Jamie Whitten Lock and How We Transit a Lock

October 4

I have lost count of the locks we have transited but there have been many.  So today for those of you who aren’t familiar with locks, I will show you how we transited Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam.

                                  

Entering the lock

We are approaching Jamie Whitten Lock and at this time we will contact the lock requesting transit.  Sometimes we are able to enter the lock immediately, sometimes we have waited for hours.  Some people have waited days when the lock is going through a major repair.  Commercial vessels have priority over pleasure boats, although our experience has been either, the lock master has asked a tow to wait for the pleasure boats to go through, or the tow captains have told the lock to take us first.  However, if a tow is in transit, it is usually quite a wait.  As we are a sailboat we usually have to circle, anchor or with permission tie off on a wall. 

The lock will either call us or sound a horn as well as give a green light when we can enter the lock.  Prior to entering the lock we usually determine whether it will be a port or starboard tie off.  Locks can either have floating bollards or a fixed bollard to secure your boat.  A floating bollard moves with the water level and a fixed bollard doesn’t move and you may need a lot of line to accommodate the change in height.  
                             

Floating bollard

Fixed bollard

Depending on what part of the river you are on, the lock will either raise or lower the water level.  At this time on the Tenn-Tom we are descending in elevation so the water level will drop.  Jamie Whitten Lock has (on our route) the largest decrease with an 84 foot drop. 

As you slowly enter the lock you find a bollard to tie off and secure your boat.  We have found most of the locks we have visited have floating bollards, which are preferred by most boaters.  You are actually not tying off your boat, but wrapping a line around a bollard, then holding on to the loose or bitter end.  This is done so you can quickly free your boat should there be a problem.  A frozen bollard is a good example.  We have experienced floating bollards that have momentarily frozen.  You do not want to be secured to a bollard with a rapidly rising or dropping water level.  Having a sharp knife is also handy to quickly cut lines to free your boat. 
   

Bruce is holding the loose end.  

This is the gate we came through, notice the before and after pictures.  This is the before picture.

Once your boat is positioned at the bollard, we notify the lock master that we are secure.  Usually around this  time they will begin to close the door.  The other gate is closed when you enter.  Now we just wait, Bruce is usually holding the midship line and I am fending the bow off the lock wall. 

An after picture, notice how high the wall is.

This is the gate we will be exiting.  Notice the difference in height from the first picture of the gate (above).  

When the lock has obtained the water level necessary, the exit gate will open.  We stay secured to the wall until the lock master sounds the horn or gives permission to leave.  At that point we continue on our way, another lock behind us!

Good bye and thank you to Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam

On to Aberdeen, MS on Tenn-Tom Waterway to wait out tropical storm Nate~~~~~→

Back to Chasing Summer

This is what Bruce does when he is landlocked and waiting for a pizza.

   

                                

                                   

We are in the water and back to chasing summer and loving it.  It was getting a little chilly up north.  A little update, we didn’t abandon our plans, but we needed to slow down to avoid the hurricanes that pushed through.  So we arranged to have our bottom painted at Lee Spry Marine in Iuka, MS.  He came with good recommendations and lived up to the reviews we read.  We had a barrier coat, anti-fouling paint, a center board glassed in, a couple of dings repaired and the waterline raised to accommodate the extra weight due to provisioning for long term cruising.  Bill did an excellent job of matching our gel coat to repair the dings and it is very difficult to see where they are.  Excellent work and we will go back when we need a new bottom job. 

We headed south on the ditch as the locals call it, also known as the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. 

This waterway is an amazing feat of engineering.  The Tenn-Tom is a 234 mile man-made waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama.  Under construction for twelve years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was completed in December 1984 at a total cost of nearly $2 billion.  Wikapedia   

                           

                            Google

The Tenn-Tom is the largest building project in the history of the US Army Corps of Engineering!  It is over five times longer than the Panama Canal, and required the moving of over one-third more earth!!  The Tenn-Tom is one of the few man-made structures seen from an orbit of the earth with the naked eye!!!  The Great Wall of China is also one of them. 

We spent the night anchored nestled in a cove off the waterway at MM 412.1 near Cotton Springs.  We were the only boat in the anchorage in a park near the Tenn-Tom Visitors Centers.  Unfortunately I lost the pictures of our beautiful anchorage. The visitor’s center is well worth the visit with lots of information about the Tenn-Tom.  They also provide a dinghy dock. 

                                

Stay tuned, the next post will focus on the locking process for the uninitiated. 

