Month: November 2019

Tombigbee Ox Bow Anchorage to Demopolis

Uncharted, Salty Dog, and Honey Queen all pulled anchors at 6:30 this morning and headed toward Demopolis.  Uncharted, whose boat is faster than ours, lead the way.  We would see them tonight at the marina. 

Calm waters, sunny skies, temperatures in the 70’s, and spectacular scenery made this day so delightful.  We took a number of pictures, making up for the past days.

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The limestone cliffs that look like the Alabama version of Mt. Rushmore and colorful trees made the slow trek down the last leg of the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Canal a delight.  The canal ends just North of Demopolis, where it connects to the Black Warrior River and then the Tom Bigbee River.  From Demopolis, we will be 4 boat days from Mobile Bay, Alabama.  Another 7 boat days after will find us at Carabelle, Florida, the point where we make the “crossing” to Tarpon Springs, Florida.  More to discuss on that later, as the time draws near.

We called to notify the marina we were near and we would need fuel before going to our slip.  Skipping the painful details, we waited an hour for Uncharted to get their fuel and then spent another hour getting ours.  The “high speed” fuel pump shoots fuel into our tanks faster than they can vent which results in constant “burping” of the tanks and fuel back-splashing out the fuel fill inlet all over the place.  With no assistance from the hands on fuel dock, it took forever to trickle the fuel into our tanks.  When the guy walked past our boat with a cigarette in his mouth, while I was pumping, Amanda said, “Please don’t smoke out here,” he said, “It’s just diesel.”  She said, “It’s the law.” He flipped his brand new cigarette into the water and walked off.  The attitude didn’t exactly make a great first impression of the Demopolis Yacht Basin. With diesel all over the boat, I had to wash it as soon as we got to the slip.  Diesel takes the wax right off, slicks up the walking surfaces, and makes the whole boat wreak.

With all the Loopers in the marina, lots of visiting happens on the docks.  Loopers typically pour their cocktails or pop their tops and start wandering the marina neighborhood. For some reason tonight, the majority of the roaming was taking place around our slip. I finished washing the boat and it took me 1 ½ hours to get my water hose disconnected because of all the folks hanging out.  With the Looper flag displayed on the bow of boats, everybody knows who the Loopers are, so there is no lack of conversation as people pass your boat.  We always enjoy meeting folks this way.  And now that we have been doing this adventure for 6 months, people now perceive us as veterans.  Many of the Loopers we’ve recently met have just started in the past few weeks, so they are still figuring out so many things. I don’t realize how much I have learned until I hear some of the questions and comments.  For example, we heard someone complaining about the long hard day.  The bad news is they have no idea what a hard day is yet.  The rivers are virtually unaffected by the wind.  The depth of water on the rivers and canal allows you to almost ignore your depth finder.  There is no chance you will run aground if you follow the marked channel.  And some have never dealt with the tide.  Yes, there are some fun times ahead…for all of us.

We ended up with 6 guests in our little salon.  As tight as quarters are, it doesn’t take very long to really acquainted, nor to figure out their deodorant scent.  After an hour or so of great conversation, folks drifted back to their boats. We had dinner and turned in shortly thereafter. 

11/22/19

We got up this morning, finished our packing, and caught a ride to Enterprise in Demopolis.  We rented a car to drive to the farm for Thanksgiving.  If all goes as planned, we will return to the boat on Monday, December 2^nd, and move on southward.  As some of you know, Amanda’s brother, Tom, has some health issues that may affect our short term plans on the adventure.  We may need to hang at the farm (he lives in the area) to offer any assistance to him as he recovers.  When his prognosis is clear, we will respond accordingly.

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We arrived at Sweetwater late afternoon, looking forward to having all the kids and grand kids for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

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Columbus to Tombigbee Ox Bow Anchorage

Our original plan this morning was to go 58 NM to an anchorage just above (before) the Tom Bevill Lock.  We left the marina at 6:45 with 6 other Loopers.  The Columbus/Stennis Lock was a mile from the marina.  We called the lockmaster who said he could get us through at 7 am.  So we lined up like kindergartners getting ready to go lunch.  We coordinated our tie-up sides, half with fenders on port and half with fenders on starboard.  The lock can accommodate 10 boats (with floating bollards known at pins).  So half of the boats tie up on each side.  This pre-plan ensures we don’t slow the entrance process.

We locked through with very little drama and drove 7 miles to the next lock.  Though some boats are much faster than others, there is really not much reason to drive any faster than the slowest boat (which most of the time is us).  The lock master wants pleasure craft going through together, so fast boats are usually hovering outside locks waiting on boats like us to arrive.  We get to live the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.  

