Across the Big Bend of Florida

Port St. Joe Marina proved to be an excellent place to wait out the inclement weather. As is so often the case, the people make the experience and the people at Port St. Joe Marina could not have been friendlier. Ray Whitney, the Harbor Host was particularly gracious, organizing a Shrimp Boil and a dinner at the Indian Passage Raw Bar. We enjoyed our stay there very much. We departed Port St. Joe on a breezy day heading for Apalachicola to position ourselves to cross the “Big Bend” of Florida when the “weather window” opened. Apalachicola is a quaint town on the Gulf of Mexico, famous for its oysters. 90 Percent of Florida’s oysters are harvested in the waters of Apalachicola. We enjoyed our stop in this small fishing village and, of course, its delectable seafood. The winds were calm as we proceeded out through Government Cut into the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of January 27^th; the seas carried a 2 – 3 foot swell increasing to 3 to 4. Around noon the seas subsided to around two feet, exactly as had been forecast. We cruised into Crystal River and were tied up at 5:30pm, completing our 168 mile transit across the Gulf of Mexico. Crystal River, fed by some 30 natural streams is a Manatee sanctuary. We donned our wet suits and got into the dinghy, heading further up the river to find these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. We found a canal, closed to boaters and swimmers, loaded with sleeping Manatees, they looked like rocks with their backs exposed above the water. We slipped into the water and were rewarded by several Manatees which had begun to swim out toward the bay, they were as curious of us as we were of them. It soon became apparent they enjoyed the human interaction and were looking for a good scratch! Venturing further upriver we came to an area called the Three Sisters with crystal clear water and dozens of Manatees. We were rewarded with a visit by a mother and her calf, the mother even rolled over to allow Harry to scratch her tummy! We watched them munch on the sea grass and were able to observe them as they slept. Many slept with their chins on the sand periodically bobbing to the surface for a breath then descending again until their chins touched the sand. It was truly a privilege to see these amazing animals in their own environment.

Happy New Year!

We have had a very eventful December and January leaving “Somewhere” at Bay Point Marina in Panama City, Florida on the 11^th of December. We drove to Tampa and flew to San Francisco to arrive in time to attend a surprise birthday celebration which Rob had planned for Julie at their home in San Rafael. While there we were able to attend a sing along at Delaney’s school and attend the classroom Christmas parties for both Jack and Ryann. (Ryann’s class also celebrated her Christmas birthday). We had a fabulous visit with them, enjoying great family time.
All too soon it was time to return home to Shallotte. We were able to see many of our friends during our short stay. We packed our cold weather clothes and were off to Moscow to visit Troy, Sherry, Taylor and Reece. The snow added to the magical quality as we toured this fascinating city. A few of the sites were the Kremlin, Red Square, Victory Park, and the excellent school Taylor and Reece attend. We also attended the Bolshoy Opera and sampled delicious Russian food. It had been far too long since our last visit with them and we enjoyed every minute. Being able to celebrate the New Year and the Russian Orthodox Christmas (January 7^th) with them was an added bonus. Our two weeks went by much too quickly and it was time to return to Shallotte to leave the cold weather clothes and pick up our dive gear. We enjoyed the opportunity to see a few more friends while there as well. We returned to “Somewhere” in Panama City and got her ready to continue our great adventure. Happy to be once again on the water we departed Bay Point Marina on January 20^th and headed for Port St. Joe. It was a beautiful trip not far offshore from the white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle. The weather deteriorated shortly after our arrival with strong winds and heavy rains arriving on the 21^st. We are enjoying this charming town with its warm, friendly people as we wait for the seas to calm so that we can continue on to Apalachicola where we will wait for a “weather window” which will allow us the opportunity to cross the “Big Bend of Florida” to Crystal River.

