Nathaniel Bishop's "Four Months In A Sneakbox"

Eric~


I've read the tale a couple of times over the years. I think I downloaded a pdf at some point. By coincidence, I happened to watch a PBS program just last night about the Mississippi. Nathaniel Bishop had plenty of challenges - especially shoreside scoundrels - but today's big grain barges might keep me off the Father of Waters in just a whitecedar cockleshell....


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve

Barges can be very treacherous. My brother-in-law and I were hunting the Tensaw River Delta North of Mobile one afternoon in the early 90s and on the ride home I saw a barge. He saw me too and pointed his huge spotlight in my face. I pointed my q-beam back and was shocked to see the front of his barge literally a few feet away. It was so dark colored you could not see it despite the close proximity. I quickly steered my boat to the side of the barge. Now we were a few measly feet pinned up against a steep dirt wall, the bank. This was a bend in the river and as the barge came around there was zero room between the barge, my boat, and the steep bank. I don't know how we didn't get run over or crushed. Made me very leery of barges.

Eric
 
Eric Patterson said:
Steve

Barges can be very treacherous. My brother-in-law and I were hunting the Tensaw River Delta North of Mobile one afternoon in the early 90s and on the ride home I saw a barge. He saw me too and pointed his huge spotlight in my face. I pointed my q-beam back and was shocked to see the front of his barge literally a few feet away. It was so dark colored you could not see it despite the close proximity. I quickly steered my boat to the side of the barge. Now we were a few measly feet pinned up against a steep dirt wall, the bank. This was a bend in the river and as the barge came around there was zero room between the barge, my boat, and the steep bank. I don't know how we didn't get run over or crushed. Made me very leery of barges.

Eric
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Your story makes me glad I hunt tidal creeks with all of their nuances and changing water flows and heights. There are no barges. That must have been scary. There is a moment in experiences like that you realize you are either going to make it or you're not, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it at that point.
 
Greg

Very true. At the time I was in my early 20s and it didn't pahse me at all. I was a bit pissed at the barge for not having a light on his bow. Years later when I reflected back I realized just how close we were to disaster. I'm sure the barge captain would have heard a bump or crunch and just kept going.

Eric
 
Richard Lathrop said:
Eric,

I saw that. I liked his article on off center centerboards to gain more interior room.

Rick Lathrop
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I didn't see that article. However, I did just sign up for the magazine and online access so now I can.

Eric
 
I get thier emails, I have a few copies of the magazine when is used to the on the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble or Borders.

Rick
 
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