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Great Loop II Date: 10/23/2014

The days are becoming noticeably shorter. Early morning starts are a habit. The routine is…routine.

What does change was the scenery, meeting new folks at marinas and renewing friendships from ports visited previously. Each port becomes busier with docktails, trips to restock OB and catching up chores around the boat. Time underway is spent watching for markers and helping in navigation.

This part of the Loop resembles our first Loop Adventure in 2010. Blogging becomes difficult to keep up with. In an effort to catch up, lumping together a group of ports is a necessity, especially as we prepare for the Big Bend crossing.

Day # 69 (10/08/2014-Wednesday): 66 miles (1856 total miles)
Locks: 1 (13 total locks)
Port #32: Counce, TN
Marina: Grand Harbor

Counce, TN was where we would part from the Tennessee River and begin moving south through the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Tombigbee River and the Black Warrior River. In 2010, this part of the trip took us 12 days moving every single day.

We picked up anchor in Double Island on another beautiful, calm fall morning. Our trip to the Pickwick Lock took about 6 hours. We slowed our pace to 5 mph when the lockmaster told us it would be about 3 ½ hours before we could lock through. Even at that slow speed we were there in about 2 hours. The lockmaster was able to get us into the auxiliary lock fairly shortly and had us on our way in less than 45 minutes.

OB was greeted at Grand Harbor Marina by many Loopers. This was their stop before going to Joe Wheeler State Park and the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous. It was our last stop before our run down the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile Bay in Alabama.

Day # 72 (10/12/2014-Sunday): 56 miles (1912 total miles)
Locks: 3 (16 total locks)
Port #33: Fulton, MS
Marina: Midway Marina

During our Loop in 2010, we stopped at Bay Springs, MS before the Tenn-Tom Dirty Dozen began. Those are the 12 Locks we would transit before arriving at Mobile Bay. The locks themselves aren’t bad. It’s the wait time for barges coming through the locks that can destroy a day when daylight is a premium.

We arrived at Bay Springs early in the day and barge traffic seemed very light. I called the first lock and it was empty and waiting for us. We decided to try to make the next marina at Fulton, MS. We knew there was a line of severe weather working its way across the USA and wanted to get as far as we could before another weather delay would slow our progress.

Our trip was fairly easy with few barges along the way. Each of the next two locks were waiting for us with their doors open. We arrived at Midway Marina mid-afternoon and set in for an extra day to wait out the weather.

Day # 74 (10/14/2014-Tuesday): 60 miles (1972 total miles)
Locks: 4 (20 total locks)
Port #34: Columbus, MS
Marina: Columbus Marina

Another day of making good time led the crew on OB to add just one more lock to the day. The three previous locks had been fairly quick with no waiting.

The fourth lock proved to be the anchor in our day. The lockmaster told us he had a barge approaching northbound and he had emptied the lock to accommodate it. Todd looked at the AIS that tells us where the barges are and found this barge was 3 ½ miles from the lock. It would take the barge 1 ½ hours to get to the lock. The lockmaster had time to fill the lock, take us as well as another waiting boat down in the chamber and still be ready for the incoming barge long before it got there. However, this particular lockmaster decided to slow our progress for reasons unknown to us. We tooled around in circles for the 1½ hours.

The Columbus Marina was new to us. We had not stayed here in 2010. The dockmaster brought us into the fuel dock and tied us up there. Since we were only staying overnight, it wasn’t a problem for us or the marina.

Day # 75 (10/15/2014-Wednesday): 65 miles (2037 total miles)
Locks: 2 (22 total locks)
Port #35: Gainsville, AL
Anchorage: Sumpter Landing

The Columbus Lock was situated directly in front of the channel leading to Columbus Marina. We called the lock at daybreak. The lockmaster said he’d have the lock ready in 15 minutes. We dropped our lines and made way to the lock.

As our luck would have it, on the approach into the lock we heard a loud thump. I looked behind us and up popped a deadhead. We alerted the lockmaster about the deadhead however he didn’t sound very interested.

Our trip was full of barge traffic. We must have passed 4 or 5 barges. Passing them doesn’t slow us down but it can slow our progress with the locks.

