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
Last Monday, April 28, the sternwheel excursion boat BELLE OF CINCINNATI peeked around Aurora Bend, paddling her way to the annual “Great Steamboat Race” in Louisville. Since 1963, with a few exceptions, a boat race featuring the Steamer BELLE OF LOUISVILLE precedes the legendary Kentucky Derby, the horse race held in the Falls City since 1875.
The first Louisville Great Steamboat Race of 1963 found the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE (the former Steamer AVALON) challenging the DELTA QUEEN on a cold, dreary May afternoon. That morning in my Eastern Kentucky State College dorm room, I listened to the news on a Louisville radio station touting the upcoming boat race. Without hesitation, I slipped on a suit, white shirt, tie, warm jacket, walked out to Lancaster Avenue, stuck out my thumb, and began hitching the long road to Louisville…