Month: November 2019

We woke up to a foggy morning and I took Frank to shore for his potty break. As we were walking around the woods by the boat, two shots rang out. They were coming from the other side of the creek, and I figured it was from the two guys in camo gear that went by on a small boat as I was getting Frank ready for our ride in his orange reflective life jacket. “Hey” yelled Lauren to us: “get back here!”. Since Frank had done his business and I could hear the worry in her voice, I called back “we’re on our way!” We popped out of the woods and Lauren was on the deck looking for us. “did you hear that? Sounded like gunshots!” she asked. “Yep, probably duck hunters” I replied, explaining I saw them pass us earlier, so I wasn’t worried, and Frank has on hunting safety gear colors, which I don’t think she was overly convinced of my reasoning.

At this point is is about 630am, and I hear on the radio someone calling the lock to ask for an opening. The boat calling is at Bobby’s Fish Camp, a few miles ahead of us. We are about seven miles/ forty minutes from the lock. I listen to the lockmaster tell him there are a couple of barges coming through as soon as the fog lifts and he will advise on when to come to the lock. I got on the radio and advised the lockmaster we would be joining them, and would also monitor the radio waiting for instructions. Now we wait. I was a little nervous since we were a few miles back, and felt we should move closer to the lock. Lauren was in agreement, so as the fog was lifting, we pulled out of our anchorage and headed toward the lock. We had researched the lock and saw there is an anchorage in front of it, but in front of the dam. We didn’t feel comfortable anchoring there overnight, because what if the anchor slipped and we drifted back over the dam? This was not something we wanted to worry about which is why we stayed further upstream. We passed Bobby’s and saw two boats tied up there to the dock. We made it to the lock and had not heard from the lockmaster, but I could see on our AIS where the barges were, which we had to wait for them to go through first. Knowing we had time, we decided to drop anchor off to the side in front of the dam, but well away from it. We got there and waited for almost five hours.

During the five hour wait, we could hear other boats approaching and calling the lock. The lockmaster was polite for the first couple of boats, but then stopped responding as more boats would get close and try calling him with the same request. You could hear his frustration the one or two times he did respond to the late comers. We just hung out, watching the big ships go past, listening to the radio chatter, and just tried to enjoy the beautiful warm day we were having. It was a little frustrating waiting so long, but we had nowhere to be! Except our next anchorage. It was also funny to hear two boats go by the people waiting at Bobby’s per the lockmasters instructions, and talk on the radio between themselves (anyone can listen) about how “those people better get moving!” and something along the lines of: “They’re idiots for waiting there”. Those two felt like they had to take charge and tried to tell the lockmaster more people were coming, but they were still at Bobby’s, and the lockmaster shut him down pretty quickly with “they all checked in already, I need YOUR information!”. Eventually the lockmaster told everyone to prepare, and we all came through the lock. By this time it was around 1130am and everyone who came out of the lock went as fast as they could. We were the last one in, last ones out.

We continued on our way, following two other boats going just a little faster than us who stopped short of where we were going. We were worried we wouldn’t make it to our anchorage before sunset had the lock taken any longer, but we estimated we would get there right around 4pm. The waterway we are traveling is a very winding path, with lots of turns and corners, where you have to be very careful if you meet any barges. Since we can see the barges on our chart, we can radio to them and advise them of our presence and we can communicate which side we should pass each other on. We can see them, they cannot see us until we’re actually in their line of sight. We were getting close to our anchorage and was watching some barges on the chart ahead of us. I could also hear them on the radio, and it seems one of the barges had run aground taking one of the turns. It can happen to anyone. A pleasure boat had called him about going around him, and he was told to wait for a bit, then he was told to come on around. It sounded like he was trying to pull himself off with his engines, but was having a bit of trouble. The barge we had been following had come to a stop at one of the bends ahead of us. Since I was listening, I thought I knew what was going on. We came to a stop, and waited for a bit, but I was getting nervous because the sun was getting lower and we really wanted to get to the anchorage before sunset. Eventually I radio’d the barge in front of us and asked permission to pass. “come on around” was the tired sigh of the towboat captain. I came around him and was greeted by another barge, which looked like it was turning in the river, in what looked like our direction. I came to a stop and was a bit bewildered and not sure what to do but wait and see. “Hey Captain!” the radio blared “You came around me and stopped! I’m getting going and I can’t stop!” Shit! He is talking to me! I throttle it forward and am now between two barges heading down river. The one in front of us had started moving forward and I had nowhere to go but behind him, with his giant wake coming out bouncing us around and making it hard for me to steer if i get too close into his wake. Behind me is a boat pushing 6 large barges right at us, expecting me to stay out of the way. We’re in a pickle now, and to make it even better, I realize our anchorage is just around the next corner, outside of the red channel markers, which means I’m going to have to pull off the channel while in this mess. We went a few minutes and I got on the radio to the tow behind us and asked him to go to a channel we can talk. I apologize and groveled profusely and made him aware of our intention. He was pleasant and explained the situation: the barge in front of us had stopped because there was a third barge which had been stuck, but he got off and is now moving ahead of them. Whew. I still felt like an idiot, and Lauren made me promise to never make us a barge sandwich again. Deal.

