Marseilles Lock,
Then Heritage Harbor
Had a good dock.

Temps were nice
Adventures good,
GPS guiding
Knew where we stood.

Around the corners
The radio working,
Showing barges
As if they were lurking.

Night coming on
We needed a port,
Slowly into a harbor
Too late to abort.

The water got shallow
My depth sounder said,
We could hit bottom
On the river bed.

Just deep enough
The keel slid through,
A sigh of relief
From all of the crew.

Tugboats all over
Carp that were jumping,
Up on the docks
From propellers thumping.

A bike ride was next
Just for a treat,
McDonald’s we found
Ice cream to eat.

While looking to anchor
Later next day,
Behind an island
Wanting to stay.

The radio brayed
“Come over here”
Invitation welcomed
Upstream we did steer.

Friendly Loopers
On rafted boats,
We tied aside them
Under stars afloat.

Experienced Looper
Mick was the leader,
Compared to his boat
Mine was a beater.

Grafton, then Alton
We soon had to part,
Going back home
To make a new start.

Fast forward 2 weeks.
Back on the boat,
The snow and cold
Cuts at our throats.

Kaskaskia is next
100 miles downriver
With heat in the cabin
To keep out the shivers.