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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas Departure ~ Monday, Nov.6, 2017
Click here to view latest update
Captain Greg and the crew. Thanks Woodland Marina
Captain Greg enjoying a smoked rib while moored at the sea wall of Liberty Harbor. click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... Are from Monday afternoon as the "Current Reprieve" left Woodland Harbor and started it's journey down the Mississippi River on the way to the Bahamas.
The 72 ft Pluckebaum left Woodland Marina at St. Charles, Mo with a crew of 4 under the direction of Captain Greg. The Crew.....Ramjet, Raven and RiverBill.
Seemed only right to spend the last night on Pool 26 on the old Venetian boat tied to the Venetian Harbor wall right where the Frank C Rand used to be moored. Warren Spielman would be proud ! Yah Mon.
Check out Pluckebaum Custom Boats.... http://www.pluckebaum.com/ |
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time Day 2 ~ Nov. 7, 2017
Heading under the Clark Bridge after a quick stop in Alton
New colors for the Alton Belle Casino
Heading into the lock at Alton
Approaching the Stan Musial Bridge and the downtown St. Louis riverfront
The Current Reprieve at the the St. Louis Arch
RAMJET
The rusted hull of the WWII Minesweeper, USS Inaugural. It was moored at the riverfront in downtown St. Louis as a tourist attraction and sank during the flood of 1993
Hoppies Marina at Kimmswick, Mo. You can see Claudia's pontoon boat tied up on the lower end of the dock. Claudia is the RiverBills.com correspondent at Hoppies!
Heading towards our final destination of the day. The guide wall at the lock and dam on the Kaskaskia River click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... Are from Tuesday as the "Current Reprieve" headed south on the Mississippi River, out of Alton Pool to the the Kaskaskia River.
Just a few pics we took along the way..
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time Day 3 ~ Nov. 8, 2017
The Chester, IL Bridge Chester is the home of the Popeye statue
Tower Rock
A 6 wide X 6 long tow
Wednesday night anchorage in Angelo Chute
Over night anchor on Wednesday night near confluence of Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
People You Meet Along The Way Tamera and Kim Loopers ~ headed back to Florida click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... Are from our travels on Wednesday (Nov 08, 2017) as the "Current Reprieve" headed south on the Mississippi River from the Kaskaskia River and headed further south.
Just a few pics we took along the way..
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time Thursday, November 9, 2017 Day 4
First light departure from our over night anchorage. Heading out into the Mississippi River at the confluence of the Ohio River. Highway 60 / 62 bridge between Birds Point, MO, and Cairo, IL
Confluence Point at Fort Defiance Park. The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers at the shared borders of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky.
Olmsted Locks and Dam construction site on Ohio River. The tug is pushing a load of concrete to the construction site.
Olmsted Locks and Dam construction site on Ohio River. There is "open river" to the right of the on-going construction.
We passed Captain Mike Coyle and the tug boat "Twyla Luhr" at the new Olmstead, IL Lock and Dam construction site.
Mike and his towboat are the main attraction at the Grafton Towboat Festival.
We spotted the Delta Mariner on the Ohio River too. This freighter carries rocket parts NASA and the Air Force and it's the ship that crashed into a bridge on the Tennessee River in 2012 taking out an entire span of the roadway deck.. click here
RiverBill at the controls on the fly bridge.
The Crew (L/R) Captain Greg Sadowski, Raven, Ramjet and RiverBill
Anchorage Sunset Tennessee River about 10 miles below the Dam at Kentucky Lake
click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Thursday, Nov 09, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from Angelo Chute on the Mississippi River at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. We immediately turned left and headed up the Ohio River. By late afternoon we started up the Tennessee River and anchored about 10 miles below the dam at Kentucky Lake..
Just a few pics we took along the way..
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Friday, November 10, 2017 Day 5
Leaving the lock at Kentucky Lake Dam and heading south on the lake
Eggner Ferry Bridge on Kentucky Lake
The original bridge was built to cross the Tennessee River
before Kentucky Lake was planned and was opened to traffic in
1932. In 1943 officials shut it down and built new pilings and
raised the structure to make room for the higher water level of
Kentucky Lake.
Source.. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.. click here
A Canadian pontoon houseboat heading up Kentucky Lake on Friday afternoon. The French speaking couple from Quebec are doing the loop in this boat along with their boat trailer. When they get to a body of water they do not want to cross in the boat, they rent a truck and go back to the last spot where they left their trailer, pull it to their current location, load the boat and move it to their next entry point.
Over nighted at the Paris Landing Marina Founded in 1945, Paris Landing State Park was named after an old steamboat and freight landing on the Tennessee River. Map.. click here
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Friday, Nov 10, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from the Tennessee River /Kentucky Lake Dam and headed south on Kentucky Lake to Paris Landing Marina, in Tennessee
Just a few pics we took along the way..
