Waiting in the Rain

There are at least 16 Looper Boats sitting in the rain at the Columbus, MS Marina today.  The good news is that we no longer need to be concerned that we might get to Demopolis, AL before the end of Hurricane season.  Because of the boat insurance most boaters are required to wait until Nov. 1^st before going further toward Mobile Bay. We have enjoyed this time out here but now we are anxious to move on to warmer weather.

Last night Walter pulled off a great surprise for me!  An anniversary party to celebrate our 49 years together.  

Most did not know about the party until hours before hand but about 30 people showed up for the barbecue dinner and one couple even made us a card!!  Here are a few folks that joined the fun:

And here's the old couple!

Rain predicted to quit mid morning tomorrow when we plan to drop the lines and continue on the TN-Tombigbee Waterway.   

All My Yesterdays

All my Yesterdays were blessed because of you, My Captain....

Who would have thought that day in that little church, 49 years ago today, that I would be here on the water with you having the best Adventure yet?!

Looking forward to All Our Tomorrows!

A Little House Hunting in Columbus, MS

We thought the best place to start would be the Visitor Center. Turned out this Welcome Center was the childhood home of the Playwright, Tennessee Williams.   His father traveled a lot so he lived with his grand father, a pastor for St. Paul's Episcopal church and this house was the rectory for that church. The house, built in 1875, was going to be flattened when the church wanted to expand so the city of Columbus bought the house and moved it a few blocks to this spot.

 Front of house

Back of house

This 1873 organ is in the front room in the Williams' home and still works... the hostess at the home played it for us.

This is a sample of the wood work in this beautiful old home.

We toured the upstairs and then went on a driving tour around the historical district.  Here is my favorite house.

This antebellum home, built in 1843, is called “Whitehall”.   Most all these old home are on National register of Historical American buildings.  Even though they are privately owned and have people actually living in them, they are opened once or twice a week for the public.

Then we drove a few miles to Waverley Mansion built in 1852.

The first thing we noticed was the 250 year old magnolia tree in the front yard! The great grandchildren of the original owners of this once 2,000 acre cotton plantation climbed it.

Inside the Mansion you are not allowed to take photos.  But the guide said I could stand just outside the door and take pictures. Here is the view as you enter the front door.  This is a self-supporting staircase.  It has 719 spindles! 

In this photo I am standing just outside the back door looking into same front foyer.   Notice the red appearing glass all around the front door.  It shows up because of the light behind it and is made with some gold dust in the panes making it look red.

Here is a sample of the patterned glassed used downstairs in the transoms over the doors....I was outside on the porch to photograph this.

This is taken from just outside the second story balcony door.

There are four rooms off this second floor balcony. There are 3 balconies... but we were only allowed on the first one.  We were told there is attic space off the second floor balcony and just an observation area on the 4^th or top floor. This home is unique because of the open space going all the way from the entry floor to the 4^th floor copula. 

The Captain has just told me we are NOT leaving tomorrow as planned... WHY do I plan??!  Tomorrow IS a special day.... but why can't we be on the water?... hummmm???

Time Out

For the three people that actually missed us & our blog and let us know that you were concerned, we want to say thank you and let you know we are fine and enjoying a few days of rest.  There was a traffic jam of Looper boats here on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway so we decided to pull off the river and let the parade pass us.  We are planning on being under weigh on Wednesday this week.

Also, one person mentioned that the tracker had stopped in the middle of a canal. Yep!  Sure did.  Walter spent some time on the phone today talking to the Delorme folks...only answer is to mail the device back to them to let them fix it.  So we are presently looking up tracking apps that can be downloaded on the Iphone...we will let you know if we find something that will work for us.  We thought the family at least might want to know where we are when doing the 20 hour overnight crossing of the Gulf of Mexico.  By the way, still looking for one or two folks to go along on the Gulf trip to keep one of us awake.

Now here is a real yacht that came into our marina late today for fuel an and overnight slip.

We have come 3,680 nautical miles or 4,232 statue miles!  We are more than half way around the Loop.  And I'm still lovin' it!

God has so blessed us with this Adventure!

A Short Day on the Tenn-Tom Waterway

We rose early in 39 degree weather to try to get into the Aberdeen Lock first thing.