Revisiting Old Haunts

We departed Mobile, Alabama after a two day visit. Cruising through Mobile Bay and turning east onto the Intra Coastal Waterway, we soon entered Florida with its white sandy beaches. As we passed Pensacola Naval Air Station two Blue Angels took to the sky as if to welcome us. Our destination was Palafox Pier located at the foot of Palafox Street in the heart of downtown Pensacola, a great location from which to reacquaint ourselves with this historic city. Pensacola, the “City of Five Flags” was founded in 1513 by the Spanish Explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon. Over the years the flags of five countries, Spain, France, Great Britain, the Confederacy and the United States have flown over Pensacola, each leaving its unique mark on the city. Having lived in Pensacola while Harry was a flight student and later a flight instructor, our goal was to revisit a few of our favorite haunts. We found Seville Quarter home of Rosie O’Grady’s Good Times Emporium which, back in the day, featured Dixieland jazz and served peanuts and beer. It has changed some since then, mostly expanding and adding five additional restaurants. The music is more current now; we enjoyed the “historic” photographs on the walls. We were fortunate to have arrived for “gallery night” where the art galleries and historic buildings of the downtown area were open and decorated for the holidays. Serving wine and appetizers, they were attempting to get a jump on the holiday shopping. The city was in a festive mood and we enjoyed it very much. Departing Pensacola, we cruised along Santa Rosa Island, past Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach and Destin, all places familiar to us when we lived in Niceville and Harry was assigned to the 3246 Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base. We headed directly to one of our favorite spots during that time, Rocky Bayou State Park where many summer weekends were spent camping and water skiing. We “dropped the hook” at the doorstep of the park, launched the dinghy and went ashore. Wandering the park brought back many wonderful memories! We arrived in Panama City just before Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to have been invited to share Thanksgiving Dinner with the Vernon’s, AGLCA (America’s Great Loop) Harbor Hosts of Panama City. They opened their home to a group of boaters all of whom are traveling Americas Great Loop. Great food and great people, it was an unexpected treat for those of us so far from home and family. Somewhere will remain in Panama City until mid January. Harry and Leslie will soon depart for California to visit Julie and her family then off to Moscow to visit Troy and his family. We will spend some time in Shallotte as well. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

The Rivers to Mobile Bay

We remained in Columbus Marina for a week waiting for the flood waters to recede on the Black Warrior River. The weather in Columbus was beautiful and we enjoyed our stay there very much. The facilities were quite good and they had a wonderful waterside restaurant, Woody’s on the Water, which added to our enjoyment. We got underway again on Saturday the 14^th of November happy to once again be exploring the river system of our great country. We began the morning by transiting the Stennis Lock. As the big gates creaked open to allow us to pass through we could see evidence of fast moving water but the level of the pool was near normal. This section, the River Section of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway seemed little affected by the storm, extra current and more driftwood was the only evidence we saw. We found a peaceful spot to anchor for the night. At the end of the second day we came to the confluence of the Black Warrior River and the Tombigbee River, near Demopolis, AL. As predicted, the current increased. Anchoring again for the night, we departed early as we expected to encounter much higher water levels below the next lock. We locked through with 5 other boats at 6:30AM. Departing the chamber the water level was dramatically higher, the river was 20 feet above normal pool. There was more drift in this area which required a sharp lookout, many of the buoys were missing or had been relocated by the strong current. Some were barely visible above the high water. The Black Warrior is a wilder river with few man made cuts which resulted in numerous “S” turns. The terrain began to have a more coastal feel with palmettos and lower river banks. Our last night on the Black Warrior was spent anchored in a pretty cove. Emerging from the cabin in the morning we looked up to see an Eagle fly overhead, hover for a moment then continue on. An inspiring sight! It was a gorgeous morning, we felt we had the river all to ourselves, peaceful and calm. So calm that the sun glistened off the surface and made it difficult to see the driftwood on the surface. Soon we reached the confluence of the Black Warrior and the Alabama River, this formed the Mobile River where the river once again changed, taking on a more industrial feel. Before long, we were out of the Mobile River and into the Mobile Harbor Channel, a very busy commercial port in the heart of the city of Mobile. Soon we entered Mobile Bay and found our way to Dog River Marina on the Dog River, our destination for the day. We will remain here for a day then go on to Pensacola, Florida where we will spend a couple of days revisiting some favorite spots and perhaps we will find some new ones!

