Saturday, October 21

Captain Pat borrows a car at Heritage Marina (thanks to the Harbor Master, Jeremy) to pick up oil he has ordered from a store in Ottawa. It’s only a few minutes from the marina.

We then join about 12 boats who leave Heritage Harbor for Henry Harbor Marina.

We have one lock to go through – Starved Rock Lock & Dam – before reaching Henry Harbor. Starved Rock State Park is a wilderness area on the Illinois River, known for its steep sandstone canyons and waterfalls formed by glacial meltwater. A wooded trail leads to Lover’s Leap Overlook, with views of the river and Starved Rock Dam. Park wildlife includes white-tailed deer, bald eagles and migratory birds.

We make it through the lock without any fanfare.

Next, we venture to Henry Harbor Marina. You never know what to expect at these small town marinas. This river journey reminds me of traveling by boat on the Erie Canal. It’s a slice of Americana you would never otherwise experience. And depending on your comfort expectations – you may not want to experience. -😊 I find it amusing, even somewhat comforting, and I love to get to know the people who own and operate the marinas.

Fran (Mary Francis), her husband, David, and son Jake operate the marina. (Their one daughter is a nurse.) All have full-time jobs. Fran designs cabinetry, David has a plumbing and heating business, Jake is in the marine reserves, married to a police officer and works with computers.

They purchased the marina a few years ago. The marina was going to close. They have been boating here for years. They couldn’t imagine not boating from here. So, why not? They buy the marina to operate as a part-time gig.

Fran says, “at the time, we weren’t aware of the Loopers and the work they require!” During Looper season this marina is busy non-stop as the Loopers make their way down south to Green Turtle Bay. I’m sure the part-time gig is mostly full-time!

We meander over to Fran’s office, which is their boat appropriately named “The Office.” The screened-in deck has a baby swing and a baby’s bottle of milk on the table. Fran explains she keeps her grandchildren a couple of days a week. She does her cabinetry design work on expanded computer screens in the boat. Fran reminds me of my sister-in-law Candy – able to do anything and everything for everybody.

Henry Harbor Marina is a bare bones operation. We are lucky enough to fit in a slip, as the water is low and our draft of four feet will fit.

Most boats are docked along a break wall.

Electrical cords snake through the trees to reach the boats. There’s a campground feel with picnic tables and grills. Some nights they light a fire and serve s’mores to the boaters.

Captain Pat Takes a Swim with the River Dolphins

I so wish I had captured a photo of what I am writing about next. John, our flotilla captain, is on the boat docked in front of us. He too said he should have taken a video.

Captain Pat would not have found this amusing.

When we dock in a marina, Captain Pat hooks up the electric and water to shore power. Then he will clean the boat if conditions permit. My meager boat job is to put the exterior window shades on the windows. These are covers we had custom made for the boat. In addition to keeping the sun out, the solar mesh covers provide privacy as we can see out but people cannot see in.

The wind is wicked. I’m out putting on the exterior window shades. A few Looper guys congregate on the dock in front of us. All of a sudden, the wind really picks up and in a flash the shades start flying. The smallest one flies right into the water. It’s one of those “on no” moments.

Captain Pat is beyond upset. We look for the shade, to no avail. The water is quite murky and he doesn’t want to stir it up with the boat hook. That will make it worse.

His only alternative is to don his swim trunks and scuba mask and go looking for it. The mask is useless, as he can’t see five inches in the murky water.  Luckily the water is only 4 ½ feet deep. The water is cold, but even worse we are worried about the “river dolphins aka Asian carp” that we’ve seen jumping around.

Captain Pat looks and looks. Finally, he sees a rooted plant underneath Jake’s boat docked next to us. Sure enough – there is the window shade caught in the branches of that plant. He can only feel it with his feet. He dives in and pulls it up. It is undamaged, just a little muddy. Captain Pat is covered in mud, and smells like fish!

That was an adventure that we hope never recurs.

But I sure wish I’d taken a photo.

Here are more photos from our visit to Henry Harbor Marina.