We got to the correct mile markers and pulled off and waited for our friend behind us to pass before dropping anchor. At this point it was a little past 4pm so there was still daylight to walk Frank. This anchorage was much like the first anchorage we did in the river, but it felt like there was more room to be out of the channel. Once secure and sure we weren’t moving, I took Frank ashore. I pulled the dinghy up as close as possible and Frank leapt out to land in mud and he sank to his knees. I just looked at him and said “shit”. I could tell the whole beach was like this. We are now in tidal waters, and the water was low, which left fresh mud exposed and gave me no choice but to get out into it to walk Frank. I removed my shoes and rolled up my jeans. I sunk in about a foot and a half deep. I walked him barefoot and now my feet were covered in mud and leaves too. Whatever, it felt like a mud bath for my feet. We returned to the boat just as it was getting dark and got both of us cleaned up. We are pleased we are done with the locks for now, but now have to worry about the tidal changes and crocodiles. There’s always something!

Tomorrow we are getting close to Mobile, Alabama! This will put us in Mobile Bay, which is just off of the Gulf of Mexico! The weather should be getting warmer and we are getting into saltwater. Mobile is just a little too far away to get there in a day, and we want to be able to enjoy the city and explore, so we decided to stop about sixteen miles short of Mobile and anchor there for the night, then go in to town the next morning.

The morning was foggy, so we waited for the sun to burn off the fog a bit before we left. We pulled both anchors and turned downstream. Today was a forty five mile cruise downstream, with a slight push from the current. We had chosen the anchorage instead of the only dock available, which has no power or water, but charges $50 a night. They have a restaurant, Bobby’s Fish camp, but it is only open Thursday- Saturday (today being a Monday), so we felt anchoring was the more sensible choice. The trip was again uneventful, just enjoying the trip and the day. We have been a bit warmer, but it is still cold in the morning and after the sun goes down. During the afternoon, it is somewhat nice. We keep the windows open on the flybridge, but keep the rear cover on to block the wind, which helps keep us warm.

We arrived to our mile marker and found the creek we would be turning into. I passed it and turned upstream for the approach. I was coming in cautiously due to the 2015 warning, but we never went under six feet depth. The creek was very narrow, but it kept on going back. Once we were up the creek a little bit, the depths stayed at ten feet or more. We went back, then got nervous that maybe we were pushing our luck, so we turned around, which took some time due to the narrowness of it. We came back to about twenty yards from the opening and dropped anchor. We had to do the same routine as yesterday with the stern anchor. Once that was down, we sat there listening to the nature around us, tress hanging five feet off our stern, and overhanging our bow a little. There was not much room, but it was peaceful and still. We left enough room for boats to pass us if they came in, but we were as close to shore as we felt comfortable. I took Frank ashore for a walk in the woods, and we explored a bit before returning to the boat. Unfortunately for him, once it gets dark, he does not leave the boat. I will not be walking in the woods in the pitch black, not knowing whats around, and we are getting close to crocodile and alligator country. We went one more time right before dark and was back on the boat before the sun disappeared. Once the sun goes down, we were in complete blackness, except for our anchor light and flashing solar lights we have wrapped around our rails on the mid level deck. Just before it got dark, we heard another boat approach and slow down and we thought may be pulling in with us, but they seemed to have turned around and went somewhere else as we never actually saw them. We ran the generator for awhile and made dinner, then retired for the evening.

Tomorrow is the last lock, Coffeeville Lock and Dam and then we are done with locks for awhile. There are some locks in Florida but that will be later on. Since we know others will be locking through too, we will prepare for our 7am departure…

Right before we retired last night, I spoke to another 2 boaters who were planning on leaving in the morning. This is good news to us, as we knew people were going but didn’t know the time, but now we do. We were to be ready at 7am, and monitor the radio as one of the captains was going to arrange with the lock at 6am. We listened and were told to be ready for a 7am lock through. We readied and tossed our lines around 645am. While we were pulling out of the marina, we could hear other boats on the radio calling the lock, informing him they would be joining as well. We ended up with eleven boats coming through the lock! Everyone made it through in an orderly fashion, and the lockmaster was out and chatting with us as the last few boats were tying up. Once out of the chamber, everyone separated again according to speed, and we brought up the rear.

You can see by the heading we anchored. We had procured a hand written photocopied list of anchorages at the marina, which listed about a dozen stops in the next 200+ miles, with only one place that has an actual dock but no power or water. The only way to describe the place to stop is by mile markers (MM). Old Lock #2 is the name left over from some time ago, there is no lock or any structure, just an area there used to be one. We left the marina at MM 216 and saw a stop at MM 168, which is the Old Lock #2. Tis is a good travel day for us, moving around 6.5-7 knots, we could do the forty eight miles in a little under seven hours. It is very important to us we don’t travel in bad weather and we get to our destination in the daylight.