On to Whitten Lock~~~~~~~~~~

Tennessee River and Plans Change

Plans Change

Update on boat refit 1 September 2017.  We had planned on having the bottom job completed at Pensacola, FL in October, but with hurricane season (Harvey and Irma) we decided to have the bottom job done in Iuka, MS (Yellow Creek, just off Pickwick Lake) before heading down the Tenn-Tom Waterway at Lee Spry Marine.  We needed to slow down before reaching the Gulf of Mexico before 1 November; so, inquiring into places we could get bottom job completed and Lee Spry Marine came up.  I talked with two gentlemen while at Green Turtle Marina who had their work completed there and were impressed with the Lee Spry’s work.  I also went on Active Captain and found 14 reviews on Lee Spry Marine.  All reviews were very favorable.  Of the 14 reviews, which is rated 1 through 5, 5 being the best, 1 being the least; Lee Spry received 4.6.  Invariably, all the reviews stated Lee Spry was honest, soft spoken, and fair on prices.  They were right.  I found Lee and Jo, his wife, very welcoming, forthcoming, and just wonderful folks to talk to.

Well getting back to the work being completed.  We are having Lee take the bottom back to gelcoat, fiber glassing over the centerboard whole (we have never used the centerboard and did not want to deal with cable maintenance annually by hauling out the boat; secondly the entire centerboard will remain in place for future use); also, applying Interlux 2000E barrier coat, Petti’s Trinidad SR antifouling paint, and raise the waterline to accommodate increased weight when provisioning boat for extended curising.

Finally, work we plan to complete before continuing our river travels:

•  Reseal forward chain plates
• Install new seacock and backing plate at galley sink
• Re-plumb cockpit scupper drains to allow easy draining
• Clean, sand, coat propeller with Rust-Oleum High Performance V2100 System Galvanizing Compound Spray (93% zinc)
• Wash and polish topsides and hull
• Tung oil bright work
• Clean and organize interior boat
• Provision boat with supplies

Bruce...

Tennessee River

August 29 through September 1

We anchored at mile marker 148 behind Double Island on the Tennesee River in sweltering heat.  After setting anchor we jumped in for a swim in such clear water we could see our rudder.   That night as we sat in the cockpit listening to the ambient wildlife noises I realized the noise level was much louder than I am used to at home and we live in the country!  Not sure why that is, maybe because it is so much hotter here, well you never know!?  Anyone out there know why insects are louder on the Tennessee River than in Northern Minnesota?  We were in what is called a 1st Class Landing for tows, which means they can come in behind the island and push up on the shore.  Something to remember when anchoring!  The next morning we woke up to the thickest fog I've ever seen.  All you could see beyond the boat was the shadows of the treetops.  After a couple of hours the fog lifted enough for us to continue on our way.  After a long day of 50 miles against current we anchored behind Diamond Island just before the Pickwick Lock.  The current becomes stronger the closer you get to the lock and it really slowed us down.  After another hot day we were looking forward to a swim, but it was not to be.  The most we could do was stand on the boarding ladder with a line tied to our wrist in case we slipped.  The current was so strong that even when I was standing on the boarding ladder I was floating behind the boat and being pulled by the current.  I shudder to think how far the current would have pulled me if I had slipped.  Thankfully, it was enough to cool us.
We are feeling a sense of urgency to get off the river as we hear more and more of Hurricane Harvey (and later, Hurricane Irma) and realize we will be reaching the gulf much sooner than planned .  We have decided we need to slow down and will have our bottom painted at Lee Spry Boat Yard in Iuka, Mississippi.  Several other local boaters at Green Turtle recommended Lee and after doing a little research found he is reputable and does good work.  We have never left our boat so far from home but have decided we will rent a car and go home for the three weeks needed to complete the job.

Pictures from the Tennessee River.

We spent that night at Lee Spry's Boat Yard and the next morning left for Duluth. It's funny how you think you have your land legs and suddenly you find yourself lurching for no reason,  anyone else know what I mean, lol.   We spent a few hours walking (and lurching) around Shiloh National Military Park.   I find myself humbled by the experience of walking through these hallowed battle grounds and I think of the passions that drove these young men to war and death to defend their beliefs.

Words escape me.

A few words about readjusting to land living.  I can really stretch out in bed but I wake up stiff in the morning.  Driving in the car can be painful, every time we stop and I attempt to get out of the car, I have to take a moment to stretch.  I put makeup on this morning!  It has been so hot it seems like a waste of time to bother with makeup and I can't remember the last time I used it.  I find myself looking for a flag or something blowing in the wind to gauge wind direction.  I don't have a compass to tell me the cardinal directions and I am notorious for becoming disoriented without google maps to tell me which way to go.  Then there is the speed with which we are traveling, 70 mph vs 6 mph, yikes I want to put the brakes on.  Miracles of miracles I am rediscovering cold drinking water and ice!  And lastly (I don't want to bore you too much)  I am still trying to find the foot pedal to pump water and the water gets hot!   I have been home only one week and I already miss the boat.

