Tombigbee
After Clifton, we headed to Pickwick Lake in Tennessee. We went through our first lock and dam. That was interesting. We did ok - I had to get on the bow to keep the stern from hitting the wall, but after that, it was fine. It took us about 2 hours to lock through. A barge locked through before us and they will always go before pleasure craft. The lock master took pictures of the loopers in the lock. There were 6 of us - that was cool!
After Clifton Marina, we headed to Grand Harbor Resort, on Pickwick Lake. That was very nice! They had all of the amenities, including a free pump out and a courtesy car that we used to go to town, restock and had pizza at Pickwick Pizza. Heck - they had a spa where you could get Botox! If only we didn’t need gas!! Our guy at the marina who helped us with lines, gas, etc., name was Eli - like our Eli! He was very nice and so helpful. We stayed at Grand Harbor 2 nights, then we headed down the Tombigbee Waterway. I love this manmade canal - it’s a series of lakes and locks. It’s gorgeous! We met a few barges but no issues. We saw deer, eagles, osprey, etc. - very scenic.
While on the Tombigbee, we stayed at Bay Springs Marina. It’s on Bay Springs Lake (on the Tombigbee) - it’s so nice - in the middle of nowhere. We met another couple who have a place in Memphis but haven’t been there in a couple of years. They keep their boat here at Bay Springs Lake and cruise to Florida, to the keys, wherever - sounded so nice!
When we left Bay Springs, we hit 3 locks, right out of the gate - still heading south on the Tenn-Tom (that’s another name for the Tombigbee). We’re getting this locking through thing down.
At Bay Springs, we met another guy with a Rosborough boat, like ours. There’s actually 3 Rosboroughs on the loop. We’re hoping to meet the other boat at some point. But for now, we’re going to be traveling with “Boundless” - pretty cool!
We still have mishaps occasionally. While we were on the river, we ordered a card, to update the chart plotter, and it was to be delivered at Bay Springs Marina. But for whatever reason, we completely forgot about it while we were there. We remembered it at Midway Marina (the next marina). Luckily, most of the marinas, have a courtesy car so we were able to use it and return to Bay Springs Marina to get our packages; although we’re still having difficulty with the chartplotter (we’re not very techy!) and the courtesy truck at Midway? We were lucky we made it - the guy loaning it to us even said so!
Midway Marina was nice with lots of amenities (including a “courtesy” truck - for now) and there were lots of loopers there. We had our first “docktails.” We all met in a common area at the marina, had drinks, introduced ourselves and made traveling plans. Everyone has boaters cards, like business cards with contact info, except us - we’ve ordered them and they are being delivered to DOG RIVER MARINA in MOBILE, AL -we can’t forget that! There’s 7 boats and we’re heading out tomorrow. We have 60 miles, with 4 locks and we really don’t want to anchor out - it’s cold! And we need to get to this next marina - time to hammer down!
On our way to Columbus, there was a barge that was grounded and had damage to its rudder. It was right after a lock. It was bit of a concern because as we’re approaching, it looked like it took up the entire river. However, after speaking with the lock master and tow captain, we were able to “one whistle pass,” which means passing on their starboard side. A two whistle pass means passing on their port side. Basically if you think of a clock - and your vessel is at noon, a one whistle is the right or a 1 on a clock and a 2 whistle or an 11 on a clock. This was the easiest way for us to remember the whistle signals.
We made it to our next destination, Columbus Marina. We only stayed there one night; it’s supposed to rain tomorrow evening but we’re going to head out tomorrow and then we will have to anchor out because it’s just too far to the next marina. It’s a 119 miles and when you’re traveling 8-9 mph, you better not be in an hurry to get anywhere. Anchoring out will be difficult - just because of Traxx. We really hate to use the dinghy, especially is it’s raining. We’re hoping he will learn to go potty on the back of the boat.
We anchored out at Warsaw Cutoff Anchorage. It was in an oxbow off the Tenn-Tom. It stormed! But the anchor held all night. Jeff had an anchor alarm set on his cellphone just in case. And when we left the next morning, Traxx finally peed on the boat - outside in the cockpit. We just poured water to rinse it off.
Today on our way to our next marina, we saw the White Cliffs of Epes. Beautiful cliffs on the Tenn-Tom. I’ve been looking for these cliffs for a while now!
So far, this really is the coolest thing we’ve ever done. I love this area! I love the boat, the nature and being on the water. How awesome would it be to have a boat on Kentucky Lake and just cruise to Florida for the winter! Jeff says it’s less stressful than pulling a camper. On the boat, he can prop his feet up, put it on autopilot and relax. Our initial concerns of barge traffic, locks, and floating debris hasn’t really been an issue plus this is water we’re familiar with. Now, before the Gulf, we have to learn about tides; that’s a bit of a concern, but I'm confident we'll figure it out. Jeff Scherer is a great Skipper! And I'm a pretty good first mate!
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