Friday, May 4, 2018 -
Whew! Left Blue Bluff anchorage at 6:30 AM. Transited 6 locks and anchored in Bay Springs Lake near the top...same place we anchored as we came down in March. All the locks went smoothly...until the last one, Whitten. They were working on the lock and we waited an hour before we could enter. By then we were joined by a john boat, a 45 ft. cruiser and a 125 ft. motor yacht (in every sense of the word, yacht).
The "older" man (probably our age) in the john boat was traveling from Mobile Bay to Paducah, KY. He dropped by the boat to chat when he came up to wait and we talked a bit. Earlier in the day he had hit a stump and it threw him out of the boat and bounced the top off of his outboard motor! Thankfully he had a kill switch on and a rather long rope that he used to get back into the boat. He'd been on the rivers already for 4 days (making a lot better time than us!). I couldn't help but wonder where he stayed at night...was he wearing the same clothes (ewwww)...what did he eat??? I should have asked him for a boat card and blog address. [smile]
Saturday, May 5, 2018 -
Another long day on the water. Left at 6:30 AM as the rain just started. We traveled until around 1 PM in rain...varying from light rain to pouring rain. Yucky.
We traveled from Bay Springs up to the Tennessee River and on to Florence, AL, and Florence Harbor Marina. We considered going up through the Wilson Lock and anchoring above, but we talked with the lock master and realized they had a big towboat bringing multiple loads through the lock. It was 3:30 when we got to Florence and it would be at least 5 o'clock before we'd have a chance to lock through.
We bailed out and decided to just go into Florence Harbor for the afternoon and evening. Good choice! I went out for a few fresh items, we walked Maggie...and had take out from the restaurant here. We met the lock master from Wilson who works 6 PM to 6AM. He'll be working tomorrow morning, but we'll probably go through a bit later in the morning. Tomorrow we're settling back into leisurely cruising. Really.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Windham Landing to Aberdeen Blue Bluff anchorage
Thursday, May 3, 2018 -
Yep! Left at 6:15AM and got anchored by 5 PM. Traveled 71 miles and went through three locks. Even had to wait an hour at Stennis. We feel like we’ve had a good day today. 🙂. We’ll see how we do tomorrow when we face the final 6 locks before we reach the Tennessee River!
Yep! Left at 6:15AM and got anchored by 5 PM. Traveled 71 miles and went through three locks. Even had to wait an hour at Stennis. We feel like we’ve had a good day today. 🙂. We’ll see how we do tomorrow when we face the final 6 locks before we reach the Tennessee River!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Demopolis to Windham Landing
Wednesday, May 2, 2018 -
We left Demopolis Yacht Harbor (full
fuel tank and all) at 6:15 AM. Nice day of travel. Very little boat
traffic of any sort and one tow coming downstream. We actually made
an average of 7.5 mph, which was unexpected.
We're anchored at Windham Landing, mm
286.2. The temperature is in the 80's...but we have a lovely, cool
breeze blowing here. ;-) Thought I'd better post while we have a
Verizon signal. No TV channels, but we both are reading good
books...and we go to bed early anyhow. How else could we be on the
river by 6:15 AM!
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Bump in the...road
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - Well, this is the story as of this morning at about 7:30AM:
Well, we're in Demopolis Yacht Basin for the second day. Only intended to spend one...but we can't get refueled! There's so much trash behind the fuel dock where they let PC's fill up. The river side of the dock is for tows only...safety concerns. They have a broken down tow boat sitting at the dock now and have ordered parts for it. Parts should be here tomorrow...then they have to fix the boat. Then they can use it to disperse all the trash by using the boat's prop wash. Oh. And it could get spread out when the wind direction changes to the north, as they expect will happen this coming weekend. Wayne is walking over now to talk with the owner of the marina to see what's what.
Well, we're in Demopolis Yacht Basin for the second day. Only intended to spend one...but we can't get refueled! There's so much trash behind the fuel dock where they let PC's fill up. The river side of the dock is for tows only...safety concerns. They have a broken down tow boat sitting at the dock now and have ordered parts for it. Parts should be here tomorrow...then they have to fix the boat. Then they can use it to disperse all the trash by using the boat's prop wash. Oh. And it could get spread out when the wind direction changes to the north, as they expect will happen this coming weekend. Wayne is walking over now to talk with the owner of the marina to see what's what.
