Skipper and Flipper

11/9/2016 The sun is out! And my goodness am I thankful. It has not rained or been cloudy for a few weeks, and I didn’t realize how lucky we were until the rain started two days ago. Usually I enjoy the rain and the slower moods the gray skies bring, but I struggled the last… Continue reading The Last Couple Days on the Mississippi 

1. We see about 10-15 tow boats a day. Some pushing only 2 barges, some pushing 49. The average is about 30 barges which is about 1,400 ft long and 200 ft wide all together. Most of them are Northbound. They are big, loud, and some of them create wakes that cause 5ft waves. We… Continue reading Randomness: Thoughts, Reflections, and Photos 

11/3/16On Monday morning Kyle and I turned left off the Mississippi River towards the Yazoo River. One mile later we arrived at downtown Vicksburg. Finding a safe but very muddy spot to pull Solvi up on her rollers, we got everything situated to head into town. We hiked the mile and a half to the… Continue reading Vicksburg, Natchez, and a Happy Birthday! 

8/29/16 Around 4:30 yesterday, just when the sun was starting to get to us due to the glare on the water, we coasted to the shore of a sand bar. Both exhausted from the sun and rowing we decided to have a lazy evening. Kyle set up our sun shade which we used as our… Continue reading Awesome Camping and Hot Weather Continues! 

10/25/2016We completed 30 miles, all under oar power yesterday. Each of us rowing about 15 miles- 3 one hour shifts. The sun was just beginning to set when we arrived at our sand bar. Kyle and I pulled Solvi up on her roller and then found ourselves standing in awe as the sky broke out… Continue reading Row Row Row Our Boat 

10/22/16 On Friday afternoon after sailing 26 miles on a lovely run of averaging 7.5 knots we arrived at the river town of Helena, Arkansas. We found a nice little sandy spot to hide the boat a ways from town so that she was out of view. After a ridiculous 15 minutes of attempting to… Continue reading Helena, Long Stretches, and a Visit 

10/20/16 The sky is a steel gray. When the wind blows the ripples on the water’s surface seem angry. The air around is still, but not a calm still, it’s a weary still- a stillness I don’t quite trust. Then suddenly a gust of wind comes rushing around the corner bringing a swooshing sound as… Continue reading Zero Day Exploring and a New Route! 

Terms explained for those who might not know them: Dagger board: A vertical foil protruding from the bottom of our sailboat in order to maintain directional stability when sailing against the wind. Without the dagger board instead of the boat moving forward in the direction we are going, it would move sideways. The dagger board… Continue reading Shipwrecked on a Deserted Island 

10/14/16  We awoke to find ourselves encapsulated in a thick fog, so dense I felt I could grab a piece and put it in the pocket of my green cargo shorts. Walking to the river’s edge near Solvi I peered down river to where Memphis was the night before, but saw only a faded bridge-… Continue reading River Rats take on Memphis

10/11/16 Yesterday was another day of completing our miles under sail. We awoke on the boat on the sand bar, happy to find the water had not risen, and after breakfast took off around 10am. I was on first shift and was proud of myself for some tricky navigating caused by sailing into the wind… Continue reading Lots of Sailing and Hello Fall!