We departed the Columbus Marina May 31st and to our surprise were not held up by barge traffic. Since the waterway was shut down for several weeks, we thought that once it opened we would be waiting hours at the locks. This is the dredge at Aberdeen Lock and Dam. When the river receded to normal levels, we were told you could walk across the river near the lock.
We
spotted this alligator crossing the river in front of us.
We
arrived at the Midway Marina on the 31st, and then passed through
our last three locks on the Tenn-Tom on June 1st. The last lock on this section of the river is
the Jamie Whitten Lock.
After
passing through the Whitten lock we entered Bay Springs Lake, this is a
beautiful area with plenty of anchorages.
With temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s we decided to continue on to
Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina for the night.
When
leaving Bay Springs, we passed through the Divide Cut; this section of the
waterway was cut through the land here at a depth of as much as 175 feet for a
distance of nearly 25 miles. The first
tow passed through the Tenn-Tom Waterway in 1985. The construction of the Tenn-Tom Waterway
moved more earth than was moved in the construction of the Panama Canal, and is
relatively unknown throughout the US to the general public.
We
departed Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina June 2nd, leaving the Tenn-Tom
Waterway and entering the Tennessee River on Pickwick Lake. Once entering the lake, it’s only a few miles
to the last lock that we will pass on the Tennessee River. As luck would have it, our last lock would be
our longest delay. There are two lock
chambers at the Pickwick Lock and the longest chamber is down for
maintenance. There was a barge leaving
the lock when we arrived but another barge was approaching from the north and
was too long to fit in the lock. They
had to break the barges into two sections and push half of it through on one
lift, and the second half through on a second lift, then reconnect the
load. We dropped our anchor and waited a
little over 4 hours for this process.
As we traveled down the river from Pickwick Lake, we noticed debris strewn along the river banks from the previous flood waters.
As we traveled down the river from Pickwick Lake, we noticed debris strewn along the river banks from the previous flood waters.
And some rebuilding
There were a few nice places above the flood zone
After
locking through, we arrived at one of our favorite stops at Clifton,
Tennessee. This is a small marina and
under new ownership. We have been
traveling with “Trust Me” and we called ahead for transient slips. Upon arrival, the docks were full of pontoon
boats with nowhere for us to go, so we had to hold our position. The outdoor restaurant was full of guests and
everyone got up from their tables to move their boats around and make room for
us. After securing our boats to the dock,
they invited us to join them. This is
why we like this place so much, great friendly people, and a good burger too!
Party Island along the Tennessee River
It is amazing to me how full they fill the barges, this on is full of sand and gravel.
It is amazing to me how full they fill the barges, this on is full of sand and gravel.
With
temps still in the 90’s and possible rain in the forecast, we decided to stop
at Pebble Isle Marina on June 3rd.
Are you starting to see a pattern here?
We normally anchor but have been staying at marinas almost since leaving
Mobile. Another reason for this stop is
they have a nice bar and grill at the dock. Poor planning on my part though, it’s
Monday and they are closed Monday and Tuesday.
Tennessee River
Tennessee River
Passing a tow on Kentucky Lake
We
arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina June 4th, a 73 mile cruise from
Pebble Isle Marina. There was a 80-90
percent chance of thunderstorms for the next several days so we decided to make
a long day of it and get tied up to a dock.
Of course, the forecast changed and the rain stayed south of us, but it
felt good to be back.
This completes our 2018-19 cruising season since purchasing “Best Mate” in October 2018. We started our journey last year at Fort Loudon Marina, near Lenoir City, TN 220 days ago and have cruised 3,347 miles. Although this will be my last blog entry for this cruising season, we will continue to explore the inland rivers and lakes during the summer with family and friends. We plan to start our 2019-20 cruising adventure around October 1st this year.
