Movin On Up

We rolled out of Demopolis at 8:25. An hour much more palatable for Pam. Tourist was content to run at trawler speed all day. We rose 35' in Heflin Lock and continued on to our anchorage for the night at Upper Cook's Bend, mm 278. No sooner had we gotten the hook set than a swarm of jet skiers came blasting by. They continued to buzz by for the next couple of hours and then it was peaceful the rest of the night.

White Cliffs along the Tenn-Tom.

The next day found us underway by 7 a.m. Our destination for today...Columbus, Ms.

Morning at Upper Cook's Bend.

We had a short wait at the Bevill Lock for this south bound Parker Towing boat.

Found a colorful spot along the river.

Some industry near Columbus.

Arrived in time to celebrate Mother's Day with Mimosa's.

We spent two nights at Columbus to re-supply and visit Huck's Restaurant in the downtown area. Unfortunately it was Sunday and Huck's was closed. No problem. We went to Harvey's instead which was also good.

Woody's right at the marina used to be the place to go but it's been closed for a few years now and is starting to show the neglect of inattention.

Similar to Demopolis, Columbus had several empty slips too. Perhaps the channel which is silting in keeps boats away. There is one trench that the staff will guide you through so access is still possible. It's just silt being stirred up at this point but will eventually require attention.

Tuesday came and we were underway by 7a.m. We immediately passed a towboat that had just come out of Stennis Lock. Glad to be ahead of him we motored on listening to tow traffic conversing on the VHF when I came to realize we had two tows in front of us.

We caught the JoAnn Stegbauer at the Aberdeen Lock and waited 50 minutes. We also caught another boat, M/V Hattitude  waiting at the lock. Little did either of us know that we would be running together the rest of the day.

The whole locking process took just long enough for the Stegbauer to get in range of the next lock and claim the first locking position. Again we waited. This time for an hour and 7 minutes.

This continued again at the next lock only the wait was only 40 minutes.

Originally the plan was to anchor in an unused commercial embayment just below the Fulton Lock. That plan changed when we arrived to find that it was once again being used. A quick call to the lockmaster confirmed that it was in use. Still behind the Stegbauer we finally cleared the lock at 5:45 p.m.

Fortunately Midway Marina is just a couple of miles above the lock and had space for both boats.
We both agreed that today was the longest 60 miles we had ever travelled on the water!

There was a silver lining in us ending up at Midway and that was to be able to visit with Gary & Earlene Nelson who we knew from back home and are now permanent residents at the marina. Both looked good and still full of spunk. It was great to see them and catch up. Sorry no pictures were taken since we were on the dock and it was dark.

You gotta wonder how this cart got in this position along the river in the middle of nowhere?

Hattitude behind the JoAnn Stegbauer a scene that was all too familiar.

Sometime just before dawn the A/C pump gave out. The units gave the signs that they were not getting any water and a quick check confirmed that the pump was not running. Our next planned stop was in Iuka, Ms. at Aqua Yacht Harbor. A facility with parts and a service department if needed.

We got moving at 7:30 and had clear sailing through Rankin Lock and through Montgomery Lock and then we got to the Whitten Lock and a tow was just going in the chamber. Oh! And we had just passed a tow tied to mooring cells shuffling barges around. We arrived at the lock at 10:20 a.m. and finally exited at 1:10 p.m.

This is barge #2 who we had to wait for also at the Whitten Lock.

This dynamic duo couldn't figure out how the lines had been tied to the cell.

Finally #2 heads into the lock.

Then it was our turn to be lifted 84' to Bay Springs Lake.

Boling water inside Whitten Lock

Beautiful Bay Springs Lake.

Looking out over the man made Divide Cut that connects the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers.

Run off barricades along the cut.

Aqua Yacht Harbor.

Fuel Dock. It seems like it's a mile walk from shore!

We arrived by 4:45 and got our slip assignment in one of the covered slips which was good for us with no A/C.

We checked in for 3 nights giving us time to hopefully sort out the A/C issue.

The culprit?

Here it is.

Broken Magnet.

In my attempt to find the simple solution I used the old plastic pump off the original motor because it had the hose fittings on it. After exhausting every other possibility I decided to change the fittings to a new pump and attach it to the motor. Bingo! We had a working pump again.

