Columbus, MS to Grand Rivers, KY

Total Miles Traveled 2944

https://share.garmin.com/RickVicars

It was great catching up with our boating friends at Columbus, we had a great visit and will see them again later this year as we head South this Fall. 

We departed the Columbus Marina on May 3^rd, there are 7 locks on the Tenn-Tom Waterway between Columbus Mississippi and Bay Springs raising us an additional 251 feet above sea level.   During the longer days in the Spring, and if the tow traffic does not hold us up, we can make all 7 locks in one day.  It was a long day, but we traveled 79 miles passing through all 7 locks and anchored at Bay Springs just before dark.  

Bay Springs is a reservoir approximately 9 miles long between the Whitten Lock and Dam and the Divide Cut, the canal that joins the Tennessee River, Pickwick Lake,  and Bay Springs.  The water is very clear as the reservoir is fed by several natural springs with a rocky shoreline.  There are also several great anchorages along the reservoir making this one of our favorite stops while cruising this area.

On May 4^th, we weighed anchor and continued North through the divide cut and entered the Tennessee River at Pickwick Lake.  Our last lock before reaching our home port is Pickwick Lock.  We weren’t as fortunate with the lock delays this time as we waited 3 hours before entering the lock and descending 54 feet to Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River.  We continued to an anchorage behind Diamond Island, cruising 58 miles for the day.

After a few miles past the lock, we passed through a tornado torn area along the river.  Some of the structures were totally devastated.

Barn homes are becoming very popular, the tornado missed this one.

We only had 36 miles to travel on May 5^th to one of our favorite stops at the Clifton Marina and it was Cinco de Mayo day!  We arrived at the marina about 2 o’clock just in time for a bowl of Taco soup and a couple of house special margaritas to celebrate the event.  We also had dinner later that evening while listening to some local entertainment.  This is a great stop with super friendly owners, staff, and patrons.

Looks like a pretty productive deer camp

We’ve had great cruising weather for the past several days but with a chance of evening thunderstorms, we decided to depart Clifton on May 6^th and travel 63 miles to Pebble Isle Marina.  We always like to tie up to a secure dock if there is a chance of severe weather.  We have now entered a much wider part of Kentucky Lake which has access to several marinas and secluded anchorages.

Our last bridge on our travels north, I had to lower our antennas before passing under the bridge.  The bridge support is marked for the distance from the water to the lowest section of the bridge at the current water level.  Our antenna height is 24 feet 10 inches, and when lowered, we need at least 20 feet.  The marker indicates close to 25 feet.

Hang ten cruising on Kentucky Lake

All the storm activity bypassed us overnight and we now have several days of great boating weather ahead of us.  We are also in our home port cruising waters and can’t wait to anchor in some of our favorite spots.  On May 7^th we cruised 37 miles to an anchorage at Panther Bay, then on May 8^th cruised 26 miles to an anchorage at Sugar Bay, and on May 9^th cruised 4 miles to an anchorage at Duncan Bay.  

This bumble bee stayed with us for a mile or so, it just kept hovering in front of us, darting away, then back again?

On May 10 we completed our 2022-23 season cruising 12 miles to our home port at Green Turtle Bay marina.  We’ve logged 2,944 miles since leaving Green Turtle Bay October 13, 2022, and 30,190 miles since starting the Great Loop in 2015.  

After a few days at the marina, we were able to attend the annual flag retirement ceremony. A flag-burning retirement ceremony is an event during which a heavily worn or tattered American flag is disposed of through burning. According to the U.S. Flag Code, the American flag should be disposed of in a dignified manner. Among the approved methods for disposal is a flag-burning retirement ceremony. The ceremony is much like attending the funeral of a family member or a friend.  We have been saving one of our previous flags for this ceremony and added it to the collection.

I talked this veteran of the Korean war and thanked him for his service, he said he was assigned to an artillery unit on a mountain during the war. 

This will be my last posting for this season as we will be staying at the marina and visiting family and friends during the summer months.  I will resume my blog when we head south in September.

Intracoastal City, LA to Columbus, MS

Total Miles Traveled 2630

https://share.garmin.com/RickVicars

Finally, the winds calmed down and we were able to leave Intracoastal City on April 1^st, traveling 76 miles to an anchorage surrounded by cypress swamps at Bayou Black.  We chose to cruise a long day to get past the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City which is a major commercial barge and ship traffic area.

We passed two oyster boats along the way, I am guessing it is home, and a place of work, for Mom, Dad, and the kids.

On April 2^nd, we cruised 27 miles to Houma, Louisiana.  Another storm system was moving across the country and Houma is a very protected dock, positioned between two high rise bridges, and the only option for several miles.  We stayed here seven days and really enjoyed our time there meeting new friends and exploring the town.

We listened to a local band at a park downtown

I knew those parking meters would come in handy someday.

Best Mate docked at the city dock

This is a full service gas station, I didn't know they still existed.  The attendant is checking the tire pressure after cleaning the windshield and checking the oil.

I wasn't sure our Starlink Wi-Fi would work here as it is pointing almost directly at the bridge.  Worked perfectly though.

We traveled 43 miles on April 9^th and anchored behind Isle Bonne Island.  The downside of this anchorage is its located close to two major swamp tour companies.  I counted nine airboats passing us within a 15-minute time span.  One or two airboats are loud, but several in a group is deafening.  Luckily the last group returns for the day about thirty minutes before dark. 

We dodged quite a bit of vegetation in the waterway on this section.

