Down Chicago’s Drain

With the paddle wheels finally installed we wanted to take the boat down to the harbor to do a little float test. The evening seemed best to avoid getting in the way of any boaters.

Working quickly, we hitched up the tail to a spare bike, lashed a few paddles and spare boards to the top and made ready to head out.

Its only a few blocks down to the park and on to the harbor.

But as soon as we got to the park and turned off onto the bike path, a cop pulled up in his patrol car. "You aren't putting dat into Lake Michigan!" he said over his megaphone, and I recognized his voice. It was that same cop who closes up the park at Montrose Beach by cruising slowly and intoning from his car in a thick Chicago accent: "Da beach is close! What you guys is doin' here is beyon' me. Scram! Skeedaddle!"

The officer got out of his car and came over to check us out. There was still over an hour before the park closed, so he couldn't figure out what exact reason for why we should leave and get out of his life. "If you guys put dis in the harbor, the marine patrol is gonna have a heart attac'! Dey'll fine you $500 bucks... and confiscate yer craft, too!" Well, it went on and on, him telling us all the trouble we were going to have if we even thought about testing the boat in the water. Never anything specific of why it was against the rules to test a homemade boat there, just that he was not going to leave us alone.

So we turned around in defeat and dragged the boat home to Scally Island. We'll have to figure out another time when it would be good to do a float test without such interference.

But the paddle wheels are working great, on land anyway.