We anchored in a nice little cove off of the Tombigbee River near a state park campground and boat ramp. This was familiar to OB. We had anchored here in 2010 with 7 other boats. This night we were by ourselves except for one campsite with some fishermen and a lone johnboat that was tied off on shore.

Day # 76 (10/16/2014-Thursday): 54 miles (2091 total miles)
Locks: 1 (23 total locks)
Port #36: Demopolis, AL
Marina: Kingfisher Marina

The nights got colder and the river water was still warm. That led to mornings with an increased chance of fog. We had been very lucky not to have the fog that delayed us in 2010. However once we entered the river this morning, a dense mist was rising from the water. At this point in the trip, since most of our travel is southbound the sun is directly in our eyes through the morning. The sun and the mist made navigation a little tricky. Again, all our electronics made even this situation safer with our radar, chart plotters, and AIS.

We were looking forward to our next port. We knew two Looper couples from our first Loop were staying in Demopolis. We hadn’t seen Jim and Sharon (Blue Angel) or Bobbie and Keith (Kim Jo IV) since 2011. We all keep in touch through Facebook but it is always a treat to visit with friends in person.

Jim met us at the dock. We had a wonderful visit with both couples once we had OB settled in. Both couples are preparing their boats to come into the Gulf for the winter and we look forward to catching up with them both in the Cape Coral area as well as the Bahamas.

Day # 78 (10/18/2014-Saturday): 97 miles (2188 total miles)
Locks: 1 (24 total locks)
Port #37: Silas, AL
Marina: Bobby’s Fish Camp

The Demopolis Yacht Basin is another marina just above the lock. At daybreak I called the lock and the lockmaster was locking a barge through. He said it was going to be a very busy day and we’d need to come as soon as he called us on the VHF radio. That call came 15 minutes later. As soon as we started our engines and began to move from the dock, not only our neighboring boat came with us as planned, two other boats we didn’t expect came out as well. It wasn’t a problem until we realized one of the boats did not have a radio or AIS.

As we traveled throughout the day, the boat without the radio proved to be a nuisance as well as a danger to navigation. He was ahead of us by about three quarters of a mile so the barges would spot him on their radar. They would see us on their AIS and equate to two as one. Worse yet, this part of the river system is very narrow and very winding. The barges would call for us and alert us to pass on the one whistle (portside) or the two whistle (starboard). Todd or I would have to call back and alert them that they were seeing a boat with no radio and that we, in fact, were still quite a distance from the problem boat. More often than not the radioless boat would pass on the wrong side of the barge! It proved to be a very stressful day as we tried to stay back and out of harms way.

Once we arrived at Bobby’s Fish Camp, we met two of the three men from the problem boat. They said their radio didn’t work so they just left it off. We asked if they were receiving transmissions on the radio. They said they thought they were. We mentioned they might want to leave the radio on since the tow captains were talking to them and telling them which side they wanted them to pass on. Then the mentioned their captain was crippled and in a wheelchair. We were dumbfounded.

After this conversation, Todd and I and the crew from another boat met at Bobby’s for their famous catfish. Bobby’s has changed since we were there in 2010. The catfish is better and they use real plates now. The restaurant seems cleaner, too. The maitre’d is very welcoming, their staff is happy and interacts with the patrons.

Day # 79 (10/19/2014-Saturday): 83 miles (2271 total miles)
Locks: 1 (25 total locks)
Port #38: Mt. Vernon, AL
Anchorage: Tensas (Tensaw) River

OB was rafted off the boat that we had visited with at dinner. Neither of us wanted to be near the radioless boat and hoped they’d stay put until we were well down river. We arose at our normal early hour, I called the lock and the lockmaster had the lock ready for us. We casted off, as did our buddy boat and headed for the lock. All seemed quiet on the problem boat.

Once in the lock, we waited for what seemed an eternity before the lockmaster closed the doors and started our lock down. We all breathed a sigh of relief. We’d never leave a boat in trouble. However, the crew of the radioless boat had merely laughed off our concern about their situation and the problem they had presented to the barges as well as us. Their intention was to continue on their way without a radio.

The lock doors opened, we waved goodbye to the other boat we knew would go much faster than us and said goodbye to our last lock until we are well up the East Coast in late May.