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After the 2^nd lock, it was every man for himself, since there were no more on our intended schedule.  The majority of the boats were all going to the same anchorage.  That was our plan, as well, but the anchorage was limited to how many boats would safely fit.  So, with plenty of time to think an alternative plan through, thirty minutes before we arrived at the anchorage, I called the next lock to see if we could get through so late in the day.  The lockmaster said he could accommodate us and would hold the one faster boat (from the morning fleet) before closing the gates.  I called our buddy boat, the Salty Dog, who is just as slow as we are, and he was all for it.  I felt bad for holding the other guy up, but that was completely out of my control.  We slipped through the lock and found a perfect anchorage just below the lock. There was plenty of room for the 3 boats that locked through.  This got us a good head start for tomorrow morning ahead of all the fast boats. With the additional miles and lock, our final trip distance today was 61 NM.

We are grateful for another safe passage, a warm boat, good travel buds, and for the opportunity to be on such an adventure.

Midway to Columbus MS

Since returning to the boat on October 19^th (in Chicago), we have been aggressive with our travels.  Except for the side trip to Nashville, we have not spent more than one night anywhere. Pushing a minimum of 30 miles per day and a maximum of 100, we closed the gap on many Loopers ahead of us.  Behind is a relative term, for there are no rules for doing the Loop. But there are sensible “timeline” guides that allow travelers to maximize the weather days on the Loop. We were behind the plan, thus we “enjoyed” colder weather than the normal route.  Of course, the record breaking arctic blasts didn’t help the cold weather problem either.   We have discovered much beauty here, but compared to the first half of the adventure, the “pretty” on this side falls short.  The Georgian Bay, the North Channel, and the Hudson River are in a class of their own.  All that to say, fewer attractions have allowed us to focus on getting South as quickly as reasonable.  We still enjoy every day, have no regrets, and are extremely grateful for every experience.  We do look forward to the Florida keys and possibly the Bahamas, especially when some of the days get a little dreary, figuratively or literally.

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Today’s ride, 56 NM, and almost 9 hours bordered on being boring.  I didn’t take a single picture.  Amanda took two. The scenery was much like the last couple days without a particular “aha” moment. 

We arrived at the Columbus Marina, just north of the Bevill Lock shortly after 4 pm.  We enjoyed the chatter on the radio between the dockmaster and the dock hand as they prepared for our entrance.  They brought a smile at the end of the long day.  We met a few new (to us) Loopers and reconnected with Bella Gatta (Johnathon and Jane) whom we had met in Manistee on Lake Michigan.  A little blogging, dinner on the boat, and we called it a night. After all, tomorrow calls for lots of miles and more locks!

Grand Harbor to Midway

Better than expected, the scenery of the Tenn-Tom surprised us.  The lake formed near the intersection of the Tennessee River with the Tenn-Tom canal is called Pickwick.  Twelve locks control the water levels for flood protection and barge traffic access.  We encountered 3 of those today: Witten Lock, Montgomery Lock, and Rankin Lock.  The Witten Lock is the beast.  We have traversed more than 110 locks on our journey thus far. Their sizes, shapes, and designs have been fascinating.  I have said before that each seems to have its own personality or unique feature that makes it easy to remember.  The Witten’s claim to fame is the vertical lift height.

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We dropped 84’ down below the dam. The feeling coming into a lock isn’t overwhelming, but when the water starts draining and you (and your boat) are dropping so fast, it kind of gets you.  To top it off, when you look up just before the gates open and see the 8-story walls surrounding you, your only goal is to get out of that hole!

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Dredges are another part of the adventure. We encountered these guys today, making the water passable.

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We arrived at the Midway Marina about 4:30. Almost 10 hours behind the wheel, covering 51 NM. We took the time to stretch our legs around the marina and catch the sunset.

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We closed our day hosting our newest friends, Greg & Pam Brockdorf. Their boat is the Salty Dog, a 34′ Marine Trader. Greg was a potato farmer in Indiana for most of his career. I had the chance to learn a little about growing potatoes and crop rotation. He had a smaller farm of 1,200 acres. They just started the Loop a few weeks ago. I have had the chance to encourage and help them a little, like many others did for me just a few short months ago. The learning curve is pretty steep, but early on especially, it is nice to hang with folks who have been doing this trip for a few months. We will miss them when we have to part ways in a few days, but hope to catch up somewhere South of here.

Clifton TN to Grand Harbor TN

Rising early for another long day, we awoke to fog too thick for navigating (at least for this rookie).  Instead of a 6:30 exit, we delayed till 7:00.  It appeared the fog was burning off as the sun peaked over the horizon, so we pulled out, went about a half mile and then ran into the same thick stuff. 