Before we left Aqua we borrowed the courtesy van and went into Iuka for lunch and a few staples. It was in town that I found what I thought was a great idea. A hardware store under the same roof as a grocery store! Outstanding!

Genius!

You know you're in the south!

With our A/C problem solved we headed out. Only a mile and we were done with the Tenn-Tom and turning onto the Tennessee River.

The Tennessee River in the distance. Which way do we turn?

Deliverance or Deliver Us? to Demopolis

For the first time in several days we woke up to sunshine! It looks like a good day to head into the remote parts of Alabama.
We cast off the lines around 7 and got underway. The wind was out of the NW between 10 and 15 mph making for a 1' to 2' chop on Mobile Bay. As we neared the junction of the Mobile Ship Channel a freighter went by headed into town. Easy peasy. Just follow him and I should stay in the channel.

He's running away from me!

We had plenty of winged escorts.

The Battleship Alabama keeps vigil over the city.

Remember the movie Captain Phillips? That's a long drop for that orange lifeboat!

Then out of the blue we had a Homeland Security boat right beside us telling us that they want to board us. Just hold your course and we'll step over they said.

Three Coast Guardsmen came onboard.

The boat trailed along just off our stern with the blue lights going. Cool! An escort!

Their first question was if we had any firearms onboard? They checked our paperwork and asked questions about where we started and where we were going. They looked in the cabin and in the engine room and wanted to know if we had been out of the country on our journey north.
They took our drivers licenses and ran a check for any outstanding warrants. I was worried about Pam's past catching up with her!

Satisfied that we weren't a risk they stepped back across to their boat and zipped off.

These guys were very polite. Not demanding. And fine representatives of our country. We thanked them for their service and they were on their way. It made us proud to be Americans!

Remember that ship we were following?

He was pulling a U-turn in front of us effectively blocking the channel.

We travelled past Big Bayou Canot where in 1993 an errant tow boat ran into the above bridge causing an Amtrak train to crash.

Of course the 14 mile bridge was closed.

The Barry Steam Plant. You can see it from every angle and it never seems to get any closer.

We spotted this guy resting on the bank.

And we met several towboats. Usually on one of the many 90 degree corners.

We ended our day after 55 miles anchored with one other boat at the Tensas River, mm 39.3.

After a good nights sleep we were underway again travelling deeper into the wilderness. Periodically I would call out our location over the vhf to let any towboats know where we were. Without AIS on Tourist I wanted to avoid a surprise meeting on any of the blind corners on the river.

This can be quite the surprise if you don't expect it!

We continued pushing our way up the slightly swollen river past sights we've seen before.

Each time we go by this guy has a little less front yard.

We made our way to the first lock at Coffeeville and were lifted 16 feet. Normally the lift is around 30'.

Pam at work in the lock.

We continued past Bobby's Fish Camp. (Been there, Done that!)

We ended our day anchored in Okatuppa Creek at mm 123.3.

Since it was Cinco de Mayo we celebrated with chips, salsa, and Margaritas!

Occasionally we would swing a bit close to the shore.

We awoke to 49 degree temps! Where did that come from? We had also turned completely around in this confined space. At least we were pointing towards the channel.

I thought we were facing the other way last night?

A beautiful sunrise on the Tenn-Tom.

You know it's cool when we break out the slipper socks!

We travelled north passing one of the Loopers favorite anchorages, Bashi Creek which was occupied by an excursion boat.

The Bama Belle. After we passed he pulled out and headed south.

The Tenn-Tom is a winding river that has you going towards every point on the compass.

We're supposed to be travelling north!

No wonder the compass is spinning!

Below Demopolis we passed the remains of the Rooster Bridge which was where back in 1979 a towboat hit it. Rolled under it and came up on the lower side still running. There are pictures out there somewhere that show the event as it happened.
We were able to let Tourist run in some of the straighter remote areas which got us to Demopolis before closing.

Pam on station in Demopolis Lock.

A few miles more and we were at the Demopolis fuel dock and then to our slip in the newer section of the marina.

Demopolis fuel dock. Towboats on one side and pleasure boats around back.

Tourist resting at Kingfisher Bay Marina in Demopolis, Al.

The storage yard at Demopolis.

Vacant slips at Kingfisher Bay.

The Kingfisher Bay section of the marina is typically a hurricane haven for many boats. I was surprised to see so many slips empty. The good news for us was that with so many vacancies Pam had a clear shot at the very convenient laundry!