020: Tenn-Tom Part 2: Skills

The morning of November 19^th found us with yet another 6:30 a.m. start.   The night before as we were literally tying Hygge up to the dock a very “take charge type” woman came up to us and started firing off questions about the next day’s lock through, our length, desired side of the lock, etc. etc.   I looked at her and just said, “Can we just tie up the boat and get settled first?”    She nodded and headed off with her clipboard to the others, likewise tying up.  Let’s call her, “Frau Blücher.”

We left the dock at 6:30 a.m. per her assurance that she had talked to the lockmaster and that we had a 7:00 a.m. lock through.   At about 6:45 a.m. as the eleven of us where heading toward the lock, she came on the radio and said that she, “we aren’t getting our 7:00 a.m. lock through, and she had an argument with the lockmaster.”    Gentle reader, one thing is clear, you never get on the wrong side of a Lockmaster.   They hold all the cards.

There we were, eleven boats with nowhere to go.   Anchors started to drop, and we tied up to Sol Maria.  I set up a quick conference call with the CEO of the startup company I am doing work for to go over some financial numbers thinking we’d be there forty-five minutes or so.   Not fifteen minutes later, the lock doors started to open, and we had a hectic untying of lines, and pulling up of anchors.   Frau Blücher’s careful plan on who was to go where all went to hell in handbasket, it was every boat for itself.     Our assessment: Frau Blücher ticked off the Lockmaster, so he messed with us a bit.   I kind of don’t blame him.    Our little flotilla was glad to let Frau Blücher’s boat and clipboard go past us after the lock through.

At the next lock we came in though this patch of Water Hyacinth and Pickeral Rush, and as I used the stern thruster to maneuver next to the lock wall, I heard the tell-tale high-pitched whine that could only mean one thing:  a broken sheer pin in the thruster.  A sheer pin is designed to break if something gets in the propeller of the thruster, to protect the propeller and engine.  

The offending vegetation:

 

 (A quick explanation: our boat has both bow and stern thrusters.  These are units with propellers that are under the water line and perpendicular to the centerline of the boat.  They allow the bow and stern to pivot around the center of the boat and turn on a dime or move the boat sideways.   They make docking pretty much dummy proof.  The only downside with them is that your basic docking skills san’s thrusters can erode over time*.  Specifically in situations when your sheer pin breaks.  I never had them on my wooden sailboat or my wooden Chris Craft Cabin cruiser, and I managed to dock just fine.   I try and dock Hygge every now and then without them just to keep up the old skills.)

Sheer pin:

Broken sheer pins are not uncommon.  I replaced one last year and KatMat had to replace one a few weeks ago.   Doing it underway vs. on the dock, a bit trickier.   To replace it you have to remove this big unit which houses the stern thruster motor.   You have barely enough room to get a special rachet Allen wrench tool to remove the bolts.  That motor is heavy as well.   You then have to dig out the broken pin pieces, clean up any metal bits and tap in a new pin.  Then you have to line up the pin with the slot it goes into (easier said than done) all the while holding this heaving motor housing up to the mount while lining up the bolts.   In this case, done while the boat was underway.    It took about an hour, but my basic mechanical skills were up to the task.

The housing:

We considered ourselves lucky to get away with just a broken sheer pin when we saw the big branch floating next to the Hygge.  Glad we didn’t hit it.  Not wanting anyone else to suffer that fate, we grabbed the branch and put on the boat.

The next lock we came to, again was covered with floating vegetation, so I didn’t risk using the thrusters again, so I dusted off those wooden boat skills.  I got next to and then away from the lock doing it “old school” much to the amusement of our Kiwi friends who think we are “cheating” with bow/stern thrusters.  (Ahem Kiwi’s, you have dual engines twenty-four feet apart, you don’t need bow/stern thrusters!).  

This phone booth is not of an American Tardis, it marks the line of demarcation from Mississippi to Alabama.   Past this we entered Lynyrd Skynyrd’s sweet home: 

It was a nice sunny day, and we got some good shots along the way.  

House on the river complete with above-ground pool:

Some nice river homes:

At 4:30 p.m. we pulled into the Warsaw Cut and we rafted up to an anchored Sol Maria (our Airbnb) and I took the dinghy to shore to drop off that big tree branch on the shore.              

 

We had a potluck dinner and Nancy made Abbie Deneen’s (a friend) Pepper Pot Shrimp recipe. It was a big hit.  I, the crew of KatMat and Sol Maria played the Phases, until we were tired and went to bed.

 

Dave

. 

*Another aviation similarity:  Modern airliners can land with the autopilot.  And the overreliance on this automation has been cited in a few aviation mishaps.  Pilot skills eroded.   Our dock mate in 2019, a Southwest Airlines captain, discussed this issue and he said SW does not let their pilots use auto land features except the once per month per plane FAA required usage to ensure the equipment is in working order.