Apalachicola to Steinhatchee, FL

Thursday, November 18-
It was cold last night! We woke up at around 5:30 and turned on the heat to warm up the place before we crept from under the covers. It was in the 40's. We're going to go to Carrabelle today because the conditions are favorable (we'd still be in sort of protected waters) and it will get us a bit closer to either a "run" across the Gulf or a run around the rim.

You know, we came out on this trip thinking we would definitely do the rim route instead of the "all at once, 20-hour, up all night" crossing. Then we started looking at the details of the rim route and questioned whether there would be enough "water" in Steinhatchee...and whether we could have a good anchorage in Cedar Key. Well, this week we've checked all those issues out and have decided we can do the rim. And (unless a TOTALLY CALM day comes in the meantime) we really would like to do the rim route so we'll have a comparison for when we have to make the return trip in the spring.

Just a few more pictures of Apalachicola. I can't get enough of these shrimp boats against the marsh and water...


Lucy and I visited a botanical garden within walking distance of Scipio Creek Marina and watched (well, I watched) monarch butterflies milling around the flowers.


Cloudy weather coming up in Apalachicola...



Papa Joe's Oyster Bar, connected to the Scipio Creek Marina and right beside our dock...


Speaking of oysters, we went back to the Papa Joe's Tuesday night for another round of oysters (Wayne) and steamed shrimp (me and Wayne.) On the way out of Apalachicola this morning we saw oyster boats at work harvesting a bed. In case you're wondering what's involved in oyster harvesting, here's a piece from the website http://www.cityofapalachicola.com/ApalachicolaBaySeafood.cfm:

Apalachicola Bay, including the waters of St. George Sound and St. Vincent Sound, provides an ideal environment for oysters. The 210 square mile estuary is wide and shallow; depths in Apalachicola Bay average only six to nine feet at low tide. The estuary is dominated by the Apalachicola River which provides nutrient rich fresh waters vital to the Bay's natural productivity. Oysters grow rapidly (the fastest in the country) in these waters reaching marketable size in less than two years.

Oystermen harvest oysters in Franklin County from more than 7,000 acres of public oyster "bars" and about 600 acres of private leased bars in the Apalachicola Bay area. Public bars are divided into "winter" bars which can be harvested from Oct. 1 through June 30 each year and the "summer bars" which are harvested from July 1 through September 30.

There are more than 1,000 people employed by the oyster industry in Franklin County. And there are a variety of jobs associated with harvesting the mollusk. Tongers (traditionally called "oystermen") harvest the oysters from small boats using tongs which look somewhat like two rakes attached in a scissor style. Tongers generally use a small wooden boat, 20-23 feet long, equipped with a culling board near the bow and sometimes equipped with a "dog house" or small covered area to provide shelter from bad weathers. Tongers are accompanied usually by "cullers" who separate the oysters by size (oysters must be at least three inches in length to be considered legally harvestable). Out on the bay, oysters are stored in burlap sack and shaded until they reach the shore. On the shore, seafood houses employ "housemen" who sort the oysters and package them for sale either in bags or boxes or pass them onto shuckers where they will be shucked, washed and sold generally either in pints or gallons.

So here we have a tonger and a culler at work, with a mound of oysters on front of the boat.

The trip from Apalachicola to Carrabelle went far quicker than we thought it would because we had a nice boost to the speed from current. It was mostly an open water situation (though still somewhat protected).

We're at C-Quarters Marina in Carrabelle. The folks are really nice and we have ready access to grocery, bank, hardware...and library. We're considering a move to St. Marks tomorrow. We'll decide in the morning.

Friday, November 19-
This morning we talked and looked at weather sites until we decided today would be the day to go from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, across the Apalachee Bay. It sounded like the winds might gust up a little above 10mph (9-13, in fact)...but waves looked like 1-2. By 8 AM we were on the water, headed for Steinhatchee. Carrabelle was beautiful this morning, all calm and clear....




Well, we got kicked around for the first 4 hours of this trip! The wind was from the east, which we thought might somehow be blocked by land. Not! We definitely had 1-2 and 2-3...on the nose and hard to block. We altered course several times trying to find an angle that would lessen impact, but it was like the waves were coming from an "easterly" direction and no matter where we turned they were there. We'd go through a spell of nearly smooth water then get slammed by a series of 2-3ft. waves. It was weird. I took a little snippet of video on my little camera during the very first part of the trip...when the waves were just a little rough. (Later on, we were rocking and rolling!) If and when I figure out how to post it on here, I will.