I was not looking forward to our next day’s cruise.  We must cross the Mississippi River which had been on the rise for several days, it is very busy with ship, barge, and ferry traffic, and we have to pass through two locks, one before entering the river, and one about 5 miles downstream at New Orleans.  The industrial lock at New Orleans is very busy and there is only one place to tie up and wait, and only room for two or three boats.  If that dock is full, our only option is waiting on the Mississippi River until it’s our turn to enter the lock. We have talked to other boaters that have been held up at this lock for eight hours.

There are a lot of commercial companies as we get closer to the Mississippi River.

A new boat under construction.

We departed our anchorage at daybreak on April 10^th and only had a 30 minute wait at the Harvey Lock before getting permission to enter.  After locking through we immediately entered the fast-moving Mississippi with a lot of debris floating with the current and an approaching ship coming up behind us.  I stayed as close to shore as possible as he was running much faster than we were.  We continued down river passing an on coming ship, a ferry, and dodging logs, finally crossing the river to the east bank and entering the industrial canal.  I called the lock master and was instructed to tie up at the previously mentioned dock, we had two tows ahead of us and luckily the dock was open.  We waited about 2 hours before getting permission to enter the lock.  We arrived at the New Orleans RV park and Marina about an hour after exiting the lock.

We stayed at New Orleans for 7 days, attending the French Quarter Music Festival, taking a guided tour of the area, and walking the streets of the French Quarter. 

You never know what you might see in New Orleans.

Security was very tight during the festival, we didn't see one issue during our entire stay.

In New Orleans, they are called streetcars instead of trolleys.

Can you spot Fred, the local gator?  We were walking back to the boat and was not expecting to see a gator not far from the walkway.  Just like traveling the waterways, you always have to be aware of your surroundings.

These are modified shipping containers used at the RV Park and Marina for guest visiting New Orleans.  We stayed in one of them a few years ago, you can't tell any difference from a motel room, they are very nice.

The Cemeteries

The geography of New Orleans is a factor in why above-ground tombs exist in the city.  When the French originally settled in New Orleans the city was surrounded by bodies of water including the Mississippi River, Lake Borgne, and Lake Pontchartrain.  Being surrounded by all these bodies of water lead the city to have a high-water table.  The dangers of trying to bury someone in an area with a high-water table could lead to flooding of the graves or the coffin even being displaced.  It is a common practice to bury all the members of a family, or multiple families, in the same tomb, with names and dates added to a plaque or headstone as necessary.  This was a very interesting part of our tour and I’ve added a link that explains the process.

They ran out of room for the names on the entrance to the tomb so they started on the steps.  This is how most of them are documented.

How to fit 85 bodies in a New Orleans above-ground tomb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhggumD8yKY

We departed New Orleans on April 17^th and cruised 68 miles to the city marina at Gulfport, Mississippi.  The marina is located on the Mississippi Sound, a huge body of water about 90 miles long, with barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico to the south. 

Cool wood drift wood arrangement at the art museum.

The largest oysters we've had in all our travels combined.

On April 22^nd, we traveled 37 miles, stopping at Biloxi Mississippi to top off our fuel, then continued to an anchorage behind Round Island.  Round Island is a very small island located not quite midway between Pascagoula Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico on the Mississippi Sound.  It is very exposed to any winds from the south and west, but since we were supposed to have light winds from the northeast, we decided to anchor there.  Everything was fine until after midnight when the winds picked up with a changing tide.  Our anchor held us without a problem, but it was a noisy, rocky night. 

Our original plan was to travel to a marina at Mobile Alabama and hold up until we had favorable river levels before continuing north.  After entering Mobile Bay, I found that the river level predictions had changed for the better, and another storm system was approaching in a few days, so we traveled 76 miles on April 23^rd to an anchorage just off the Mobile River at Big Briar Creek.  

Passing a container ship in the shipping channel of Mobile Bay.

It's amazing the number of containers they stack on these ships.  I've read stories of pleasure boats hitting a partially submerged shipping container in open waters.  We watched a movie "All is Lost" years ago about a sailor hitting one.   

On Monday April 24^th, we traveled 69 miles to an anchorage on the Tombigbee Waterway, then on April 25^th we traveled another 66 miles, passing through our first lock at Coffeeville, then to an anchorage at Bashi Creek.  

Another power plant reduced to scrap, solar farm site maybe?

On April 26^th we traveled another 72 miles, passing through the Demopolis lock and arriving at the Kingfisher Bay marina in Demopolis Alabama.   Needless to say, after 283 miles in four days, we were ready to stop for a while.   Storms passed through the following day, north and south of us, causing the rivers to rise for several days.

Demopolis was a good stop, the marina offers a courtesy van for boaters to use for 2 hour time slots.  We were able to restock our supplies and complete several preventative maintenance projects during our four day stay.  We were also able to attend dock tails and meet new friends.

The river levels started to subside so we departed the marina April 30th and traveled 69 miles, passing through the Heflin Lock to an anchorage at Windham Landing.  We departed our anchorage at daybreak on May 1st on a cool, crystal clear morning.  The vivid colors of the blue sky, green foliage, and shades of brown along the shore, made for an awesome cruise up the river. 

This guy looked like he just ate a cow, he was huge.

We have been very fortunate with tow traffic, we traveled 48 miles from our anchorage at Windham Landing, and passing through the Bevill Lock,  without passing one tow.  When we arrived at the Stennis Lock at Columbus Mississippi, we encountered three tows, two southbound and one northbound.  We found a spot to drop the hook and ate our lunch while waiting our turn to lock through.  After a two hour wait, we were able to lock through and arrive at the Columbus Marina.  We have friends here so we'll stay a couple of days to visit before continuing north.