We puttered, watching instruments and the bow, which was as far as we could see, for about an hour.  Thankfully, the fog finally lifted and we were able to have a little more relaxed day. 

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We went through 3 locks today.  Seldom do we have a day on any of the river travel where we are not in at least one.

Our destination was Grand Harbor Marina.  The marina is located at the North end of the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Canal.  This canal was completed in 1984, connecting the Tennessee River to the Tom Bigbee River.  Total length is 224 miles.  This canal was designed to relieve barge traffic on the Mississippi to the Gulf and also stimulate the economy along its borders.  The bonus was to those like us who are Loopers. 

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This leg is much prettier than the option down the Lower Mississippi to New Orleans.  Seldom do Loopers take that route, as a result. Many towns have reaped the benefit of the Tenn-Tom.  Many have purchased property along the banks and built their dream homes overlooking the water. 

The current is virtually non-existent which makes navigation much more appealing as well.  After all our miles upstream and against current, it has been nice making a descent speed.  

We covered 45 NM and it took 8 hours, counting the lock time.

Pebble Isle to Clinton, MS

Today is Saturday.  That used to mean sleeping in, being a little lazy, and catching up on chores.  But to the ever-so demanding lifestyle of the slaving boat life, it was just another hard day at the office.  We, correction, I rose at 5:00 am to start the coffee.  The Pebble Isle Marina had virtually no internet, the phone service was sketchy at best, and our TV would not pick up the first station.  The end result:  we were in bed at 8:15. I won’t complain; I had almost 9 hours of sleep.  I did comment to Amanda that I think this may resemble nursing home life, but that concern is for another day. There are certainly worse things in life than no internet or TV. 

We pulled out at 6:30 with the Salty Dog, Resolute, and Sayonara. Clifton Marina in Clifton, Mississippi was the destination.

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We enjoyed the colors of what will soon be the last of the leaves changing. This leg of the Tennessee River has considerable erosion issues.  We saw many properties whose land mass has decreased because of the swift water and flooding.  Some properties have owners who appear to have the resources to address the problem with rip-rap and/or retaining walls, but from the looks of most, it is my guess that these folks are just biding their time until the creek bank washes away.  It appears the Corps of Engineers manages this river, since they obviously operate the locks.  For the sake of many who have most of their wealth invested in their homes, I hope there will be a solution that keeps them from losing it.

This leg was just under 50 NM and 9 hours, counting the lock. We encountered our usual tows and dredges.  The landscape varies so much, but the prettiest part of today’s leg was the rock formations along the river’s edge, acting as a natural bulkhead.

Clinton Marina is a small marina and under new management.  Stephanie and her mother-in-law make it happen.  After the previous owner retired, they acquired the facility and, according to the locals, they have turned the place around.  This is prime time here where the Loopers are in this season.  A half dozen boats poured in on them in about a 30 minute window this afternoon.  They busted tail to accommodate fueling, pump-outs, and slip assignments.  They were quick to grab our lines and make us welcome.  Later, these gals were in the restaurant, waiting tables and making sure I got to watch the Georgia–Auburn game, and then the LSU–Ole Miss game.  The food was excellent, including their lasagna special.  We enjoyed dinner and went back to the boat where I watched LSU survive against a feisty, hungry Ole Miss team, who wanted it more than LSU.  Fortunately, the talent pool was deeper and we outscored them. 

We left the state park marina and headed to Pebble Isle near New Johnsonville Kentucky. Our shortest day in quite a while, we only traveled 27 NM. The temps are slowly coming up, so we don’t wear as many clothes in the boat.  Another 4 ½ hours of travel behind us, we arrived early enough in the day to grab the courtesy car and make a run to WalMart for some grocery shopping. Our newest friends from the Resolute (sailboat) joined us. We got back in time to knock out a couple loads of laundry and call it day.

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I was amused to meet a contract diver who had been called to take a look at another Looper’s boat props.  The air temps have been very cold and the water temperature is slowly dropping, making diving pretty nippy.  This guy has the answer to the cold.  He had built a propane fired hot water heater, made from 6″ & 4” pipe, a roll of copper tubing, an old fish fry burner, and a 12-volt circulating pump.  With this combo and a roll of plastic tubing, he had rigged a hot water body heater.  He pumps the heated water from the “still” through the tubing lining his wet suit, keeping his body warm while he is underwater. When he turned it on, water was running out of both cuffs and around both feet. Entertaining to see it work, but quite effective for his vocation. My dad would be quite impressed with this contraption, using scrap material and probably parts of other people’s “throw away” stuff.

