The alarm buzzed at 4:30 am. Ugh! After a quick call to the lock master, we pulled the dock lines and said farewell to Demopolis, AL and Kingfisher Bay Marina. Time to move on!
Demopolis was the last real town and last real marina until we reach Mobile, AL. This stretch on the Black-Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway is one of the most remote and uninhabited stretches of all the Great Loop with heavy commercial traffic and limited anchorages. In 100 miles or in about 11 hours, we will reach Bobby’s Fish Camp. This was our reason for the very early morning departure. This camp is the halfway point with 117 miles left to reach Mobile, AL. At Bobby’s, we can tie up and hopefully, our electrical cords will reach outlets for our heaters tonight.
Using the slight reflection on the water from the city lights, we made our way down river and had begun to feel quite confident until a loud thud against the hull broke the spell. Other than a log off to our starboard side and some river foam, nothing was visible and the props seemed unaffected. Whew!
At 5:15 am, the Demopolis Lock was open and waiting with the green light welcoming us. Amazing how proficient you become at locking with repeated practice. The fact it’s becoming automatic is good, since it had been a late night, and we haven't had our coffee this morning.
At 5:30 am, the lock master sent us on our way, and we motored along in the blackness, with only an occasional sweep of our spotlight for reassurance. The chatter from the tows on the marine radio filled the upper helm and would have been entertaining if we could have understand what they were saying. It’s like another language!
At 6 am the sky brightened slightly, and we could actually see some of the river, at last!
We are mindful of the fact that the locals don’t like wakes from large boats. People have seen bullet holes in some of the northerner’s boats and even the tip of a hunting arrow embedded in the gelcoat! No one was out fishing today, and we have a minimal wake, so Dream Chaser should be OK.
At MM201, we looked for the remains of old Rooster Bridge. In April 1979 during a flood, the tugboat, Cahaba, was capsized, pushed under the bridge, and popped up righting itself on the other side with three thankful crew members. Quite a story!
At MM145.0, we passed Bashi Creek, one of our options for anchoring. Described by a guide book as “cozy” and by another boater as having “postage stamp” space, Dream Chaser happily motored by this anchorage.
A steaming mug of hot chocolate with a slice of lemon loaf was a treat, since temps have been in the 40’s to mid 50’s, and a light rain has fallen all day. Dream Chaser has wound back and forth most of the day in the rain. Talk about switchbacks in the river! The tow captains need to be alert especially on those 90 degree turns. Our route today was 100 miles by water which would be 49 miles by air. Imagine the travel time saved if a channel had been cut straight through.
After lunch, while the rain spattered on the windows, Mary curled up with Erma Bombeck’s book, “When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It’s Time To Go Home”. It’s hilarious! Tales of Erma’s travels around the world told with her unique humor.
At 3 pm, we motored into Bobby’s Fish Camp (MM118) for tonight’s dockage. Yeah, we made it! This will be a pricey night ($1.50 per foot length of boat) as there is no competition for dockage and no great anchorages in the area. Originally the old Bladon Springs Steamboat Landing, Bobby Dahlberg opened his restaurant in 1956 and the fueling station in 1980’s to see how it would go. After his death, his daughter Lora Jane, has carried on the family business. There is a long 162 ft. floating dock set along the shore with a gas pump on one end- definitely, nothing fancy. Due to the size of the dock, when it is busy, boats raft up 2-3 deep. We lucked out and shared the dock with only two other boats.
By 3:20 pm, with Dream Chaser securely tied, we walked through the rain to Bobby’s restaurant to join our new friends, Dale and Joanne. They are from Hamilton, Ontario and are traveling on Pontus, a 42’ Cris Craft, which is docked behind us. We enjoyed catfish dinners and shared stories of sailing and travel. Some of us really got excited about our catfish dinners!
Bobby's restaurant was Alabama quaint with walls and counters full of pictures, articles, scrap books, and "stuff" telling of the camp and the surrounding area. The waitress verified that they have alligators around the docks and river edge, but it is too cold for them to be out tonight. Oh Joy!
Below, we are pictured with our new friends, Dale and Joanne.
We spent a rainy evening listening to Christmas music and reading. We will be up early tomorrow!
Monday, December 9
At 6:20 am, we awoke to temps in the low 40’s, overcast sky, and periodic rain. The rain produced a soothing sound throughout the night, but will make for a wet ride today. The forecast is for the the rain to stop and temps to hit 58. After calling the Coffeeville lock master on the marine radio (channel 14), we prepped the boat, ate our cereal & banana, and unplug the electrical from the dock.
At 7 am, we untied the lines, bid farewell to Bobby’s Fish Camp, and with Pontus and the Kim Jo IV (both looper boats) following us, motored down river to the Coffeeville Lock. Today, we have about six hours of travel to reach our planned anchorage at the Tensas River.
With the green light shining at the lock, we donned life jackets, entered the lock, tied to the lock’s bollard, and informed the lock master of our boat’s name and Coast Guard identification number. While the water was lowering, we were entertained by the graceful, white egrets swooping down in the lock and catching their breakfast of minnows.
Coffeeville Lock and Dam is the last lock on the Tombigbee River, and when we exit this lock, we are less than four ft. above sea level. We will notice the tidal effect (4 ft. tides with current against boat half the time) and will encounter salt water from here to the Gulf. This section of the river runs through remote areas until we reach Mobile Bay.
The lock horn blew giving the signal that it was OK to leave the lock. Both Pontus and Kim Jo IV have turbos and need to keep their engines at a higher rpm, so we bid them farewell as they slid by. We plan to see them at the anchorage tonight.
