Sumpter Recreational Area to Demoplis, AL

With Velomer and Blue Heron.


White Cliffs at Ypes, AL

Heflin Lock - last lock on Ten-Tom, two more before the Gulf

Columbus, MS to Pirate's Cove Marina

We ended up today in Pirate's Cove Marina which was only about a 28 mile trip because the Captain wanted to stop at the snagboat museum near the Tom Bevill Lock.

While we do have a cel phone signal here and very good Wi-Fi, there is a scarcity of cel coverage for many, many miles along the river here.  That is probably what prompted the redneck humor evident in this picture.

Between the proprietor of this marina and a good friend who is a major gearhead, mechanic, boat racer and wheeler-dealer, I spent a couple of fascinating hours listening to fascinating tales about almost everything.

These guys were genuinely interesting and, in their own unique way, apparently very well off financially due to their amazing skills with horsetrading and boat salvage operations. 

I hope I make it back here some day to continue the conversation!

A Couple of Uneventful Days

Here's Dutchess underway (somewhere) on the rivers as observed by "Crossroads" as she passed us.

About 105 miles and 7 of the 10 locks on the Ten-Tom was what we had over these two days.  Although I have the tracks for both of these legs above, I thought it might be instructive to look at the beginning of the Bay Springs to Midway leg which starts in the Marina, then goes 1/2 mile or to the John Stennis Lock (formerly Bay Springs).  While we got up early, called the lock on the telephone and were assured that, "yeah, come on down, we'll get you through without much delay."

In this case, not much delay was 2 1/2 hours while we steered around in circles in the rain. 

We did 5 locks that day and 2 the next.  The drill was for me to suit up with rubber boots, and full four weather pants and jacket, go out on deck as we entered the lock, sat there as we locked through holding the mid-ship line on the floating bollard, go below after the lock, take off the gear, and put it back on again in 1-3 hours as we went through another lock.

This process was repeated, basically for two days and, as a reward for our hard work, got zero WI-FI on the boat - although it did exist in the marina building!

To top this off, the captain decided that we needed to stay at Columbus for two nights!  While we had an enjoyable "shore liberty" with 6 other Loopers in Midway at a Mexican restaurant, I opted to stay on the boat the whole time we were in Columbus and not eat out.

Selfie In The Mirror

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Columbus lock. Number  7 of 10 on this leg and then none.  Encore from Beaver Island on the starboard wall.


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Beginning the Ten-Tom (Grand Harbor, TN to Bay Springs, MS)

Luckily, my less-than-gentle commentary that this place was horribly boring and I would vote to get the hell out of here as soon as possible, was well received by both the Captain and Chuck.  Leaving Sunday morning was absolutely assured when the Captain – going to the office for a day refund as we were leaving “early” – was embarrassed to find that he had paid for three days and Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night used up his pre-payment.  So, we gladly prepared for departure on Sunday morning after a short visit to the fuel dock for a pump out.

For the un-vitiated, a pump out involves hooking up a strong suction hose to a fitting on the boat’s deck (in our case two separate tanks) to remove the “brown water” and replace it with the emptiness needed for a few more days of three people using two heads on the boat and all the gray water from sink drains going into the holding tanks as well.

 

Since we needed someone on the dock to help tie up, I walked off the boat and over to the fuel dock to assist.  The Captain backed out of the slip without too much trouble (other than using the damned bow thruster instead of the more efficient rudder), went forward to make his turn and lost control of the 44 foot boat which weighs 34,000 lbs.  He was stuck in forward gear and could neither put it in neutral or reverse.  Without knowing the specifics, I knew that one of two things had happened – neither of which could be easily remedied until one was stationary at a dock.

There was a terrifying moment where the bow rose up over the top of a floating dock but miraculously slid off and they went by the end of the fuel dock with the Captain screaming about being out of control.  Between Chuck (aboard at the time) and myself )shouting from the fuel dock), we convinced him to make a large circle, approaching the dock with some momentum and then killing the engine and sliding up to the dock where dock lines would stop all forward progress and secure the Dutchess.

We did that, and after the Captain made the repair below (loosened shift cable clamp which prevents the outer cable from moving when the inner cable moves to shift), we pumped out, rinsed out and got underway.

