The Daily Routine.

Most boat's have a two watch schedule and also what is called a call watch man. The front watch works from 6 a.m. till 12 noon and 6 p.m. till midnight. The after watch works from 12 noon till 6 p.m. and from 12 midnight till 6 a.m. The call watch man gets up for any locks, tow work, or he works a day watch from 6 a.m. till 6 p.m. and then is off for 12 hours. If there is any tow work or locks coming up. The call watch man will get some time off as to rest up before having to do any work.

Waiting for a southbound boat to pass.

Southbound boat just about here.

A normal watch would go something like this. Wake up at 5 a.m. get up, shave, brush teeth, shower, eat breakfast and relieve the man already working so he may go eat and go to bed. At 6 a.m. you go out and check the tow for water and make sure all the rigging is tight or not broken. You also check the navigation lights and sounders to make sure they are all working right. Then you come back to the boat.

Around 6:45 or 7 a.m. you start your morning clean up which is the wheel house, windows in the wheel house, stairs to the wheel house, 2nd deck lounge and hallways, Captain's and the Engineer's living quarters, bathrooms, stairs to the 1st deck. You will be sweeping, mopping, dusting, cleaning off any dirty hand prints off the walls or what ever might need to be cleaned.

Around 7:30 till 11 a.m. you could be doing any one of a number projects from chipping and sanding the boat to washing the boat down. If there is tow work, making a lock or talking through a bridge to do. It will put everything on hold until you get back on the boat.

Around 11 a.m. you make coffee in the galley and in the wheel house. Then you wake up the After watch

Southbound boat next to our boat.

Southbound has passed as we get under way.

The After watch will do just about the same thing:
At about 12 noon, you go out and check the tow for water, rigging, navigation lights and sounders to make sure they are all working right. Come back to the boat and do clean up which is the galley, 1st deck and deck locker. They will also sweep, mop, take out the trash. The after watch will also be doing some type of project which could be chipping and sanding the boat to making up new lock line. Around 5 p.m. you make coffee in the galley and in the wheel house. You then wake up the front watch.

The front watch comes back to work and at 6 p.m. checks the tow again for water plus to make sure all the rigging is tight and not broken. You also check the navigation lights and sounders to make sure they are all working right. Come back to the boat and do your night clean up which is to clean the Captain's and the Engineer's living quarters and bathrooms. In the galley at night your watch cleans the stove, takes out the trash, wipes down the stainless steel (windex will do the job just fine) and empty the dishwasher. There might be dirty linen to wash or any number of little projects to do. Again at 11 p.m. you make coffee in the galley and in the wheel house. You then wake up the after watch.

Pekin Railroad bridge on the Illinois River.

Barges are talked thru the bridge with a hand held radio.

The after watch at 12 midnight will go out again and check the tow for water and to make sure all the rigging is tight and not broken. You also check the navigation lights and sounders to make sure they are all working right. Clean up at night is to clean the galley and crew lounge. Make sure the stove is on, wake up the cook at 3:30 a.m. Again around 5 a.m. you make coffee in the galley and in the wheel house. You then wake up the front watch so the whole process will begin again. You do this for 30 days at a time, day in and day out.

The night watchs are more layed back or free time as some call it. You might get to watch a movie, make calls to home, even have time for your laptop. That is if all the work is done and there are no projects going on. Sometimes there might be a little project going on like waxing the floor which in better done at night. Some projects might take less than a hour as catching up on paper work. Yes, like all jobs there is a certain amount of paperwork.

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