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Saturday, November 11, 2017 Day 6
Sunrise as we departed Paris Landing Marina
The old partially submerged at Danville Landing Danville Wharf and Transfer Station Mile marker 78 on Kentucky Lake
The above reprinted from explorekentuckylake.com.
Since the building was already full of graffiti we decided to leave a RiverBills Sticker on it also. The old concrete was so deteriorated that a sticker would not stick so we put two of them back to back on a piece of rebar sticking out of the structure..
Raven & Ramjet and RiverBill & Greg in front of the RiverBills Sticker
The Tennessee River Light house Tennessee River mile marker 127 Originally built by Jerry Milam on the Tennessee River, the lighthouse is tucked a bit back on the limestone cliff but is said to have been used for navigational purposes. The round, 70-foot structure gives off a continuous white light. Reprinted from onlyinyourstate.com
Our night time anchorage on the Tennessee River at Perryville, Tennessee
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Saturday, Nov 11, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from Paris Landing Marina and headed south on Kentucky Lake to xxxxxxxxx
Just a few pics we took along the way..
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"Current Reprieve" St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Sunday, November 12, 2017 Day 7
A Tennessee River house tucked away up on the bluff
A tow with barges loaded with wood mulch. Probably headed for a Tennessee paper mill.
Anothe big river house..... along the Tennessee River
The changing landscape. Multi-colored slopped bluffs. This pic really did not capture their beauty.
A southern style mansion on the riverbank with a beautiful manicured lawn and a white drive-thru boathouse on the riverbank.
Home for the night... On the hook at another good anchoring spot. A looper is anchored just down river from us this evening......
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Sunday, Nov 12, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night anchorage on the Tennessee River near the Perryville, Tennessee and continued further South to an over night anchorage spot in a slough near the Shiloh National Military Park / Crump, Tennessee.
The river is narrowing as we go further and further south and the water is getting much clearer. Sort of a quiet day as we only encountered a few tows, The landscape is changing also. The river is getting narrower, we seen lots of nice housing along the high riverbanks and some very expensive homes as well as a couple of old plantation type mansions...
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon . Just a few pics we took along the way..
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The Ramjet Report St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve"
Pics from Monday, November 13, 2017 Day 8 ~ Part 1
Lock Master and friends
Lock Master
The Pictures of the Day....... were sent to us by Ramjet
We reached the top of the mountain! Thanks to these guys.
Ramjet
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Monday, November 13, 2017 Day 8 ~ Part 2
Ramjet taking some pictures and all "suited up" for the lockage into Lake Pickwick on the Tennessee River. The bumpers are in place and the lines are ready. They raised the boat about 55 feet up to the lake level..
A single line around the floating pin in the lock wall about mid ship and then up we go.....
We left our mark and headed further south....
The entrance channel to the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway from Lake Pickwick
(popularly known as the Tenn-Tom) is a 234-mile (377-kilometer) man-made waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway links commercial navigation from the nation’s midsection to the Gulf of Mexico. The major features of the waterway are 10 locks and dams, a 175-foot (53 m) deep cut between the Tombigbee River watershed and the Tennessee River watershed, and 234 miles (377 km) of navigation channels.[1] The ten locks are 9 by 110 by 600 feet (2.7 m × 33.5 m × 182.9 m) the same dimension as the locks on the Mississippi above Lock and Dam 26 at Alton, Illinois.[2][3] Under construction for twelve years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway was completed in December 1984 at a total cost of nearly $2 billion Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia.. click here .
Grand Harbor Marina on the Tenn–Tom Waterway
Golf carts are driven on the docks here !
Captain Greg at the controls on the flybridge
Still on the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway. We left our mark on the Jamie Whitten Lock. They dropped us down 80 feet in 12 minutes......
We pulled into Murphy's Landing, Mississippi for the evening where one of Captain Greg's longtime friends, Captain Gerry, spends the winter months. So glad we got to meet you Captain Gerry !
Sunset at Murphy's Landing, Mississippi
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Monday, Nov 13, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night anchorage on the Tennessee River near the town of Crump, Tennessee and continued further south to Lake Pickwick and then into the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway. We spent the evening at Murphy's Landing, Mississippi where one of Captain Greg's friends, Captain Gerry, spends the winter months.
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon . Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Tuesday, November 14, 2017 Day 9
Sunrise just after leaving Murphy's Landing on out 9th day out...
Domtar Paper Company LLC, Amory, Mississippi
Domtar Paper Company LLC, Amory, Mississippi
Ramjet and Captain Greg replace a leaky oil line on one of the engines after Ramjet found a 3 new high pressure hoses down below deck. We re-named Ramjet as Ron Hosenfinder !
