'Rocky' Start

Despite some initial slow-going, Whitten hopes to keep schedule

By CHUCK HAYES chayes@timesobserver.com
So far, so good.

A half-dozen adventurers from the Russell area shoved off as planned from the Buckaloons boat launch on Saturday.

After encountering some shallow Allegheny River conditions in the Tidioute area on Sunday afternoon, the 30-foot long riverboat which they built was “tied up” below Tidioute overnight on Sunday.

Russell carpenter David Whitten constructed the flat-bottomed riverboat in his backyard in Russell and along with five family members and friends hopes to travel down the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans.

The crew expects to complete the 1,980-mile trip from Warren County to New Orleans in about 30 days, if they can keep a 67-mile per day pace.

But, as Whitten expected, it was slow going on the upper Allegheny, especially on Sunday.

Whitten’s wife, Dawn, talked to her husband on Monday afternoon and said the boat was somewhere between West Hickory and Tionesta.

She said that her husband reported that on Sunday the crew was greeted by people along the shoreline, holding up signs wishing them well on their trip.

“They got caught up a couple of times,” she said, “but they got through. Nothing major. No real problems.”

Whitten equipped the boat with ropes and come-alongs to deal with shallow stretches of the upper Allegheny in the Tidioute, Tionesta and Oil City areas.

Mrs. Whitten said that on the first day of the trip on Saturday, “They went a little ways and then tied-off and took time to get everything in the cabin in order” before heading downriver.

One of the problem areas was just below the bridge in Tidioute, where the 6,000-pound boat became “hung up” on rocks in a shallow area on Sunday afternoon.

About 45 minutes to an hour was needed to navigate the shallow area near Tidioute, according to observers.

“He said it’s going better than he expected,” said Dawn Whitten. “They’re just working out some kinks. They had some problem with the steering and motor but they got that worked out.”

Mrs. Whitten said, “They’re pretty much on schedule and they expect to make up for the time they lost in the shallow areas once they hit open waters.”

Although several members of the crew have cellphones, they reported “hit and miss” reception as they headed toward Tionesta on Monday.

The boat is equipped with a 90-horsepower motor, but will be powered by 16-foot-long oars for at least four hours a day.

Whitten said he only plans to use the motor enough to keep a 67-mile per day pace and avoid other river traffic.

In addition to Whitten, aboard the flat-bottomed boat are Kyle Whitten, Jed Fox, Dylan Fleming, Robert Barrett and Larry Whitten.