November 9, 2023

Four Locks in One Day

Today we are following the same drill as yesterday. Departure is at 6 a.m. with Todd on Sea No Evil taking the lead, and Tom on Beachside in second command.

With four locks awaiting us, we have heard this can be a challenging day. We hope we can make our destination of Columbus, Mississippi by 4 p.m.  

We leave Midway Marina at Mile Marker 394.0 Our first lock is the Fulton Lock at Mile Marker 391.0 Todd announces on the radio the Lockmaster is ready for our arrival. Yeah! Once again – no wait.

We then hear on the radio “Happy Birthday” music. It is Diane’s (on Beachside) birthday! She graciously accepts all the birthday wishes.

The boats enter the lock following same pattern as yesterday. We tie up to Beachside and wish Diane ‘Happy Birthday!’ We again are grateful to spend the day on the locks with them. Makes for a quick journey as we chat away.

The second lock is Wilkins – again, no wait, no issues. We are on a roll. We think.

Sunshine – the Little Boat That Could

Approaching the third lock – Amory – we hear there will be a delay. The boats go into a holding pattern, waiting for the lock to open. Someone starts a trivia game over the radio with “Name that Tune.” This is short lived.

It’s difficult to keep the boat in the channel. Captain Pat notices the depth is at three feet on our starboard side. Everyone is told to stay in the middle of the channel.

Captain Pat turns to me and says “something’s going on back there” meaning there is trouble with a boat in the back of the pack. Sure enough, we hear that Gryffin Joy has drifted too far to the port side and is grounded. George on Done Saving offers to bring his boat over to pull out ‘Griffin Joy.’

Doug on Hattitude applauds George on the radio for his efforts. Pat responds “yes, he’s pulled your butt out a few times!” Doug replies, “Just once!”

We knew George had pulled Doug out a few days ago when Hattitude went aground.

It doesn’t go too well for George this time. Done Savings gets stuck too.

So now we have two boats out of commission.

There are so many voices chiming in on the radio, offering support and suggestions. It’s dizzying.

Captain Pat and Sunshine to the Rescue

Captain Pat radios George and says he will bring Sunshine there to help them, as our draft is only three feet. So off we go.

George, on his dinghy, brings a line from his boat to Captain Pat. Minutes later, Done Saving is back in business. Tracy takes over the helm, and George brings a line to Gryffin Joy and back to Pat.

It gets frantic, as a barge is exiting the lock and into the channel, where all our boats are. Tracy manages to get Done Saving out of the way.

Captain Pat and Sunshine successfully pulls Gryffin Joy out! Yeah! Two for two.

The other boats are secured to the walls of the lock and awaiting the three of us. As Sunshine makes it’s way into the lock, everyone applauds us and honks their boat horns. That did make us feel good.

Captain Pat did a great job with that rescue! So proud of him.

There’s a Black Dog in the River!

One more lock – Aberdeen – at Mile Marker 357.5. Our marina at Columbus is at Mile Marker 335.0

We are high on adrenaline. Pat talks to George and all is well. While in the lock George checks his strainers for mud, etc., and everything looks good on his boat. Thank goodness. Griffyn Joy says his boat is ok too.

Captain Todd is busy on the radio. He always lets the other boats know of logs, wood, and debris in the river – “on your starboard side” or “on your port side.” There are comical references too, as when he announces the “real McCoy” is on your port, referring to this guy:

The most surprising is “there’s a black dog in the river!”

Sure enough, we spot a black dog. We slow down and he swims right in front of the boat. We see his big ears and eyes and his collar. He looks like he knows where he is going, like he’s made this trip before. I sure hope so! Other boats said he made it to the opposite shore and seemed ok.

Friendliest Tugboat Captain

Another afternoon delight is an encounter with the friendliest tugboat captain ever. Usually, the towboat captains communicate with barely an audible grunt.

This guy was totally the opposite. In his thick southern drawl he booms over the radio,

“My goodness! I’ve never seen so many boats! Where are y’all from?”

Todd proceeds to tell him we are “Loopers” and what that entails. The boat operator is quite intrigued.

“Well – where y’all headed to?”

Todd replies, “Florida.”

“Well, I’d sure like to go with you!”

He wishes us safe travels as we continue our journey.

Arrival at Columbus Marina

We are elated to make the final lock and find ourselves in the Columbus Marina around 3:30 p.m. Not bad timing at all considering our rescue efforts.

Columbus Marina is not the best of marinas. We congregate at the office waiting to pay. The boaters are still buzzing with congratulations to Captain Pat and Sunshine.

The dockmaster finally gets everyone registered and leaves us with us resource guides for the Tenn-Tom Locks and Waterway Anchorages.

Todd stops by our boat early evening to tell us tomorrow we have an 8 a.m. departure. This is quite welcoming news after two 5 a.m. mornings for the 6 a.m. departure!

Dinner and showers and we are off to sleep.

About Columbus – Possum Town – Mississippi:

Columbus is 120 miles west of Birmingham, Alabama. It has an estimated population of 24,000. In 1810, John Pitchlynn, the U.S. Indian agent and interpreter for the Choctaw Nation, moved to Plymouth Bluff and built a home, established a farm, and transacted Choctaw Agency business.

The town was settled where Andrew Jackson’s Military Road crossed the Tombigbee River four miles south of John Pitchlynn’s residence at Plymouth Bluff. In 1820 the post office that had been at Pitchlynn’s relocated to Columbus.

Before its incorporation, the town site was referred to informally as Possum Town, a name given by the local Native Americans. The name Possum Town remains the town’s nickname among locals.

During the American Civil War, Columbus was a hospital town. Many of the casualties from the Battle of Shilo were brought to Columbus. Thousands were eventually buried in the town’s Friendship Cemetery.

One of the hospitals was located at Annunciation Catholic Church, built in 1863 and still operating today.

Columbus has hosted Columbus Air Force Base (CAFB) since World War II. CAFB was founded as a flight training school. Today, it is one of only four basic Air Force flight training bases in the United States, and prized as the only one where regular flight conditions may be experienced. Despite this, CAFB has repeatedly hung in the balance during Basic Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearings.

Major employers of Columbus are:

Columbus Air Force Base

Baptist Memorial Hospital

Mississippi University for Women

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Paccar (diesel engines)

American Eurocopter (military aircraft)

Baldor (electric motors)

Aurora Flight Sciences

Stark Aerospace (unmanned defense systems)

Valmet (paper machine rolls and roll covers)