Todd wound OB through the twists and turns of the Tombigbee, the Black Warrior and the Mobile River until we turned into our anchorage in the Tensas River. Some charts and maps list it as the Tensaw River. At any rate, it was a peaceful anchorage for our last night in the rivers heading south.

Day # 80 (10/20/2014-Sunday): 55 miles (2326 total miles)
Locks: 0 (25 total locks)
Port #39: Mobile, AL
Marina: Dog River Marina

Todd and I were excited to get today under our belt. It wasn’t a bad day, it was just exciting to know we were about to be back in saltwater and closer to our home in Cape Coral. All our planning now would be our movement along the Panhandle region of Alabama and Florida to our Big Bend crossing from Carabelle to Tarpon Springs.

As the day progressed, the area began to have more saltwater scrub trees and palm trees. Coming down the Mobile River into Mobile Bay is not very pretty with all the freighters and barges being loaded and downloaded. There is a major ship builder that assembles Littoral Combat Ships for the Navy. Two of those ships were in the water outside of the dry dock. The city of Mobile sits in the background of all the clutter in the shipping channel.

After we were in Mobile Bay, dolphins were dancing at OB’s bow and alongside. It was exciting to see dolphins again. Before long we were taking our course in a channel that would take us into Dog River and our marina for the next few days.

Dog River Marina has a good maintenance facility. Once again we were in need of work on OB. Her alternators were not charging the batteries during our last two days. The maintenance folks tested the alternators and found no output. They sent them to be rebuilt. The turnaround was 48 hours. We were amazed and happy.

Day # 83 (10/23/2014-Thursday): 52 miles (2378 total miles)
Locks: 0 (25 total locks)
Port #40: Orange Beach, AL
Marina: Orange Beach Marina

Our next leg would take us right to the Florida State Line where we would wait until we could find out from the insurance company if we could have a few days grace period on our insurance guidelines. We aren’t supposed to take OB into Florida waters until November 1st, the official end of hurricane season (although hurricanes can occur well into November). We decided to go to Orange Beach, AL since we’d not been there in 2010 nor had we been there by car.

Mobile Bay was a little choppy when we crossed it however as we came into the lee of the east shore, the chop smoothed into a comfortable ride. Once we entered the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, the beautiful white sands appeared along with palm trees and a lot of new homes since we were last here.

We stopped at Lulu’s in Gulfshores, AL for lunch. Lucy B. Goode is Jimmy Buffet’s sister. She started a small diner in the 70’s. Eventually the state of Alabama refused to renew her lease on the land where her little restaurant stood. She found land on the GIWW and she with some friends loaded the restaurant lock, stock and barrel onto a barge and moved it to its present location. Her reputation grew and so did the restaurant.

As we approached Lulu’s, Gina from Island Time came running out waving her arms. It’s so much fun running into our Looper friends. Gina and Steve are from Cape Coral. We met them last year when she and another Looper friend (Kitty) put together a docktails in the Cape for Loopers and Looper-Wanabees. It took forever for us to finally catch up with them.  Our first meeting was at Grafton, IL. Since then we’ve been chasing them and it probably will continue that way until we get to the Cape!

We had lunch with them and fine conversation. We’re all anxious to get back to our Florida home stomping grounds.

After lunch, Todd and I made way with OB to Orange Beach Marina where we will sit until we get an okay from the insurance company or November 1st. At this point, we are seven ports away from putting OB in her dock behind our house in Cape Coral. She will enjoy basking in the sun there, with a few side trips, until March when we will close up our house and head for the Bahamas. At least that’s the plan.

As we make our run through the Panhandle of Florida and down the GIWW on the West Coast of Florida, I will try to keep the blog somewhat caught up. You may see more of grouping ports together. Stay tuned…there’s more adventure ahead!

 Great Loop II Date: 10/07/2014
Day # 68 (Tuesday): 53 miles (1790 total miles)
Locks: 0 (12 total locks)
Port #31: Clifton, TN
Anchorage: Double Island

Although the crew on OB was very tempted to stay at Pebble Isle a day or two, we’d fallen behind our schedule with the prop repair as well as the weather delays. We couldn’t really come up with an excuse to extend our stay.

The day started off overcast and finally broke into partly cloudy skies. There was less wind than the day before. The landscape continued to change as the Tennessee River narrowed. Throughout this part of the trip, there was evidence the river was a lower than normal winter pool.