The trip was uneventful, everything was running well and the steering was good. We came to our destination, and saw that the river became about thirty feet wider. There was a small boat ramp, and the description was to go past the ramp and anchor where the stone wall ends, using a stern anchor so you do not swing into land or the channel. There is no wake protection, as the boats, small and large tugs pass by you at any time, day or night. Ok- this seems strange, but we don’t really have other options other than to continue downstream and hope another is better. We also see other anchorages are listed as the same, or “just outside or reds’, which is referring to the red buoys used to mark the channel.

We approached the area very slowly, and as we passed by the boat ramp saw someone was just launching a small fishing boat. The area it widened, then came back to a point where it resumed the normal channel width. On the point was a young guy fishing. The stone wall ended and left about seventy feet to the point where he was fishing. I turned the boat upstream and motored very very slowly toward shore. We were watching the water depths as we moved closer, and it was staying around nine to ten feet, even ten feet off land. This was close enough for us, and we were out of the channel. We dropped the front anchor and backed down on it to make sure it was secure. Then I hopped in the dinghy, without Frank who didn’t understanding why I wasn’t taking him, to drop a stern anchor. I put the anchor in the dinghy and motored out as far as the line I had tied it to. I then drop it overboard and come back to the boat to haul in the line and get the anchor to bite. I also pull in some of the front line to give more purchase on the rear. Once all was set, we sat there and watched to make sure we weren’t moving. I asked the fisherman who was only twenty yards away if he’d seen anyone else anchor here? He replied he had not, but he “isn’t from here and there is nothing around here if that’s what your looking for”. I told him we were just looking for a place to stop, and he went back to fishing. He didn’t seem overly friendly. Maybe I disturbed the fishing.

Lauren, Frank and I went to shore to walk around, stretch our legs and let Frank do his business. I pulled the dinghy over to the boat ramp to let everyone off, which Lauren and Frank jumped off into very soft mud. I moved the dinghy a little farther away and got off by some rocks, so I wouldn’t go through the mud too. We walked around a small park the Army Corp of Engineers maintains, and found a cool, old abandoned school bus that someone had on their property next to the park. We took a few pics and went back to the boat. I got the dinghy and met Lauren and Frank in a not so muddy area and picked them up. We just got back to the boat when we saw the people who had launched their small boat returning. They weren’t out long- maybe an hour or so. We watched the couple bring the truck and trailer to the muddy ramp and attempt to pull it out. There is a boat saying: Sometimes there is a show, and sometimes you’re the show! They were definitely our show today; they finally got the boat on the trailer, but the truck had no traction to pull it up and out of the water with all of that deep mud. We could hear the tires spinning and he would inch up, then fall back. We watched this for about twenty minutes, then they eventually got it out. Good for them as I was getting worried for them. The night was quiet, with only a couple of barges coming by, one during daylight, which rocked us a bit, but they slow down and take care not to cause too much disturbance. Then one passed at night which woke us up for a moment, then all settled down and we fell right back to sleep.

Tomorrow we are planning on another forty five mile day, and the anchorage is in a small creek, which in October 2015 entrance was reported shoaled to four feet so it may not be usable. We have a back up anchorage just in case…

Four miles from our anchorage is the next lock. We had agreed on a 7am departure. Lauren and I got up around 5:30am, took Frank to shore and had the coffee going when we heard over the VHF the lockmaster would be ready and waiting for us at 7am. OK. we’re on schedule. Then I hear Trolly Molar pulling his anchor, and it’s only 6:20. Hmmm. We are ready, so we start our engine and prepare to follow along. A few minutes later, I hear Onward, who had anchored a few miles upstream, coming by and giving greetings to Molar. Now I feel like we have to go now. I ask Lauren to prepare, and we pull anchor. Lauren is awesome at steering the boat while we weigh anchor as I direct and secure the anchor from the bow. It is now 630am and we are on our way. I can see and hear Trinity getting going too as we pull out. We all arrive at the lock: Howell Heflin Lock and Dam. The four of us enter, and we are locked through. Now we are all heading to Kingfisher Marina in Demopolis, Alabama. Shortly after the lock is quite the view: The White Cliffs of Epes. “These white cliffs are located on the Tombigbee River at Epes, AL. They are part of the Selma Chalk formations which were deposited at about the same time as England’s famous White Cliffs of Dover. The cliffs at Epes are stunning in their own way.” We took turns getting pictures of our boats by them, and we slowed down so we could admire them a bit longer.