Anchorage for the night
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Monday, Nov 14, 2017. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night dockage at Murphy's Landing, Mississippi and continued further south down the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway.
It was a quiet day on the river. We passed through 4 locks with some waits and delays. Ramjet and Captain Greg replaced an oil line on one of the engines. Internet connections come and go, but are OK. The weather is "warming" ...... yesterday afternoon was "shorts" time. The Tenn-Tom Waterway is getting narrower and narrower at this point.
All is good and we are still on our way further south. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon . Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Wednesday, November 15, 2017 Day 10
GOOD MORNING DAY 10... on the river at 5:45AM Look at that moon.
REFLECTIONS at first lock of the day at Aberdeen, Mississippi
FLOATING WATER HYACINTH PLANTS entering 2nd lock of the day with us.
UNLOADING SCRAP STEEL from barges into trucks at the WATCO Companies dock
THE BOAT NAMED "ALLIGATOR HILTON"
JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE THAT CALL A phone booth out in the middle of no where just incase you dropped your cell phone into the water and you need to call Jenny... 867-5309
THE U.S. SNAGBOAT MONTGOMERY The totally restored Montgomery, This steam powered Snag Boat is a National Historic Landmark located on the Tom-Bigg Waterway at Pickensville, Alabama. This vessel is is one of two remaining steam-powered sternwheel snagboats in the United States
THE TOM BEVILL VISITOR CENTER Housed in reproduction of Greek Revival antebellum home (1830-1860). Exhibits describe life in Tombigbee River Valley Pickensville - Alabama
THE SPILLWAY AT THE TOM BEVILL LOCK AND DAM
SUNSET
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017... Day10. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night anchorage on the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and continued south. It was a good day on the water, up real early and on the river all day. Anchored after dark just up-river from the lock and dam at Gainsville, Alabama. We passed through 3 locks with only one short wait.
All is good and we are still on our way further south. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon . Just a few pics we took along the way..
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Thursday, November 16, 2017 Day 11
MORNING FOG ON THE TENN-TOM WATERWAY
LOCKING THRU WITH 4 LOOPER BOAT'S Gainsville, Alabama
WHITE CLIFFS OF EPES Along the western shore of the Tenn-Tom Waterway
MORE WHITE CLIFFS
FUELING UP AT SAME GAS DOCK AS THE TOWBOATS Look at that sky above the towboat
LIGHTED DECORATIONS US Coast Guard was pushing many decorated pontoons to Demoplis Yacht Basin for the holidays. This one is a lighted octopus...
click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Thursday, Nov 16, 2017... Day11.
The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night anchorage just above the lock and dam at Gainsville, Alabama on the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and continued the journey further south.
We woke up early to a foggy morning and were ready to go only to find out that we had a 2 hour wait to lock through. So....we had coffee, did a few maintenance things and few personal things and then Raven fixed us a Waffle House style breakfast. Yah Mon. What a beautiful morning once the fog cleared a bit....
After a couple of hours waiting, we got our call on the marine radio from the lock master that we could lock thru ! We did just that with 4 boats that were doing the "Loop" and we were on our way heading further down river in the 72 foot Current Reprieve.
Thursday was a good day on the river with smooth waters, warming temperatures and lots to see. We made an early day of it and stopped in late afternoon at Demoplis, Alabama for fuel and overnight dockage. We had another "wait" there too. It took us about 2 hours to get into the gas dock as the group of "Loopers" arrived about the same time as us and doing the same thing..
After fueling up, pumping out and filling up the water tank we headed next door and docked at the Demoplis Yacht Basin, Very nice place by the way. Got our slip, made the boat ready for the night and then it was time for a land adventure. Yes... Off to Walmart for Captain Greg and RiverBill to pick up a few additional supplies.
Life is good..... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
. Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Friday, November 17, 2017 Day 12
WAITING ON BREAKFAST Spotted this guy riding the floating pin inside the lock waiting for a stunned fish to pop up out of the water.
THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF DEMOPLIS LOCK & DAM
THE HARBOR MASTER Perched on the hill side below the lock and dam at Demoplis, Alabama. It's little hard to see....
THE "HARBOR MASTER" of the waters below Demoplis Lock and Dam. Note the line of hanging pots and pans by the lookout deck ! Hmmm
MORE WHITE CLIFFS
QUITE DAY ON THE RIVER The Captain's view for most of the day. Very little traffic
HOME FOR THE NITE lick pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Friday, Nov 17, 2017... Day12.
The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night dockage the Demoplis Yacht Basin in Demoplis, Alabama on the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and continued the journey further south.
The Demoplis Lock was close by and Captain Greg checked the status before departing the marina. There was early morning traffic in the lock so we spent extra time right where we were. After a bit we locked through our one and only lock for the day with a group of "Loopers" and we were on our way. They traveled faster than us and were soon out of our sight.
