Ohio and Cumberland

Up the Ohio & into the Cumberland

From our Little Diversion anchorage we left 6.30 am to begin a long day consisting of passing through a new huge lock that is still being built and another big & old lock L52 - both are known for being slow to get through. We met some tight corners & narrow sections causing very strong eddies & whirlpools which swung us about – we are still travelling at 10.6 to 12.8 knots and making good progress. We then turn into the Ohio river – a definite change of water colour and current – it felt like the brakes had come on. At the same revs we were now only doing about 6 knots. The Ohio river travels up hill – we are going north – and against the current. We reach the new Olmstead lock that has been under construction for at least 10 years & hopes to be completed by 2020. It will replace the next 2 locks that we go through 52 & 53. We arrive at about 11.30 and are finally escorted through and then onto Lock 52 which we leave at 5pm. We then make a fast hike as dusk is falling to our anchorage for the night – at a bend in the river off the main channel. There are 9 of us there. The banks are lined with tows waiting to move through the new construction lock & the 2 slow old locks.

Next morning we contact the lock & are advised that if we can get there by 8.30 they will try & get us all through together asap. A wait of over 3 hours before we finally got through about 11.30. We still had a long way to our marina for the night but no more old locks with long delays. The old locks have continual operating problems & it may take a close down for half a day or 2-3 days to repair causing a huge back load of commercial traffic (tows). Tows have priority so pleasure craft such as ours always have to take what we are offered.

Soon we turned off the Ohio & took the Cumberland – a more pleasant & less commercial river with only one new easy lock to get through. We arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina late that evening only 1 of the 7 boats arriving – so the marina was pretty busy for an hour or two docking everyone. To add to our tired & frazzled nerves they had lost our booking but did eventually find us something that was very suitable. We need the next few days to rest up & recuperate.