The riverboat captain is a storyteller. Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story.
By Capt. Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune
As I write, seated comfortably at my desk overlooking the mostly frozen river below me at Aurora Bend on the Middle Ohio River, towboat crews still struggle with the challenges brought by the recent weather conditions. It ain’t over yet. But within several days of this Sunday’s appearance of my scribble, temperatures in the fifties are expected. Or, at least that’s what the weather apps are saying on my phone.
What an age we’re living in. Especially for someone, like myself, who came into this world at the hindmost part of the steam era. The world’s much smaller than it used to be. I’ve watched it shrink. As it withered, individual influences, though, have expanded exponentially with all the gadgets — my phone, for example. With my affordable Tracphone “device,” I foresaw last week’s winter storm days before it blasted through most of the country. Although it’s still below freezing outside, my phone says temperatures will be nearly 60 degrees by Tuesday.
Actually, I’m not complaining. Instead, I’m delighted that I’ve lived to benefit from what was, not so long ago, considered the “future”. As a boy, I was a faithful fan of Buck Rogers. “Google” Buck if you don’t know who I’m talking about. Who needs a dictionary or a trip to the library these days? It’s all on your pocket device.
When I received my first U. S. Coast Guard license as an Inland Mate on the DELTA QUEEN, only 56 seemingly-short years ago, “reading” a radar screen confused some of the older pilots who, otherwise, understood every suggestion and waymark the river and a passing dim shoreline offered on a foggy night “blacker than the inside of a cow.”
The shape and soul of the river, with all its peculiarities, were carried within the old pilots’ memories and were far better than any electronic invention; still, the elder boatmen found the blaring radar screen, with its sweeping bright line, bewildering.
Honestly, I’m not particularly familiar with the latest electronic gear in modern commercial pilothouses. But I know that no matter how sophisticated the gadgets are, nothing yet invented can replace a skilled human pilot when the “you-know-what” hits the proverbial fan.
Since my retirement from the casino vessel GRAND VICTORIA II, a 322 x 90-foot, 3,000-hp sternwheeler located in Rising Sun, Indiana, Mile 506 on the Middle Ohio River, across from Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, I’ve owned two outstanding smaller riverboats. Although the GRAND VIC had two radar sets, a swing meter, two searchlights, twin marine radios, and a depth finder, her equipment was still basic. What elementary electronic gear my personal boats, the single-screw SUN*FISH and the sternwheeler CLYDE, possessed, operated off their engines’ batteries. Neither the FISH nor the CLYDE possessed the simplest of generators.
In spite of no sophisticated electronic assistance during the Summer of 2012, Everett Dameron, a river pal from back home in Northern Kentucky, and I paddled the CLYDE from Alma, Wisconsin, to Aurora Bend. However, the CLYDE had the latest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers chartbooks for the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers on hand. By the time we arrived home, these books were both dirty and dog-eared from constant use. Thankfully, Ev had a small charger we both used to keep our phones and laptops charged. Kerosene lamps from my family’s 1947 paddlewheel houseboat, MARJESS, replaced electric lighting. By any definition, Everett and I were “shantyboating.”
Speaking of which, what folks are calling “shantyboats” seem to be pretty popular these days. YouTube is filled with video blogs, or “vlogs,” featuring backyard-built floating shanties. Most are built on used pontoon rigs, though some have traditional displacement hulls.
My favorite shantyboat vlog is “The Shallow Drafters Shanty Boat Club (Official).” Hard to believe, but someone pirated the page. There’s no honor among thieves. Look for the “official” vlog featuring Minnesota native Brenton Netz and his beagle pooch, Wavey Gravey. Beagles are the best boat dogs. The MARJESS had Patty Boy, our beloved beagle who loved the river nearly as much as he did chasing after rabbits, which he never caught, of course.
Brenton and Wavey’s vlogs have been instrumental in rekindling interest in shantyboating. Since my youth, I’ve yearned to live that nomadic fluvial lifestyle. The MARJESS would make the greatest shantyboat, as would either the CLYDE or the SUN*FISH.
But I’ve known from personal experience and from watching video logs that shantyboating requires mutual consent between the parties, if married. One of the disheartening declarations I’ve ever heard when I proposed living the shantyboat life was:
“Don’t think I’m some sort of Anna Hubbard.”
Referring, of course, to Mrs. Anna Hubbard, wife and fellow shantyboat adventurer with her husband, Harlan Hubbard, shantyboatman, artist, and author. Without Anna, Harlan could have never lived his dream.
Of course, many couples share a maritime lifestyle, but for some reason, those who declare the “shantyboat lifestyle” seem to be accompanied by a faithful dog, a cat, or both. Would a change of name help? My mother abhorred the word “houseboat,” let alone “shantyboat.” To her, the MARJESS was a “scow.”
The one outstanding trait that amazes me, though, about the latest 21st-century floating shanties is the electrical systems. So many of the shantyboaters are talented builders who primarily use rooftop and side solar panels to power an array of high-capacity battery banks within their small arks. These electrical sources power a variety of valuable tools and appliances, from navigational devices and hand tools to fridges and freezers. While labor-saving, battery-powered chainsaws often replace hand saws and axes for cutting firewood and similar tasks.
With all the proper labor savers available to incorporate into a shantyboat these days, I may begin looking for a boat to get back on the river. But that’s all a dream. I have a house I neglected for two boats, and an aging pickup truck in need of work. Then there’s the garage to clean — so little time.
Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a “machine” and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune, sharing his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.
Purchase Captain Don Sanders’ The River book
Capt. Don Sanders The River: River Rat to steamboatman, riding ‘magic river spell’ to 65-year adventure is now available for $29.95 plus handling and applicable taxes. This beautiful, hardback, published by the Northern Kentucky Tribune, is 264-pages of riveting storytelling, replete with hundreds of pictures from Capt. Don’s collection — and reflects his meticulous journaling, unmatched storytelling, and his appreciation for detail. This historically significant book is perfect for the collections of every devotee of the river.
You may purchase your book by mail from the Northern Kentucky Tribune — or you may find the book for sale at all Roebling Books locations and at the Behringer Crawford Museum and the St. Elizabeth Healthcare gift shops.
Click here to order your Captain Don Sanders’ ‘The River’ now.