The Tennessee Tombigbee waterway goes from the Tennessee River to Mobile, Alabama.

Aqua Marina at the Tennessee line.

After two heavy days of travel we rested three days at Aqua Marina. There was a lot of catching up to do with the web site. Each evening we partied and dined with AnnTicipation and Fine Time.

The highlight of this stop over was our trip to the Shiloh National Monument. We went to the Visitor Center and watched the excellent documentary on this famous Civil war battle. It explained in graphic detail the movements of the two sides over the battlefield. This really helped a lot when we visited the 15 sites on the self guided tour.
 

On the first day of the battle the Confederate Army under General Johnson struck first and got the upper hand.  Johnson was however killed in the battle and was replaced by General Beauregard. The Confederates  pinned down about 2,000 Union troops in an area called the Hornets Nest .  Colonel Runnels established a line of canon that really won the day. >>> They took a few hundred Union troops prisoner in the exchange

Grant withdrew the Tennessee Union Army to a line about a half mile from the river and dug in for the night. That evening, and through the night, the Ohio Union Army arrived and crossed the river to join Grants forces. The next day the fighting resumed and Beauregard outnumbered two to one retreated from Shiloh.

After our tour of the battlefield we went to the bookstore and bought a couple of books about the Civil War. I am well into "A Texas Cavalry Officer's Civil War", the diary and letters of Capt. James C Bates.

I reported to Mike Schwartz, Fine Time, that we had seen a pair of canon from the brigade commanded by a Schwartz from the Ohio Army. The next day Fine Time and AnnTicipation went a second time to Shiloh to visit and check out these canon.

Midway

At Midway Marina we hooked up with  Frank and Sue Clements Dos Amigos for the first time since Hammond Indiana a month earlier. We had benefited from their Email Alerts on where to stay on the rivers when they were ahead of us. That evening we went up the hill with them to dinner. The Catfish Special  was very good. $***

The next day Marion took over driving the boat in the locks and I took over line handling.  It's an easier task for me to handle lines and Marion needs the boat handing experience you get from working the locks.  She had done the steering in the Trent Severn after Sam and Charlotte left the line handling job. We are both happy with the switch.

Aberdeen

Sight seeing drive into town with the Clements... bought Ice Cream for dessert...  ate aboard that evening... Met a new couple on M/V Drifter.  We would travel with them for a while.

The next morning Marion was at the wheel as we entered Stennis lock.  We had the green light and Foile a Deaux was already in the lock on the Starbord wall.  Marion headed to the next to last floating bollard on the port wall.

She brought the boat to a perfect docking. Then, just as I was wrapping the mid-cleat line on the bollard, the lock master called, "Remedy, Remedy, don't tie there... go to the next bollard."

Marion questioned the command, "There isn't room enough for our boat down there."

Then he repeated, "Remedy, go on down to the last bollard."

Marion, not realizing that I was busy cleating the line, obeyed his order and started moving forward.

"Damn it, Marion stop the boat," I shouted.

My right index finger was tangled in the line and was almost caught by the running line on the mid cleat. It could have been broken, or even severed, had I not been able to quickly disengage it.

By now the boat was moving forward and I shouted, "Marion, stop... stop... stop!"

"The Lock master told me I had to move forward."

"There isn't enough room up there." I replied.

"I told him that, but he insisted I move." she came back.

I had been unable to hear the  radio conversations between them, and was taken by surprise when she moved forward.

"Let me take the wheel," I shouted as I bolted up to the fly bridge.

"I'm not driving any more," she said as she went down into the main salon.

There was plenty of chaos for a few moments, but the boat was brought under control and docked to the last bollard.   When I realized she was just doing what the lock master ordered, my anger turned on him. There was no real need for us to move.  He created a dangerous situation by insisting we move just as I was cleating the line.

"Lock master, I want to know what that drill was all about. Why do you have me parked where the door has to swing? We are about 12 feet into the area where the door opens... Our boat will be hit if you open the door. That maneuver you called for was not safe; it could have cost me a finger that was tangled in the line just as we moved forward."

"I'm expecting four more boats and need you to move and free the bollards behind you. I will not hit your boat with the door... I will ask you to move back when the door is opened." he replied.

Fifteen minutes went by and one sailboat came. The lock was closed and we went with four boats on the starboard side and just us on the port side of the lock. When we were down, the lock master had both Dos Amigos and us move out of the way of the doors. As we left he explained that the other boats did not show and apologized for the inconvenience.
 
 

Marina Cove We pulled into Marina cove and fueled up on $1.35 per gallon diesel. With the crew of Dos Amigos we headed out looking for an open restaurant. Found none open on Monday so we ate aboard. We only had a short day of traveling so we went to the Waterway Visitor Center first thing in the morning. The visitor center is housed in a replica of an ante bellum mansion. It is a composite of many of the features found in the Greek styled mansions of the area.

In the center there are many antique items of furniture and fixtures. There is also a large model of the Tenn Tom Waterway... the locks and dams... the lakes and recreation areas. Worth the visit just to see this model.  But there is more... For the same free admission you can visit the Snagboat Montgomery a 1920's steamboat used to keep the rivers clear of hazards to navigation. The crane on the front was used to grapple tree trunks out of the river and dispose of them.

