The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and 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 Captain Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune
Devices used to cushion the blow between a boat’s hull and a dock, lock wall, or another boat: a bumper, or perhaps a fender, or even a possum.
Traditionally, they are artfully woven requiring many fabricated strands of rope or line, and the use of tools such as fids, marlin spikes, knives, or hatchets. To construct one requires an acquired knowledge, usually passed down from a master to an apprentice, and many hours of hand labor rough on a weaver’s manicure.
Although we, in younger days, wove all our possums the old-fashioned way, and on one occasion, our sole occupation on a steamboat dead-heading on the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, was “birthing” these fat rope critters, it was our beloved Captain and Mentor, Capt. Ernest E. Wagner who taught us how we could make an efficient bumper in less than five minutes.
Hand-Woven Rope Bumpers
A Couple of Bights. Make two bights in the Line… or a “backwards-S”.
The hardest thing, these days, is getting up and off the deck…
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 and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.
Click here to read all of Capt. Don Sanders’ stories of The River.
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Enjoy Captain Don Sanders’ stories of the river — in the 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 is 264-pages of riveting storytellings, 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 books 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.
Order your Captain Don Sanders’ ‘The River’ book here.
Capt. Don’s tutorial on rolling a quick bumper is quite handy and would apply just as effectively for using smaller line to roll smaller bumpers for smaller craft. Thanks Cap and NKYTribune for the continuing river learning and enlightenment!