Waiting for the Locks to Open

 Arrived September 10 at Hammond Marina, Waited until October for the Locks to Re-Open 

    Hammond Marina, Indiana


    Hammond Marina, Indiana
 
Hammond Marina - Also characterized as a giant parking lot! We knew we'd be here at least 3 weeks and used the time to take care of a few more boat projects. Keith had ordered the necessary parts so we could finally flush the water tank (multiple times). We hadn't been using water out of the tank because it smelled! We always used a water filter to fill our water bottles with water from the marina, even to wash dishes. And always used the shower facilities at the marinas. Nice to be able to use the water tank to at least wash dishes!

Keith has also unclogged the drain from the air-conditioner, replaced the solenoid valve for the windshield wiper (a particularly difficult leak to chase down - had probably been leaking since day 1 of the boat), and unclogged the vent hose for the holding tank (another item that has improved the smell in the boat). He's pretty pleased to have a dry hull. Good job Keith!

     
 5pm Docktails with other Loopers                   
  Tracy maintaining docks. We've watched him gear up in his drysuit working on repairs!

    Doug and Keith spending too much time together

There are at least 80 Looper boats at Hammond Marina (then they stopped taking reservations), and over 200 Looper boats waiting to get through the Illinois River locks. AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers Association) leadership has sent numerous emails to organize flotillas of about 15 boats to travel through the locks together. AGLCA has been coordinating with the lockmasters, the commercial barges also waiting to get through, and all the Loopers to move a flotilla through the locks each morning before the commercial barges take priority for the rest of the day. It will be quite a bottleneck. 

We are part of flotilla 3. Our original "go" date was October 3 to meet below Chicago. We wanted to go through the downtown Chicago man-made Ship Canal, but there is a bridge that can't open (old infrastructure - something is always breaking down) so we'll have to take the Calumet River / Cal-Sag Channel route. And all the flotillas were set back 5 days because the middle lock was not ready by October 1. 

We plan to leave Hammond Marina Friday October 6 and travel 13 miles to Dolton, Illinois to get off Lake Michigan and miss the 5-ft waves forecast for Saturday. We'll meet up with the rest of flotilla 3 as they travel through and stay overnight together on the Joliet wall (no services) before traveling through the 3 Illinois locks together the morning of October 8. We plan to travel with our flotilla until we get to the Mississippi River, about 330 miles, which we expect to take about one week.


   Horseshoe Casino 

     More Docktails

    biking to the Park with Mindy

Entertainment at Hammond Marina - the main dock is at the entrance to the Horseshoe casino, and there are bike trails in both directions. We can bike to Wal-Mart or Whiting, Indiana to re-stock supplies and find restaurants, but it's really too far to walk. Otherwise you need to get an Uber or stay put! In our time here, we have spent time doing all of the above!

We traveled to the big city one day. It required getting an Uber from the marina to the South Shore Commuter Train, taking the train to Millennium Station, then walking a few blocks to Michigan Ave. where we took Chicago's First Lady boat tour of Chicago's architecture. Docents from the Chicago Architecture Center are tour guides. Our tour guide talked for a whole hour and thirty minutes without any notes about the buildings we passed by, and the Architecture history since the Chicago fire of 1871.












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