Columbus, MS to Grand Rivers, KY

Total Miles Traveled 3347

We departed the Columbus Marina May 31^st 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 31^st, and then passed through our last three locks on the Tenn-Tom on June 1^st.  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 2^nd, 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.

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.

With temps still in the 90’s and possible rain in the forecast, we decided to stop at Pebble Isle Marina on June 3^rd.  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

Passing a tow on Kentucky Lake

We arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina June 4^th, 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 1^st this year.