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, commonly called the Tenn-Tom links The Tennessee River with Mobile Bay. This route is preferred by recreational boaters because although this is primarily a commercial waterway, it lacks the large numbers of commercial vessels commonly encountered on the Mississippi River. The Tenn-Tom opened officially for commerce on January 10, 1985 and was the largest civil works project ever undertaken by the Army corps of Engineers. The system is five times longer and has a total lift 3.5 times greater than the Panama Canal. Construction required the removal of 307 million cubic yards of earth, the pouring of 2.2 million cubic yards of concrete and the use of 33,000 tons of steel. The Tennessee-Tombigbee consists of four sections. As one begins their trip down the Tenn-Tom, the first section is called the Divide Cut; this 38 mile canal connects the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee River and consists of a canal with levees on both sides. The rivers that empty into the Tenn-Tom each make their own “waterfalls”. This cut ends in Bay Springs Lake, a pretty spot where we anchored for the night. The next 45 miles are called the Canal Section. The Tombigbee River has so many twists and turns that a canal was dug to straighten the river with locks added to minimize the environmental impact. The first lock, the Whitten Lock with its 84 foot lift is the largest on the Tenn-Tom. One feels civilization has been left behind while traveling along this waterway. Herons, Egrets and Bald Eagles are plentiful along the banks of the river. There are fewer services along the way and many of the marinas offer only basic services.













We have traveled through seven locks and descended 251 feet thus far and are currently tied up in Columbus, Mississippi at one of the few full service marinas along this stretch. Columbus is in the third section, the River Section which is 149 miles in length. We were accommodated here in a covered slip to await the passage of Hurricane Ida. She came ashore yesterday bringing two inches of rain and some breezy conditions to our location. The largest amounts of rainfall were to the east of us. This rain, however, will impact us as it all drains to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the river systems. The Black Warrior River, the fourth section of the Tenn-Tom is expected to crest at 40 feet above normal on Thursday with the current running at 8 knots. We will remain in Columbus until the rivers become navigable once again and then resume our trip down these last two portions of the Tenn-Tom to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Autumn on the Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is more a series of lakes than a river. We entered the Tennessee River at Kentucky Lake by way of the Barkley Canal which cuts through the “Land Between the Lakes” area of Kentucky.This is a National Recreation Area, very scenic with beautiful anchorages and State Parks along the shoreline. We spent several days exploring this area before proceeding through Pickwick Lock and entering Lake Pickwick. We chose a marina just off of Pickwick Lake called Grand Harbor from which we could tour the Shiloh National Military Park, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War and a turning point in the strategy of the Union Forces. The trees are in grand display this time of the year so we took a detour along the Tennessee River to Chattanooga where the slightly higher altitude increases the display. The colors didn’t disappoint us!We enjoyed Chattanooga very much, touring Ruby Falls a 145 foot waterfall which is 1,120 feet below the surface of Lookout Mountain and the Chickamauga National Military Park, site of another decisive battle in the “War Between the States”.

We enjoyed the wonderful restaurants and found Chattanooga to be a beautiful Riverfront City. We traveled a series of 4 Locks and Dams to reach Chattanooga. One of these, the Wilson Lock has a lift of 93 feet. Upon entering this cavernous chamber 110 feet wide by 600 feet long one feels very small indeed. We were told the lock displaces approximately 58 million gallons of water each time the chamber is emptied and that it was the tallest lift lock in the world when it was built. It now ranks third. As we returned down the river we had the opportunity to lock both directions through these 4 locks. Departing the Joe Wheeler Lock we encountered a tow with 14 barges tied just outside of the lock waiting to go in, he took up most of the available space. To date we have traveled 4,331miles and transited 130 locks. Our trip has been full of adventure and we are truly enjoying every day. We are currently at Grand Harbor once again and plan to depart tomorrow heading South toward the Gulf of Mexico on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.