But barge traffic was reported by the Lock master so I had plenty of time to do the breakfast dishes......a rare thing before we leave anchorages or docks.

The lock next reported that they would be ready for us about 9a or 930a. So, being a little ways from the lock, we pulled out at 8:40a. We slowly ease out into the winding channel that we had taken in last night in fading light. I was amazed seeing this in daylight! So many trees, stumps and weeds!......the Captain carefully threaded Miss gg out of the harbor.

Again, we were six boats in the lock... this time including one sail boat.   Leaving the lock.

This was the only tow we saw today...the one that had been ahead of us in the lock early this morning. He was pushing only two barges, one barge wide. The Tug's name was “Sporster”. 

Calm quiet Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway today.

We found it warmer here.. ..72 degrees...yea! It was sunny and not much wind so it felt wonderful.  Maybe I was just thinking of Florida's warmer climes but the office here right in front of our boat dock reminded me of Florida houses.

Here we are on our dock today arriving at 1230p.  Walter is filling the water tank... still have our fenders down from the last lock.

This is a great example of how generous and kind boaters are... these folks on the boat in front, “Sa Sea Sally”, are Loopers towing a small broken down motor boat. They could not go fast as the smaller boat's motor would not lift up out the water. They towed it over 3 hours to get it here!

The Dock party usually happens on the first night in port.... everyone always brings their own beverage but tonight we were asked not to bring snacks... seems some Loopers have realized they are eating too much.  REALLY?!   The First Mate's Club of Columbus, MS.  

Afterward, a bunch went out to dinner... we usually decline joining the dinner group because it is too late and too much food for the elderly...... who ever they are??!!

Where is Salty?!

Today was a very LONG day...over 63 miles & SIX locks!  From 730a to 6p. Whew!    It was around 50 degrees when we woke this morning before the alarm. The anchor alarm had gone off only once early in the night...the Captain checked the anchor, everything was fine and we were quickly back to sleep.

We got up before 6a and looked for everything we could find to put on to keep us warm including long underwear.  I wore two heavy sweaters, one wool and then my rain jacket which is a great wind breaker. The air feels a lot cooler on a moving boat on the water!

When the Captain called me to duty I had not yet finished layering my clothes...yikes!  I had just found the pair of wind breaker pants I sometimes zip over my jeans when hiking in the cold.  Doggone it!    It would have been nice to have them to wash down the anchor!….....would have kept me dryer.

Walter had heard someone call the lock and we were clear to come on in but still had about 2 miles to the lock and the lock master also said there was a barge coming from down river..... we wanted to beat him. We knew the others who had anchored.. at least 4....... wanted to leave early but it seemed no one else was awake and moving so the Captain proceeded to swing around them all tooting Miss gg's horn.  Soon we were all racing for the lock with a couple of second mates groaning on the radio about not yet having their coffee.  But where was Salty??????  Remember that little boat that visited us last night?

Then we heard a boat at the nearby marina call the lock and say he could be there in 15 minutes. But the lock master told him there were boats already in the lock so hurry up and that boat came back with, “Okay, be there in 10 min.!” I wondered still about Salty?..... but here he came!

And here he is tied up in the lock.

Then, moving fast, came the boat from the Marina, “Priorities”

 All the Loopers were now in the lock with the gates closing.

This is what greeted us coming out of the first lock.

We were so hoping all the remaining 5 locks would be as easy with no barge traffic to wait on but at the very next lock we had to wait until a barge locked up.  So we circled around for one hour and ten minutes....no place for us to tie up and Miss gg can hardly go slow even on one engine!

Here the barge/tow is passing us and we are all headed into the lock.

But where is salty?! Turned out he got to save fuel by tying up at a nearby dock... where it was WAY too shallow for the rest of us! Here he comes!

Miss gg out of the lock & heading down the Tenn-Tom.

Seems the last in the lock, “Salty” in most cases, was the first out.

Then we had one more time of waiting for one hour & 20 min. Where was Salty?  He had run up on a nearby beach to wait!  No fair!

Then finally this guy came out of the lock.  We were grateful his whole tow could lock up in one locking instead of having to separate his load.

And again coming out of the lock first was that little rascal, Salty!  

  Aberdeen, MS....Cars, Trains & boats!

