Touring Demopolis 11-7-08

We stayed in port today because of forecasted bad weather that did not really materialize. We are near the town of Demopolis and decided to tour 2 more antebellum mansions with Gary and Rose from “Rose’s Pick.” So often on our rivers journey from Chicago we have been so far away from towns and confined to the area around marinas.

Unfortunately, my camera battery was too low to get real pictures but I tried to take some pictures from the brochures with mixed results. Bluff Hall was built by slaves for the plantation owner’s daughter as a wedding present. Our African American tour guide Bobbie described it as an example of their creativity and workmanship that still lasts today. This part of AL survived direct bombardment during the Civil War and it is a credit to the community that many volunteer have preserved this history. The home museum is filled with clothing from that era complete with dresses for a 16” waist.

Gainswood was built also in the mid-1800 for the Whitfield family as their plantation home. It started out as a log cabin but blossomed over time into a fine example of Greek revival architecture and Southern ingenuity.

We topped off the day with a trip to Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Joint. It was a total emersion experience with a lot of napkins. Yum.

We will be heading south tomorrow and anchoring for the next 3 nights along the river and then we will be in Mobile.

Demopolis Yacht Basin 11-6-08

We weighed a very muddy anchor at 6:15 this morning as we have 1 lock and 53 miles to go today. It was foggy and here’s a picture of “Emery” slaloming through the lily pads in the fog as we head to the Heflin lock.

This area of the Tenn-Tom Waterway follows the Tombigbee River with all its twists and turns but it is wider in this section. Here’s a picture of the white cliffs of Epes which are a contrast to the usual forested terrain.

We are headed to Demopolis today and will have to make some decisions. Storms may be coming in tonight so we may stay put here. We have not really had to deal with storms yet in the past 2,000 miles which is pretty remarkable. The hardest part of the Tom-Warrior Waterway is coming up as we will have to anchor for the next 3 nights in small cutouts in the river as we head south to Mobile so we want to have the best weather possible. Stay tuned.

2,000 Miles Today 11-5-08

What a momentous day! We had limited TV reception last night but did hear the news about the Obama election. We are way down here in red state land—here’s hoping that our differences can be bridged.

We have seen over a hundred barges now and thought we had seen every configuration. However, we were rounding a turn and surprise—the “Jo Anne Stegbauer” was sideways across the river. We did not get an immediate response from them and wondered if they were in trouble. Turns out that this is how they do crew changes and the process takes less than 10 minutes.

We anchored tonight in the Sumpter Recreation area. Here’s a picture of “Baby Grand” at this beautiful anchorage. We took the dinghy to shore and hiked around and saw wildlife—snakes and armadillos. We even heard that they have alligators in the area—tick, tick, tick.

Pirates Cove Marina, Tom Bevill Visitor Center and the U.S. Snagboat, “Montgomery” 11-4-08

How could we resist staying in the Pirate Cove Marina? Here’s me and my new guy. This is another small marina with great service and southern hospitality by harbormaster, Starr. The courtesy car was out so she took us in her car over to the Tom Bevill Visitor Center.

This is a great place to tour. The U.S. Corp of Engineers built this antebellum style mansion modeled after a number of plantation homes in the area like the Waverly that we toured yesterday. Unlike the Waverly, we were able to take pictures and go up to the cupola.

The U.S. Snagboat, the “Montgomery”, is dry docked here and is open for tours. Here’s Bob checking out a larger flybridge—he’s going to want a bigger boat after this. Snagboats are used to remove trees, sunken logs and other debris that might obstruct river traffic. The “Montgomery” was a steam-powered sternwheeler that worked various southern rivers from 1926 to 1982. Bob’s cousin, Liz Finn, works for the Corps in New York City and keeps that great harbor safe. What a great job!

Waverly Plantation in Columbus MS 11-3-08

Columbus Marina is a first rate marina with the most helpful staff we have found on the Loop. T. Caldwell and his staff will do whatever they can to make your stay the best possible. He lent our Looper group of 10 his own vehicle when the courtesy car was not sufficient to accommodate all of us. He recommended the Bartahachie Restaurant in Columbus and I can report that I am no longer a catfish virgin. I have always been leery of trying that ugly bottom feeder fish but it was delicious.

We also toured the Waverly Plantation which was built in the 1850’s by Colonel Young who imported European craftsmen and materials to complete the 4 story cantilevered structure with 2 circular mahogany stairwells that extend 65 feet to the cupola observatory. It was not destroyed in the Civil War but was abandoned for 50 years until 1952 when the Snow family bought it and spent 27 years clearing away the damage caused by vandals and varmints. The original furnishings are long gone but the Snows’ have filled it with period antiques to capture its original splendor. Mr. Snow, age 82, stills lives in this museum home and there is a tour guide to walk you through the home’s amazing history. Touring this home really made “Gone with the Wind” come alive for me.

Lily Pads 11-2-08

We made a quick get-away from the dock this morning when “South Shore III” noticed a barge coming and the lockmaster was willing to lock us through first if we could get there in 10 minutes. It was a scramble but we did it.

More locking practice today with 3 locks of 30 feet each (Wilkins, Amory and Aberdeen) as we make our way towards sea level. We passed fields of lily pads in the Waterway and even in the locks. More debris in the water also so look out for deadheads.

The Tombigbee River is a circuitous and narrow river but the Waterway has made it navigable by cutting a channel to widen and straighten it. We will be on it for 253 miles to Demopolis AL where the Black Warrior River enters and then it is 227 miles to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile. We are making good progress. Fall continues with us.

Locks, Locks and more Locks 11-1-08

We have not had to do locks since 10-25 when another Looper boat lost their lines in the Pickwick lock and went careening out of control and slammed into the opposite side of the lock. All of us sharing the lock that day have had nightmares, have replayed the situation numerous times and have come up with some strategies. Our standard locking routine now is to have fenders and lines ready on both sides, always put 2 long lines on the bollard, keep the engine running and keep a handheld radio with us to call the lockmaster immediately if there are problems.

This morning gave us an opportunity for a “corrective emotional experience” as we did 4 descending locks, the Jamie Whitten (84 feet) and the Montgomery, Rankin and Fulton (30 feet each), in quick succession and without incident. We breathed a sigh of relief.

We entered the quirky Smithville Marina at 3pm with “South Shore III” and “Sojourner.” It is the smallest marina to date, has old fixed, narrow docks, and is very shallow. “Sojourner” was reading 0 on the depth finder and kicked up a lot of mud but did not get stuck. It is a family marina and the whole Cox family helps out

We met the most interesting people here. There was Moe on “Moto”, an Island Gypsy 32, who has been singlehanding herself on this boat and sailboats for the past 17 years. “Sojourner” had an all female crew with the new owner, Susan, helped by Captain Carol from Sea Sense and crewed by Jill. I had taken a short course in 1/07 from Captain Patty Moore from Sea Sense, an all female boating school, and I highly recommend them. We also met John and Dan Morse, crewing on a Californian 35 trawler that they plan to overhaul this winter. Do they know about teak!