31 August, 2021. Ridding the current down big muddy

75 SM; 7.5 hours

 Rain stopped, temperatures dropped and there was a breeze.  Great sleeping last night tied up to the rusty barges at Hoppies.  Bouncy at times as the tows passed but not too bad.  Only real weather issue this morning was potential fog.  But after sunrise, the hills smoked with a wisp of fog; the river appeared clear.  Verified weather, river levels, then completing our boat checklists, we untied the lines and with a bit of throttle eased forward into a nearly three mph current.  Underway at 0700 we turned down river once clear of the barges and started the day.  Overcast from the outer bands of IDA, temperatures remained cool for half of the day.  Mid-day skies began to clear then mostly partly cloudy as the sun warmed up Serenity.  A 10 mph north breeze behind us most of the afternoon and the tropical depression continued moving NE.  Slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon but further south we traveled, those chances decreased.  

Average over 10 mph speed over ground.  Zooming along.  No delays during the entire day.  

Bluffs along the Mississippi-Missouri side

Impressive tow/barge complexes today.  One was pushing 5x6= 30 barges.  We stayed clear all day.  Current consistent 3+ mph all day.

Huge tow/barge

Buoy and downstream water flow

We have pulled off the river along the Right Descending Bank (RDB) at mile 84.4.  We anchored well outside of the channel in 8 feet of water at 1430.  (Map) Boat perfectly aligned into the current and anchor set very well in sand.  Called a passing tow and were told we were in a safe place for the night.  So here we are.  Kim’s anchor video. 84 miles remaining of the Mississippi River to the Ohio junction.  Will not do it all tomorrow even with the current.

6145 SM journeyed; 2058.4 hours hobbs