Meantime, this is how the water looked shortly after noon when it laid down to a bathtub slosh.


We got into Steinhatchee 9 hours later and are tied up to a dock at Sea Hag Marina.

Saturday, November 20-
We were in bed last night by 7:30 and slept until 6 this morning. Needless to say, it was a stressful day. We learned, again, that we don't like traveling in winds over 10mph...even if for a part of the trip. We're also thinking the guy from Tallahassee Marine Weather Station was right when he said "the east is the beast!" But at least we're over on this side and maybe our trips on down the coast to join the ICW will be easier.

We were really impressed with the look of Steinhatchee as we came in last night.



We were here by car in the fall of '07 and it definitely looks better from the river. Very pretty...and activity everywhere. This is a place that takes its fishing seriously! There are fishing boats everywhere. And here they fishers are weighing in the day's catch...



The only really bad thing about Steinhatchee is the no-seeums. Yep. And, in case you're wondering, those OFF personal insect repellent fans you can wear? They don't work on no-seeums. Nope. I just observed (from inside the boat, since it is the time of day when no-seeums roam) that the folks over at the marina are rubbing down their exposed body parts with some sort of repellent. I'll have to ask what they are using. :-)

Next move is to Cedar Key...but it looks like we might be here a few days before that can happen. We have 4 days worth of dog food left right now. Wayne suggests we let her fend for herself here after that...like the miniature schnauzers do in the "wild." Me, I'm thinking we'll go ahead and pay a king's ransom for a small bag of dog food at the local grocery, Maddie's.

Port St. Joe to Apalachicola, FL

Saturday, November 13 -

We really did think we'd stay a few days at Port St. Joe. We liked the marina - brand new looking - and the area held potential for some good beaching. There's a Piggly Wiggly right next to the marina, too. What more could a cruiser ask for!

But, like I said yesterday, I think we are ready to start preparing for the Gulf crossing. This morning we looked at options and decided to move on over to Apalachicola...knowing we might be there for 5 or 6 days. If we were ready, tonight would be a perfect night for crossing. We talked yesterday to Blue Angel and they were headed to do the crossing tonight. We're not ready yet. We need an oil change and a few other maintenance chores done before we feel ready to go. Looking at the weather it will probably be next weekend before the waters calm down enough for us to go. So we left Port St. Joe after a trip to the hardware, auto supply, and grocery store.

The trip out of St. Joe down the County Canal on a Saturday (Veteran's Day weekend, at that) took an hour to cover about 5 miles of water. There were a lot of boats out fishing and enjoying the weather and we have to slow way down when approaching other boats because we throw off such a large wake.

We traveled across more interesting water, including Lake Wimico.



We keep commenting to each other that all of this looks new to us. I know it's been 3 years, but some of this waterway looks so different I'd swear we came a different way. It's really very pretty...and I don't remember being impressed with this area the last time. (Note to self: read the blog.)

We reached Apalachicola around 2:30PM and cruised down to look at the Municipal Marina (aka, town dock) before deciding to spend the first few days, at least, at Scipio Creek Marina. A walk around town showed a lively, prosperous looking community with LOTS of art, antiques, collectibles to ogle. Back at the marina we went to supper at Papa Joe's...shrimp and oysters.

Sunday, November 14 -
Another beautiful day! Wayne is changing the oil and I am catching up on some laundry. I plan to walk into town this afternoon and see if some of those shops are open... :-) Right now I'm sitting in the shade on the marina office back porch (best place for wifi reception) and enjoying the sunny day while laundry "does." We'll be in Apalachicola until we cross, which will likely be next weekend. Ta-ta for now.

Fairhope, AL, to Port St. Joe, FL

Monday, November 8 -
Time changed yesterday and so we were up this morning at 5:30...and out of the marina by 6:30. Mobile Bay was gentle so the trip (18 miles) down to the ICW was easy. On the intercoastal waters we had dolphins playing in the boat wake.... This was what we'd see at first...


Then, ta-da!


