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?