A sweet boy named Avery gave us this feather to remember him by.

Hi Avery!

Greetings from Duluth!

Song of the Day:  Lovesick Blues by Patsy Cline.  
Why?  I miss my Sea Hawk

More Rivers and Total Eclipse

As we headed up the Ohio we said goodbye to the Mississippi and our average 10 mph.  Going up the Ohio was slow going compared to the Mississippi but we pushed 56 miles to Paducah, which was as long a day as going 110 miles on the Mississippi.  We only had one lock to transit, Lock #53, the new Olmsted and Lock #52 were open but you must wait for an escort as it is considered a safety zone.  I was a little nervous at Lock # 53 because I knew we had a considerable rise and thought there might be a possibility of having to throw our line to the attendant.  Now you have to understand I can’t throw worth a darn so the thought of throwing a line that far was chilling!  But, no problems they did have a line to drop to us but I had already gotten creative with my trusty Boat Loop, I extended the hook and was able to lift the line to the attendant, and I have to say he was just a little impressed.  Love my new Boat Loop.  Locks 52 and 53 were built in 1928 and 1929 and will be closed when the new Olmsted Lock opens.  Paducah Marina was sort of open when we stayed there.  No showers or other amenities but we were able to stay there by going through Dockwa and self service fuel was available.  Reflexions came in after we left and had issues with electric and we heard they closed again to take care of that problem.  So last I heard they were again closed until September.  Chuck and Diane from the Bear were also at Paducah so I got to reunite with their Golden Doodle, Max. 

We have always had golden retrievers and I think I am drawn to Max because he reminds me of our dogs. 

The next day we traveled to Green Turtle Bay Marina.  But we were almost done with the Ohio and although the Cumberland is more cruising upriver the current isn’t as strong, at least that’s what we thought.  We were wrong, it was slower going than the Ohio, not sure why but we slowed down even more.  We were able to pick up our speed a little by playing the bends but it was slow going.  We had only Barkley Lock to get through and then about a mile to Green Turtle Bay.  We made it to Green Turtle Bay with a half tank of gas and had used 5/5 gallon Gerry cans to get there from Hoppies.  We have a fuel range of about 100 miles and a 14 gallon fuel tank, this stretch was mostly against the current.  We are now on Lake Barkley which is surprising deep, with a summer pool depth of 359 feet. 

Green Turtle Bay is a great marina and has over 400 slips.  We didn’t know until we arrived that we would be near the epicenter for the eclipse.  Very interesting, it was dark for a little over 2 minutes and looked like the sun has just set but instead of a little light peeking over the western horizon you could see that light on the horizon in a 360 degree circle.

Our cameras didn't do justice to the dark, as they brightened the pictured and it took us too long to figure out how to overcome this.  

I know you are all dying to know, did we go to Patty’s?  Well the answer is yes we went to Patty’s but no, for all you pork chop lovers, we passed on the pork chops as we don’t eat meat.  I love to smell cooking/grilling meat but we don’t eat it. 

We also rented a car and did the tourist thing and visited a few civil war sites.  We really enjoyed Fort Donelson the site of a Civil War battle which took place February 12-16, 1862.  It was a strategic battle for control of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers and the first major victory for the union and the little known Brigadier General Grant. 

We stayed a week at Green Turtle Bay and got to meet up with a lot of new friends we met on the river.  Lady Di, Neverland, Gypsy III, Bear, and Reflections and met quite a new friends.  We have had a wonderful time here but look forward to hitting the road again, or is that water? 

Song of the Day:  It's 5:00 Somewhere by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet

Why?  Because you can't always wait for Docktails

Just a Blur The Mississippi River and Hoppies

August 17-19

After spending a night at Alton Marina we set off down the Mississippi River to Hoppies.  By the way, Alton Marina was another great marina, just as nice as Grafton but quieter.  Hoppies is one of those iconic places I have been reading about since Day 1 of planning the Great Loop and Beyond.  While here, you are expected (most willingly) to attend Fern’s afternoon chat on the river.  Fern, with her deeply wrinkled face and piercing blue eyes that twinkle when she flashes you a smile, is a Wikipedia of river knowledge and her information is up to date.  