Also spotted this set of buildings. Now, if you did a watercolor painting of this some might say it was just not realistic... WAY too colorful. :-)


We anchored in the Big Lagoon, just before the Pensacola area, at Red Fish Point. Our aim was to dinghy in to the Gulf Islands National Seashore and do some walking/exploring. Unfortunately we were anchored in a spot that held lots of shallow water and weeds between us and the shore. Our dinghy motor started coughing and we turned back. On the way BACK to Tennessee, we'll anchor in a bit different spot there and go ashore! Still, a beautiful place to be..





Tuesday, November 9-
Slept 'til 6 this morning...we're getting better. Left the anchorage around 8 and headed for Palafox Pier in Pensacola. The marina is only about 10 miles away. This is a strategy we learned the last trip: get close the night BEFORE going into a marina and take advantage of every part of the next day when you tie up. :-)

On the way over to Pensacola we were treated to the Blue Angels practicing their maneuvers over the water. It was an amazing show! We've seen them before in air shows, but felt like we actually got much closer today! Between the dolphins yesterday and the Blue Angels today I've probably taken over 100 photos!








We also saw some people involved in what we thought might just be the Gulf Oil Recovery Project.



Going to the National Naval Air Museum today. Catching a bus from downtown. Should be lots of fun! The area is so nice here I think we'll end up spending two days instead of the one we'd planned....

Wednesday, November 10 -

The Naval Air Museum was good, even if we did miss a large part of the collection due to renovations and their moving the era from Vietnam forward to another building. The new area opens in late November. A cute thing of interest was a sign defining a "navy shower," which is what we do when we're anchoring out for a series of nights and need to conserve water.


The bus trip to and from the museum was entertaining, too. We went onto two military bases, showing our ID's at check points, and got to see a lot of the Pensacola area.

This morning Lucy and I took a nice long walk through downtown before we left. (Yes, we decided to leave today. I finally came to understand today that we are probably not going to be content until we get across the Gulf to "the other part of Florida.") As we were walking in one of the parks downtown I noticed a man standing still with one arm outstretched in front of him and the other arm slightly held out from his body. His back was to us...and it occurred to me that this was probably someone taking advantage of the park setting and a beautiful morning to do some Tai Chi. Probably some pose named "plucking the bird from bush," you know. (Apologies to Dana and Joan. :-) As my perspective changed, I realized that he was texting on his cell phone.

So, anyways, we left beautiful Pensacola and headed out for Ft. Walton Beach town dock. We arrived at around 3:30 PM and there was room on the outside dock for us to stay. Here's a view from the park nearby of Segue tied up to the dock (far left, outside.)


Walked around town and saw this hotel. A picture really IS worth 1,000 words.



The sunset that evening brought a gorgeous sky...


Thursday, November 11 - Veteran's Day 2010
We're off to Panama City today. We're going to meet up with friends from a group that Wayne shares information with concerning trawlers and trawler-ing, Jill and Rudy Sechez. We went through an area dubbed "the canal"...but it was really pretty.


Rudy and Jill live aboard a boat they built, Briney Bug. They came over to the marina that evening in their boat (we got a tour and it's an amazing, comfortable home!) and we went to dine at an Italian restaurant nearby that makes great pizza.

Friday, November 12-
We were on the blue highway by 9 this morning...kinda took our time. Rudy and Jill came over to wish us a safe journey. We caught this shot of the Briney Bug.



Great trip to Port St. Joe along the Wetappo Creek (yeah, I know: Itchycoo Park comes to mind.)

Saw a couple of eagles and caught this one on "film"....

We're in Port St. Joe for a few days...then on to ready for the leap into Gulf waters. More later...

Fairhope, AL

Saturday, November 6-

I painted all day today!

OK, we've gotten a lot done here while waiting on Mobile Bay to calm down. Today we put varnish on all the teak and will do a second coat tomorrow. We'd originally planned to leave for Florida tomorrow, but the weather report looks better for Monday.

When I walked Lucy to the "beach" area here at the marina this morning I saw that the beach was very exposed...water "out." Our boat has probably been sitting on the bottom of the bay today. We watched a sailboat across the way trying to get out. They finally gave up around 2:30 and left. A fellow here to pick up a chartered sailboat said he'd never seen the water this low in the area. But a power boat we talked to said the water in the channel coming in is just fine...6-8 feet.