The Christmas spirit has fallen upon Dream Chaser! Christmas music is filling the salon, Christmas garland is wrapped around the boat railings, and a Christmas wreath hangs on the stern. We would love a Christmas tree, but the question is “ WHERE would we put it???” Another one of those space issues! We have enjoyed typical Christmas music and hymns along the way, but this morning we are listening to jazz. How about “Silent Night” by the Carribbean Jazz Project-a whole new take on the song with lots of xylophone? Oh, and then there is Mannheim Steamroller!
WE SAW OUR FIRST ALLIGATOR, today! He was lying DEAD along the shore, and it wasn’t a pretty picture-so, NO PICTURE!
The river continues to twist and turn with seemingly endless switchbacks! The picture of the Garmin below shows one section of the river.
At MM 45, The Alabama River joins the Tombigbee River and becomes the Mobile River. From this point on, the scenery is more like the Georgia swamps than a river- with a wild and untouched look. There are trees with mistletoe! This area is known to be a bird watcher’s paradise with orioles, kingfishers, osprey, and swallows.
At 4pm, we joined Pontus and Kim Jo IV already anchored at the Tensas River anchorage (MM39). So nice to arrive with plenty of time to get settled before dark. The anchor grabbed on the first drop, the rain has stopped, and Dream Chaser is surrounded by the beauty and quiet of the Tensas River.
By 6 pm, we have completed our dinner of BBQ ribs and sautéed zucchini. We have the evening for reading, a movie, and Monday night football!
The darkness is pierced with a moving bright light and an occasional sweep of a spotlight coming up the river towards us. As the light comes closer and sweeps by Dream Chaser, we can make out through the darkness, men in a boat-a typical swamp boat with a large hound dog on the front howling into the wind! Too bad, it was too dark for a picture!
Tuesday, December 10
TODAY IS THE DAY! Dream Chaser will exit the river system and enter Mobile Bay!
After a peaceful night’s sleep, we woke up to periodic rain and cloudy skies with temps in the mid 40’s. We can’t complain with temps back home in the single digits! Our anchorage for the night, in the Tensas River, turned out to be a great spot-sandy bottom, good current, and good wind protection.
At 6:35 am, Kim Jo IV pulled anchor and motored out, but Pontus was having engine and anchor problems. We hung back until Pontus had their anchor up and one engine powered. We will meet up again at Dog River Marina, our destination for the night.
Within the hour, Pontus had radioed back that their second engine was now working, and soon after, motored past us. We hope they get things checked out in Mobile!
At MM22, We encountered the I-65 bridge called the “Dolly Parton” or “Dolly Varden” bridge. Whether named after Dolly Varden, a fish found in the delta, or after Dolly Parton from the shape of the bridge’s supporting arches, Dolly Parton seems to be the most popular choice!
At MM13.3, the “14 mile” railroad bridge lift bridge was open for us. Thank You, Sir!
At this point, Dream Chaser is motoring through a scenic blend of cypress trees, Spanish moss, marsh grass, loons, and wading shore birds. Along the way, pelicans swoop down to dine on fish. On a sunny day, it would be stunning! Haven’t seen any alligators, today. Too cold! Pictured below, we found these two "quaint" little places along the river. While studying a navionics map, we saw hundreds of backwater pathways in the bayous. Would be fun to have a little boat to go and explore!
HELLO MOBILE!!! At MM 6.0, we saw the city skyline in the distance! The I-90 bridge loomed ahead of us and tow and barge traffic increased.
At MM 0.0, WE HAVE NOW MOTORED FROM TOP OF THE U.S. TO THE BOTTOM!
Mobile Harbor is Alabama’s only seaport and is choked with barges (in fleets) tied to anchor pilings, tows, container ships, ocean going vessels, ships in dry dock, and the U S navy fleet. The busy waterfront is an industrial complex with large shipyards, paper mills, manufacturing plants, refineries, oil terminals, chemical plants, and grain elevators. It is a no wake zone through the harbor.
On our starboard side, we passed the waterfront convention center, maritime center, and carnival cruise line ship terminal. On our port side, we saw the Littoral #4, a combat ship, intended for operations close to shore where speed is needed. Interesting design!
We finally enter Mobile Bay which is wide and shallow with areas outside the shipping channel only 2 ft deep in places. The bay is heavily traveled by commercial vessels, and we met the Happy Diamond of Amsterdam just as we left the harbor. Seagulls were swooping and riding the air currents as we made our way across the bay.
We “battened down the hatches” as it became rougher crossing to the west side of Mobile Bay.
We followed a fairly narrow and shallow channel to get to Dog River Marina. The wind was very strong which created strong waves in this shallow bay. The channel to the marina is is about 5-8 ft deep. As we motored along, sea water sprayed the windows, and we we saw markers for crab pots along the way. The wind was whipping and temps were in the low 40’s, when Mary set the fenders for dockage. BRRRRR! One of the dock men, mentioned that it was in the 80’s yesterday. DARN!
At 12:15 pm, Dream Chaser joined Pontus at the gas dock. We filled her tanks with diesel, got pumped out, filled the water tanks, and slipped her into her dockage for the night. Dream Chaser is prepped to go, again!
It was a quiet afternoon on the boat at the dock. We cleaned the boat, attached the new anchor, and planned the trip west to Florida, etc.
For dinner, we met Chris, a captain of an 87 ft Coast Guard cutter, at the Boiling Pot, a local seafood spot. Chris is Greg Fall's son-in-law who is stationed in Mobile, AL. Greg is our good friend who joined us for the first week of our journey from Madeline Island to south of Chicago. We had really great food (fish, shrimp, and oysters) and great conversation. We are planning for the Gulf crossing.
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