More bluffs to see, but basically a quit day on the river. I spotted my first alligator sunning quietly on the bank about 3:45 ! The weather was great ... definitely a shorts and T-shirt kind of day.
We were in and out of "telephone service" areas all day, so the updates may be a little late now and then.
When we tied her up for the night we were about 799 nautical miles from St. Louis. Greg chose a good spot to tie off to a tree on the bank in a heavily wooded area.and we were set for the night.. After making sure all was secure, we did some maintenance items and then Captain Greg took off his "Captain's Hat", put on his "Chef's Hat. He made us a great salad for dinner. Yah Mon.
Now, just gotta say.... there were plenty of weird noises coming from up in that woods, but no one (or nothing) ever jumped out and "got us" and we made it thru the nite.
Life is good..... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
. Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" Sun Pic One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Saturday, November 18, 2017 Day 13
BOBBY'S FISH CAMP
BOBBY'S FISH CAMP
LOCK MASTER AT COFFEEVILLE LOCK & DAM
LOOKING BACK AFTER LOCKING THRU the Coffeeville Dam. Water flowing over the tops of the gates and a waterfall look atop the overflow.....
TIRES,TIRES A group of steel posts along the riverbank had large tires around them for the barges to tie up to.
RUSH HOUR Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Saturday, Nov 18, 2017... Day13.
Just Pictures today......
Life is good..... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
. Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Sunday, November 18, 2017 Day 14
POWER PLANT AT BUCKS, ALABAMA
AS THE RIVER TURNS We got a look at the back side of the power plant too as we worked our way around the river bend. (blue dot). Pretty much the way our course went the entire day, lots of curves in the river. Travel 5 miles to go 2 miles further south.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE About 25-30 miles from Mobile Bay. Seeing more moss in the trees along the riverbank.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE About 25-30 miles from Mobile Bay. The sand bars have disappeared and have been replaced with mud bars. The mud bars come and go with the ups and downs of the tidal waters from Mobile Bay
WAITING ON A TRAIN Waiting on a train to cross the lift bridge about 25 miles above Mobile Bay. After the train crossed the bridge operator raised her for us and we were on our way again...
LAST BRIDGE BEFORE MOBILE The last bridge before we enter Mobile Harbor.
SHIPS IN MOBILE HARBOR We went under the last bridge and around the bend in the riverand entered Mobile Harbor. It was an instant change from the swampy, mud banks on a sleepy river to the hustle and bustle of Mobile Harbor. Ocean going ships loading and unloading their cargo. Harbor tugs everywhere and even a Golf Coast Duck Ride. We seen the Duck Ride on the city streets of Mobile later on as we were eating dinner in town.
MILITARY SHIPS BEING BUILT Directly across the river from where we moored they were building these babies at Austal..
DOCKED IN MOBILE, ALABAMA It's Captain Ron, RiverBill, Raven and Ramjet on the Chamber of Commerce Courtesy Dock in downtown Mobile, Alabama. Almost a 1,000 nautical miles from St. Louis, Mo. PS: We stopped a gal on a bicycle named Jordan to take our picture. Thanks Jordan !
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Sunday, Nov 19, 2017... Day14.
The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night tied up to a tree along the bank of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway and continued the journey further south and ended up in Mobile Alabama.
Life is good..... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time ` Pics from Monday, November 20, 2017 Day 15
HEADED FOR THE SHIP YARD The crew and lift are ready for us.
PULLING INTO THE DOCK, SLING GOING INTO THE WATER THEN....UP, UP AND AWAY
LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT LIFT AND HOW SMALL THE 72 FOOT "CURRENT REPRIEVE" LOOKS IN IT..... The tires are about 10 feet tall
The guys are finishing blocking her up, sling has been lowered, the steps are in place and they hooked us up with some electricity. The ship yard is allowing us to stay in her overnight so this is going to be our home for the next few days. Everyone here is great!
MY VIEW FROM THE STERN Looking across the river at the city lights of downtown Mobile, Alabama
The Pictures of the Day....... are from our travels on Monday, Nov 20, 2017... Day15.
We didn't go far on Monday. The "Current Reprieve" headed out from an over night mooring at the Chamber of Commerce Courtesy Dock at Mobile, Alabama and headed upriver a short distance to the nearby Blakeley Boat Works shipyard where the 72 foot "Current Reprieve" was pulled from the water for some maintenance work.
Life is good..... Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Just a few pics we took along the way..
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Tuesday, November 21, 2017 Day 16
RAMJET GIVING A THUMBS UP ON THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED SPLASH GUARD for the Current Reprieve
SPLASH GUARD
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Tuesday, Nov 21, 2017... Day16 of our trip.
The Current Reprieve was blocked up at the Blakeley Boat Works all day on Tuesday getting some maintenance work done.
