In a previous entry I mentioned the severe rainstorm Nial and I endured for a couple of hours until sunset. Here you see the tug and tow (it's called a "tow" even though they push the barges) we were following before the storm hit. The tug is northbound and the storm was coming in from the north. You can see the darkness of the sky ahead.

When it began to rain we soon realized this was no ordinary afternoon shower. The sky became completely dark, so that all we could see were the aft deck lights of the tug, the Bobby Jo James. In the next photo, there's still enough light to see a little, but soon the rain came so heavily, we could see nothing. There was also thunder and lightning and several burst of hail. You can see the rain hitting the river through the open windshield of the HUCK FINN. The tug captain was kind enough to stay in regular radio contact with us and would have warned us of any oncoming traffic. When the rain became too heavy we had to close the windshield, and without wipers, it was very difficult to keep those tug lights in view.

The scariest part was when a severe wind gust (I estimated to be 50-60 mph) hit the Huck and spun her nearly 180 degrees. We would have been knocked down (tipped over) except for the 1800 lbs. of ballast below HUCK's waterline. We were momentarily stuck in total darkness with no reference points and a shoreline a few hundred feet on either side of us. I slowly turned HUCK back to the North, and had Nial open the windshield, even though the rain came pouring in. I've never seen a prettier sight than Bobby JO James' lights coming back into view and giving me a target to steer to. So it went until just before sunset, when the sky cleared, and the tug captain pointed out a good anchorage for us just to our starboard. He blinked those cheery lights several times to indicate it was time to turn off for the anchorage.

Almost all tug captains I have talked to are courteous and helpful and very safety conscious. They are highly skilled and well paid professionals. They are allowed very few mistakes when guiding thousands of tons of cargo down a narrow twisting river, with current and wind always adding to the mix.