We are past the White Cliffs and I realize the steering is feeling funny. I add some fluid and it is good for a short time, then it feels loose again. WTF? Lauren has taken over the helm for me, and she comments on the loose steering. I run down to the rudder room and see a steady leak of steering fluid coming from the same piece I replaced this spring. As a refresher: upon launch this spring I had no steering- the fluid had leaked out of a copper tubing that had split a hole in it. It was refurbished by a plumbing supply store for six dollars. I never thought this would happen so quickly. The trip the rest of the way was intertwined with me pouring my backup steering fluid in it until I was out, then it was just trying to keep on down the middle of the river by over steering until the boat went one way, then over steering back the other way, creating a zig-zag down the river, which probably looked pretty strange to the fast boats that came past us later on in the day.

Eventually we came close to our destination, Kingfisher Marina, and we radioed in to the marina asking for instructions. They directed us to a slip and said someone will be on the dock to assist us. We were met by the harbormaster who runs a tight ship. She was in charge and let everyone know about it. Not by bragging she was the boss, but by her direction toward people and no mincing of words, and things WILL be done her way. We get tied up and secure and I head to the office for check in as directed. I am given the facilities information and take all of my information back to Lauren. At this point our friends on Trinity are pulling in after stopping at the fuel dock and waiting there for an hour, to a slip across from us on the same dock. I laugh as she admonished our friend for changing his mind from a port tie up to starboard, as that is where the power pedestal is. “You said port!” cried the dockmaster as Duane is tossing me a starboard line. “Move! I got this!” she told me, taking the line from me-“off the dock!” OK. I moved back to Klondike and finished tidying up our lines. I had advise them of our steering situation and Duane was more than happy to take a look at it with me. We huddle in the small rudder room and he sees the leak too. He gives me some advice, then has to leave to get ready for dinner to celebrate Sonja’s birthday, which is tomorrow, but they will be at anchor so they want to celebrate at a restaurant tonight. They have the courtesy car with another couple and are going to a Mexican restaurant in town.

Lauren and I take the bikes and ride over to the fuel dock, which is not easy to get to by land from our marina. We make it there as the shop is closing at 4pm and I find the steering fluid I need. This is going to be necessary once I get the leak fixed, but at $32 a quart, I am not going to pour it in and watch it leak out. I bought two just to be safe. We weren’t planning on going anywhere else, but Lauren suggested we ride a bit into town and see whats around. I agree, and think maybe we should stop at a Napa store for oil too since we’re here, as I need to do an oil change too. We biked around and saw the old, small square and tour through some of the downtown area. We then head over to Napa and I consult with them while buying the oil about my steering situation. They make hydraulic hoses for steering and could possibly help me tomorrow if I want to bring the piece in and they can look at it. I relay this info to Lauren and I am prepared to bike back here by 8am tomorrow morning to get this steering taken care of. We head back with our oil and steering fluid in Lauren’s basket on her bike; I can’t tell you enough how this basket has been handy! As we return, I get a call from Duane- they are back and he thinks we can fix it with hydraulic hose and an adapter from a tractor supply store. While on their way to dinner they passed such a store. All I have to do is get the courtesy car to get there. I call the harbormaster and inquire if the car would be available first thing in the morning? She tells me yes- then Duane says he will go with me tonight if we can get the car tonight? I call her back and inquire about tonight? “yes- it’s available tonight at 8pm.” Great! I disassemble the defective piece and all components. I get the car keys and let Duane know we’re in business. He meets me at the car and gives directions to the store. He knows what we are looking for and once in the correct aisle, he pieces together a replacement. All I have to do is install it. I can’ t wait to get back and get to work on this. We return the car, which requires me to ‘top it off’ and it only takes eighty nine cents worth of gas! We didn’t have to go far! Once the keys were dropped off, I went to work on the replacement. It didn’t take too long for me to install everything and then came the moment of truth: pour in the hydraulic steering fluid. I did and went downstairs to watch while Lauren turned the rudder. No leak! What a relief! I report back to Duane and thank him profusely for assisting me with this. They are leaving tomorrow morning and we will be staying one more night.

Day 2: Since we fixed the steering last night, today all I had to focus on was the oil change. This isn’t too hard but it can be a bit messy. There were some other small maintenance items I wanted to attend to as well, and by mid morning we went to work on our list. Lauren did a lot of cleaning while I tended to the engine. Later we finished up and decided we should make a last minute Walmart stop to add to our pantry as we will be anchoring out for three to four days on our way to Mobile. We got the car and went shopping. We again had to top off the fuel tank and this time it only took seventy eight cents, and gas was spilling down the side of the car! Lauren made fun of me for only putting that much in, but I couldn’t fit any more! We returned the car, had dinner and scoped out our next stop. We have to go through the Demopolis Lock and Dam first, and I tried to find out who was going and when. I was unsuccessful on finding anyone, so we decided we should be prepared for another 7am departure as that seems to be the time everyone else likes to leave. We also have a list of anchorages for the next 213 miles and only one marina in between, so we have some options…