We had breakfast in town today at a restaurant boasting to be Fairhope's oldest. Good omelets! I've found a great walking trail here that runs for miles along scenic Hwy. 98. Fairhope is a neat town. Some really pretty homes. Yesterday I went down and visited the library and several retail establishments. My favorite was the Page & Palette, a combination art supply, book store, and coffee shop..

Columbus, MS, to Fairhope, AL

Wednesday, October 27 -

After six days at Columbus Marina, Columbus, MS, we've moved on down the Tenn-Tom to a lovely anchorage at Sumter Landing. (Some of you may remember our last experience at Sumter Landing in December '07. This was our way of "getting back on that horse.")


The weather was fickle today. We ran in and out of rain...sometimes MAJOR rain. Tomorrow morning we'll set our sights on Foscue Creek below Demopolis, with a stop at the Yacht Basin for fuel.

Thursday, October 28 -

Beautiful day on the water...no rain! The night was very peaceful and we were up and heading out into the main channel by 7:30...just as Bulldog Sally was passing by our anchorage. (They anchored a few miles up the river.) We had about an hour wait to get through the Heflin Lock. For the rest of the trip the scenery held our attention. Last time we passed this way it was dark, so we were really impressed with the cliffs along the water.

We were docked at Demopolis Yacht Basin fuel dock by 3 PM. Fueled, watered, and walked (Lucy), we left the dock at 3:45 and found our way down to the Foscue Creek anchorage right before the Demopolis Lock. Bulldog and Crossroads were already in the creek...and we were later joined by a fourth boat.

We anchored pretty much in front of the dock that belongs to a Coast Guard Cutter, "Wedge." That evening one of the employees at the Coast Guard station came out and said he thought we'd be fine there for the night...that the cutter wasn't due back until around noon the next day. He did say that if the boat came back, we'd have to move because it needed all that space to turn around and get docked. We'd stayed out that far because one of the boats in our group had touched ground not too far into the pocket of water beyond the dock. The night was calm, though, and the cutter didn't come home before we left.

Friday, October 29 - Up early and headed for the Demopolis Lock, we were in the lock by 7:25AM. We had four boats in the lock that morning and we were the last ones on the starboard wall. What a show!

Today we're headed to an anchorage at Bashi Creek, mile 145. No locks today after Demopolis, so it made for an easy trip. (BTW, there aren't any more marinas down the way, either. There's a place called Bobby's Fish Camp where you can tie up to a dock alongside the waterway, but we did that the last time and decided to do anchorages this time.)

We arrived at Bashi Creek by 3:30...and proceeded to take another hour and a half to get comfortable with the anchor placement. The wind was blowing straight into the creek, and there was a current running opposite that. We ended up setting a stern anchor and having Breaking Away, another boat anchoring there, help straighten the bow of the boat with their dinghy. I kinda liked the place...very "Heart of Darkness." Wayne, however, wasn't crazy about the place because of the difficulty in setting anchor and positioning a boat of our size in the channel.

There's a recreation area near the creek with boat ramp, small dock, picnic tables, trash can...what more could a cruiser (with dog) ask for?

Saturday, October 30 - Foggy morning! But so pretty....

It took a while for us to be able to pull up anchor and move.

As we left Bashi Creek we met Blue Angel and Sea Estate who had anchored a couple of miles up the river. We traveled with them to the last lock on the Tenn-Tom, Coffeeville Lock. Unfortunately, when we got to the lock we had a tow going down and one coming up. We were there by 12:15, but didn't get through the lock until 2:15. We only had about 20 miles to go to our anchorage for the evening, Old Lock 1 at mile 100. As we came through the lock at Coffeeville we saw that the water gauge was up by 3 feet. Good news for anchorages down the way that might, otherwise, not offer us enough water.

Another great anchorage at Old Lock 1. We joined our neighbors that evening for a sharing session...and learned how to make "little beers." Yummy!

Sunday, October 31 -

Shout out to all the goblins out there! Alex is going to be an astronaut and Ryan...an alien.