We are now on the “downhill only” portion of the trip as we enter the Ten-Tom Waterway which will take us 253 miles through 10 locks and drop us 341 feet down to sea level.

Although proposed as early as the 1700’s this waterway project was not completed and opened until 1985 and made it possible to go down the rivers and enter the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile, AL instead of the former method of going down the Mississippi River all the way to New Orleans.

This project was massive and actually moved more earth than was moved in the construction of the Panama Canal.  With the exception of “Loopers” like us, its existence is relatively unknown to most Americans.

After we move 253 miles down this waterway and drop down through 10 locks – including one that drops us a whopping 84 feet – we will be in the Black Warrior Tombigbee Waterway which will take us into the Mobile River and eventually Mobile Bay.

Today is a relatively short day since we are only travelling about 40 miles to Bay Springs Marina in Mississippi.  We’ll be in either Mississippi or Alabama for the remainder of our river trip.

y car and drive the 20 or so miles to Boonville, Mississippi which reportedly has a restaurant with outstanding Southern Fried Chicken.  Stand by, Zac Brown, we three Yankees are on the prowl for Chicken Fried!

Cuba Landing to Clifton and on to Grand Haroor

Here are a couple of tracks from the last part of our journey.  If you have Google Earth and are interested in seeing the detailed track, send me an email and I'll forward the .kmz file.

Rocky Raccoon and The Captain's Oreos

Let's start out with the smug anti obesity/anti sugar tirade.

Sugar is bad and will make you grossly obese.  Oreos contain huge amounts of sugar and therefore will make you grossly obese.

I did not purchase the Oreos since I have been a good boy and only had one desert and/or sugary thing in the last month.

But, that did not stop the evil raccoon from seeking me out for a late night terror raid with multiple visits.  And yes, the evil raccoon was after Oreos!

If you look at this first photo, you will see the subject brown circular evil sugar pills sought by the evil raccoon.  You will note that this table where the Oreos are prominently offered to any wild, foraging, half-crazed animal seeking a cheap sugar high is only four feet from my humble bunk.

 Last night, in Clifton Municipal Marina, (near historic Clinton, Tennessee - don't ask what is historic, no one seems to know) I was awakened by a rustling noise, stock my head out of my sleeping bag, and noted a large evil raccoon fumbling with the "adult proof" wrapping on the equally evil Oreos.

Although I will still half asleep, my indignation rose immediately and I shouted:  "Get the hell out of here, John, Chuck, there is a huge raccoon on the boat!"  At which point, the evil raccoon, foiled in his attempt to contract Type II Diabetes, made a leap toward the cockpit and apparently exited through the half-unzipped enclosure flap.

After things settled down a bit, we all went back to sleep.  Or, at least tried to.

But, I knew that the Oreo-perp would likely return and kept my "I'm on watch and can't really fall asleep" level of sleep deepness.

Sure enough, he returned in about an hour.  I heard a thump, realized that he was not in the cabin or cockpit and was then startled by seeing his evil eyes  staring at me in the darkness.  He was staring at me through the small side htach (window) over the cookstove. Again, I screamed epithets with an escalation to something like:  "Get out of here, you sonabitch".  He ambled away and I realized that he was moving forward on the port deck so I lept up and went into the cockpit.  He came around to the starboard side and stared at me icilly - nearly eyeball to eyeball in the darkness.

Apparently, my stare was much more icy  and he ran off down the dock.

But, he was to return for one more visit.  This time, he was looking in the same window.  As we stared at each other, I noted that his evil face was getting closer and only then did I realize that the hatch was open and he was attempting to squeeze through it.

Now, my racoon rage was unmatchable and I screamed:  "Oh hell no, get the f*** out of here, you bastard" and he immediately made a mad dash for the dock and freedom.

I got up and dogged down the hatch.  A feeling of peace and accomplishment came over me.

Not only did I save the Oreos so, ultimately, Chuck could have the sugar related health problems, but I saved a wild animal from the need for insulin injections.

Green Turtle to Paris Landing to Cuba Landing

As you can tell, we have been landing in exotic ports the last two nights (Monday 10/19 and Tuesday 10/20.