Mean while Captain Greg and Chief Engineer Ramjet got a hold of some 2x4's and some plywood and we built a splash guard on the front part of the boat for the bigger waves we will encounter on the gulf and the ocean.
Hoping to be back in the water on Wednesday !
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Wednesday, November 22, 2017 Day 17
GOING BACK IN THE WATER Maintenance complete, new splash guard on bow of boat, loaded in the travel lift and headed back to the river....
SHE's SPLASHED
SIGHTS ALONG THE TENSAW RIVER HEADING TOWARDS MOBILE BAY A military Ship in Dry Dock An old time ship at the exit from the river into Mobile Bay
SIGHTS ALONG THE TENSAW RIVER HEADING TOWARDS MOBILE BAY The MVS Ocean Evolution Helicopter pad, submarines and all
HOME PORT MARINA AND LULU's BAR & GRILL Cruised across Mobile Bay and headed into the Intra Coastal Water Way at Gulfport, Alabama and we moored for the night at the Home Port Marina which happens to be adjacent to LuLu's Bar & Grill. LuLu is Jimmy Buffett's sister... Yah Mon
THE HARBOR AT HOME PORT MARINA
WEDNESDAY'S SUNSET
THE BIG CHAIR Capt'n Greg got a shot of RiverBill in the Big Chair before dinner !
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Wednesday, Nov 22, 2017... Day17 of our trip.
All maintenance was complete and we left the Blakeley Boat Works at high noon and continued our journey further south. We ended up at Gulf Port, Alabama for the nite.
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Friday, November 24, 2017 Day 19
FRIDAY MORNING SUN RISE ON THE INTRA-COASTAL WATERWAY
SUN RISE AT THE BEND
SANDY LANDSCAPE along the riverbank
ST. ANDREWS MARINA Stopped at St. Andrews Marina on St. Andrew's Bay in Panama City, FL in the morning for some, fuel, a pump out and a few supplies.... Check it out... click here
SWAMPY LOOKING INTRA-COASTAL WATERWAY After we crossed St. Andrew's Bay we were back in a narrow, swampy looking area again.
LEAVING THE NARROW RIVER Entering Lake Wimico
ABANDONED RAILROAD BRIDGE ON INTRA-COSTAL WATERWAY
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS at the city dock at Apalachicola, FL. The Current Reprieve in the background....
LIFE'S A BEACH and LOOKING OUT MY BACKDOOR
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Friday, Nov 24, 2017... Day19 of our trip.
We left our over night anchorage on the intra-costal water way about 6:15AM after pulling up the two anchors. It was just getting light as we headed down the river towards our next destination. It was a crisp morning and the scenery way just beautiful along the river banks..
After an hour or so we left the river and crossed St. Andrews Bay to the Panama City owned marina where we got fuel and a pump out. Bought a few supplies and we we on our way.
Another great day on the water. Bright sunshine, great temperatures, calm waters and just a bit of boat traffic. We ended up at Apalachicola, Florida after dark yesterday and Capt'n Greg pulled along side the city dock with ease. After we got the Current Reprieve all tied up and secured we joined in the Christmas celebration going on right there at the riverfront and then got a bite to eat,,,,,
An oyster poor boy for me, but the gumbo looked really good too....Yah mon,
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Friday, November 25, 2017 Day 20
LEAVING APALACHICOLE HARBOR Look at that oldie
LEAVING THE HARBOR
LEAVING THE HARBOR The Birds
POWER LINES CROSSING THE BAY
SPARE TIME ROLLING STONE A couple of Shrimp Boats along the waterway to Carrabella
C QUARTERS MARINA Home for the night... Carrabella, FL
WE GOT SPECIAL PARKING... ??
FISH TALES TOLD HERE Set for the night. The boat is all tied up and a nice pation right on the waterway to relax and have some dinner. Raven fried us up some delicious pork chops
SUNSET
Another quite day on the water..... Pulled away from the City Dock at
Apalachicola, Florida about 10:30 AM and headed a short distance
down the river and then out into St George Sound.
We docked at C Quarter Marina for the
night. A great place. Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Sunday, November 26, 2017 Day 21
THE SHRIMP BOAT "ICHIBAN"
PORPOISES IN THE PARK BONEFISH ?
CARRABELLE POLICE STATION
HOLIDAY ON THE HARBOR BOAT PARADE
VIEW OF THE CARRABELLE RIVER FROM C-QUARTERS MARINA DECK
SUNSET OVER THE HARBOR
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Sunday, Nov 26, 2017... Day 21 of our trip.