Some fall colors were beginning to peep through.

Nice little farm nestled in the trees.

New housing had popped up since our last trip.  It took away the rural nature of the area.

We saw more limestone outcroppings and higher hills.

We continued to navigate around the barge traffic.

Cypress trees were more prevalent.

We could see the water levels were well into winter pool.

The top line on the rocks is were the water level is at summer pool.  The water levels are controlled by the dams.  Here it was controlled by Barkley Dam (that we left behind at Green Turtle Bay) and Pickwick Dam (our next lock and dam before Grand Harbor).

Some of the scenes were reminiscent of our 2010 adventure. All in all, these next miles that took us eventually to Yellow Creek and the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway held some of my favorite scenery.

We saw this old grounded tow in 2010.  I mentioned something about a ‘hard grounding’.  It was by itself at that time.

This time there was obvious work going on nearby with dredgings from shoaled areas being deposited there.

The anchorage we chose was one Blue Angel and Miss Ruby stayed in during 2010. A severe thunderstorm chased OB, Sea Estate and N II Wishin into Mermaid Marina that evening. Blue Angel and Miss Ruby had great protection during that storm so we felt this was an excellent place to put down our anchor.

Charlie found his comfortable spot.

A beautiful setting with the full moon rising.

Double Island was wide with a good bottom and our anchor took a sturdy hold. We enjoyed a quiet evening watching the full moon rise to our east. We hoped we’d see some of the Blood Moon early in the morning.

I awoke at 2:30AM to the rattle of our AGLCA burgee above our heads. That’s a small penant flag we fly on the bow to denote that we are Loopers. I got up to check the weather and saw lightening to our north. I closed the boat up and checked the weather radar online.

A strong line of thunderstorms was heading in our direction. I decided to stay up and ride out the storm. Once again OB hung well on her anchor. However, the cloud cover kept me from seeing the Blood Moon.

Great Loop II Date: 10/06/2014
Day # 67 (Monday): 38 miles (1737 total miles)
Locks: 0 (12 total locks)
Port #30: New Johnsonville, TN
Marina: Pebble Isle Marina

At sunrise, the skies cleared and the wind subsided making for a better day for travel. We pulled anchor and headed OB for our next destination, Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. Pebble Isle was one of our favorite stops during our 2014 Loop. It is run by some of the friendliest, most conscientious folks we’ve run into on the Loop.  Besides that they have the best catfish and hushpuppies I’ve ever had.

On the way we passed the Bridge to Nowhere closely followed by the old abandoned granary. Many structures of a civilization that used to reside in the area lay on the bottom of the Kentucky Lake. Construction of the dam began in 1938. It was completed in 1944 and the land alongside the Tennessee River began to flood and eventually became Kentucky Lake. The old Louiseville-Nashville RR Bridge was one of those structures as was the granary that resided just down the road.

Ft.Heiman anchorage is behind this bluff.  It looked like a great place to drop the hook.

Some nice homes began to appear on the shoreline here and there.

The Old Louisville-Nashville RR Bridge…the Bridge to Nowhere.

The abandoned granary.

OB’s home amid the gathering of Loopers.

One big happy family awaiting the catfish feast.

Great Loop II Date: 10/05/2014
Day # 66 (Sunday): 38 miles (1699 total miles)
Locks: 0 (12 total locks)
Port #29: Fort Henry, TN
Anchorage: Panther Bay

With OBs shiny wheels on, the crew was more than ready to get back underway. We pulled away from the dock at Green Turtle Bay at sun up. The buoy markers were confusing coming out of the marina into Barkley Lake. We picked our way through the area, moved through the cut from Barkley Lake and were soon in Kentucky Lake and headed south.

Another gorgeous sunrise.

Land Between The Lakes (LBL) was on our port side (to the east) as we moved down Kentucky Lake. The landscape was changing with more hills filled with dense woods. The skies were clear, the sun was shining and the wind was so strong out of the south, there were white caps on the lake. We saw very little commercial traffic.

We passed this interesting looking commercial vessel, the Delta Mariner.  This boat carries Delta and Atlas V rockets from Decatur, AL to Cape Canaveral, FL.  We may see her again during our trip up the AICW next spring.