Paris is always an exotic destination and we are fortunate to be able to be able to visit Cuba as well.  Oh, wait - these are both State Park marinas in Tennessee!

Paris Landing was a very peaceful place to stay and we were able to visit with a nice couple on an older trawler that was waiting for some relatives to arrive and serve as additional crew.  This was also a location that was a minor Coast Guard base for one of their buoy tending operations.  

The scenery on this part of the river system has been different and strangely beautiful with tree-studded shores and rock cliffs and outcroppings along both shores.

Cuba landing was officially closed and while we tied up and hooked up to electricity, there was nobody there to collect our fee.  We stayed overnight and hung around long enough on Wednesday morning to pay the nice girl for our $.75 per foot Boat US discounted fee.

It was a dock, had a heated (but somewhat musty head and shower room) and was quiet except for the bass boats that came and went seemingly all night.

The trip downriver continued to be beautiful!

Green Turtle Bay to Paris Landing State Park Marina

Beautiful day but wind on our bow.  Covered 45 miles.

This is actually the impounded Tennessee River and will officially be known as Kentucky Lake (although we are in Tennessee) for another 50 miles.

Great internet connection, but no cel phone signal!

Less fuzzy face.

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Reflections On the Half Way Point

Without quibbling about a couple of distances that are somewhat uncertain, we are about a the half way point of our journey to Mobile.  Half way, that is, unless I can convince the Captain that a 500 mile side trip to Knoxville isn't in my plans and may cut short my crew duties.

If we disregard that, we have about 190 (statute) left until Pickwick Lake - on the Tennessee River - and the 450 miles to Mobile Bay - on the Ten Tom Waterway.  I make that point about it being statute miles because that is the distance method used on inland waterways while most nautical charts (and sailor's habits) are oriented toward nautical miles and knots (nautical miles per hour).

I make that distinction simply due to an observation that some of us are adaptable and have no problem temporarily changing the units in our navigation program while others are apparently intimidated by the process of changing units and stay with nautical miles in a statue mile world.  When we leave in the morning, for example and have a lock or river intersection ahead, I have to tactfully remind others that this will not take 6 hours due to our 5 knot speed but only 5 hours due to our 6 mph speed.  And, because all references disagree with our method of measuring our speed, I have to do that multiple times of the day.  End of editorial rant - at least on this topic.

The trip so far has been interesting at times and boring as hell at others.  While I know that the government and city fathers of the countless burgs we have passed due not owe me excitement or visual stimulation,I think they have done a good job not exceeding my expectations.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of natural beauty to see as we motor down these somewhat rural then wild then urban stretches of the nation's waterways.  But it goes by (depending on the current) at 4 1/2 to 10 miles per hour.  That means that, unlike driving in a car where you catch site of something interesting and then it is soon fleeting memory - we can see something interesting and examine it thoroughly enough so as to make much less interesting as it s l o w l y leaves our field of vision.

Frankly, while there are scenic rock formations and wildlife to see and savor, there is also a numbing similarity to the miles and miles and miles and miles of stuff you see along the bank.  Evidences of high water, evidences of low water, floating logs and branches, floating flotsam and jetsam (I just Had to throw those words in for effect!), active docks, abandoned docks, weekend cabins on stilts, glorious homes on bluffs overlooking a wild river, tugs and tugs and tugs with tows and tugs moving barges and, well, I think you understand by now.

There is more sameness to see on this trip in the first 600 miles that there is diversity.  I'm hoping we get the chance to see more that is interesting on our way down to the salt water!

The people have been more interesting that the geography in many ways.  Not only the people that we've met that work in the marinas and restaurants and bars, but people on their own adventures.  Some are everyday folks like the nice lady I met in the pharmacy in Beardstown, IL who, after apologizing that they didn't have any disposable (or any other kind of) razors, explained that they had just opened a week earlier and eagerly stuffed on of her business cards in my hand.  I think it was an automatic reaction that didn't consider that when I walked out, I wouldn't likely ever be back, but just the enthusiasm of one who was excited about the possibility of being in business and hopefully succeeding.  I hope she, does - although there are two other pharmacies in a town that would be an exaggeration to call "sleepy".  Sadly, comatose or near death might be a better description.  If I ever do make it back to Beardstown, maybe I'll see if they are still in business.  Maybe they will have disposable razors then!