We are still at the C Quarters Marina in Carrabella, Florida getting a little maintenance work done. Here are a few pics from around town and from the marina,,,,,
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Monday, November 27, 2017 Day 22 BOAT NAMES
HULA GIRL
STICKER ON DASH OF "HULA GIRL"
GULFGASM
FRAYED KNOT II
MAGGIE MAE Bay St. Louis, MS.
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Monday, Nov 27, 2017... Day 22 of our trip.
The forecast is for high seas later on Monday so we moved across the harbor to Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida for a new fuel injection pump on one of the motors.. Here are a few pics from around the boat yard......
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Day 23
REFLECTIONS
POWERBOAT, SAILBOATS AND THE MOON
SAILBOAT MASTS
ROLLING STONE
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Tuesday, Nov 28, 2017... Day 23 of our trip.
We spent the day at Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida while they were working to replace on our fuel injector pump.
Above are a couple of reflection pics...
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Day 24
MY VIEW OF THE DOCK
DOCKSIDE MARINA Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Wednesday, Nov 29, 2017... Day 24 of our trip.
We spent the day at Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida again. The good news is that they got the replacement fuel injector pump on and we might leave on Thursday for our jaunt across the Gulf.
Hats off to Dockside Marina.
The Friday update on RiverBills could very easily be late.
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pic from Thursday Morning, November 30, 2017 Day 25
WE ARE HEADED OUT INTO THE GULF The sailboat looks like it is grounded at the point.
Click pic to enlarge
The Picture of the Day....... is from Thursday, Nov 30, 2017... Day 25 of our trip.
We departed from Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida and continued our journey. This time across the Gulf of Mexico. We will be out there a couple of days....
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Thursday, November 30 and Friday, December 1st, 2017 Day 26
CROSSING THE GULF ON THURSDAY Water, Water... everywhere ! What a great Day
THURSDAY NIGHT SUNSET ON THE GULF Been running on the Gulf of Mexico all day and now we are heading into the night!
MR. MOON BEAM SHINNING IN OUR STARBOARD DOOR We had a bright moon a lot of the night running across the Gulf
FRIDAY...WATER, WATER.... EVERYWHERE
WATER ON THE STARBOARD SIDE, WATER ON THE PORT SIDE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AFTER 3O PLUS HOURS AND ABOUT 300 MILES ON THE GULF WE ARRIVED AT FORT MEYERS, FLORIDA AND TO OUR SURPRISE GARY AND JUDY MEINERSHAGEN WERE CLOSE BY !
RIVERBILLS.COM STICKER SIGHTING ~ FORT MEYERS We spotted Gary and Judy Meinershagen in their skiff anchored off the beach at the Fort Meyers lighthouse and to our surprise we had a RiverBills.com Sticker sighting ! You guys ROCK !
Gary and Judy hail out of the Yacht Club of St. Louis during the Summer months... Yah Mon
FORT MEYER SUNSET Headed up the Caloosahatchee River to the City of Fort Meyers Yacht Basin Marina for the night
Always got to get your picture with a pretty lady Click pic to enlarge
The Picture of the Day....... is from Thursday and Friday, Nov 30, 2017 and Dec 01 2017... Day 25 and 26 of our trip.
We departed from Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida early Thursday morning. Lost a cell phone contact the 1st hour and we were on our way to Fort Meyers, Florida, about 300 miles away.
Arrived at Fort Meyers City Yacht Basin Marina after sunset on Friday night...
We had traveled all day Thursday, all night and all day again Friday. All is good and went well !
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" Sat Pics One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Thursday, November 30 and Friday, December 1st, 2017 Day 26
CROSSING THE GULF ON THURSDAY Water, Water... everywhere ! What a great Day
THURSDAY NIGHT SUNSET ON THE GULF Been running on the Gulf of Mexico all day and now we are heading into the night!
MR. MOON BEAM SHINNING IN OUR STARBOARD DOOR We had a bright moon a lot of the night running across the Gulf
FRIDAY...WATER, WATER.... EVERYWHERE
WATER ON THE STARBOARD SIDE, WATER ON THE PORT SIDE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AFTER 3O PLUS HOURS AND ABOUT 300 MILES ON THE GULF WE ARRIVED AT FORT MEYERS, FLORIDA AND TO OUR SURPRISE GARY AND JUDY MEINERSHAGEN WERE CLOSE BY !
RIVERBILLS.COM STICKER SIGHTING ~ FORT MEYERS We spotted Gary and Judy Meinershagen in their skiff anchored off the beach at the Fort Meyers lighthouse and to our surprise we had a RiverBills.com Sticker sighting ! You guys ROCK !
Gary and Judy hail out of the Yacht Club of St. Louis during the Summer months... Yah Mon
FORT MEYER SUNSET Headed up the Caloosahatchee River to the City of Fort Meyers Yacht Basin Marina for the night
Always got to get your picture with a pretty lady Click pic to enlarge
The Picture of the Day....... is from Thursday and Friday, Nov 30, 2017 and Dec 01 2017... Day 25 and 26 of our trip.
