Merry Christmas to all from the crew of "Achievement Alpha"

Christmas eve Merry Christmas to all from the crew of "Achievement Alpha." We are anchored off a small island near Sisterville West Virginia. It was a beautiful day on the river. We went thru 3 locks today, dropping about 20 feet each time we are still amazed at the attention the boat gets. every one at the locks have to come out to chat, asking about her, where are we going, how old is the boat, just anything to get a better look at her. We passed a tow out of one of the locks and all the deck hands came out and stood and waved until we were past. it was a great feeling. The boat handles really well, it tracks well, does not wander at all. Entering the locks we bring her in just inches off the wall and she tracks right to the far end with no hands on the wheel and her shoulders reared back. and at 120 tons she carries far. Mair says we are on the most beautiful stretch of the Ohio for the next few days according to George Washington. To bad it's winter some color would be nice. We are still having small problems, like overflowing our fuel ta nks, The plumbing is a nightmare. Nothing is what it says it is. But we keep on keeping on. Tomorrow is going to be a short day for us. We should get off the hook by 8:30 or so and run till about 3pm Lionel, Mair, and Patrick are cooking up a turkey dinner, With Champagne and Christmas cake from Ilonka. It don't get any better. Merry Christmas and Love from the crew and Capt. Bob