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Friday, October 16, 2009 Today began our journey down the Tennessee Tombigbee waterway which links the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico. Before arriving at our marina for the night we had to go through 3 locks, Whitten, Montgomery and Rankin. There was a total of 8 boats travelling through each lock. Since there was no barge traffic, each lock was ready for us when we arrived. The lockmasters on the Tenn-Tom request that as many boats as possible lock through at the same time. As a result, at the first lock we waited for approximately 45 minutes for the 8th boat to arrive and lock down with us. It was cold and windy on the water today but we were grateful that there was no rain. Six of the boats all came into Midway Marina for the night.
Here is the Midway Marina that we are currently at.
Saturday, October 17, 2009 The lockmaster wanted us all at the lock by 7:30 so we were up and underway by 7:10. We had to transit 3 locks before arriving at our destination marina. There were 6 boats from the marina so we travelled in a group through each lock. We travelled through each lock without delay. Coming into Aberdeen Marina is an experience as you have to travel a winding s-shaped curve through old stumps before you even seen the marina tucked way back in. However, the channel is well marked and it is quite pleasant at the marina. We all got diesel fuel here and that whole process took 2 hours.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 Since we only had 1 lock today and a relatively short distance to travel, we left later than usual. Again, we had a wonderful day on the water. Upon arrival at the marina, we learned that Larry & Theresa Valentine (Lauren Grace) were here. They were at our marina for 1 month this past summer. Later, Susann & Alan Syme (Kaos) arrived. We met them 2 years ago at Chattanooga. It was nice to see both couples once again. After settling in, we walked with Nancy & Bill & Stella (dog).
Monday, October 19, 2009 We are still at Columbus, MS. Today the girls used the courtesy van (it only quit once) and made a grocery run to Walmart. Most marinas have a courtesy car - usually they are old beaters but so far they have also served us well. At lunch, 6 of us took the van to downtown Columbus for lunch followed by a quick walk in the town and then a short drive to see some of the Antebellum homes. In this restaurant, you simply order by "meat and 2 sides" or "meat and 3 sides" etc. You then circle the meat and the sides you want on a menu copy, and thus tailor your meal. The food is absolutely excellent. The guys then used the van to do their shopping run to town.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Another beautiful day in Columbus. As a group we took the courtesy van to Proffitt's Porch for lunch. It is in the middle of nowhere and although they have a varied and excellent menu, they are noted for their red beans and rice with andouille sausage. Sharon, Delila, and Brenda walked after lunch. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and other house keeping tasks. Brenda made chicken chili to share with everyone tonight for dinner. Tomorrow we are heading down river and will anchor out tomorrow night so we may not have any internet service to update our website. Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Today we had 2 locks; we were delayed by 1 hour at
the first lock while repairs were made to the gate.
Otherwise, we had an uneventful and pleasant journey
to our anchorage. Thursday, October 22, 2009 Today was a warm but very windy day on the river. Again there was a fair amount of debris in the water. Although it was windy, we all arrived at Demopolis and got settled in without incident. Tonight 12 boaters went into the town to the Foscue House for dinner. It is an old home (1840) which was converted to a very casual style restaurant. Except for enclosing a porch, the house is the original structure. I guess you can tell by now that 'loopers' enjoy gathering to eat together to share stories and experiences.
Friday, October 23, 2009 We are enjoying a full layover day at Demopolis. Today we did laundry and other boat tasks. Ken & Brenda and Bill & Nancie took a 2-hour walk into the downtown section. There are some very old and architecturally interesting buildings but like many other downtowns most of the buildings are empty. Tomorrow we are leaving at daybreak as we have a long day to our anchorage (approx 90 miles). We may not have internet or cell service for 2 to 3 days.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 Although we left at daybreak because we had a long travel day, we were delayed at the lock as 12 boats were all locking down at the same time. However, the lockmaster was organized and the whole procedure went smoothly. For the next 100 miles there are no marinas and very few suitable anchorages. We anchored at Okatuppa Creek which was an excellent anchorage. All 5 boats fit into the narrow anchorage and there was actually room for more. Since leaving Demopolis we have been travelling on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway but the whole waterway is generally just known as the Tenn-Tom. The shoreline during today's travel has varied from sandy looking beaches to tree-lined shores with more spanish moss appearing in the trees. We were tired when we arrived at our anchorage and went to bed at 8 p.m. (in the boat world, 9 o'clock is referred to as 'boater's midnight').
Sunday, October 25, 2009 Although we were up early and had planned to depart at 7 a.m. we were delayed until 9 a.m. due to very heavy fog. We went through our last lock today on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Instead of dropping down the normal level of 34 feet we only dropped about 8 feet as the water level on the Tenn-Tom is quite high. We have gone through 19 locks since leaving home. We have been extremely lucky at the locks as we never had delays due to barge traffic. In fact, we have not seen too many barges since leaving home. We will anchor 1 or 2 more nights before arriving in Mobile depending upon the water conditions in the Gulf of Mexico.
Monday, October 26, 2009 After another wonderful anchorage, we are on our way at 7:30. It was a good day on the water. There continues to be some flotsam due to the high water level. We saw a huge construction project at one point along the river and reportedly it is a German steel company who is locating here.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Still at Tensas Cut-off anchorage Because the weather in Mobile Bay did not sound great, we decided to stay at our anchorage for another day. However, Blue Angel decided to leave today as they need to get to Panama City. Due to illness in the family, they will leave their boat in Panama City and travel by car to Michigan. Sundancer (Ray & Delila) decided to leave as well and follow Blue Angel as far as Lulu's on the intracoastal. Both boats reported back that travel on Mobile Bay was smooth so I guess we could have gone after all.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Approximately 45 minutes after we left our anchorage we had to stop due to very heavy fog. We had to stop and wait for 45 minutes for the fog to lift. Once the fog lifted we were on our way to Mobile Bay. It was rather exciting to pass through Mobile and into Mobile Bay. We have now completed the TennTom portion of our voyage and are beginning the next phase of our logbook. We are now in salt water with tides. Our trip across Mobile Bay was quite pleasant with just a light chop and we arrived in Fairhope, AL before lunch. Thankfully, we only had to dodge a few crab pots.
This ends the Tennessee-Tombigbee part of our adventure. From now on, the Panhandle will be the section we will report on. Use that button on the Logbook page. |
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Copyright(c) 2008 Ken Bloomfield, All rights reserved.