Waltzing Matilda: “Battening Down the Hatches” for a Storm

December 23, 2009
It was a year ago today that Nathan put the down payment on Waltzing Matilda. After taking possession he spent much of the past year restoring her. Although solid on the outside, Matilda needed a lot of interior work. Having launched her from Van Buren, Arkansas, on November 22, tonight Waltzing Matilda, Mattie the Dog, and Nathan are tucked away in a cove on the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana.
“I’m battening down the hatches and preparing for a big storm tonight,” Nathan said. Bad weather has been building for three days and the forecast calls for 40-70 mile-per-hour winds plus the possibility of tornadoes. Nathan said he is anchored well in a small cove in an eddy in about 15 feet of water. If his anchor breaks loose, Waltzing Matilda will just go back into small trees; in fact, none of the trees is more than 3 inches in diameter, meaning they would do little harm if any blow over on the boat.
He did some damage to his mast today. He had to lower it because he was unable to clear a railroad bridge. Putting the mast back up by himself took hours and in the course of doing so he damaged the place where the boom ties into the mast. “Part of the learning curve,” according to Nathan. “I’ll have to fix it.”
He’s glad to be off the Mississippi which he said required total concentration at all times. There are barges on the Atchafalaya River, but they’re smaller than the monster water trains he had to dodge on the Mississippi. He only made 13 miles today: lowering and raising the mast took time; also, it took him an hour to get through a lock. Seems the lock operator was a colorful Cajun guy and “there was lots to talk about.”
Last night he camped with some guys and said he had a great time as they enthusiastically welcomed him to Louisiana.
Mattie the Dog is adjusting to life aboard the boat. She’s a tremendous watchdog because if anyone approaches the boat, she is able to sound like a big dog when she barks. Nathan has tried to sneak up on her in the kayak but couldn’t do it. Even while with the guys at the campsite last night, she was suspicious of the strangers.
On her first anniversary with Nathan, Waltzing Matilda is at anchor, perhaps for a day or more due to the weather. “With the big storm coming, I’m glad I’m off the Mississippi,” Nathan said. “I haven’t had a day off for two weeks.”