The people we've met who are also Loopers have been quite an assortment in terms of boat, wealth, experience, enthusiasm and affability.  We been in marinas next to a Looper boat where they normal courtesies are exchanged about "where are you coming from?", where are you going to next?" as well as questions and comments about their craft or ours...

..and then there are ones like those next to us in a nice Monk 36 last night who may have smiled briefly but didn't utter two words during their stay.


Some were obviously very experienced boat crews - usually a husband and wife - who have anchored, came into fuel docks, negotiated locks and possessed all of the requisite skills needed to make this trip with smoothness and grace.  Others were a bit more green and had some challenges getting into a dock or anchoring and others that, without letting my bias show too strongly, were mostly qualified due to having the financial means to buy a fancy boat and the time to make this trip - and seemed to be headed for some problems due to the arrogance and flippant disregard of some very sensible rules.  I wish them well but can only hope that they are able to learn from the mishaps that most certainly await them.

Some had fascinating stories behind their trip.  There was a retired Doctor and his wife from Beaver Island, MI who had a beautiful, twin diesel-engined Hatteras.  He had been an orthopedic surgeon who had specialized in laproscopic rotator cuff surgeries and had done thousands of them during his career.  Which was apparently lucrative enough that he was able to retire in his mid-50's and sail around the world for six years with his wife.  After they returned to Beaver Island and spent a numbingly-cold winter with many 30 below days, they decided to buy a nice trawler and do the loop to avoid being in Beaver in winter.

As a pilot and a sailor, I've often paraphrased the "hours and hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of sheer terror" in various ways that effectively describe the dragged out and then instantaneous nature of both moving through the air or the water.  

In many ways, this trip has those same characteristics.  Hours and hours of boring riverbank followed by a brief study of the flight of a giant loon or bald eagle or pelican in flight.



And, more to come.

Wooly River Man

Well, maybe not so much wooly as fuzzy!

Beard has to go at next shower.

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Four boats on Lake Barkley headed for Green Turtle Bay

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Barkley Lock

Into Lake Barkley. Rise of 54 feet.

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Cumberland Island towhead anchored early with two other boats waiting for trip of 30 miles to Barkley Lock.
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Floating Lock Through

Last lock on Ohio River - 52.. On our way to Cumberland River.

Lock wall were way too rough to tie up - floated along with huge boat from Miami ahead of us and two tugs and a barge.


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Leaving Little River diversion channel - 7 a.m.

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American Queen at Chester, IL

at noon on Tuesday October 13th.  we are making about 110 miles today to make it down to the diversion Channel.  

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Leaving Hoppies - 7 a.m.

last fuel for 258 miles until Barkley lake

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Phone post 1

no Wi-Fi so an abbreviated report.

left Grafton about 8 a.m. and planned on stop for pump out at  Alton

delayed for at least 2 hours at Mel price lock.

made quick passage through Chain of Rocks lock and down two copies in  Kimmswick Missouri .

as always, please excuse missing initial caps in sentences  as the phone doesn't seem to want to do that while dictating.

walked into town and found out that everything is closed at 7 p.m. on a Sunday evening and also on Mondays all day.

going to St Louis tomorrow with a rental car to do touristy things.  
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Blessed Sacrament

12 barge tow in Mel Price lock with us.  Headed for New Orleans.

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Gateway Arch

Thrilling to see from Mississippi!

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Chain of Rocks Canal

Leads down to the lock in about 9 miles.

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Mel price lock

First of two locks on Mississippi - then it free runs all the  way to the Gulf of Mexico!

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Water is low now, but that's not permanent

Although Lake Michigan has recovered over the past few years to be up at near record high, the river level on the Illinois Waterway flucuates considerably.  While it was very high (as much as 10' higher in June to August, it is much lower now and that's why we've had some issues with a 5' draft in some marinas and anchorages.

But, when it gets high, it get's high!  Look at the sign calling out the '93 High Water Mark.