Wayne's even considering buying fuel cans and
bringing diesel from local gas station. Trouble is...they won't
allow fuel to be brought into the marina from outside. We'd
have to anchor near the town landing...dinghy ashore with cans...walk
to station for fuel and back. With two five gallon cans we
figure it would take six trips (Wayne figures we need an extra 60
gallons of fuel to get to Columbus, MS, considering we'll be going
upstream.
And here's the rest of the story: The owner, Fred Hansard, met Wayne as he was walking to the dock this morning. They had managed to clear out a little of the debris and Fred said we could probably get in there now...but do it quickly before debris came back.
We unplugged, left the slip, and refueled. Whew! Then we decided to spend another day here to settle down and relax...which we have done. Tomorrow we'll resume our journey north. The "norther" the better, since it's going to be 88 degrees in Demopolis tomorrow.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Ingram Bayou to Foscue Creek (Demopolis)
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 - We were on the water by 6:45AM. Trip up Mobile Bay was very pleasant. Mobile ship channel wasn't as bad, in terms of traffic, as I was expecting. For one thing, we ran outside the channel part of the time.
We're anchored tonight in Big Bayou Canot at mm16.6. Water is WAY UP and muddy with debris.
Thursday, April 26, 2018 - We're out again at 6:45AM. It was a good night at Big Bayou Canot. The current against us today was fierce...and debris came in large masses. Half the time we just steered instead of relying on auto pilot. Oh...and Wayne called Raymarine and got the "follow from here" option working so we can quickly resume our route after a stop. He also talked with Navionics about the fact that the statute miles on our charts are expressed not in miles, but in feet! A message from them later that day said the change should be completed to correct this error by May 17. Hmmm.
Mobile River is definitely at flood stage now and is expected to rise a couple more feet. Things will begin to look better around Demopolis and the junction of the Black Warrior. So all we have to do is get there! Tomorrow we will struggle (at around 5mph) towards Three Rivers Lake, mm64, above Coffeeville Lock. It will mean a long day...but we will have some good daylight hours to get there. ;-)
Friday, April 27, 2018 - From Three Rivers to Okatuppa Creek, mm123. Good day, but LONG!
Saturday, April 28, 2018 - We had picked out several places to anchor tonight...all above Bashi Creek, our usual stopover. With the current we're facing we knew we couldn't make it from Bashi to Demopolis in one day.
We passed Bashi (mm145) and, in a beautiful day of travel, headed towards Barrons Landing, mm168, and several other places nearby that looked possible (Tuckabum Creek, a bridge, etc.). We could have done the bridge...but it wouldn't have felt good because of the "neighborhood." We could have done Barrons Landing, but it wasn't as good as the spot we saw before that, Tuckabum Creek, mm167.5.
We're anchored very close to the entrance of the creek in 20 ft. and it's near perfect, all things considered. We had a boat with two men come by and talk a few minutes. "I've never seen anyone anchor in here before," they said. They usually run a "trot" line at the mouth of the creek...but said they wouldn't tonight. ;-) Tomorrow: Demopolis for maybe a night or two.
Maggie May, meantime, is showing off her agility skills. (Well, that's what I say. Others might see it as stupidity.) At Panama City she jumped from a standing position up over the gunnels of the boat, over the water, to the dock...to follow me as I left the boat. Well, today she topped that. See this "walk-around" that surrounds the bridge?
Well, today she worked her way under the curtains to the bridge, under the curtain around the back deck, and out onto that ledge. Wayne was sitting closest to that side and just happened to see her along side him! He got up and swiftly (but quietly so's she wouldn't flench and fall off) picked her up by the handle on her life jacket. Whew! My sister, Reba, says we need to invent a "retriever" for dogs. A rope would remain tied to the dog's life jacket so they could be "reeled in" if overboard. Yeah. If a big fish doesn't get her first! ;-)
Sunday, April 29, 2018 - We rested easy last night. Awoke at 5:30AM to what was obviously the first and only tow to pass us all night. We were on the river again by 6:15AM.