Fern

(Once again I forgot to take pictures.  This was taken from google images and was probably taken some years ago.)

Some of the anchorages we were considering had to be deleted because of her current knowledge.  I wanted to take her with us but she does have her afternoon chats which she takes quite seriously and all she wants for river boaters is to be `safe’.  Don’t miss this opportunity because Fern definitely fits the definition of `icon’.  Oh by the way, for those of you who don’t have enclosed showers on your boat, don’t expect a nice cool shower after a hot day, haha. 

As advised by the marina when we called ahead, you should bypass the marina, approaching it upstream against the current and they were there to expertly guide us to our slip and take our lines.  Thank you Hoppies Marina!

The current on the Mississippi was 3-4 mph and makes cruising fast even in `go slow’ boats.  Our average speed without current is 6 mph at about 1400 rpms and a hull speed of 7 nm, on the Mississippi our top speed was 12.5 mph.  We were seeing speeds we have never seen on our sailboat.  The fastest speed we have ever seen was 10 mph and that was coming around an island with way too much sail up!  For most people you will probably be okay with this, especially the great fuel economy.  After leaving Hoppies we traveled 110 miles in 11 hours!  We have never traveled that far in that time frame.  The upper Mississippi wasn’t our favorite part of the river, there is a lot of debris, eddies and whirlpools ( MM 131-129 was the worse), and BIG tugs to watch out for and few anchorages and marinas. 

Bucket List item checked.  See St. Louis from the river.

Our last anchorage on the Mississippi was MM 7 between a bridge abutment and an island, a nice place to spend the night and the current was only about 1 nm, we used a 5:1 scope.  We have been traveling with the 'Bear'.  Chuck and Diane are a couple we first met at Springbrook Marina in Seneca, IL.  

We are always last to the party, here is Bear already at anchor at MM7.  Thanks, Chuck and Diane for scoping out the anchorage for us, haha.  
Unfortunately it was a payback day for us because after setting anchor (thankfully) and turning off the engine Bruce did his routine check of the engine and found he had a bad coil and electronic ignition.  As he troubleshooted the issue he found he could not restart the engine.  Soooo after an 11 hour day he spent another 3 hours doing his diesel mechanic thing, while I teared down the boat to get tools and then cleaned up the boat again.  Bruce is anal about having enough tools and replacement parts on board so we had everything we needed. Afterwards we were exhausted and it was so hot that we went right to bed and woke up early to do it all over again.  But payback was over and the next day was much better, although I think it will take a few days before we are fully rested. 

Song of the Day:  Otto Titsling by Bette Midler
Why?  Because who couldn't use a little frivolous information?

On to the Ohio River~~~~~~~→

Cruising Thoughts on the River and Mile Marker 0

Yep,  mile marker 0 on the Illinois River, we are here folks at Grafton Harbor Marina.  So it seems a good time to contemplate  the last 330 miles.

One thing I really like about the rivers is the predictability of the water, no wondering if the forecast is correct for 1-3 foot waves or if we will find ourselves in considerably heavier seas, it is always pretty flat!   So it is surprising that I actually feel safer on the Great Lakes.  Probably my comfort zone.  It is certainly a different type of boating than we are used to with all the barges going by and watching for the flotsam.  We don’t want to be caught unaware again and have trouble with the intake and an overheating engine.  We also have to be at the wheel constantly, no autopilot on the river.  I suppose a really determined person might spend hours putting in waypoints, or maybe not!  Another thing I have noticed it's not as busy as I thought it would be, at least not the Illinois River, there have been plenty of stretches where we have been the only boat for miles.  We have also found these barges manageable using common sense and calling the tow captains if we have any doubts about passing.  Sometimes we are not going much faster than the tows.  One tow captain told us to go ahead and pass on his two (his port) which we did.  We were just about  to the end when it became evident we couldn't go fast enough to complete the passing before the bend.  Bruce called the captain to tell him and thank him, the captain responded,  `Go ahead cap, you are almost there' and he slowed down.  The tow captains are great!  We always respect their presence on the river and they have been unfailingly helpful and pleasant.

Now, a few words about Grafton.  The Grafton Marina is great, with full services, including a pool.  

They are within walking distance of town and also offer a courtesy car for further excursions.  We used the car to go into Jersey to provision.  This is a very busy touristy town with lots of eatery choices.  The restaurant and bar at the marina are great.  We had Blackened Shrimp Tacos at the the Oyster Bar on site and they were the best we have ever had.  

Grafton Lighthouse

                                     On to the Mississippi ~~~~~~~→