We Are in Mississippi

Progress toward our southern goal is being made. We are currently in Fulton, MS, on the TennTom River, half way to Mobile from our last post. The Tennessee River system was wonderful. It was almost as pleasant as being in the North Channel. We have found wonderful little anchorages along the way, out of the path of the tows.


The process of working our way down here has involved traversing many locks.

This can be a rather simple process or a pain in the butt. The above pictures are taken in a lock where we locked down 84 feet. This is largest single lift that we will traverse. We have waited as long as 2 1/2 hours or had the lock doors open when we got there. One guide book tells you

take a single wrap on the bollard and do not tie off both ends. The other book says to take a double wrap and tie off both ends. We are using the the first method. The bollards are metal posts attached to the lock walls that go up or down with the water. There have been no real issues except when the wind catches the bow and begins to blow us around.

We have charts of the river system that we borrowed from Ann and Jorma Poronto and cruising guides by Skipper Bob and Fred Meyer. These, along with our chart plotter, give us the information that we need to have to find our way around. Most of the information has been pretty reliable.

We are currently staying 3 nights at a low key marina that has a boaters lounge, free wireless, courtesy car, and a hot tub. Tonight we are headed to the restaurant where most meals are under $10. It should be a cheap dinner given the fact we are in a dry county.

Since our last post we have had a couple of gremlins on the boat. Some idiot, me, left the cap off of the fuel tank overnight and we had rain. By the time I found it was off, it was too late. When we left Green Turtle the engine quit after about 15 minutes. I changed the filter, went back to the marina, bought some "dry gas" for the fuel, and then we headed out again. That night as we were headed into our anchorage, we found the bottom with our keel. Yes, we ran aground, or ran "amud". I have helped many folks go through a process called "kedging off" so I had the experience to get Danny's Fault out of the mud. It involves taking an anchor out away from the boat in the dingy and then retrieving it from the big boat. It was just a pain to do and then the mud in the dingy and around the boat that need to be cleaned up.

The other problem was discovered last night. The kitchen sink drain developed a leak and all liquid going down the kitchen sink was headed into the bilge. It was good we were at a dock. A quick trip to the hardware store and a few bucks and I had the parts. I spent this morning fixing the sink and now all is well. Rob

At one of our anchorages we heard cows but didn't think anything of it. Dulcinea, a boat we have been traveling with, called us the next morning and said to look outside and see the pygmy goats. Besides the cows now we can list goats in our animal sightseeing list. Going down the river we have seen lots of turtles, wood ducks, vultures, and even snakes. Jude