Up The Lazy River

Friday 5/15/09 8 am hits and we pull out of Grand Mariner Marina and head out into Mobile Bay. An easy run up the bay to downtown Mobile where we picked up the Mobile River. Just as we knew the river is anything but lazy. The current is running at us pretty good with some debris as expected but overall not too bad. We slowed to trawler speed and settled back for the next 54 miles. Our goal is Bates Lake. An anchorage off the channel that we discovered on the way down in January. Very little current and plenty of water. When we arrived we found two other boats already there. A sailboat and a 50' cruiser. After we got settled the guy from the sailboat comes by in his dinghy with his 3 small dogs. He visited for a bit and entertained us with the dogs by throwing a tennis ball out in the water and having the dogs go after it. It was funny watching them run on the tubes of his dinghy and then leap into the water. Guess we're easily entertained!

Saturday 5/16/09 The forecast is calling for T-storms after lunch but the morning is pretty nice. Once again slow going. Sometime around lunch we caught up to the 50' cruiser, Lorelei, headed north. Passing at slow speed is like being Jesse Owens in a gunnysack race. We got it done but what a struggle. For the rest of the day we stayed in contact with Lorelei pointing out low riding logs and channel markers just breaking the surface of the water. At one point we saw a calf that had fallen over the river bank and was trying to get back up. It tried several times in different spots and then when we were just about out of sight he made it. I don't think Pam would have slept not knowing if he made it or not.

Just as forecast the T-storms rolled in after lunch. Wicked! I hate the South for the severity of their storms. You could see it on the radar but we had no where to go. At one point the rain was coming down so hard we could barely see past the bow of the boat. Where was this stuff when we wanted a boat wash in the Bahamas? The lightning was popping all around us and I'm not sure we didn't get hit because some of the electronics started acting up. Time will tell. We locked through Coffeeville lock and raised 5'. This is the first of many locks we will go through before we get home. Notice the picture of the deck hand in her foulies. She hasn't lost her touch of lassoing the bollard on the first try! Also of note. The reappearance of Piglet & Shiny Nose the two trusty fenders that specialize in locking through! Our anchorage for the night (we hope) is Okatuppa Creek, just up river from Turkey Creek where we had the night from hell back in January. Not much wider but big enough for 2 or 3 boats. We share it tonight with Lorelei.