It looked awfully cloudy this morning when we got up. Blue Angel and Sea Estate were out way before us...we got a dog. :-) We'd originally planned to anchor at Bates Lake, but were hearing that the entrance was too shallow. Blue Angel called back later in the day and confirmed the shallow conditions. They were going to the Alabama River Cut-Off to anchor. We were thinking we'd try an anchorage we'd heard about on the way down: David Lake. See, we had visions of motoring through Mobile harbor on Monday and the further down we could get, the better.

[Here's where we're seeing that your days would be a lot different if you were living aboard a boat, as Blue Angel's crew, Jim and Sharon, do. For us it tends to be a push to the next destination. For them it's less urgent. They tended to travel fewer miles a day than we...and they ended up sitting out the weather in the Alabama River anchorage with Sea Estate. They planned to take their dinghy's back up the river to Bates Lake and explore by boat that way. We're trying to loosen up, but I think we both look forward to being in Florida so much, it hasn't happened yet. We'll see if it DOES happen.]

The sky cleared up and the ride was pretty good. We got down to David Lake and opted not to stay. The setting was, Kay, "soul crushing." Murky surroundings with a rusty old building and deserted industrial site. We went on down to the Tensas River anchorage, mile 39, and were pleased with the decision.

Monday, November 1 -

We thought we would take 21 days to get down to Mobile Bay...and today we made it! We had to wait until after 9:00AM to leave due to fog. The trip through Mobile Bay was quite different this time. Last time was Christmas Day 2007 and very cold and crisp. The Bay was deserted. This time, there was plenty of activity around.

Our aim was to get to Eastern Shore Marine in Fairhope, AL, for one night, then head on down to the intercoastal on Tuesday and wind up at Bear Point Marina. The trip across the Bay was so easy. There were no waves and no wind. We got into Eastern Shore around 3PM. I took the courtesy car to the local Publix and brought home steamed shrimp for supper. (Thanks to Sea Estate for that little tip!) Life is good!

Looking at the weather forecast, we decided to stay at Fairhope for a few days. Rain, wind, and waves were coming...and we were ready for another break. We'll be here probably until Sunday and will get back with you when something happens. :-)

Columbus, MS, October 25

Storms moved in last night and it was quite a show! Thunder, lightning, wind! We woke up this morning wondering what we will find outside (did anything blow off the deck?) We're going to be here today and tomorrow, at least. Probably leave by Thursday morning.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Mother, Willie Smith, 82 today!

2010-11 Knoxville to Columbus, MS

Friday, October 8

Well, we're off again! After a quick trip back home this morning in the marina van (pick up of athletic shoes, cruising charts) we were going through the Ft. Loudon Lock by 10:15. It was a beautiful day on the water.



54 miles later we pulled into the "Smith Marina" (home of friends Chuck and Vickie Smith).




After a quick tie-up of Segue and walk around the grounds for Lucy we congregated on the Smith's screened porch for refreshments. To our delight, Ben and Sharon Birdwell had come down to join us. We caught up with the Smith's latest adventure, a 3-week trip to Europe, and shared a delicious meal that was topped off with a lemon sorbet made by Chuck. Here we are, relaxed and full...



When I was putting lunch items back in the Norcold frig this afternoon I realized the refrigerator wasn't on. When Wayne checked it out he discovered that the appliance wouldn't work on battery power...only on AC. (If we're not plugged up to shore power somewhere then we have to be running the generator.) So...we've adjusted our plans to include a stop over somewhere down the line for repairs. Tomorrow we'll get down to just above the Chicamauga Lock and have a contact there that might prove helpful. More later on the frig!

Thursday, October 14 - We docked on Saturday at Chicamauga Marina just above the Chicamauga Lock. Sunday a repairman came out from Shelburne RV Refrigeration (Sid) and he did some checking on the frig...but needed to come back on Monday when Norcold offices were open to confirm his diagnosis. Monday morning he was back over and ended up placing a part on order...a DC power supply...to arrive on Wednesday, the 13th. Wednesday came...and the part didn't. The manufacturer agreed to ship in out "overnight" to Sid...and we decided to move on down to the Chattanooga waterfront area to make a little progress in the trip. Today Sid came over with the part and was finished by 1 PM. Sid was very reasonable with his charges: $75 for one service call and a 10% markup on the part.