As we did yesterday, we "played" the sides of the channel to keep out of the direct current. That way we kept our speed in the 5-6 mph range. It was a beautiful day of travel, again. Passed one tow and were aware of two other tows ahead of us and heading to Demopolis Lock. Fortunately, by the time we got there, around 2:30PM, we had a very short wait for the gates to open. Good thing, too, considering the swirling water going on below the Lock...
This trip on the river, so far, has been calling back memories of the Mississippi River and it's eddies ...and the flooded Illinois River.
We're anchored tonight in Foscue Creek, which is delightfully flush with water. ;-)
Monday, April 30, 2018 -
Our plan today is to go over to Demopolis Yacht Harbor for the day and leave tomorrow morning for parts north. Will post as Verizon allows... ;-).
Here are some pictures we want to keep as remembrances of this trip...
The swampy area we traveled in between Apalachicola and Panama City...
Maggie and I passed by this daily on our walks around the neighborhood. I think Coachman Lane could use one of these!
A few chuckles from our favorite oyster place in Panama City, Hunt's Oysters.
A picture of our boat, Journey while docked at St. Andrews Bay, Panama City. See the two pilings (wooden logs with pointed white tops)? In between the two pilings...about a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the picture with navy blue canvasing? That's Journey. ;-)
Magster in her next to favorite spot on the bridge. Her favorite spot is our laps.
Ingram Bayou....
Views of the river channel as we were anchored at the mouth of Tuckabum Creek.
We're anchored tonight in Big Bayou Canot at mm16.6. Water is WAY UP and muddy with debris.
Thursday, April 26, 2018 - We're out again at 6:45AM. It was a good night at Big Bayou Canot. The current against us today was fierce...and debris came in large masses. Half the time we just steered instead of relying on auto pilot. Oh...and Wayne called Raymarine and got the "follow from here" option working so we can quickly resume our route after a stop. He also talked with Navionics about the fact that the statute miles on our charts are expressed not in miles, but in feet! A message from them later that day said the change should be completed to correct this error by May 17. Hmmm.
Mobile River is definitely at flood stage now and is expected to rise a couple more feet. Things will begin to look better around Demopolis and the junction of the Black Warrior. So all we have to do is get there! Tomorrow we will struggle (at around 5mph) towards Three Rivers Lake, mm64, above Coffeeville Lock. It will mean a long day...but we will have some good daylight hours to get there. ;-)
Friday, April 27, 2018 - From Three Rivers to Okatuppa Creek, mm123. Good day, but LONG!
Saturday, April 28, 2018 - We had picked out several places to anchor tonight...all above Bashi Creek, our usual stopover. With the current we're facing we knew we couldn't make it from Bashi to Demopolis in one day.
We passed Bashi (mm145) and, in a beautiful day of travel, headed towards Barrons Landing, mm168, and several other places nearby that looked possible (Tuckabum Creek, a bridge, etc.). We could have done the bridge...but it wouldn't have felt good because of the "neighborhood." We could have done Barrons Landing, but it wasn't as good as the spot we saw before that, Tuckabum Creek, mm167.5.
We're anchored very close to the entrance of the creek in 20 ft. and it's near perfect, all things considered. We had a boat with two men come by and talk a few minutes. "I've never seen anyone anchor in here before," they said. They usually run a "trot" line at the mouth of the creek...but said they wouldn't tonight. ;-) Tomorrow: Demopolis for maybe a night or two.
Maggie May, meantime, is showing off her agility skills. (Well, that's what I say. Others might see it as stupidity.) At Panama City she jumped from a standing position up over the gunnels of the boat, over the water, to the dock...to follow me as I left the boat. Well, today she topped that. See this "walk-around" that surrounds the bridge?
Well, today she worked her way under the curtains to the bridge, under the curtain around the back deck, and out onto that ledge. Wayne was sitting closest to that side and just happened to see her along side him! He got up and swiftly (but quietly so's she wouldn't flench and fall off) picked her up by the handle on her life jacket. Whew! My sister, Reba, says we need to invent a "retriever" for dogs. A rope would remain tied to the dog's life jacket so they could be "reeled in" if overboard. Yeah. If a big fish doesn't get her first! ;-)
Sunday, April 29, 2018 - We rested easy last night. Awoke at 5:30AM to what was obviously the first and only tow to pass us all night. We were on the river again by 6:15AM.
