Rattlesnake Bend Shakedown

Today May 19th, is the day to head up river for our shakedown cruise. Systems check for battery bank to make sure alternator is charging our batteries as we motor along. Engine check for fuel, oil and coolant consumption. Electrical and plumbing check. Communication and navigation equipment check.

Navigation? - you may be wondering - how can you get lost on a river? I suppose one could get turned around after exploring a tributary and take a left instead of a right or vice versa, but what we really need to know is whether our GPS antenna knows where the boat is and can show us on our electronic charts where we are in relation to where we want to go. This is easy to verify while we are on the river. Depth sounder and speed/distance instruments will also be checked.

Communications means having the VHF radio on and tuned to Channel 16 to monitor river traffic.
We have found out as we sit here at the dock and try to listen to the tugboat operators that we haven't any idea what they are saying as the southern drawl is so heavy. We need to sync in with the lingo in preparation for passing them in the river.

Captain Mom/Karen and Captain Dad/Charlie navigating the log infested waters of the Tombigbee River

Our anchorage.