Adventures on Slàinte Mhath

Day 134: November 29 : The frosty cold morning gave way to a sunny day. Still waiting for our traveling buddies (David and Sandra on Zendeavor and Frank and Mona on Summer Fling) to meet up with us, we decided to stay put in Dewayne Hayes anchorage for the day (N33.35.746, W088.28.686).  Yesterday Sandra and David drove back from their home in Loxley, AL to Decatur where they left their boat. Today they will begin their travels from Decatur, heading towards us on the Tenn-Tom. David thinks he is about 3 to 4 days behind us, depending on time spent waiting on locks.  On Monday Frank and Mona arrived back from their Thanksgiving holiday in Michigan to Midway Marina where they kept Summer Fling for the week. They are waiting for a package to be delivered before getting UW. Fingers crossed it arrives today so they can get going.  We are doing our part to get the 3 boats back together by moving slowly, and sometimes, like today, not moving at all, giving our MIA friends time t...

Day 133: November 28: A frosty morning with temperatures in the low 30's. As I do every morning I stepped outside, braving the elements. The November full moon glowed through the still dark sky; its rich tapestry creating a mystical vision. On this 28th day of November, this full moon is known as a Beaver Moon, named for the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having collected enough food to survive the long winter ahead. This is also the time of year when beavers are trapped for their pelts. The term has been primarily attributed to Native American traditions and other spiritual and astrological beliefs.  Our flotilla of 4 held off on getting UW to give the sun a chance to warm up the decks, lines and windows. Kathleen, on Scout,  contacted the Aberdeen Lock at 7:30 a.m. and found there was no commercial traffic in sight so we would be able to lock through at any time. Warmed up the engines at 8:00, planning for an 8:15 a.m. departure from the an...

Day 131: November 26:   Three of the boats we came into the marina with yesterday all decided to get UW this morning (Dos Gatos Locos, Dirtless and Sea Gem). Not in any hurry, and wanting to buy a T-Shirt from the marina, we decided to stay put, as did Moonshadow and Scout (both docked near us). It was really cold and rainy anyway, traveling would have been pretty miserable. I was happy to stay dry in our "not so warm" cabin.  We walked up to the marina only to find no one manning the desk. We checked out the shirts, the marina library and homemade fudge. I picked out two packages of the fudge and a shirt; John said he would visit the store later in the day to see if anyone had arrived.  It ended up being a day to relax, read, watch a little TV and stay warm. We watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Buffalo Bills in a pretty tight game. A clerk finally arrived back at the office and we made our purchases. Later in the day we decided we would stay another night and no...

Day 130: November 25:  Chilly and lovely this morning. John contacted the lock at just about 7:00 a.m. and was told we there was no commercial traffic coming through so we could lock through at 8:00 a.m. John radioed the other boats on channel 69. All responded; everyone would be ready for 8.  We warmed up the engines, pulled up the anchor and headed onto Bay Springs Lake along with 5 other Loopers; an unplanned flotilla! We floated around, waiting until the green light was turned on before entering the Jamie Whitten Lock chamber.  The Tenn-Tom has a total of 10 locks, each measuring 110' x 660' which makes them much larger than the historic canals, but smaller than the Mississippi or Ohio River locks. All 10 locks have floating bollards, which makes locking very easy. Nine of the locks drop or lift vessels about 30'. The Jamie Whitten Lock, formerly known as the Bay Spring Lock, is the first and tallest lock southbound lifting and lowering vessels 84 feet. It is located ...