Durring refueling where fuel is cheap
11/13/08 In search of "cheap" diesel fuel, nine of us Looper boats left the Waterway to travel the winding, shallow route through stumps and standing dead trees to Aberdeen, Mississippi. It was well worth the trip, not only for fuel at $2.69 per gallon, but also for the marvelous hospitality of the owners and employees of this unique convenience store/marina. On the highway side of the store are gas pumps for motor vehicles. Out the back door is a covered porch/fuel dock on a creek with a marina. Only one of our trawlers at a time was able to fuel, and the process for our group went on from 3 PM to 9 PM, with the porch serving as the social center for us, the store customers and employees, and a handful of gawkers. Many of our group bought chicken dinners, a specialty here. When he heard someone wishing for fresh greens, one man went home and returned with mustard greens, collard greens, and green tomatoes from his garden to give to those who wanted them. We stayed overnight, leaving the next morning after buying our breakfast in the store.
11/14/08 to 11/16/08 Columbus, Mississippi, was our weekend stop. Although the days were sunny and lovely, we also had a cold wind while we were here. Nearby is Columbus Air Force Base, site of the largest pilot training program in our country. About 80% of the pilots for all our armed services are trained here.
11/17/08 Continuing our Tenn-Tom trip, we arrived at the Tom Bevill Lock and were told we’d have an hour wait to go through the lock. Nearby was the Corps of Engineers Visitor Center, which had a small dock. One of our traveling companions, Lil’ David, tied to the dock, we rafted to him, and off we went to see what we could. In addition to the visitors center, there was a steam powered snagboat to tour. It was used for many years to clear debris from southern rivers and is now drydocked at the Visitor Center. After the lock, we cruised for 50 miles or so to an anchorage at Cook’s Branch Cutoff. The boat Gulf Cart was already there, but there was still plenty of room for three more. After sunset it started to get chilly and by morning, we were ready to start our generator and turn on the heat!
11/18/08 and 11/19/08 The Howell Heflin Lock was not far away and we were able to go through it without a wait. After our day’s travel, we stopped at a marina in Demopolis, AL. Overnight the temperature went below freezing, and by morning, our decks and the docks were covered with a thin coat of frost. We weren’t aware that water lines to all the boats would be turned off overnight, and that was an unpleasant surprise, especially for those who wanted to fill their water tanks before leaving this morning. There was also fog on the river, and the Demopolis Lock was temporarily closed, so we could not leave until the lockmaster called and said it was OK. He called about 7:30 AM, about an hour later than we had planned. Now we had become a flotilla of 10; the 3 of us (Going There, Lil’ David, and Gilraker) plus 3 (Wanderin’ L&M, C-Life, and Bella Luna) who had left Columbus a day before us, Gulf Cart (Looping now for several years), and 3 other non-Looper boats. An upbound tow had agreed to wait below the lock and let all of us go through first, which was very considerate of him, since he actually had priority.
After the Demopolis Lock, the waterway officially becomes the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway for the remaining 213 miles to Mobile, though few people call it that. We passed or met several tows and saw 2 whitetail deer swimming across the waterway. There are no marinas from Demopolis to Mobile, so we have to find places to anchor. Our destination this day was the mouth of Bashi Creek at a launch ramp. Although we’d been told there wasn’t much space, 7 boats fit in, 2 groups of 3 rafted together and 1 boat anchored singly,
11/20/08 At last–Bobby’s Fish Camp, not a marina, but a family-style catfish restaurant with a 100 foot dock. It was a short trip, less than 30 miles (3 hours at trawler speed). Three of the biggest boats tied to the dock and everyone rafted to them for the night. Captain Chip Lucas, whom we had met before, was on his way to Mobile with a client’s boat and had timed his trip to stop here for supper and overnight. He promised to get all of us through the next lock promptly in the morning by talking to the lockmaster ahead of time. All of us went up to the restaurant for dinner at the same time and most everyone chose whole catfish or catfish filets (both were all you could eat). In due time, our meal arrived, 9 x 12 pans piled high with catfish, french fries, and hush puppies, all fried crispy and golden. We passed the pans around and took as much as we could handle and repeated the process a little later. (Dr. Gerard, this won’t change those cholesterol numbers that much, will it?)
This afternoon and evening were warmer than we’ve had recently, but during the night, a wind came up and really rocked us around.
11/21/08 This morning we started out at 6 AM and reached the Coffeeville Lock before a tow. Standing outside on the gunwale of the boat to hold the line as we were lowered 30 ft. was a chilly job.
A bit later in the morning, a tow announced on the VHF radio that he was approaching a bend in the river and coming northward. We were all southbound and the lead boat agreed to hold our positions and wait for the tow to maneuver around the bend. However, with a brisk wind and the river current, this was difficult to do since there were so many of us. There were some close calls between several boats.
The Alabama River Cutoff was the anchorage tonight and there was plenty of room for 7 boats. Trees overhung the banks on both sides and it seemed like a quiet place, until about 8 PM, when a couple of small boats with headlights sped past, rocking everyone. Early in the morning, just before daylight, that was repeated. We presume they were fishermen or, more likely, hunters, since it was the first day of deer season in Alabama.
11/22/08 Once again, after a very cold night, decks and windshields were frosty and we could see our breath as we worked to get ready to leave. We later learned that the temperature was around 24 degrees-our coldest night. As we traveled toward Mobile, the waterway widened and pelicans skimmed the water in front of us. We looked for alligators, but saw none. It’s too cold for them, I guess. After noon, we passed under the Cochran Bridge over Mobile Bay. Following the shipping channel, we passed military vessels, a cruise ship, the Convention Center, barges, a stealth navy ship, and container ships. We did not stay in Mobile, instead crossing the bay to the Eastern Shore Marina, in Fairhope, AL, where we plan to stay for several days.
Our new neighbor