The hills disappear right into the lake.  I made me wonder what this looked like before it was flooded to create the lake.

The sailing line kept us near the Land Between the Lakes.

The LBL area was engineered by Tennessee Valley Authority with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers to create a recreation area on a peninsula of land created by the Cumberland River and the Kentucky River. Prior to that it was known as ‘Between the Rivers’.

The Confederates built Fort Henry on LBL during the Civil War. That fort fell in 1862, Kentucky declared itself a neutral state and the area saw little war action afterward. FD Roosevelt developed the New Deal, created the TVA, dams were built on the Tennessee River, Barkley Lake and Kentucky Lake were created.

We had planned to anchor in a cove called Fort Heiman, another Confederate installation during the Civil War. It was well protected on all sides but the south, the direction the strong wind was coming from. So we changed our plans and decided to anchor in Panther Bay, an anchorage we used during our 2010 Loop. The south bay of Panther is tucked in and well protected from the south.

When we arrived at Panther Bay, a lone sailboat was anchored at the opening into the south bay. We passed him and moved further in the bay to anchor. Well protected from the wind, we had a quiet night. A thunderstorm came through early in the morning. OB moved around her anchor but the anchor held her firm.

Panther Bay, our home for tonight.

The mastless sailboat anchored at the opening of the south branch of Panther Bay.  Sailboats doing the Loop usually have their masts shipped from Chicago to Mobile Bay because of fixed bridges with low clearance along the route.

Sunset on a fantastic evening at anchor.

The thunder woke me up before the alarm clock.  That black star is OB.  No problem…we were anchored well and very protected by the hills around us.

Great Loop II Date: 9/27/2014

Day # 58 (Saturday): 49 miles (1661 total miles)

Locks: 2 (12 total locks)

Port #28: Grand Rivers, KY

Marina: Green Turtle Bay Marina

The crew had a wonderful night’s sleep. The Admiral (PSR) was up at 4:45AM, the coffee was perking and it was time to check with the Lockmaster at Lock 52 about locking through. The same Lockmaster was on duty. He wanted to know if he kept the waters quiet enough for a good sleep. I laughed and thanked him for the peaceful night. He invited us to come on over, the lock was open. I asked if we could wait until daybreak so we could see the water better and he agreed.

Sunrise…the lights at Lock 52 are on the left.

At daybreak, anchors were hoisted and OB was underway with Infinite Sea falling in behind. The day crew was on duty by now but hadn’t had that first cup of coffee yet. I told the lockmaster as soon as we got to the top of the lock, he’d have a cup of Starbucks in his hand. He was more than happy to get the locking process underway. At the top, I handed him a cup of Starbucks fresh from our thermos.

Lock 52 awaits!

Stephanie on Infinite Sea works her line.

Leaving Lock 52.

We cruised past Paducah and the entrance that would lead us to the Kentucky Dam. With new adventure planned, Todd and I decided pass up our previous route and take the Cumberland River to Barkley Dam and Lake. This time we decided to stay at Green Turtle Bay Marina near Grand Rivers, KY.

Charlie found his spot.

Last look at the Ohio River.

Once in the Cumberland River, the landscape changed again. The river was narrower and seemed more serene. OB was still pushing her way against the current.

The banks of the Cumberland River.  Some fall colors were beginning to show there.

The Barkley Lock…the lift was 53 feet.

Green Turtle Bay was just around the corner from the dam. After some shuffling, the staff had us in our dock. Infinite Sea made reservations for the four of us at the Yacht Club for dinner. We were all glad to celebrate getting OB into the port where her repairs would be made. Infinite Sea would be moving on toward Joe Wheeler and the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous in a few days. We would stay put until our props were repaired and until we saw our daughter-in-law, Brigette, and our twin granddaughters, McKenzie and Madison.

Sunset the first night after arrival.

OB’s home for 8 days while her props were fixed.

Looper food-in and celebration for a couple who had just crossed their wake, earned their Gold Looper flag and BaccaLooperate Degree.

No trip to Green Turtle Bay is complete without a trip to Patty’s in Grand Rivers.

That is their Tropical Pork Tenderloin with roasted mixed vegetables.  The left overs made a full meal the next day!

Waiting for OB…

The truth is about to be known…

Chip and some bruising on the Port prop…

…and a little curl on another blade (Port prop).

