Pomeroy to Gallipolis

Day 13:  Thursday, August 25, 2016

You can monitor our trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live

Today as a great day.  It began with a promise of a true scorcher and it did not let us down.  By the time the sun dropped down behind the trees at the Gallipolis, the temperature had touched 92 degrees.

Our not so private shower

I had trouble sleeping in the hot v-berth so I got up around 4:00 and as quietly as I could, hung the sun shower on the end of the boom and took a cold shower.  My fumbling around awoke Janine so there was nothing to do but prepare a cheesy egg, bacon and toast breakfast and prepare for the day.

Our goal was to travel the 15 miles from Pomeroy to Point Pleasant WV where we were scheduled to meet our friends, Lynn and Tony Burgess.  We got away early so we were able to travel as a leisurely pace. At one point, our radio/GPS alerted us to an approaching barge coming around a bend in the river.  I contacted him on the radio and he asked that we stay on the “two whistle,” his starboard side, because he was planning on passing the barge behind us on that same side.  I hadn’t realized that we were being over taken by another barge.  Our radio/GPS alerting A system also gives information about the vessels in the vicinity, so I checked and

A couple of emptys

found that the following barge was making 7.2 knots as compared to our 3.  He was a fully loaded 15 barge tow moving that massive load at the highest speed that we have seen on this trip.  When he passed us, he really stirred up the water and the confused river remained that way until he was a mile and a half in front of us. 

That passing barge was heading for a huge AEP power plant complex.  As we approached that area, we encountered another barge that had backed out into the river.  Since there was quite alot of barge traffic and confusion in the area, I called him and asked on which side I should pass and he came back with the two whistle.  We pulled around onto to his starboard side and about the time we were getting past his lead barges, he started to move.  We were both traveling down the river as the same speed when he finally called me and asked if I could move on ahead because he had to pull over to our side of the river to unload his tow.  I agreed and increased out speed to 5 knots and moved away. 

The municipal wharf at Point Pleasant

We arrived at Point Pleasant and as we were tying up at the dock, our friend Tony joined us.  Together along with his wife, Lynn, we walked up the levy wall/amphitheater into the neat little town of Point Pleasant.  I stopped a lady on the street and asked for the best place in town to eat and she offered that we follow her to a little corner coffee shop near were we were standing.  Her suggestion turned out to be a super one.  The food was good and the waitress and patrons were all most friendly and entertaining. 

After lunch, I offered that we all head out into the river for a boat ride.  The wind was blowing briskly so we decided to put up the sails.  The wind was blowing up the river so we decided to beat into the wind.  I turned out to be an absolutely wonderful sail.  The wind was strong enough to provide us with an exhilarating

Tony, Lynn and Janine

ride.  The breeze was refreshing in the heat as we tacked back and forth for 5 miles down the river.  When we got to Gallipolis, we decided to turn around and head back toward Point Pleasant and were rewarded with a sweltering downwind ride.  Traveling with the wind, you feel no breeze so after about 20 minutes of baking in the hot sun, I decided to drop the sails and run the motor so that we could travel at a speed that would provide a somewhat cooling breeze.

One of the many mural along the Point Pleasant flood wall

Back in Point Pleasant we climbed the levee and said our goodbyes to the Burgess’s.  They are great folks and it was really fun to get to spend time with them. 

We spent a bit of time taking in the beautiful murals that adorn the river side of the flood wall of Point Pleasant.  We will see more of these interesting works of art in other towns as we continue on our voyage. 

We got back in the boat and motored back to Gallipolis where we tied to their

All good times must end

municipal dock.  We planned to spend the night here.  We put off cooking our dinner until a bit later in the evening due to the intense heat in the cabin of the boat.  I grilled a couple of New York strip steaks and Janine prepared garlic mashed potatoes.  After supper, we walked up the levee and into the parklike town square looking for ice cream.  We approached a young man inquiring about such an establishment. He told us that there was not an ice cream place but pointed us to the Pib and Hud frozen yogurt shop.

The young lady who was working the counter offered four sizes of cups that you were to purchase and then they had 5 different machines along the wall each providing two different flavors of frozen yogurt.  I chose vanilla and Janine chose chocolate.   Once you get you cup of yogurt you are direct to the topping counter where there must have been 30 or 40 different toppings. We ate our dessert in the cool air conditioning talking to the young lady who is a senior psychology major at

The Point Pleasant waterfront

Rio Grande College.  Her goal is to get an advanced degree and become a school counselor. 

Before leaving, I inquired about where we could get ice and she said that there was none within walking distance.  I asked if I could buy ice from her and she hesitated, saying she didn’t know how to charge us for it.  I told her I would pay $3.00 for a big bag.  She returned that she would just give it to us.  I then gave her a $3.00 tip for her efforts.

Back at the boat which was finally in the shadow of the trees, we sat in the cockpit watching the activity on both the water and the town square until dark.  It was a pleasant evening.  We both then donned clothes from our dirty clothes bag and got up on the cabin roof where we took a clothes on sun shower.  It felt good to get the 

perspiration of the day off of our bodies.

And finally bed.