June 12, 2004
Chicago River, Chicago, IL
View from Crowley’s
Here we are, finally, sitting in the south branch of the Chicago River, waiting for our maiden voyage tomorrow. It has been a long week of rapid preparation.
Lowell, our truck driver, arrived mid-day Monday (the 7th) and Crowley’s yard crew immediately went to work on the load. We arrived at the yard few minutes late, as they were about to lift Nereus off the truck without us. The whole thing went well. Easy. Their huge travel lift picked Nereus up, drove over to the river, and gently set Nereus into the water. We were home.
Loading the truck in Las Vegas was not too much of a problem. Lowell arrived early and Jakes sent a really big crane to load the boat. I took the better part of the morning to get the whole job done. It was too hot, making the job even more daunting. But, we got it done, so I have no complaints.
The whole transport thing was not wonderful. A-1 Boat Transport gets a thumbs down. They broker trucks around the country and, after driver Lowell and I had worked out our arrangement, they tried to rearrange the whole plan by changing our drop off day and location to better suit them. I was happy to work with them, but in the end, Lowell couldn’t make the new date and A-1 “forgot” to change things back to the original plan. After a few phone calls and some slightly raised voices, everything worked out. However, A-1 never called me back to confirm it. I found out from trusty ol’ Lowell, who gets a big thumbs up for friendliness, professionalism, and quality.
Last Saturday (the 5th) we all left Florida and flew to Michigan to stay with Steve’s parents. We spent what was left of the week end with them. Figuring on a big work load, we left Sidonia with Steve’s parents, borrowed their car, and drove to Chicago Monday morning for splash down. After launching the boat, we headed downtown to Pizzaria Due for some original Chicago style pizza and pitcher(s) of beer! Let the cruising begin.
Crowley’s is awesome. The crew is extremely efficient, knowledgeable, and professional. They can provide any boat service needed. I wish I had known that before. I am used to Lake Mead marinas, where I have to do everything myself. I should’ve had them finish painting it for me. They are slightly more expensive than other places around western Lake Michigan, but they are worth it. Plus, they haven’t charged us for any dock space and have allowed us to live aboard – we don’t have any place else to go.
Chicago Con-Ed
Tuesday found us busy working to beat the heat. The temperature was above 90 with 85% humidity! Miserable. Standing out in the sun and heat really slowed the work down. We had to rig the mast for stepping – a quick job that took all day. Inside the cabin was a sauna. It felt worse than Florida. Wednesday, weather cooling, we had Crowley’s crane step the mast, then spent the rest of the day rigging the boat.
Thursday, we returned to Michigan to spend the night in a real bed, collect Binga, and do some laundry. We flew back to Chicago on Friday to finish preparing for Sunday’s river trip and try to get Binga adjusted to life aboard. So far, so good.
River Barge
Life on the river is interesting. The Chicago River, known as “The River that Flows Backwards,” originally flowed into Lake Michigan. The river, carrying sewage and pollution was contaminating Chicago’s water supply, so engineers dug a canal and built locks, effectively changing the direction of the river flow away from the lake. Now, it is home to us. We are in the old lumber district. Directly across from us is one of the last coal burning Con-Ed power plants in the area. In the middle of the night, a tug brings barges of coal which a crane spends all day unloading. There is a lot of other traffic on the river. Tugs push construction material up to the downtown area for building buildings, roads, and anything else.
Bridge Flotilla departing Crowley’s
Our trip up the river will include passing under 29 bridges, 27 of which are draw bridges (our mast is up, otherwise we could just go). Flotillas leave on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. We have seen two go so far. Tomorrow is our day – along with 15 other boats!
After tomorrow, I’ll update on the river trip, writing with the Chicago skyline as my inspiration!
-Steve