Except for one occasion, every time I had to converse with a tow it was a plesant conversation. That one occasion was a guy that apparently had a lot on his mind and wasnt into talking to "pleasure boaters"
When I was locking through the "Industrial" Lock in
New Orleans there was a tow going in ahead of me and the lock master told him to go to the starboard wall and me to go to port. I contacted the lock master and asked if that could be reversed as I had all my lines and fenders set up for the starboard wall and I was short handed(my wife was the only
deck hand). Since the tow didnt tie, just used his engines it wouldnt make any difference to him. Both the tow and the lock masker came back with a very willing, "Sure thing Capn" and when we left the lock the tow Captin suggested that I go first so that his turbulence wouldnt beat me around too much.
Then down river at the Algiers lock the
captain of the tow called ahead as we approached and he suggested to the lock master that the same arrangement be made there also and suggested that I be ahead in the lock so I could get out first. I didnt even have to ask.
All in all locking through the Mississippi that first time was a very pleasant experience and I had been really dreading it.