Columbus to Demopolis
The ALL BLACKS WON, ALL BLACKS WON,
ALL BLACKS WON, ALL BLACKS WON. This was the world champion rugby
tournament played in England for those who don't know & the All
Blacks are the NZ team. Just thought I'd mention it, never saw the
game but hope to catch up with a replay, commiserations to the
Aussies – you got second.
Our final night at Columbus was a
shared dinner with our 2 other boat buddies kindly hosted on Liz &
Bob's boat. We left early next
morning to an anchorage that we knew others maybe heading towards.
From here on marinas & good anchorages are few & far between.
The first lock was already open for our 3 boats plus a couple of
others & then a straight run to the next lock – also open. Here
sat the last steam powered Snag boat, The USS Montgomery, that kept
the waterways clear of logs & jams The day was cool &
overcast but no rain. We're still searching for the sun – things
are decidedly damp. There are more dwellings on the bank then
previous days and the trees haven't got the autumn colours as we saw
earlier in the north. We made good time and anchored @ 3pm in Sumter
Recreation Area. At nightfall there were 8 boats there.
Today the Ten-Tom
Waterway ends & we begin the last stretch towards Mobile – the
Black Warrior – Tombigbee Waterway. The water way has less canals
and the river winds in large oxbows, 180degree turns & switch
backs. In one instance we travelled 3 miles to gain a distance south
of only 1000ft. The river is full of debris from small floating
branches to large logs. The worst are deadheads (large logs jammed in
the bottom with only the top part showing ) and large water laden
ones just under the surface. Any ripple or waves on the water
disguise them. Dredging the river bed and locks releasing water cause
the debris to flow. We need every eye & constant attention in
these areas – then of course when it looks all clear a deadhead or
semi sunken log appears suddenly. Between the 3 of us I think we may
have hit 3 (that we know of) – a bent prop is usually the result
of a good hit. Bob has found it's safest to travel at the back. The
day was warmer, with no sun but no rain either. We arrived at
Demopolis Marina late afternoon & took the courtesy car to town
to a recommended bistro that unfortunately did not live up to the
commendation – poor food, poor service, bad lighting, forgotten
items, a medium steak came blackened & dried out, croutons in the
salad were dried bread – but, as always, the company was good.
Another
day at the marina to replenish supplies & do laundry. Spent the
afternoon by the pool as the sun had come out & some of us swum &
some of us didn't (70degrees F) & the knitting enthusiasts
knitted. Liz has decided to join Jane in her knitting endeavour (she
is a previous knitter). That night it was “Movin' On's turn to do
the shared meal but hosted on “Knot Sew Easy”. Although our boat
could fit 6 people around the table it would not have been able to
fit 6 settings on the
table. Also Liz had twisted her ankle the day before after falling
down a stair in her galley – nothing broken but a lot of swelling –
so the less distance she had to move the better.
The captain's
meeting last night was co-ordinated so that the bulk of the boats
left at the same time to help the lockmaster lock us all through. But
there had been a warning about fog & sure enough at 5.15am a
northbound tow reported thick fog. On the lockmaster's recommendation
we delayed leaving for 45mins & then got the call to go. Eight
boats headed to the lock at about 6.15am and after exiting the lock
we travelled for about an hour before we got into thick fog and
stayed in it until about 9.am. With radars on & running lights we
just hoped we wouldn't meet a large tow looming out of it.
Fortunately our lead boat has AIS & that helps warn of coming
traffic. We reached our next anchorage – Bashi Creek which was
fairly tight requiring stern anchors. So 2 rafted up (stern to bow) &
we anchored forward & tied to them using them as our stern
anchor. We had made good time (62 n.ml) & spent a pleasant
afternoon on our back decks telling stories (well the guys did),
knitting, & having the occasional drink – one of which was a
cocktail made by Bob for us all. Colin's & mine was expertly
passed to us by delicately balancing them on a boat hook (see photo).
We left Bashi Creek
at the leisurely hour of 8.30 to travel 23 n.ml to Bobby's Fish Camp.
Ben had trouble being the last boat out. He had to turn around &
thinks he rolled on a dead head - maybe – but something hit &
stopped his engine. Fortunately he got moving again. We visited the
restaurant for the famed cat fish dinner,& it lived up to it's
reputation – good people & authentic atmosphere.
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