As we did yesterday, we "played" the sides of the channel to keep out of the direct current. That way we kept our speed in the 5-6 mph range. It was a beautiful day of travel, again. Passed one tow and were aware of two other tows ahead of us and heading to Demopolis Lock. Fortunately, by the time we got there, around 2:30PM, we had a very short wait for the gates to open. Good thing, too, considering the swirling water going on below the Lock...
This trip on the river, so far, has been calling back memories of the Mississippi River and it's eddies ...and the flooded Illinois River.
We're anchored tonight in Foscue Creek, which is delightfully flush with water. ;-)
Monday, April 30, 2018 -
Our plan today is to go over to Demopolis Yacht Harbor for the day and leave tomorrow morning for parts north. Will post as Verizon allows... ;-).
Here are some pictures we want to keep as remembrances of this trip...
The swampy area we traveled in between Apalachicola and Panama City...
Maggie and I passed by this daily on our walks around the neighborhood. I think Coachman Lane could use one of these!
A few chuckles from our favorite oyster place in Panama City, Hunt's Oysters.
A picture of our boat, Journey while docked at St. Andrews Bay, Panama City. See the two pilings (wooden logs with pointed white tops)? In between the two pilings...about a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the picture with navy blue canvasing? That's Journey. ;-)
Magster in her next to favorite spot on the bridge. Her favorite spot is our laps.
Ingram Bayou....
Muddy waters coming up the Mobile River to Demopolis.
Views of the river channel as we were anchored at the mouth of Tuckabum Creek.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Ingram Bayou
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 -
We had a fairly good trip today from Ft. Walton Beach to Ingram Bayou. It was a little windy in the afternoon.
We did manage to see the Blue Angels' practicing as we made our way towards Pensacola. Woohoo!!
Stopped at Bear Point Marina for fuel, water...and a walk for Maggie. Anchored now in Ingram Bayou and anticipating a trip across Mobile Bay to the rivers tomorrow.
Night view from St. Andrews Marina....
We had a fairly good trip today from Ft. Walton Beach to Ingram Bayou. It was a little windy in the afternoon.
We did manage to see the Blue Angels' practicing as we made our way towards Pensacola. Woohoo!!
Stopped at Bear Point Marina for fuel, water...and a walk for Maggie. Anchored now in Ingram Bayou and anticipating a trip across Mobile Bay to the rivers tomorrow.
Night view from St. Andrews Marina....
Monday, April 23, 2018
Apalachicola to Panama City
Monday, April 23, 2018- (I put the year there because I'm so behind in posting. One of my friends said she really liked the blog...back when I was doing it. ;-)
We had a pleasant trip from Apalachicola to Panama City. The day was a bit chillier than we've had here recently...69 degrees. We passed by the Impenetrable Swamp today. Doesn't that sound like a great title for a reality TV series...or a horror movie? We anchored about a mile away from St. Andrews Marina and went in the next day for our stay.
We like this marina more and more. Laid back area of town in the St. Andrews Historical District and a very safe, comfortable place to leave the boat while we go back to Knoxville for a few days.
We got to Panama City on Monday, April 9. While catching up on laundry, groceries, etc., we made plenty of time for walking the neighborhood and eating at a couple of the local restaurants: Hunts' Oyster Bar several times (yes, Wayne continues to indulge and the oysters here were $9.99/dozen compared to Apalachicola's $12.99.); and St. Andrews Coffee House where we had both a great lunch and breakfast. We highly recommend both!
On Tuesday the 10th of April we had the pleasure of visiting with Rich and Mary Gano. They invited us to attend their cruising club for dinner. It was a small, friendly group and we greatly enjoyed their company and the Gano's.
On Wednesday the 11th, we picked up our rental car for the trip back to Knoxville. We were gone from April 12-17...arriving back in Panama City on the 18th. We gathered late minute groceries and turned our rental in that afternoon. Shortly after, Wayne learned that his Aunt Juanita had died. She was in a nursing home in Springfield, TN, and had been ill for some time. We made reservations for another rental car which we picked up Friday afternoon.