All the others had reservations at a marina for tonight but we had planned on and were really looking forward to anchoring out... we told the others to go ahead while we searched all the anchorages along the way near Aberdeen.  ALL had stumps in them or weeds... just no where to go... then one last area... if we had turned in there we would have been facing directly into the setting sun. That was a dangerous proposition here with all the deadheads (under water stumps) we passed and we were running out of daylight.  So we turned down toward the marina and got the last place on their wall!  Glad for power hook up on the dock tonight cause it's going down to 39 in the morning!  

We have accomplished going through half the locks on our way to Mobile Bay... we have one more first thing in the morning and then we will be stopping in Columbus, MS. ... just a short cruise tomorrow.  Hurray!  

The Beginning of the Tenn-Tom Waterway

The day began with a rain shower so we delayed a little. 

By 10a we were pulling around to the fuel dock where we got a pump out and topped off the fuel which should get us to Mobile Bay.   Lot's of folks were leaving this morning and few came by to say good-bye.  I wanted to stay another day and get a hair cut but the Florida boy alias "The Captain" wanted to head south as soon as possible.... and actually I was cold, too!  It was 55 degrees on the dock this morning.  Here are some captains from other boats cheering when I told them it was 88 degrees in San Juan......but can we make it there today??!

As you can see it was a cloudy day which made it feel even colder. Under this bridge begins the Canal, which is the first part of the man-made Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway or the Tenn-Tom. 

Railroad bridge along the canal.

Earlier we had been passed by “Salty”, a cute little trailerable C-Dory with a young couple aboard that we met in Frankfort, MI.  It has just one large outboard engine.

We saw them again after the railroad bridge. They had docked near a bridge and were walking along carrying two large gas cans. So we slowed way down to make sure they were okay.

Their plan was to walk one mile to town for the gas they needed and eat lunch while there. Those cans aren't too heavy to carry empty but very heavy when filled with fuel.  But they said they have saved much $ by getting gas in towns instead of on docks. Turned out they didn't walk far before they got a ride and the helpful man that picked them up went back to the boat three times with them to fill the tank and THEN gave them his truck to go get lunch!  We just keep meeting so many incredible people!   

After this bridge,

 which is Mississippi Highway 70, the canal ended and we were then  in beautiful Bay Springs Lake.

The sun came out and we could see one Looper already anchored in one of the "Five Fingers".....these are coves off the lake near the first lock we will be going through tomorrow.

We puttered around for nearly 45 minutes trying to find a good anchorage.  Most were deeper than we wanted.  Anchor chain: You are suppose to put out 5X the height of the deck to the bottom of the water.  If you have to put out a lot of anchor chain then you must have plenty of swing room......and every place we tried was too narrow for the length of chain you would have to put out.  If you are using rope you must put out even more anchor line.

This is our anchorage....we finally found a good spot with only 15 feet depth and are now secured on the “hook”.  When the engines finally quit today it was as quiet as soft cotton... not one sound......awesome!   The wind was barely blowing but Miss gg still moves around a lot but silently.  Good sleeping tonight!

Just before I started dinner the young couple on Salty came for a visit. They rafted up to us (tied to our boat) and came aboard. Brooke and Jonathan are from Indian River, FL.  Just kids compared to most of the folks doing the Loop. They anchor out most nights unless there is a free dock and they can even shower on their tiny boat with over board water... don't think they will be doing that tonight however. Brrrr!

We have seen lots of tow/barge traffic and wonder what tomorrow will bring as we try to get through 4 locks. The next day is always unknown and that is what makes this an Adventure!  See you down river......

Docktails with Old & New Friends

Many Looper boats came into Grand Harbor today and it sure was fun catching up with these special people we have not seen since the Flood of the Hudson and the Mohawk Rivers in New York back in June!  People like George & Mary pictured here from their boat “Beach Quest”.   George is standing behind Mary.

George had tried to lower his boat by taking off things from the top so he could get under the bridges on the Hudson because the Erie Canal was going to be closed another couple of weeks and they had already waited a long time.  However, the first bridge out of Waterford, NY took off part of the top of his boat so he was delayed for some major repairs.

Here is a group of three couples, the couple next to Walter are our newest friends. The other two couples are from “Journey” cat and “Harmony”.  

More New Friends at the party tonight.

The Best for last:  The view down river tonight.

Red at Night.... Sailor's Delight!