Day 130: Three Locks and Onto Midway Marina

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 in south Tishomingo County, Mississippi. Tows are configured to fit the locks without being taken apart. Moonshadow looks like a miniature Grand Banks next to the huge lock walls.

We had quite an experience while locking. Surprise surprise, the chamber walls leaked, squirting water like a broken faucet. Sitting on the bow, John was in a direct path for a shower. In front of us, Dos Gatos Locos was getting pretty wet also. If it had been a hot day, the unexpected shower might have been appreciated but in this cold weather, we could have done without it. 

By the time we finished locking and exited the chamber, about 45 minutes had passed. We wondered if we would be able to make the next lock on time. This is the G.V. Montgomery Lock and was scheduled to open starting at 5 a.m. and locking on every odd hour. It was already going on 9:00 and we had just over 5 miles to travel so it was unclear what would happen, although we assumed the locks work together and alert each other of the oncoming traffic. We have noted that no one else has passed by; the waterway is quite empty so I imagine the locks won't be having much business. 

We had reached the end of the Divide Cut and were entering the second segment of the waterway, The Canal Section. At this point in the canal, the waterway is held in place by a levee built up on the west side. The canal is built on the west side of the hill which acts as one side of the canal and the levy the other. For the next 44 miles the canal is held in place by this manmade levee which prevents the land from being flooded and the canal from draining. 

One of the flotilla members contacted the Montgomery lock and was told a barge was exiting and the lock would be ready for us; so keep it coming! The barge was just coming out of the chamber as we approached; it was perfect timing. 

We were surprised to see the water in the canal so high, knowing how low the rivers have been. The edges looked like a marsh with trees submergedflooded and sticking out from the murky water. I half expected an alligator or the creature from the black lagoon to crawl out of the depths. 

The last lock of the day was the John Rankin Lock. We locked through and continued about 1/2 mile to the Midway Marina. All six boats were staying for the night; the small marina staff did a nice job of getting us all tied up, one after the other. I wouldn't call the marina a five star but it will do; showers, laundry and a restaurant onsite are amenities every boater looks for. 

The primary reason for pulling into Midway for the night was so John could meet up with Phil Goldsmith, his roommate from his time at the FBI National Academy. They have kept in touch but hadn't seen each other since they graduated 23.5 years ago. Phil lives in Tupelo, not far from the marina so he joined us for dinner at Guy's Place on Water Dining, the restaurant at Midway. We had a wonderful time; I know Phil and John really enjoyed seeing each other after so many years. 

A beautiful sunset never gets old.