On Saturday the 21st we drove to Springfield and attended the receiving of friends. Wayne was able to visit with his cousins and relatives. We drove that evening back to Cullman, AL, where we spent the night.
Got back to St. Andrews on Sunday the 22nd to find Panama City was under a tornado watch that evening. The wind was screaming and there was even some thunder and lightening. We were delighted to wake up this morning and find the winds had died down and we could finally leave Panama City!
Today we were going to the Ft. Walton Beach area. We had in mind an anchorage the cruising group had mentioned which is before the bridge on the opposite side of Ft. Walton Beach docks. The weather was perfect up until around noon when we entered the Choctawahatchee Bay. For the last three hours of our trip the winds increased and the waves followed their lead. It was just rough enough that the three of us were huddled on the bridge for several hours, not daring to go down the stairs to main cabin.
FINALLY we got close enough to land on both sides, as we approached Ft. Walton Beach, that things eased up a bit. We checked out the anchorage we had targeted...but ended up deciding on Ft. Walton Beach docks with double lines for the west wind blowing. ;-) Tomorrow should be nicer and we plan to aim for Ingram Bayou with a stop at Bear Point Marina for refueling before the trek up the rivers.
Sleep tight (I know we will!) and "talk with you soon." ;-)
We had a pleasant trip from Apalachicola to Panama City. The day was a bit chillier than we've had here recently...69 degrees. We passed by the Impenetrable Swamp today. Doesn't that sound like a great title for a reality TV series...or a horror movie? We anchored about a mile away from St. Andrews Marina and went in the next day for our stay.
We like this marina more and more. Laid back area of town in the St. Andrews Historical District and a very safe, comfortable place to leave the boat while we go back to Knoxville for a few days.
We got to Panama City on Monday, April 9. While catching up on laundry, groceries, etc., we made plenty of time for walking the neighborhood and eating at a couple of the local restaurants: Hunts' Oyster Bar several times (yes, Wayne continues to indulge and the oysters here were $9.99/dozen compared to Apalachicola's $12.99.); and St. Andrews Coffee House where we had both a great lunch and breakfast. We highly recommend both!
On Tuesday the 10th of April we had the pleasure of visiting with Rich and Mary Gano. They invited us to attend their cruising club for dinner. It was a small, friendly group and we greatly enjoyed their company and the Gano's.
On Wednesday the 11th, we picked up our rental car for the trip back to Knoxville. We were gone from April 12-17...arriving back in Panama City on the 18th. We gathered late minute groceries and turned our rental in that afternoon. Shortly after, Wayne learned that his Aunt Juanita had died. She was in a nursing home in Springfield, TN, and had been ill for some time. We made reservations for another rental car which we picked up Friday afternoon.
On Saturday the 21st we drove to Springfield and attended the receiving of friends. Wayne was able to visit with his cousins and relatives. We drove that evening back to Cullman, AL, where we spent the night.
Got back to St. Andrews on Sunday the 22nd to find Panama City was under a tornado watch that evening. The wind was screaming and there was even some thunder and lightening. We were delighted to wake up this morning and find the winds had died down and we could finally leave Panama City!
Today we were going to the Ft. Walton Beach area. We had in mind an anchorage the cruising group had mentioned which is before the bridge on the opposite side of Ft. Walton Beach docks. The weather was perfect up until around noon when we entered the Choctawahatchee Bay. For the last three hours of our trip the winds increased and the waves followed their lead. It was just rough enough that the three of us were huddled on the bridge for several hours, not daring to go down the stairs to main cabin.
FINALLY we got close enough to land on both sides, as we approached Ft. Walton Beach, that things eased up a bit. We checked out the anchorage we had targeted...but ended up deciding on Ft. Walton Beach docks with double lines for the west wind blowing. ;-) Tomorrow should be nicer and we plan to aim for Ingram Bayou with a stop at Bear Point Marina for refueling before the trek up the rivers.
Sleep tight (I know we will!) and "talk with you soon." ;-)
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