Today we plan on traveling about sixty miles and two locks. The first lock we encounter right outside of Columbus Marina is the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam. A caravan of about ten boats left this morning and we gathered at the entrance, again waiting for the go ahead from the lockmaster. The wait wasn’t long and we locked through. The caravan then proceeded to the next lock a few miles down river: Tom Bevill Lock and Dam. At this point everyone was going about the same speeds as the slowest (us) as it does them no good to get there too much faster because the lockmaster will wait for everyone to arrive before locking them through. After the second lock, the group separated. The fast boats went faster and the others fell into a line in order of speed. We were the last boat. We now have a current flowing with us, but we don’t feel the need to push the throttle and sacrifice fuel mileage. We can actually save fuel and still go about 6.5-7 knots. Our friends were only going a little faster than us as they also liked the fuel economy going a bit lighter on the throttle. This left four boats- Klondike, Trinity, Onward and Trolling Molar at the back of the pack

The rest of the afternoon was just traveling down the river enjoying the nature surrounding us; the wildlife above and below, on land and in the sea. We were getting close to our destination when I received a message from Onward that they were going to stop at an anchorage a little short of where we were planning on going. They informed us that they had been here before and there was plenty of room if we wanted to join. We considered the offer, because we were all going to go through more locks tomorrow together, but declined and kept going a little farther with Trinity and Molar- this also let us sleep a little longer. We pulled into the anchorage last as the others were there just before us. This is kind of good, as they can tell us depths as they enter. Sonja told us as we approached there was eight feet of depth at the entrance then a little more shallow, but we could stop and anchor in front of the boat ramp. Perfect! Easy access for getting Frank to shore.

We dropped anchor and explored the park we were in front of. There were restrooms and picnic tables, grills, fire pits and primitive camping available. The setting was cool, tucked into a little protected channel off of the river and we all fired up the generators to make dinner and warm up a bit. After awhile we researched tomorrows destination and confirmed our departure: 7am. Ughh. That’s an early start, but we didn’t want to cause a problem, so 7am it is.

We woke up early to more ice covered boats. Lauren boiled some water while I walked Frank, so we could pour over our lines to get them loose from the dock! We listened to the VHF radio while the lock was contacted. We were told to be ready around 8am, and we started the engine, which needed a couple of attempts due to the cold. I would be driving from inside today!

We got through the first lock: Glover Wilkins Lock & Dam. There were a couple of boats that had joined us from other marinas or anchorages, and about five boats locked through. Five miles downstream was the Amory Lock and Dam which we proceeded through with no issues. The next lock after this one is about forty miles, with lots of anchorages as a back up if we didn’t make it through the locks as quickly as we did. Since we made it through rather efficiently, we decided to go as far as we could today. I alternated driving from inside downstairs and the flybridge later in the afternoon when the sun came out for a bit.

The Columbus Marina is listed in our guide books as a great place to stop. They have a courtesy car and the staff is very hospitable and welcoming. We were getting close and contacted them on the VHF and they directed us in. We stopped at the fuel dock to top off our tanks as we know it is the a last good fill up stop for a while according to our guide books. Once done with the fuel, we went to the dock. A dock hand was there to assist, and we got secured to the dock. Once settled, I plugged in the power cord and…no power. huh? I checked the breaker and noticed there was no resistance. The only other way fro me to plug in is to either move to a new slip, or turn the boat around so our cord has more length to run to another power pedestal. We opted to turn the boat by hand, whch had us pushing it out of the slip and pulling on the forward lines to turn it, then pulling it in by hand backwards. This worked and we could now reach another pedestal. We plugged in and… power! Yay! Once this was done, I had to fill our water tanks as we were empty now after this morning; While I was doing this I saw our friends Sonja and Duane on Trinity pulling into the marina. They travel faster than us, and they made some distance in the last few days- we haven’t seen them since Florence, when we left and they were arriving.

Now that we were settled in, Lauren did some laundry and I took Frank for a walk. Our friends invited us for a beer on their boat, which we accepted. Sonja made some jalapeno poppers in the oven and we all sat around and chatted a bit. We made plans for tomorrows departure and where we would anchor. Eventually Lauren and I called it a night and retired to the boat. We had the heater running so we were able to sleep comfortably, even though we still are in multiple layers of long underwear, clothes and sweatshirts!

We left Florence around 8am and since we were now heading with the current, the trip was a little faster. We had passed this stop on our way to Florence so we knew kind of about where it was. Our plan was to leave in the morning and make it there by 3pm.