We departed from Dock Side Marina in Carrabella, Florida early Thursday morning. Lost a cell phone contact the 1st hour and we were on our way to Fort Meyers, Florida, about 300 miles away.
Arrived at Fort Meyers City Yacht Basin Marina after sunset on Friday night...
We had traveled all day Thursday, all night and all day again Friday. All is good and went well !
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Saturday, December 2, 2017 Day 27
SATURDAY SUNRISE heading east on the Caloosahatchee River
PAST THE DRAW BRIDGE 1ST LOCK The first drawbridge of the day was open and then onto the first lock of the day.
CAPTAIN GREG IS ALL SMILES He put up a RIverBills.com sticker in the lock chamber. Lots and lots of stickers from everywhere in this lock chamber and we spotted and old RiverBills Sticker on another section of the lock wall as we left. Yah Mon.
TURN BRIDGE Past the turn bridge. The operator came out to say "Hello"
2ND LOCK OF THE DAY After we entered the lock and the lower gates we closed they raised the water level inside the lock chamber by opening the upper gates a small amount until the water levels insde the lock where the same as the upper pool...
3RD LOCK OF THE DAY Taller Gates ! We are entering Lake Okeechobbee....
WHAT A GREAT SUNSET ON LAKE OKEECHOBBEE Almost to the eastern side and Port Mayaca
HOME FOR THE NIGHT Tied up for the night at the lock and dam at Port Mayaca
Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Saturday, Dec 02, 2017... Day 27 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
We departed from Fort Myers City Yacht Basin Marina and traveled east on the Caloosahatchee River and then across Lake Okeechobbee, tying up for the night at some pilings right in front of the Port Mayaca Lock on the eastern side of the lake. The lock closes during nightime hours and will reopen at 7:00AM Sunday morning
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Sunday, December 3, 2017 Day 28
LAST LOCK Leaving Lake Okeechobbee and locking down into the St. Lucie River at the Port Mayaca Lock and then headed further east to Stuart, Florida. Last lock of the trip !
DRAW BRIDGE Open for us to pass under
JUST FEW OF THE MANY, MANY, MANY HOUSES AND BOATS ALONG THE WAY The scenery really changed fast. Lots and lots of big houses and lots and lots of big boats !
BOATS, BOATS, BOATS EVEYWHERE
BEACH PARTY BOAT
LIGHTHOUSE Jupiter Florida
HOME FOR THE NIGHT Anchored for the night in a mooring area of the ICW at West Palm Beach, Florida. Looking out my back door across the channel at Rybovich Marina...
WEST PALM BEACH HARBOR MOON Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Sunday, Dec 03, 2017... Day 28 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
We departed from Lake Okeechobbee at 7:00AM when the Port Mayaca Lock opened for the day. We traveled down the St. Lucie River to Stuart, Florida and then headed further south down the ICW to West Palm Beach. A full day and lots to see.
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Monday, December 4, 2017 Day 29
WEST PALM BEACH SUNRISE
JUST A FEW OF THE YACHTS AT RYBOVICH MARINA
Delray Beach, Florida Captain Greg previously delivered these yachts
JOE AND CAPTAIN GREG Joe is the owner of Delray Yacht Cruises
EMPTING OUT FILLING HER UP Ramjet on do-do duty...pumping her out Captian Greg & Ramjet fueling and watering the Current Reprieve
A BOCA RATON HOTEL
IGUANAS SUNNING
WELCOME TO FORT LAUDERDALE
STOPPED FOR DINNER IN FORT LAUDERDALE
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Some Christmas light we spotted on the way to our over night anchorage Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Monday, Dec 04, 2017... Day 29 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
Left our mooring at West Palm Beach and
headed further south on the Intra-Costal Water. So many big
boats and huge houses!
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Day 30
CAPTAIN GREG OUT IN THE DINGY Checking out Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, FL.
SUN SET FROM ABOARD THE CURRENT REPRIEVE
MOON RISE OVER LAKE SANTA BARBARA Click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Tuesday Dec 05, 2017... Day 30 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
We stayed on the hook on Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, FL just off the ICW and only a few miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale. . It was a rainy and cloudy morning but turned into a bright sunny afternoon. Most delightful.
Ramjet and Raven were on shore leave
while Captain Greg and River Bill stayed on the boat. It was a
good boat cleaning day. Captain Greg also took a look at the
weather forecast for the rest of the week and we are waiting on
a package to arrive in the US Mail.
