Topic starter
17/10/2011 1:15 pm
This is the Barbara H at Madison on Saturday. Aaron Richardson said they took a bit of spray in the pilot house! However, as far as I know, all went well. The last two photos were by brother John. As an indication of the wind. John and I put MISS BLUE into the creek at Big Bone on Sunday. We ventured out into the river and got into some deep wind swells...John was pilot. It was more than a bit lumpy with white caps. Miss Blue has a good deal of sheer but not much freeboard amidship...only eight or nine inches. We were out far enough that the propeller would come out of water and race as we dove into a trough! But took no water. John found a trough wide enough to turn her back into the creek where the swells were afraid to come. Cap'n Walnut
17/10/2011 1:58 pm
Tom,
Thanks so much for posting these shots. It certainly felt at times like an adventure on the high seas. The old gal did much better with her back to the wind on our return trip to Lamb. Was good to see you and Miss Blue again.
Thanks again for the photos!
Aaron
17/10/2011 2:18 pm
Thanks for those photos, Tom! Your middle photo looks like we are heeling a bit as we struggle to get the bow into the 30 mph wind. Or perhaps your camera is tilted slightly!
The wind was so strong I had to do a lesser-used departure manuever where you put the stern into the wind and do a 360 to flip the bow into the wind. Works well on sternwheelers, as you can always back into strong wind or strong current. Sometimes it's the only thing you can do to get the bow into the wind, unless you have a modern boat with bow thrusters!
Here are a few more photos. First photo is a wider view taken from the Barbara H of the public landing showing the Belles. Second photo is pre-dawn, prior to departing from our wharfboat (former steam towboat Loretta Howard). Third photo is model builder Bernie Kain, holding his model of the Barbara H, while aboard the Barbara H.
17/10/2011 3:02 pm
Backing into the wind
Steve I saw that stern into the wind maneuver on the NATCHEZ once. Even with the bowthruster(very weak at that time), we couldn't get out. So Doc left the wingbridge, put Mate Bobby Heyn up there, and Doc went up to the pilothouse and got us out and underway. Another way we got out against a strong wind was to use a bottle of Jack Daniels---- whenever there was a strong onshore wind it seemed a harbor tug or two just happened to tie up at Bienville around our departure time. If we needed assistance, one would help out and a bottle of Jack would be transferred over to the tug. This was much cheaper than having to call the tugboat office and paying the going rate!
17/10/2011 4:58 pm
"River Dance!"
Steve: My parents and I were on the Madison landing when the BARBARA H. departed and we had a front row seat for your skillful "water ballet" as you backed out and got underway. Great piloting! That infernal wind brought back some not so pleasant memories of the "Big Blow of 2008" when the hurricane winds came roaring up the Ohio Valley and left many of us without power for several days!
17/10/2011 6:53 pm
Keith, sorry we missed seeing you and your parents this time! It was just a quick one-day cruise for us on the Barbara H, as we were there to see the main attraction (the Belles), the fall colors, and hopefully add to the festivity with our old sternwheeler. The Belle of Louisville was the real star of this event (and the Str. Missy), being actual steamboats!
In addition to high wind, there was a coincidental "glut" of tow traffic Saturday afternoon at Madison that made maneuvering interesting!
Two more photos. The Madison bridge webcam shot a photo of us at noon, and an obligatory paddlewheel-in-action photo.
18/10/2011 8:39 pm
Windy Help .
Judy: I can't say for sure if there was a bottle of Jack involved here, "highly unlikely"..
When we arrived at Madison Friday afternoon the winds were gusting at 40mph . We got a head-line on and were backing trying to pull our stern in but no go, we would make a couple of degrees and the wind would gust and stop us.. This towboat came from the crew working on the Madison Bridge and helped us in.
I can tell you standing on the Texas roof while we were landing was a workout..
Steve: Good to see you there. And yes I answered your salute on Saturday with the CaLLiope .. LOL
19/10/2011 1:32 pm
Thanks Dave. Yeah, I waited until you finished the tune you were playing before saluting. I thought I saw steam from the calliope again right after my salute, but couldn't really hear much, within the pilothouse. The harborboat that assisted the Belle is the m/v Richard Neale, chartered by Walsh Construction for the bridge work.
27/10/2011 8:19 pm
I received a few more photos of us at the Madison Steamboat Bicentennial event. First photo shows the Barbara H with Belle of Cincinnati in the background, and Belle of Louisville obscured behind her. Second photo shows us underway, as seen from Milton, KY. Third photo shows Barbara H and Belle of Louisville. All photos by Ken Ritchie.