Ah! Now we can get going tomorrow morning and be down to Goose Pond Marina on Saturday by noon. This morning I walked over the pedestrian bridge to the Whole Foods store and Walgreens. It's a lovely day...in the 70's...with a brisk wind.



We met the nicest guy, Richard Walker, aboard Holiday VII, at Chicamauga. Richard has been up and down the TennTom over 20 times and had some great reviews of anchorages and marinas along the way. On Monday afternoon he let me go with him to the new Publix store in Ootlewah for a little provisioning. We're hoping to see him again on this trip since he's headed the same way we are.

Friday, October 15, 2010 - Today was a day of contrasts as we went from Chattanooga to our anchorage near Crow Creek. We had our heavy jackets on in the morning (I added gloves and hat). By 3 o'clock we were back in shorts and short sleeves, being beaten down by the sun as we made our way westward on the Tennessee. The winds were calm as we pulled out in the morning...but soon picked up to give us our first whitecaps of the trip (minor, but whitecaps!).

Leaving Chattanooga we came to one of my favorite spots on the journey...the section where I-24 parallels the Tennessee River for a while. When I come to this part I think about having been on that very stretch of I-24 many times...and now I'm seeing it from a different vantage. That's what a lot of this traveling by boat is for us: seeing places we've been before...but seeing them in a different way.

After about 3.5 hours of travel we reached Nickajack Lock and found a tug boat working to move a barge downstream. It would be 2.5-3 hrs., the lockmaster said, so we anchored there next to a park. Two other cruisers waited with us, Blue Yonder and Felix, the catamaran. We got there at 11:30 and were through the lock by about 2:45. The anchorage we had picked for this evening was still about 2.5-3 hours away...and we were now on Central Time, which meant that sunset comes at around 6:15. We had to pass the tow that had been ahead of us in the lock...and that took a little time. By 5:15 we were going into Crow Creek anchorage at about mile 401 on the Tennessee. Another cruiser had entered the creek about 5 minutes before we got there. To make a long story short, we didn't anchor in the creek area. The marked channel weaves all over the shallow area, in and out of the green growth. We just couldn't get comfortable with the depth or current. As the sun set we were weaving our way back out of Crow Creek. We anchored, instead, on the non-channel side of Crow Creek Island and it was a great place to be on a windless, moonlit night. This was the view out our window the next morning...


Saturday, October 16 - Gorgeous day traveling down from mile 401 to Goose Pond Marina at 378. We were docked early and in line for the courtesy car by noon. Our turn came up at 4PM and we took off for laundry and provisions. (Walmart on a Saturday night. Ask Mamaw Prichard!)

Sunday, October 17- Another beautiful day on the water. I woke up and looked at the alarm clock...6:30AM. I woke up fully and started coffee. At about 7 Wayne came up and said, "You know, my watch says it's 6..." Uh oh. I hadn't set back my alarm clock for Central Time. We left the marina by 7:45. :-)

Guntersville Lake is one of the prettiest areas on the Tennessee that we've traveled. I couldn't get over the feeling we we somewhere back up in Canada.... Camp-like settings and small, cozy looking homes peak through wooded banks.




We were docked today by 1 PM and had the afternoon to nap, work on odds and ends, and (of course) meet new people. We're at Ditto Landing near Huntsville (shout out to the Ledbetters!) Tomorrow we leave marinas and plan on anchoring out 4 or so nights before getting to Columbus Marina on the Tenn-Tom.

Monday, October 18 - Wayne was up at 4:45. It may take us a while to adjust to the time zone. We traveled today from Ditto Landing to an anchorage on the right descending bank just below the First Creek entrance. We had a little southerly wind at first, but just enough to be pleasant. We took Lucy to the bank (nice access to the land in this little cove) and rested for the evening.

Tuesday, October 19 - Headed out at 7:45 having done our morning "chores" and walked Lucy. We hailed the Joe Wheeler Lock and were told to come ahead. We locked through with Sunshine Lady and traveled most of the day with them in sight. They have AIS, which allows them to see where oncoming tows are located. When we got to Wilson Lock they spotted a tow in the chamber. We only had to wait 20-30 min. for the lock to take us down.

