Great Loop: Seven Locks in Two Days

Aqua Yacht Harbor - Lucca, Mississippi

November 9th and 10th, 2021

We mistakenly thought we departed Aqua Yacht Harbor early, as we were underway very close to 8 am.  At Aqua we had caught up with a about 10 other Looper boats.  9 of those boats had departed an hour or more ahead of us, so they were locking through the first lock as we were just getting started.  It is advantageous to travel in a group, as the lockmasters like to minimize the number of "turns" or cycles they do.  So if we wanted to increase our probability of locking through quickly, we had to buddy up with another boat.  As it happen, we buddied up with a fellow from Fulton Mississippi who had just retired and bought a bought a very nice Mainship Mediterranean trawler.  It was about 47' with twin 454 gas engines.  I never got his name, but we enjoyed each others company through the 3 locks we transited to reach Midway Marina in Fulton.

Locks Transited on November 9th:

• Whitten Lock:  mm 412
• Montgomery Lock:  mm 406.8
• Rankin Lock:  mm 398.4

Almost Every Day We See Bald Eagles

Shortly after leaving the harbor, we were into the "Ditch", as the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway is known.  It is a 234 mile, man made canal connecting the Tennessee River with the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers in Demopolis Alabama.  When completed in 1984 it included 10 locks and dams that allow vessels to transit between the two watersheds.  The waterway continues to stimulated economic development and has provided a path for recreational boaters to travel from the Great Lakes to the Gulf.  The Mississippi is also a route south to the Gulf, but the lower portion is optimized for flood control and commercial traffic and a lack of fueling stops and marinas makes it unsuitable for most recreational craft.

The start of the "Ditch"

Our lock experience was very good. We called ahead to ask if any tows were scheduled.  We were fortunate that no tows were currently on either the up-bound or down-bound schedule.  Each of the three locks had their doors open and green light on as we approached.  So we had an easy transit all the way to Midway Marina.  We considered ourselves very lucky.  

Midway Marina - Fulton Mississippi

Sunset as we turn into Midway Marina

We arrived at Midway just after sunset.  They were full, so we tied up to the fuel dock and added 35 gallons of diesel.  We also discovered the vessel Kittiwake and it's crew were there.  Across from us was another Ranger Tug R27 from Valdez Alaska.  The couple who owned the boat had trailered it from Alaska and were doing the loop.  They had recently retired from their job as professional Iditarod racers.  Between the two, they had completed over 40 Iditarods!  We enjoyed hearing what it was like to raise and train the dogs, search for sponsors, compete, and live in Alaska.  They had provisioned their boat with moose meat from home, and were excited to be out of the cold of Alaska, on an adventure of a different nature. 

 

Ali's dog ZipTie, pushes Beth off the Bench Seat

The next day, determined to get an early start and travel with the gaggle of Loopers, we arose, got dressed and headed out to the dock to see who wanted to leave early.  Again 10 boats had already headed downstream.  Rats!  We did find one boat that wanted to leave, our new friends from Alaska on the Ranger Tug Mickey.  So we headed out, at least an hour behind the others, as the morning fog was clearing.

Morning Fog

Mickey making the turn into the channel outside Midway Marina

Our day's travel would focus on successfully transiting 4 locks:

• Fulton Lock: mm 391
• Wilkins Lock:  mm 376.3 
• Thad Cochran Lock:  mm 358.3
•  Aberdeen Lock:  mm 357.5

Note:  River mileage is our distance reference.  It is given as a Mile Mark or mm, and is measured from the mouth of the river.

 Our Alaska Friends on the Lock Wall

The four locks, through which we traveled on November 10th, were a step and repeat process.  The lockmasters knew we were approaching, they opened the lock gate and gave us a "green light" to enter.  As soon as we tied to the wall and killed our engines, they would drop us to the next level.  It was very smooth and little time was lost.  This was good as we were travelling almost 60 miles to our next overnight stop.

Fall colors continued to inspire

         

Homes with docks were prevalent along our route

We were hoping to spend the night at Columbus Marina, in Columbus Mississippi, but they we full.  So we found a nice side channel, an anchorage called McKinley Creek, and dropped the hook for the night.  We decided to celebrate our first night at anchor so Beth prepared one of my favorites, New York strip steaks, green beans, boiled potatoes, and sautéed mushrooms, accompanied by a nice bottle of red wine!  Life is good.  We enjoyed a pleasant sunset and after dinner watched a Robert Redford movie, "An Unfinished Life".  

Sunset at McKinley Creek Anchorage

Tomorrow, a front will be moving through, so we will most likely find a "hunker down spot".   

Here a map of the locks on the Tenn-Tom and it's locks.