The only downer to this stop would have to be the cinnamon rolls that we would miss. The proprietor serves guests each morning at 8:00 am. We needed to leave around 6:30 because of the long day ahead. With the uncertainty of delays at locks, we have to build a minimum of 30 minutes delay into each. That sometimes, is not nearly enough. I love cinnamon rolls, but getting caught on the water after dark is a far greater consequence that missing a roll. Maybe a can of Pillsbury’s is in my near future.

The Barkley Lake Marina is in the town of Cadiz, Kentucky.  Never been there, never heard of it, but I can now say I’ve been there.

It was 29 degrees when we left and 46 degrees when we arrived Paris Landing State Park Marina. We traveled 8.5 hours and covered 62 nautical miles. The landscape was beautiful. The eye catcher for us in this region has been the white pelicans.  They are so pretty, well, as pretty as a pelican can be.

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We met Bill and Nicole, owners of the “Resolute” sailboat and Greg and Pam on a little trawler called “Salty Dog” .  We would see them again many times in the days ahead, as our boat speeds are similar.

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Paris Landing State Park provided us a place to walk before sundown. 

Left Clarksville a little after 8 am. 

I don’t remember the last time I saw that temperature, but I hope it’s a long time before I see it again.

Saw an eagle today.  We were told we would see many in this part of the country.  Maybe I’ve looked in the wrong places or at the wrong times, but I’ve not seen them like I thought I would. 

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Traces of the snow still are seen in many places, as the temperatures haven’t been above freezing long enough to melt.

Barkley Lake is a backwater on the Cumberland and is beautiful.  The area has many marinas, loaded with huge houseboats.  Some of them are larger than most of our homes, loaded with all the features, and just happen to float.  The families in this part of the country love their version of life on the water, like we love ours on the coast.  The Barkley Lake Marina is officially closed for the season, but the dock-master lives on her houseboat with her family, and welcome transients (like us).  The rates are very reasonable (less than what it seems it would cost them to accommodate us) and the folks are sincerely hospitable.  We arrived around 4 pm, were quickly signed in, and ate a light supper on the boat because it was just too cold to go outside.

We pulled out of Clarksville, TN. and enjoyed a beautiful day’s ride to Nashville.

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The relatively short ride to Nashville brought us to the Commodore Yacht Club. A semi-private club, we were welcomed by the Belita and her husband. The slips are all covered and privately owned. The good rate for the slip, the nice cozy warm restroom/showers, and free laundry made this 1-week stay delightful.

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Our time here allowed us to catch up with Abigail’s life, get to know her BF, Zach, on a deeper level (glad/relieved we still like him:)) and just chill on the boat. I know I have said this before, but having a day on the boat, without a mandate for a deadline or destination, makes for a little genuine relaxation.

We ordered and received a few boat components while in Nashville, as well. Somewhere upstream of here, we lost a ball fender. Ball fenders are pretty critical in the locks. They provide that little extra buffer between the boat and the wall. When the locks are filling or emptying, turbulence can move the boat a good bit, allowing it to slam into the wall.

Abigail, Zach, Amanda, and I went to dinner at Earnest Bar & Hideaway Friday night. Besides being the location of Abigail and Zach’s first date, the meal was over the top. My red fish was delicious. Abigail brought us home (to the marina), spent the night with us, and we turned in relatively early. Saturday morning the alarm went off at 3 am, we were in the car by 3:30, and off to the airport. We flew to Rochester, NY to attend a barn dance, hosted by our friends, the Stein’s. Our friends now for 11 years, the Stein’s have attended virtually every one of our October barn dances. It was fun to be guests and enjoy the event from a different perspective.

We were afforded the opportunity to meet many of their friends we have heard about over the years. We were grateful to be included in this first of many to come event.

November 11

The temperatures dropped, the snow came, and Monday afternoon we caught a plane back to Nashville. We were welcomed by rain and more cold temperatures, dropping to 21 degrees by morning. The 2nd arctic blast of the week blew into Nashville during the night and made our heater work overtime tonight. I’m still trying to figure out how boating and sub-freezing temperatures go together.

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The heaters on the boat served us well last night. After debating for a couple hours, we decided to head back down the Cumberland River. The temps are going to be so cold for several days, so we decided we might as well be moving in the cold, as opposed to sitting in the cold. We trusted the boat will perform well at sub freezing temperatures. The sooner we can get south of here, the sooner my toes will get warm.

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Thankfully, the sun shone bright today, though the high was only 24 degrees. The boat ran fine and got us back to Clarksville Marina by 4:00 pm. We revisited the Guadalajara Mexican Grille, as we promised ourselves we would do. We ordered the same food we did last time and enjoyed it even more. A short cold walk back to the boat and we tucked in for the night. Tomorrow, we head to Barkley Lake which will get us to the Tennessee River, completing our 250 mile round trip/side trip to Nashville, and then back to the Great Loop route.