Nice little curl on the Starboard prop…

…and some bruising…

…another curled blade (Starboard prop).

A little bottom paint was scraped off the keel (that long protrusion at the bottom of the boat…it’s supposed to be black but you can see some white fiberglass showing).

Another view of the keel.

OB’s props were back Thursday afternoon and put back on Friday morning. It was a busy day. Once OB was back in her dock, we picked up a rental car from Enterprise and drove to Greenville to visit Brigette, McKenzie and Madison.

GTBs towboat maneuvering OB into the lift.

OB’s props back from the shop in Iuka, MS.  They always look brand new!

That little thing just to the right of the prop on the shaft is a cutter.  It would cut any line or crab trap line that might try to tangle around the shaft and stop us dead in the water.

This photo shows the scissor like blade on the cutter.  There are actually two blades on the cutter…one is on the other side of the shaft but the prop is in the way.  They are very sharp and they work very well.  We’ve seen the results!  There is a cutter on each of OB’s shafts.

It was wonderful to see David and Brigette’s new home. They have done a lot of renovation with the landlord reimbursing them through breaks in their rental charge. We drove to a wonderful Mexican Restaurant in a town nearby, enjoyed a fantastic meal and had fun back at their home loving up the three of them before bedtime.

Love every chance we get to be with Brigette and our twins.  Just wish David could have been there.  He’s traveling a lot with his new job.

Grandma and her girls !!!

Grandpa and McKenzie having a little teenage chat time.

It’s fun when teenagers still like to cuddle.  The picture is McKenzie’s.  She’s a very good artist and wants to go into graphic design some day.

Todd and I stayed one more day at Green Turtle Bay to catch up some odds jobs on OB. Sunday we would be on our way down the Kentucky Lake and Land Between the Lakes.

Great Loop II Date: 9/26/2014Day # 57 (Friday): 92 miles (1612 total miles)Locks: 0 (10 total locks) Port #27: Metropolis, IL.OB and crew had been very lucky as far as river fog was concerned.  It had been in the forecast for days on end.  Ho…

A beautiful sunrise on a calm and cloudless morning.

We saw many eddies and swirls from the weir dams under the water.

Limestone outcroppings were more frequent.  The eddies and swirls continued from the weir dams.  Some caused big whirlpools in the water that we had to avoid.

Debris left behind from the earlier flooding.  Look closely…there’s a red nun buoy on the left and a green can buoy on the right in the middle of the debris!

We passed this huge quarrying operation.  Notice the water…

Todd was worried one of these machines might fall from the precipice of the quarry.

Loading limestone into the barges.

Tow ready and waiting for loaded barges to be readied for transport.

More limestone outcroppings.

The Kaskaskia River Lock and Dam.  Some Loopers opt to stay here tied off the lock wall.

The Queen of the Mississippi docked at Chester, IL.

Chester, IL. claims to be the birthplace of Popeye.  The Chester Yacht Club proudly advertises it on the side of their club house…’Popeye City’.

More barge traffic as the navigatable part of the river narrows below Chester.

Marker for the sunken tow boat.

Click on the picture to see the weirs in the middle of the river better.

This is the actual track from our Navionics.  It’s easy to see where we hit the weir dam and how we narrowly missed the next two as we moved back into the navigatable part of the river.  Stranger yet, I looked at our log from our 2010 Loop…we hit a log just 5 miles before this point that caused prop damage.  Too much of a coincidence!

This is a picture of a chevron weir dam like the one we hit…only the one we hit was submerged and supposed to be one we could travel over.

These are wing dams.  Weirs are also built like these only they are under water and come from the shore into the river.  Gravel lining the shoreline is a hint there are weir dams coming from the shoreline.

Another hint is the way the water looks.  The water where we were looked like th water on the left…there just wasn’t enough water.

 

A mural wall at Cape Girardeau, MO.

Looking downstream at the Mighty Prop Eating Mississippi River behind us.

Looking upstream in the Little Diversion Canal with Infinite Sea, UnTide, Canadian Flyer and a sailboat in front of us.

 The night was peaceful.  Little Diversion Canal was our anchorage during Loop #1.  It is a place where the boat never moves and we went to sleep listening to crickets and tree frogs.