If I recall correctly, Sand-O Harbor is what the late Carroll "Willie" Wilson called his turf (?) on the Ohio River there at Mile 317.2 — the mouth of the Big Sandy River. He became general manager of Merdie Boggs & Sons there in the early 1980s at the death of Mr. Boggs (as he called him), his father-in-law. Willie had that job until he died, perhaps in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I just can't remember.
Someday I'll need to do an entire entry of Willie Wilson, but for now, this is a two-parter about the boats Adam and I saw during what was supposed to have been a momentary stop in the area as we searched car lots for a replacement for a car that we lost in an accident.
The stop started with getting pictures of the M/V Capt. Kirby Dupuis (or DuPuis) as it picked up its tow at Virginia Point Park in Kenova, W.Va., and headed south. These photos were taken from Virginia Point and from the small shelter along the Ohio in Catlettsburg, Ky.
The Capt. Kirby Dupuis is owned by Florida Marine Tansporters Inc. of Mandeville, La. As it passed by Catlettsburg, it also passed a former FMT boat now known as the Kenova of Marathon Petroleum.
The area at the mouth of the Big Sandy was a much busier place when barges brought as much coal out of the river as fast as trucks could haul them to the docks. It's still a busy place today, but not as much as back then.
Next up in this thread: Other boats we saw there at Catlettsburg in our brief visit.