The closer we got to our anchorage tonight the more the wind blew. Pickwick Lake is so broad and long at this point that we were getting some pretty good sized waves, but it was not uncomfortable. We passed by Panther Creek anchorage and spied a couple of boats already at rest. We had decided to edge on down to Zippy Branch on Yellow Creek (thus putting us, technically, on the Tenn-Tom). Zippy Branch had 2 boats in it, but we found a nice spot close to the front on the western bank. It was so windy, though, that we opted not to take Lucy in this evening. We're trying out a new system (pad) for Lucy's elimination needs...and decided now was the time to try it out. Unfortunately, we're not so good at Schnauzer lingo (she's much better at telling US what SHE wants). Lucy refused to have anything to do with the mat. The wind died down as dark approached and we had a quiet night on the water.

Wednesday, October 20 - Up before 6 and out by 7:30. We're headed to Midway Marina to pick up some fuel and then on a couple of miles down to an anchorage at Cummings Creek, right before the Fulton Lock. We'll go through 3 locks today. Lucy's still maintaining her dignity.

As we headed down the "canal" portion we admired the neatly coiffed banks on either side (better on the right bank than left)...and we saw a coyote! I wanted a picture, but quickly lost sight of it as we moved on and a tree came between us. I saw it kind of walking along the canal with us...and wondered if it got a whiff of Lucy, the tasty little morsel.

The ride today was beautiful, for the most part. The trees are turning color. We both commented on how different everything looks now compared to how it looked when we last came down in December 2007. (I know the Bloomfields have made a similar comparison!)



We made it through all three locks, Whitten, Montgomery, and Rankin, with only a one hour delay at Rankin. We anchored near the channel for this wait. Out of Rankin we made our way into Midway Marina for diesel fuel at $2.79...a good price in these parts. As we pulled in I spotted a boat named Selah! with a home port of Edisto Island, SC (still one of our most favorite places in the world!) The Murrays live on Edisto and are doing the Loop. They plan to tour the inland rivers next year, including the Tennessee, and we exchanged cards in the hopes of meeting up again.

Anchorage for this evening was about 2 miles downstream from Midland Marina, close to Fulton Lock. It was a quiet, windless evening.

Oh. Just a note. That whole "new system" we had in mind for Lucy to use... it may not work out like we thought. As usual, the Schnauzer had a different idea for the pad.


Thursday, October 22 - Today we planned to anchor at Aberdeen Lock, Blue Bluff anchorage, but we have a new plan. As we came out of Midland Marina yesterday we started having a vibration in the props. A similar thing had happened a few days ago as we left a lock, and at that time we thought we'd solved the problem by doing a few reverse engine maneuvers to knock off anything we might have picked up on the props. (Common thing to happen in these locking situations.) Anyway...we called Columbus Marina in Columbus, MS, and found out they could dive in and check out the props, and even remove them and have them repaired. We decided to see if the locks would cooperate today to get all the way down to Columbus.

As we pulled up anchor a sailboat was passing us headed for the lock. We ended up traveling all day with the sailboat, though we pulled ahead some after getting out of the last lock. We went through Fulton, Wilkins, and Amory Locks. We left at 7:45 and were pulling into Columbus Marina at 5:15PM.



"T", the marina manager, was ready to hit the water for the dive when we got there. (He said he was glad to be doing it that evening because the temperature the next morning would be in the 40's.) He put on a mask and hit the water. A few minutes later he came up with a hunk of frayed rope. Down again, he went, and emerged with an even bigger piece. There were parts of the mass that actually fell off and sank before he could get them up, so it ended up being quite a lump of trouble. This is what he ended up retrieving...



(That's "T's" mask next to it for size comparison.)

What a relief! For the cost of a dive we were spared spending hundreds to pull the boat out for a look. Thank you, "T"!

Friday, October 23 -
After a leisurely morning we picked up the courtesy van and left for lunch out and provisions. Back at the boat that afternoon we met the folks on Sea Estate and Blue Angel. The evening brought a happy hour and more swapped boat cards. It was a good day.

Saturday, October 24 -
Borrowed the van this morning to have breakfast out and run a few more errands. We're thinking about leaving tomorrow (since we don't have to have props fixed) and spent the day taking care of some chores that need to be done in a marina. We're going to look at the weather this evening and see whether the incoming storms will keep us here a few days or not....