We were getting close and was on the lookout for our opening. The waterfall is in a small cove that is only big enough to hold a couple of larger boats, so we were hoping no one else was there. We found the turn off and pulled in to an empty cove. The waterfall was in the back, and we inched in slowly, not knowing how deep it was. We had seen pictures of other Loopers back there with larger boats, so we knew it was possible. Once in, we turned the boat around, with only twenty feet on either side to the banks. We dropped our anchor and backed down closer to the falls. I then took a smaller anchor in the dinghy and dropped it farther behind the boat as a stern anchor. We now have two anchors deployed, one in front and one in the rear holding us from swinging into land and we were in about 12 feet of water. Lauren joined me in the dinghy with Frank and we went to shore. There was a large beach area we could walk around which we enjoyed the beautiful scenery- one side was the open lake, and the other was our boat anchored in front of a waterfall- how awesome was this! We noticed there was remnants of a campfire on the beach, so I started gathering firewood as we walked Frank and Lauren knew there was no stopping me now. She was quite amenable to the idea of a campfire, so she started collecting wood too. As we were dragging a log to the collection, a smaller boat was pulling into the cove. I went to the shore to tell the approaching boat about our stern anchor, and he said he was going to pull up to shore ‘over there’, which is where our dinghy was sitting. I offered to move it and he said that would be great. I jumped in and ended up going to our boat for beverages, while I watched him pull his boat right onto the sandy shore. The shoreline is deep enough that he could do this and still keep his propellers off of land. Once his boat was on the sand, he hopped off and tied a line to a tree to keep them from moving backwards. We introduced ourselves and met Mike and Theresa. They were unloading fishing gear and I asked if they wouldn’t mind if we had a fire? They were quite happy to assist with some wood gathering and we soon had a fire blazing on the shoreline. We all hung out and talked for a while and they cast their reels. I went back for some more beverages and we sat around the fire for a bit to keep warm as it was getting chilly when the sun went down. There was a bite on the line, so Mike gave me the reel and told me to bring it in. I had to fight it a bit, but eventually got it to shore where Mike could grab the line and haul it in. It was an eight to ten pound catfish, which he removed the hook and tossed back. Eventually Lauren and I went back to the boat for dinner. We ate and relaxed a bit, and I went back to the shore as I had seen the fire still going. Mike, Theresa and I sat around and told stories some more and roasted marshmallow she happened to have, and too soon it was time to me to go back and retire for the night.

Tomorrow we will start heading down the Tenn-Tom River, which also has ten locks we will have to navigate through on our way south.

We got an early start, as we had a lot of miles to put under our keel. We left the anchorage with no sign of movement from Mike and Theresa’s boat. We left as quietly as we could, then turned north to get to the cut, back toward Aqua Yacht where we had the propeller fixed, and then turned south. We plan on anchoring out for a bit of a stretch because there is no other options.

Our desired anchorage was Bay Springs, which is right before the first lock on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. As we were making our way, we were passed by a few boats heading in the same direction. We were hooping they weren’t all going to the same anchorage, but knew they would more than likely be anchoring close by as we all have to get through the lock, and no one travels at night, in the dark, if avoidable. We had a backup plan just in case. There are several places to anchor around there, so we weren’t too worried about it.

We eventually came to the lock and saw the channel off to the left where we wanted to go. Sure enough, one of the boats that had passed us was anchored in a little creek off the channel. We moved slowly past them and looked down the next creek. It was empty! We cautiously moved in and dropped anchor. We were in a secluded little area by ourselves and noticed a park across the bay. We took Frank in the dinghy over there and walked the grounds a bit. While we were there, we noticed a sailboat pull in looking to anchor. Since both creeks were occupied, he ended up dropping anchor in the middle of the small bay. Boaters usually like to give people the privacy if they can and not anchor on top of each other, especially the ‘heading south/ Loopers’- it is a different story for the weekend boater who are out to party with a crowd. We all had a sufficient walk, so we headed back to the boat for dinner. On the way I stopped by the sailboat as they were out on the deck and introduced ourselves. They are from Chicago, heading to Florida, and his son had just joined him as an extra hand. It’s nice to meet people since we will be traveling together down the river and locks.

Once back at the boat, we relaxed a bit then had dinner. Our nightly routine is to plot out the course/ destination for the next day, so we did that too. Tomorrow we will go through a few locks, three to be exact if the time allows. We are at the mercy of the lockmaster and commercial barge traffic. There is a ‘rule’ that says pleasure craft have to be locked through every third commercial boat, but there are always exceptions. We have learned the earlier start we can get, the better for locking through…

We woke up and were ready to go around 7am. The other boats anchored by were also moving and we were all assembling in a group outside the first lock, the Jamie Whitten Lock . We were listening on the radio as one of the boats was communicating with the lockmaster. He was instructing the pleasure craft to be ready for a 7:30am opening. We all prepared our bumpers and waited for the green light to enter. Since we are the slowest, we usually hang back and enter close to last so everyone else can get out and get going without having to maneuver around us. The green light was given and we all made our way to the lock. We were second to last and tied up on the starboard side. Lauren has become an expert at this and secured us quickly. This lock was a large drop of over eighty feet down, and is the fourth largest lock drop in the United States. There were about nine boats locking through this morning as some others came from other anchorages close by.

