Moving on From Nashville (MM190)
We finally saw the push boat Dotty Johnson on a river bend. I'd been trying unsuccessfully for 10 minutes to R reach him on radio. Now we were a 1/2 mile apart and on a collision course. That's when he sounded two whistles--river speak for a starboard to starboard pass. Nellie acknowledged by responding with two whistles. When all else fails go old-school. It's said that in theory there's no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is. I was glad to see in this case theory and practice aligned.
1895 Bordeaux RR Bridge (MM185.
The Cheatham Lock master told us there'd be an hour delay in getting through. No worries, we dropped the hook and got comfortable. A bit later he called to say that Cimarron, a USCG bouy tender, was expected shortly but we'd have to wait for him. No worries. It was lunch time. Shortly after Cimarron appeared we got a third call from the lock master. The lock was broken and it would take two hours to fix. No worries. It was nap time. Cruising is all about going with the flow, even if the flow is at a standstill ;-)
Cheatham Lock Door was Stuck Open as We Departed
Nellie is turning into a dock queen. Tonight finds us under a covered slip in Clarksville, TN. Yes, the air-conditioning is on. This town's appeal must be diverse as both Jimi Hendrix and General William Westmoreland spent time here.
We made 64 miles today in spite of the delay at Cheatham Lock. The total for the journey is now 3,019 miles. DBH
