November 10, 2023

We have a reprieve. Instead of departing Columbus at 6 a.m. – we depart at 8:00 a.m.! What a difference two hours make. Especially in the morning!

The journey down the Tombigbee River is more of the same – barges, towboats, foliage, Looper boats.

There are three locks – Stennis, Tom Bevil, and Howell Heflin – before our next marina, Kingfisher in Demopolis.

Calling All Cards

There are so many boats and owner names to keep up with. Captain Pat keeps the boat cards of the boats we are travelling with on his helm dash, so he has an aid to help him with boat and crew names.

Journey Down the River

There is the occasional announcement over the radio of a log in the river, or an upcoming barge. Once Todd even announced there is a telephone booth on our starboard side!

This could prove helpful especially as our Verizon reception is almost nonexistent.

Finally, we enter our first lock – Stennis. A white crane nestles inside the gate.

There are enough bollards in this lock so that all boats can tie to the wall – no need to raft up. One boat says we are “going rogue.” -:)

The boat Hunky Dory enters the lock with us. Tom and Lisa are traveling the Loop on their C-Dory with their 11-year-old Golden doodle, Miss Cocoa. She seems so well behaved to me; but Cocoa’s owners tell me she has been known to pee on their bed, especially if they leave her.

They trailered the boat from Oregon to Hoppy’s Marina on the Mississippi River! They’ve done extensive boating on the Hunky Dory – recently from Vancouver to Alaska.

Also in the lock with us is Gryffin Joy, who we rescued just yesterday.

Next up is the Tom Bevill lock.

Captain Pat wants to make it through the Howard Hefflin lock today, then anchor just past that. The other flotilla boats opt not to cross the Hefflin lock today, and instead are anchoring just before lock.

Can We Join You?

We hear on the radio, an inquiry from Rick and Melanie on Blue Horizon. Is Sunshine going to push ahead and make it through the last lock?

Yes, we are! We have already contacted the lockmaster, asking our chances to make it through the lock before 4 p.m. so we can anchor in the daylight. She assures us we can.

We are grateful to have Blue Horizon join us. It’s nice to have another boat to travel with to this last lock.

Blue Horizon and Sunshine do just that.

After secured in the lock Melanie radios to the Lockmaster: “Drop us quick! We need daylight to anchor in!”

We soon are out of the lock and putting down our anchors in the Oxbow anchorage.

Tomorrow morning, we can make it to Kingfisher Marina early afternoon.

Only two more river locks to go – Demopolis and Coffeeville!