Once we were dropped down, the doors opened and we all pulled out heading toward the next lock: G.V. Montgomery Lock and Dam which is only around five miles downstream. It is quite a sight to see as all nine boats went single file down the river. It doesn’t matter if the first boat gets there fast as the lockmaster will wait for everyone to arrive before opening. We were also aware the locks call each other and let them know that ‘pleasure craft’- which is what every non-commercial boat is called- is on the way. This actually was nice, since when we arrived the lock was open and ready for us to enter. We all pulled in, in about the same order and tied off. The lockmaster dropped us down and we went on to lock #3.

Eight miles downstream we came to the John Rankin Lock and Dam. The process was the same, with all of us coming to the lock and the lockmaster was ready for us. I can’t stress how nice this is as we’ve had experiences where we’ve had to wait for hours for a lock to open, usually because of commercial traffic which has priority over pleasure craft. A lot of the boats traveling together today were polanning on going to Midway Marina, which was a few miles past this lock. We had decided to stay at a different marina which was a little farther down stream, and would take us through one more lock.

The fourth lock we came to was only another seven miles. Most of the other boats had pulled off to the Midway Marina, and a few of us had continued on. We got to the Fulton Lock & Dam and he again was ready for us. We locked through and had to go about fourteen miles to the Smithville Marina which we were going to stay at. The weather forecast tonight and tomorrow was going to be cold- in the 40’s during the day and teens overnight! We would have tried to anchor, but the wind was also starting to pick up and we felt better about being at a marina.

The Smithville Marina in located right in front of another lock, so we were instructed to get to the lock, then call the marina on the phone so they could guide us in. The water gets really shallow when you get out of the channel, and they know where the shallow areas are. We got close and called, then followed the instructions on getting in to the dock. On arrival, the docks were old, run down, and there were so many sunken and half submerged boats we lost count. The harbor master who helped us dock was nice enough, but Lauren was looking around and we both had some serious concerns. The positive side was we had power. They had turned the water off due to the freeze that was coming, so we could not fill our tanks. We were running low, but not at a critical point yet, so that was a negative. I secured the ship and walked up to the office to check in. I had read online that they had a courtesy car for use and I inquired about this, only to be told that the car was broken down and not available, however the manager told me I could use his truck, if I could drive stick and promised to be very careful. I promised and took the keys and went back to the boat to let Lauren know we could go to the store. We noticed a large catamaran that had come through the locks with us had anchored just a few hundred yards from the marina. They were brave, as the wind continued to pick up and the temperature really started to fall. We took the truck to Walmart and bought some supplies and an electric heater. We have a small propane heater, but with the winter storm bearing down on us, we felt we needed a better heat source. We came back to the marina and the storm had really started to pick up- now there were large waves beating us into the dock, and the rolling motion was non-stop; at least we were warm! I watched the catamaran bob up and down out in the bay and was hoping they were prepared and that their anchor would hold them! The wind and waves continued to build and we just hunkered down as best we could with all of the rolling around. I had to go out and make sure the bumpers were set well, and added more to help protect us from destroying the dock or the boat. At one point I had to move the dinghy from the rear to the side of the boat to keep it from hitting the dock we were tied to, and tried to secure it as best I could. A neighboring boat owner had noticed me outside and came over offering to help, but there wasn’t anything he could do to help me. The night was cold but tolerable since we had the heater running on high and moved it to the bedroom to keep us warm, in addition to the many layers of blankets and clothes we had on!

The next morning we awoke to ice covering the docks, the dinghy and the boat. We had to be careful taking Frank for his walk so we didn’t slip on the ice. The sun came out for a bit, but it never got much over forty degrees! The catamaran had pulled anchor and left to who knows where. There was no one around the docks excepts the one neighbor who I had met the night before, as it was too cold! One of the lines keeping the dinghy secured had broken overnight, but it was still secure by three other lines. I took Frank for a long walk and there is nothing around the marina; it was surrounded by cleared farm fields which gave him plenty of room to run and I could keep an eye on him for at least a mile. He has been known to ‘wander off’ and not come when called, so we rarely let him run free, but I knew there was nowhere for him to hide. The rest of the day we just stayed inside and watched TV and movies bundled up. Just around dusk I heard some noises outside, and a large yacht had pulled in for the night right behind us. By the time I was outside, they had the boat secured and were plugging in their power. I inquired about leaving tomorrow morning with them to get through the next lock or two and was told they plan on leaving around 7am, so that was our plan. Since I was outside I decided to check our lines again and realized they were all frozen solid and some were frozen to the dock!

Since we planned on leaving at 7am, we were in bed early, as well to just warm up! We have had at least three layers of clothes on for a couple of days now and it is still needed. We did this trip hoping to not have to deal with cold weather, but here it is!