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Wednesday, December 6, 2017 Day 31
(L/R) Robert Ouellette and RiverBill And Captain Greg Pumping Fuel At Complete Marine in Pompano Beach, FL
Click pic to enlarge
The Picture of the Day....... is from Wednesday Dec 06, 2017... Day 31 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
We stayed on the hook on Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, FL again..It was a bright sunny morning. Pulled anchor early afternoon and motored on over to Complete Marine, topped off the fuel and water and picked up Ramjet and Raven from shore leave with Robert Ouellette and Sherri Napolition.
We headed across the ocean towards Bimini. The Bahama island is located about 50 miles off Florida's coast and is the closest Bahamian island to the United States.
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Thursday, December 7, 2017 Day 32
SUN SET OVER AMERICA ON WEDNESDAY Leaving the USA
HELLO BIMINI GOOD MORNING After our 50 mile trip from Fort Lauderdale across the Atlantic we arrived at North Bimini Island late Wednesday evening, dropped anchor and spent the night. All is good The sun came up over the island as we were getting up and getting ready to depart.
Early Thursday, we pulled anchor and motored into the harbor, tied up and took care of some Bahama business.
IMMIGRATION Captain Greg got cleared thru Customs and then all of the crew headed to the immigration office!
RIVERBILLS STICKER SIGHTING We had to leave a RiverBills Sticker even though Captain Greg said there was already one there a few docks over.
SHIP WRECK OF THE SS SAPONA As we left the harbor at North Bimini Island we spotted the ship wreck of the SS Sapona off in the distance. Captain Greg sent me the following:
From Wikipedia:
SS Sapona was a concrete-hulled cargo steamer
that ran aground near Bimini during a hurricane in 1926. The
wreck of the ship is easily visible above the water, and is both
a navigational landmark for boaters and a popular dive site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Sapona
BLUE, BLUE, BLUE
We cruised all day in crystal clear flat seas that were about 15
- 20 feet deep and so, so blue that it is hard for me to
describe. Surrounded by water, water, water all the way around.
A person could hardly tell where the ocean ended and where the
sky began. Absolutely amazing !
ALMOST SUNSET ON ATLANTIC OCEAN
SUN SET ON A THURSDAY NIGHT There was a huge change in the colors at the sun got closer to the water and finally sank into the ocean. Not a spectacular sunset, but it will have to do until tomorrow night. Click pic to enlarge
ANCHORED AT CHUB CAY We ran all day and anchored after dark at Chub Cay, Bahamas for the night.
Chub Cay is at the southernmost tip of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. It is located 35 miles west of Nassau and 125 miles from South Florida. source: chubcaybahamas.com
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Thursday Dec 07, 2017... Day 32 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" One Buoy at a Time
Pics from Friday, December 8, 2017 Day 33
WE MADE IT ! It's Captain Greg on the "Current Reprieve" docked in Nasau, Bahamas !
The Pictures of the Day....... are from Friday Dec 08, 2017... Day 33 of our waterways trip from St. Louis to the Bahamas.....
Life is good Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... Yah mon
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" Sun Pic Changing of the Guard
Pics from Saturday, December 9, 2017 Day 34
OUT WITH THE "OLD" CREW (L/R) RiverBill, Captain Greg, Raven and Ramjet
IN WITH THE "NEW" CREW (L/R) Captain Dale, Nick and Rick
GREG WITH NEW OWNER AND HIS WIFE AND THE NEW CAPTAIN (R/L) Captain Greg, Dexter, Captain Dale and Trisha
THE TOAST & THE RUM
The Pictures of the Day....... were sent to us by Ramjet.
Hi Bill,
Check out more pics from our journey, so far... click here
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St. Louis to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the "Current Reprieve" Changing of the Guard
More Pics from Saturday, December 9, 2017 Day 34
THE CREW THAT GOT HER THERE (L/R) RiverBill, Captain Greg, Raven and Ramjet Almost 2,000 miles under our belts in the "Current Reprieve" under the direction of Captain Greg.
CAPTAIN GREG WITH NEW OWNER AND HIS WIFE AND THE NEW CAPTAIN (R/L) Captain Greg, Dexter, Captain Dale and Trisha What are you looking at Greg ?
DEXTER AND TRISHA The new owner and his wife
ALL BUSINESS IS WRAPPED UP Put up a RiverBills.com sticker at the marina, we packed up our belongings, left the boat at the marina with the new crew and headed for our hotel. Heading back to St. Louis in a few days.. What an experience !
The Pictures of the Day....... were sent to us by Captain Greg Sadowski
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The "Current Reprieve" Update 06-04-18 St. Charles, Mo to Trinidad
The Current Reprieve in Antigua
click pic to enlarge
The Pictures of the Day.... were sent to us by Captain Greg Sadowski who hails out of Woodland Marina
Hi Bill,
The Current Reprieve crew leaving Woodland Marina in November 2017 (L/R) RiverBill, Raven, Ramjet and Captain Greg
St. Charles to Nassau Trip photos.... click here |
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