The captain of the riverboat tells stories. From discovery to a way of life and love, Captain Don Sanders tells the tales of his lengthy relationship with the river. This is a segment of a lengthy and ongoing narrative.
By Capt. Don Sanders, NKyTribune Special
Aurora, Indiana, has long had a close association with the wide waterway at its front door. The town is tucked away along Mile 497 on the Middle Ohio River. Every time the Ohio River breaks its banks to investigate the limits of its long-held confines, the relationship between the river and the multispired community can occasionally turn sour and cruel. But for the most part, the two maintain a warm, affectionate, and familial relationship.
Men and women who have a seemingly supernatural connection to the river have lived in Aurora for the entirety of its 200-year history. The same is true of Captains Ron Abdon and Jacob Orcutt of the present, as was the case in a previous column with Commander Holman Vail and Quartermaster Ralph W. Rees, who were Aurora residents and crewmen of the U. S. Lighthouse Tender GOLDENROD in the late 1880s.
Captain Abdon, who goes by Capt. Ron, is from Petersburg, Kentucky, which is on the other side of the river. For many years, Ron was the owner and operator of a multi-acred campsite across from Aurora on the southern bank of the Ohio River. He worked as an aviation mechanic at the Greater Cincinnati Airport (CVG) to make ends meet, but the river was his true love. On the Ohio River’s geographic center length between Pittsburgh and Cairo, Cap n Ron was the go-to source for help for many years.
It was Shantyboatman Mike Fletcher, a longtime river friend, who introduced me to Capt. Ron. Together, Mike and Ron formed a small band and performed music. In the little, ancient town known as the Center of the Universe, where the elected mayor is a member of the canine class, their lively songs frequently filled the air surrounding the Rabbit Hash General Store. For many years, Rabbit Hash served as a second home for my family as well. A baseless dispute between the two towns started twenty-nine years ago when I took over as Senior Captain of the grand casino stern paddlewheeler GRAND VICTORIA II in Rising Sun, Indiana, which is right across from the Hash. I was the subject of the most bizarre remark made during this period of misinformation.
According to some Hoosier wag, “Don’t trust that Captain.” He is a native of Rabbit Hash.
However, I’m not sure if the supposed remark about me is true after 16 years of living and working in Rising Sun, where I’ve met some of the loveliest people I’ve ever met.
Capt. Ron has been living the life I’ve dreamed about since I was a youngster for a number of years. We aquatic residents of the Aurora Bend district prefer to refer to the houseboat where he has taken up home as a “shantyboat.” Although I have experienced many idyllic moments aboard the different boats that are connected to my life on the water, I have never gone as far as Cap n Abdon’s fluvial residency. I’ve persuaded myself that shantyboating is a mentality in order to make up for my loss.
Cap Ron’s mechanical skills, developed over many years at the airport, may be the source of his unbreakable virtuosity. He recently declared that he would build a sidewheel-powered ark out of an old lawnmower motor, a cast-off aluminum catamaran for the body and hull, two large antique iron wheels from a field hay rake, and other random materials. I’ve heard boasters say they would do this or that far too often throughout the years. All the bluster aside, their dreams were little more than smoke in the wind. Cap n Ron surprised me by inviting me to his aquatic moorings to watch the launch of his new sidewheeler shortly after he made his initial announcement.
He said, “I’ve had this idea in my head for years.” I simply had to begin assembling the parts after discovering this small 20-foot pontoon with an aluminum deck on an all-aluminum frame. I’m thrilled with the outcome.
In addition to surpassing all expectations and becoming an immediate success, Ron’s sidewheeler attracted the admiration of a large audience outside of the Middle Ohio River community after he uploaded a video to The Shallow Drafters Shanty Boat Club, a Facebook page that many of us shantyboat enthusiasts follow.
Appleton, Wisconsin’s Patrick E. made a comment. I’m excited about the prospect of adding sternwheels to my pontoon houseboat after seeing yours in action.
Winter is getting farther away every day, and spring is calling. Capt. Ron will soon finish a cabin on his sidewheel device, giving us more information to share. In the interim, we will travel further downriver to see another shantyboatman who lives on my old stern paddlewheeler, CLYDE.
Captain Jacob Jake Orcutt, a qualified towboater piloting for McGinnis, Inc., saved the CLYDE from spoliation and corruption less than a year ago. While the interior was completely gutted and rebuilt with the intention of turning her into an Airbnb, the feisty sternwheeler languished for four years with little care taken to its wooden exterior. After that illusion failed, though, the boat was soon abandoned on the shore without its wheelhouse, the original wooden paddlewheel of museum quality, or tall stacks to linger until Cap n Jake returned the renamed paddlewheeler to its original moorings on Laughery Creek in the Aurora Bend neighborhood.
After returning home, Cap and Jake quickly gave the ship its original name, CLYDE. The youthful, enthusiastic skipper underlined that rebuilding the CLYDE’s historically correct wooden paddlewheel was a top priority for his ship.
Jacob gave me this response when I asked him how he was initially drawn to the CLYDE:
I discovered something remarkable in 2019 while taking a stroll at the yacht club: the CLYDE. She was gliding gracefully in the water, exuding charm and elegance. Her beautiful presence enthralled me that day. She seemed to be whispering promises of freedom and adventure, which stoked a deep-seated desire in me to one day own her.
I was just starting out as a deckhand at the time, figuring out the ins and outs of the nautical industry. I had no idea how quickly my discovery of the CLYDE would ignite a deep affection for her and the life of being a part of such magnificent ships. She became more than just a boat after that; she became a representation of my dreams and the voyage I wished to take, one that was full of sunsets and limitless opportunities.
As spring approaches, Captain Jake, like Cap n Ron, has a lot to accomplish as the weather warms up. They will eagerly take on the maritime tasks that lie ahead of them, just like any other devoted riverboat geek. I will dutifully report the captains’ progress as soon as they make it in their endeavors afloat. My desire for the river should be satiated for the time being by the comforts of home and the hearth.
Purchase Captain Don Sanders The River book here
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR RIVER BOOK.
Don Sanders, Capt.With handling and relevant taxes included, The River: River Rat to Steamboatman, Riding Magic River Spell to 65-Year Adventure is currently available for $29.95. With hundreds of photographs from Capt. Don’s collection, this stunning hardcover book, published by the Northern Kentucky Tribune, is 264 pages of captivating narrative that captures his painstaking journaling, unparalleled storytelling, and attention to detail. Every fan of the river should have this important historical book in their library.
The book is available for purchase at all Roebling Books stores, the Behringer Crawford Museum, and the St. Elizabeth Healthcare gift shops. It can also be ordered by mail from the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
Get your copy of Captain Don Sanders’ The River by clicking this link.