Up River

Barb and I had hoped to do an up-river trip, as far as Portsmouth, Ohio - approximately 110 miles each way. The plan was to leave on Wednesday, the 5th of August and return on Tuesday the 11th. Heavy rains on the 3rd and 4th altered the river conditions to the point we needed to postpone and shorten our trip. Finally, on Friday, we shoved off at noon after taking on fuel.

Our original destination that day was Manchester Island, but the late start and our new slow, more fuel efficient cruising speed, as well as a strong river flow (current) relegated us to make headway at about 8.6 mph. With lost time for the Meldahl lock thru and the 71 mile distance to Manchester Island, we would not have arrived until well after dark.

Barb tending the stern while locking thru

Instead, we decided to dock at Augusta, a destination we went to last year. With the addition of our bicycles on board, we explored more of the town and surrounding area. Dinner was at a little pub, (Augusta Pub), which was pretty good for pub food. A free Stella Artois glass was awarded for ordering three Stella's (Barb participated), so after dinner we left with our trophy in search of ice cream.

Augusta has a number of beautiful historic homes and a great dock (if you are self sufficient for power).

Home with garden in Augusta

Barb on board Degaje with histroric homes in background

Barb biking around the Augusta area

The next morning, we departed after a leisurely breakfast, a trip to the grocery store and a bike ride. Our intended destination, Manchester Island (again) but as luck would have it, the water pump on the generator went out. Our choice was to return to Cincinnati, or locate a marina for transient moorage that had electric. We contacted the Lively Lady Marina in Aberdeen who had space. They are located directly across from Maysville KY, which boasts some decent restuarants, art galleries and murals painted on the flood wall that protects the city from the ravages of the Ohio. We decided to take a chance on their small dock for a quick tour and lunch before arriving at the Lively Lady.

Degaje at Maysville

Flood wall murals at Maysville

That evening, while at anchor in Aberdeen, we enjoyed the view of the Aberdeen-Maysville bridge's lights reflecting on the water:

Aberdeen-Maysville Bridge

On Sunday, we stayed at the Lively Lady until afternoon, bicycling in Maysville, washing the boat, kayaking, and generally relaxing. Mid afternoon, we traveled a mere 9 miles down river to Ripley Ohio, where the Ripley Boat Club had a few transient spaces available. An easy docking with a helping hand positioned us for the night. It turned out there was a motorcycle gathering in Ripley that day, so most of the bars were open. Barb and I decided to have our happy hour on the Degaje, where it was quiet.

We were gain underway by 9:00 AM the next morning, heading to New Richmond for lunch and then back to ORLC (home).

Ripley

On the way to New Richmond, a riverside park and museum lies a couple of miles above Meldahl Dam. The museum is about an old lock (lock 34) and other interesting facts about the river.

Lock 34 Museum at Chilo

Regrettably, the museum did not open until around noon, so we walked around and left. To our surprise, the starboard engine would not start, no power, no gauge activity - - nothing. Degaje at Chilo

We tried jump starting the engine, cleaned the battery terminals, reset the ignition breaker, still no joy. A call to Washington Marine resulted in Greg arriving about 45 minutes later, who found the problem - the battery cable connections to the terminals.

After locking through Meldahl dam, we stopped at New Richmond for lunch, a short walk, and then continued down river toward home. The radar and sky showed sever storms in Cininnati, so we turned around and kept out of the storm's way, then reversed course again and arrived in Cincinnati in clear weather.
The trip did not go as planned, a late start and an early return. A failed generator requiring docking instead of anchoring out and a starboard engine that would not start. The boat is named Degaje, a Creole word meaning to "Make Do" or "Be Flexible". We were!