Sumter Landing Our next stop was a delightful anchorage at Sumter Landing. We went ashore by dinghy with Heidi, the Clements lovely Greyhound. She ran and did her duty. Its a lovely recreation area with park facilities... boat ramp.. rest rooms... pavilion... playground... and lots of picnic tables.  Here are the two boats rafted up... Dos Amigos is mostly hidden by Remedy.

 
 

We turned in early that evening.  Next morning we left in a dense fog and used the radar for the first hour to creep along.  The scenery was spectacular at times. Here a is a formation called blue rock along the western bank.

Later in the day we passed two different cliffs of a white chalky stone.  Some have likened these to the cliffs of Dover.

Demopolis

We arrived in time to make dinner at the Bigbee Bistro on site at the Marina. That evening we were again joined by Dave and Monique S/V Seahorse to watch the presidential debates.  It's great how you keep running into the same people on the river.

The next morning we shopped for provisions and cleaned the boat most of the day. Around 4 PM Farfetched and AnnTicipation came into port. We had dinner together at the Bigbee Bistro. $***

We relaxed here for four days and  planned our assault on the lower Tombigbee river. The distance to the  Dog River Marina (below Mobile) is 204 nautical miles and includes two locks. Farfetched chose to do the trip in four days. They left a day ahead of AnnTicipation and Remedy. Don and I chose to do the trip in three days with stops at Bobbies Fish Camp, mile 119, and Bates Lake, mile 54. These turned out to be great choices.... There is a new dock at Bobbies and the Bates Lake has plenty of swinging room, depth and protection.
 

Bobbies Fish Camp The trip to Bobbies was involved one lock at Demopolis and 85 nmiles. It took us nine hours.  This is Wright's Bluff, another pretty sight along the way. It was a Sunday and Bobbies Catfish Cafe was closed when we arrived. Farfetched hosted the Happy Hour on their spacious aft deck. There were five boats at Bobbies and  all were ready to celebrate safe arrival after a long day of cruising.

Bates Lake Just below Bobbies is the Coffeville Lock and Dam , the last of 12 on the waterway. There was a light fog on the river as we pulled out.  The lock master did his best to get all five of us from Bobbies plus the two boats in the channel above his lock to come through in a single batch. Lock master to the boats, "I want to get all seven of you boats down in this trip."

Channel boat answers, "Didn't you say there was fog down the river?"

Lock master says, "You all come on with these boats... I can't waste a lock full of water on you two."

Boat replies, "We will wait for the fog to burn off.. Will call you in an hour when we are ready."

Lock master, "I can't guarantee you will get down then... There are tows to serve both up and down."

That was the last we saw or heard from those two boats... they may still be up there. LESSON #1 Don't get crosswise with a lock master.

Bates Lake was a short run and we got there by early afternoon. Don and I, wishing to use our Satellite TVs, devised an anchoring technique that would keep the boats from swinging at anchor.

The secret to stability is to tie sterns together with two lines and take most of the slack out of the two anchor rodes. We watched TV without interruption that evening.

Mobile Alabama

Next morning we headed on down to Mobile. The river twists and turns and the tow traffic increases along this part of the waterway. The high banks are replaced by cypress stands and palmetto along the sides of the river. Then comes marsh grass and trees heavy with Spanish moss... we are on the coastal plain.  It all seems familiar.  Suddenly around the bend is a high bridge and a big city complete with a skyscraper and several tall buildings. It is Mobile.

We reduce speed to idle for the entire eight miles of the harbor. We call Farfetched  on the VHF and bid them farewell. We will be heading to the right for Texas... They are heading left for Florida.

Final Loop Statistics

With our arrival at Mobile we have completed the Great Loop of the Eastern US and Canada.

The loop itself was 4973 Nautical Miles and we spent 288 days on the Loop.

Eighty percent of the nights we were in marinas. Of the 288 days on the loop only 105 were travel days.

In addition we did 1251 nm and spent 61 days in side trips off the Loop. These were:
    10 days 462 nm coming from Texas
    33 days 391 nm on a side trip to the Florida Keys
    8 days 240 nm on the side trip to Washington DC
    10 days 158 nm in Long Island Sound

We had good luck with the boat.  Big repair jobs were:
    a new air handler for the aft AC,
    exhaust hose repair for the Starboard engine, and
    a rebuilt starter motor for the Gen Set.

Weather was superb.

Only six Memorable thunderstorms, all at anchor or docked, at:
    Maimi Stadium,
    Jacksonville Beach,
    St. Michael's in Chesapeake,
    Northport, Long Island,
    Fulton, NY,
    Hammond, Indiana.

Three miserable days under way in North Carolina, and two rainy cold days on the Mississippi and Ohio.

Total trip was 6224 nm, Diesel used 5187 gal, Engine Hours 863, fuel consumption 6 gal/hr, 1.2 nm/gal
Average speed underway, 7.2 nm/hr (Includes time spent docking and locking)

Avg. diesel cost $1.37

And perhaps best of all, at least five dozen new couples with whom we have shared our adventures cruising the Great Loop.  Hi Y'all, I know you are reading this report.