Cruising with "Best Mate": Demopolis, AL to Grand Rivers, KY

Total Miles Traveled 3460

After waiting at Demopolis a couple of days to let the river levels drop, we continued north on May 8^th to an anchorage at Cooks Bend. This section of the Tenn-Tom waterway has less current and debris than our cruise to Demopolis.

The white cliffs at Epes, Alabama

Although we only had a 10% chance of rain, the clouds were building about 3 miles from the Stennis Lock at Columbus, Mississippi. Luckily we only had a light sprinkle after exiting the lock and anchoring at Waverly, Mississippi. We could hear thunder southeast of us so we just caught the edge of it.

On May 10^th we made it through 4 locks without any delays and anchored just past the Fulton Lock. The next morning we continued on to the Rankin Lock. I called the lock on the radio about 3 miles out and was informed that a southbound tow was approaching the lock so we reduced speed and arrived at the lock with only a 30 minute delay before entering the chamber. After exiting the Rankin and Montgomery Locks, we approached the Jamie Whitten Lock, the last lock on the Tenn-Tom waterway and the largest at 84 feet.

My best mate is getting a little nervous.

That small white speck on the top right of the photo is a full size pickup truck.

Hooked to the floating bollard, I always keep a razor knife handy in case it sticks. Fortunately we haven't had that happen in any of the hundreds of locks we have passed through.

If you look close, you can see a man walking across the lock door on the left.

After exiting the lock we entered Bay Springs and decided to make a short day of it and anchor in a cove on the lake, the temperatures have been around 90 degrees since leaving Demopolis.

We haven’t seen water this clear since leaving the Gulf and had to celebrate our last lock with swim and a steak dinner. You can’t beat Florida in the winter, but we really enjoy the inland lakes and rivers in the summer.

No wonder I have been sneezing so much, you can see the pollen on top of the calm water the next morning.

We left our anchorage May 12^th and stopped at Iuka, Mississippi at the Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina to visit our friends Charlie and Robin on “The Lower Place”. They were a few days ahead of us and have a new house near the marina. We had a great visit with them and are looking forward to meeting them again this fall.

On May 13^th we left early to get through the Pickwick Lock, about 9 miles from the marina. This is the last lock we will go through before reaching our home port at Grand Rivers, Kentucky. I contacted the lock by radio and was informed a tow was in the lock and another southbound tow was approaching the lock. We were instructed to go to the auxiliary lock and tie up close to the lock doors. It would be about an hour and a half before he could lock us through, it ended up being a 3 hour delay from the time I called to the time we exited the lock.

The lock chamber is currently empty, a 55 foot drop on the other side of the lock doors. My best mate is taking advantage of the delay by swabbing the deck.

The lock wall was covered with muscles.

We’re now on our home stretch on the Tennessee River and we anchored at mile 149 behind Double Islands.

There are some nice homes built along the waterway.

This contractor didn’t plan very well.

On Monday May 14^th we continued to an anchorage at Richland Creek at mile 88.5, the temperatures are still hanging around 90 with very little breeze........ and I was worried about getting back too soon before it warmed up. When we were at Mobile, the lows back home were in the 40’s.