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 SandersSpecial to NKyTribune
Where’d all the riverboats go? A couple of weeks ago, they were all anyone talked about until River Roots ended and the paddlewheelers departed the Middle Ohio River for home. The New Orleans-bound Steamer NATCHEZ flew by Aurora Bend the day after Roots held its last boat ride. We tracked her all the way home to the Crescent City.
Instead of heading south toward home, the 111-year-old BELLE OF LOUISVILLE steamed in the opposite direction to the shipyard for its five-year inspection, a United States Coast Guard requirement for all passenger-carrying vessels of the BELLE’s size…