| The Ohio River makes a hair-pin turn at Evansville | | | | Boaters from Evansville's Inland Marina - most of |
| Indiana, on its course from Pittsburgh to Cairo Illinois. | | | | whom are members of Inland Yacht Club - refer to |
| It's called Horse Shoe Bend, and it's a bane to barge | | | | that sand island as The Pump-Out. And in an |
| traffic being pushed by powerful tow boats. That's | | | | Evansville summer, that is the place to be. |
| especially true after a winter of high water through | | | | There's really no problem getting there. Just turn |
| the Ohio River Valley, when the current, plus | | | | your boat when you see the island and put on a bit |
| centrifugal force, carries the river bottom from the | | | | of speed. Let your bow slide right onto the sand - |
| middle to the outside of the turn, clogging the ship | | | | there's enough deep water for your out-drive to |
| channel. | | | | stay lowered into the water. Once you climb off |
| Enter the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who have to | | | | your bow and set your anchor in the sand, you'll |
| move that sand and silt out of the channel - | | | | meet others of your ilk. They're playing horse shoes, |
| guaranteeing those tow boats at least nine feet | | | | cooking on grills, building a bonfire for the night, or |
| under the keel as they put the rudders hard over to | | | | just sitting and enjoying good conversation, liberally |
| make the turn. | | | | laced with beer, making new friends and celebrating |
| All that sand and silt has to go somewhere. | | | | old ones. |
| So the dredgers dump it into the center of the river, | | | | Not a few of those boaters spend the night aboard, |
| off Evansville's downtown, outside the red buoys | | | | still beached on the tiny island that used to be the |
| that mark the channel. And there's more than enough | | | | bottom of the ship channel - and some Club die-hards |
| to create a small sand island in the center of the | | | | will even spend some winter nights there with |
| river, one that will remain intact for many months | | | | generators and cabin heaters. |
| before the current carries most of it away - back | | | | Is there a better place to enjoy boating? Probably. |
| into the turn. | | | | But no one on the pump-out would admit it. |