So we had left Aqua Yacht around 12:45 and turned east on the Tennessee River. We had to go about 47 miles to our destination. We ended up arriving in the dark, and that is never fun for us, trying to enter a marina at night with no idea of the layout, depths or even the entrance.

The trip was beautiful, and we were able to open up the throttle to see how the new prop feels. Everything is good, and we were making good timing, then we started to drop in speed. We were going east and the river flows west. Sometimes it feels like we’re going up hill both ways! We continued along and the sun started to set. We were closer, but it was clear we would be arriving in the dark. When we got close enough, I called them on the telephone. I was instructed to follow the buoys, and their entrance would be marked just after a channel buoy, and to favor the green side. Once inside the harbor, there is six feet of water all around. We were met at the dock by the harbor master and he assisted with lines. Once we were secure, I went into the office to pay and get the information. They have a courtesy car available 24/7 and a clipboard hanging by the door to sign out the car on a first come, first serve basis. This is nice to have available, and many marinas have this for transient boaters to use, either for runs to the store or sightseeing, although there is usually a two hour limit and you have to replace fuel, which is fair. We were able to grab the car later and go to a store for some provisions. We came back and hunkered down for the night as it was cold. We have the Mr. Heater which runs on propane and heats the cabin nicely. We also tend to stay in and cook which also helps with warming up the inside.

Day 2- The next day we were able to grab the car and do some sightseeing. We went to Muscle Shoals Recording Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway which was built around 1946 and was previously a coffin show room and took the guided tour. Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Tamiko Jones, and Cat Stevens. Cher’s first solo album was titled 3614 Jackson Highway (1969) and this became the informal name for the studio in 1969. The studio at this location closed in 1979, and the recording facility was moved to new premises, however they have restored the studio with the original instruments and furniture and it is still used as a recording studio today- the interior is reminiscent of the 1970s, with relevant recording equipment and paraphernalia including a hidden bar for when the county was dry. There was a documentary made about the place- follow this link for a preview> Muscle Shoals on YouTube. We then went to Helen Keller Home to see the grounds and memorials there. This is where ‘the pump-well’ is located and her childhood home. At this point we were pushing our two hour time limit, so we had to return the car. When we turned in the car keys, I was talking to the dockmaster and he pulled out the documentary I linked above on DVD. We went back to the boat and watched the movie which was pretty cool to watch- I highly recommend it- you will be surprised at how many hits were recorded there due to the ‘confluence of energy and the Tennessee mud’.

Day 3- We were hoping to get the car to go to a local breakfast place- Big Bad Breakfast, however the car was taken. We decided to take Frank for a long walk and wait. We walked around a park and were returning when we saw the car being parked in the lot. We hurried up and locked up Frank and grabbed the car. First stop was the aforementioned B.B.B., which we found and had a good lunch. The next stop was a memorial: Tom’s Wall or also called Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall: In the late 1830’s, a young teenage Yuchi girl was living near the Singing (Tennessee) River. Unfortunately, this was also during the Trail of Tears, a dark time in American history when Native Americans were forcibly removed from the Eastern portion of the United States and moved west. This young girl, along with her sister, were discovered by Army personnel and forced to walk to Oklahoma. She listened for singing waters in her new surroundings and found none. Convinced she would die if she stayed, she escaped and spent five years walking back to Alabama. The journey was extremely difficult with many trials and tribulations along the way, however she returned to her singing river. In the 1980’s, Tom Hendrix, her great great grandson, visited the Yuchi people and had her journals translated. He had heard her stories many times and after the trip vowed to honor the great Native American woman. A wall of stones was going to be the memorial and over 30 years later, the monument is truly something to behold. It is the largest un-mortared rock wall in the United States and the largest memorial to a Native American woman. Each stone represents one step of her journey. Also, the shape, height, and width of the wall changes to represent the various obstacles she encountered. There are stones from over 120 countries that come in every size, shape, texture and unique geologic features you can imagine. A trip to Tom’s Wall is emotional, inspiring and you will leave touched by the dedication of one man to honor his ancestors. Along the way back we stopped and picked some cotton from a field, then had to hightail it back so as to get the car back in the allotted two hours.

The rest of the day we hung out and enjoyed the sun for a bit while waiting on our friends we have been travelling with on and off. Trinity is the boat, and Sonja and Duane are the couple we have connected with. They were planning on arrival around 4pm, and they were right on time. They tied up and we agreed to meet for cocktails at the restaurant on site a bit later. We prepared for tomorrows departure by filling our water tanks and making sure everything else is ready and secured. By 6pm we met them at the bar and shared stories and adventures. We had some appetizers and a few beers, then made our way back to our boats. Lauren made dinner and we retired for the night, bundling up to keep warm.

Tomorrow we are heading back west on the Tenessee River to get to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Tenn-Tom Waterway is a 234-mile system of canals, locks, and dams that connect the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers. We will be anchoring a few days as marinas are far and few as we move further south.