Demopolis to Bay Springs Lake

On Sunday, May 29th, we left the Demopolis Yacht Basin and traveled seven hours (55 miles and one lock) to Sumter Landing where we were anchored by 5:30 p.m.  It was another hot day but that isn’t going to change anytime soon according to the forecast.

Beautiful chalk cliffs line this section of the Waterway.



Nothing like a sand volleyball game on Memorial weekend.



Todd went fishing early Tuesday morning, returning about 10:30.  Fred from the Yacht Basin called about 30 minutes later to ask if we wanted to take “Life’s2Short” downriver a few miles to assist a grounded boat.  We were a bit leery about attempting that but we said we’d go down in the dinghy to assess the situation.

When we arrived, a very large trawler named “Nauti Time” was already in the process of pulling a very large go-fast boat (a Lazzara) named “Lovin’ Life” off the mud.  They had apparently been running quite fast when they missed a red daymark, failed to turn to port and ran straight ahead into some very shallow water.  And you could tell they were hard aground based on how high the stern of the boat was in the water.  Bet they weren't "Lovin' Life" much at that point!

To complicate matters further, the boat is equipped with four pods which allow the operator to easily maneuver it in any direction using what is essentially a joystick.  As a result, they didn’t want to pull the boat backward for fear of damaging the pods so they were trying to pull it free using lines tied to the bow rather than the stern, a much more difficult task.

One of the crew of “Lovin’ Life” was in the water and had been swimming lines between the boats, which was a good, long distance.  During the first attempt to loosen the boat from the mud, one of the lines snapped and had to be replaced with a heavier line.  So we assisted the two boats by ferrying lines between them.  After applying a huge amount of horsepower to the task, “Nauti Time” was able to pull the Lazzara around and back into deeper water.  There’s no way we could’ve done that with “Life’s2Short” and I wouldn’t even have attempted it!

We hung around to make sure there was no major damage to the Lazzara, and our efforts were rewarded with a nice bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial champagne.  Everything on “Lovin’ Life” seemed to be functioning properly so off they went, throwing a wake the size of a healthy ocean roller!  Unfortunately, the Captain didn’t have his camera with him to document any of this but it was quite a spectacle to witness!

About 2:00 that afternoon a Defever named “Just Us II” came into the anchorage.  Todd had briefly met the couple at the Yacht Basin in Demopolis and knew they were planning to anchor at Sumter for the night.  A couple of hours later we dinghied over to the courtesy dock by the launch ramp in search of shade as it was too hot to stay on the boat any longer.

Another tow and barges heading up the Tenn-Tom.

 

Our anchorage at Sumter Landing.



Todd went fishing again early Tuesday and caught enough bass for dinner.



We left the anchorage before 10:00 a.m. and covered 48 miles with one lock to stop at the Hairston Bend Cut-Off for the evening.  Even though it was still quite warm, we at least had a light north breeze while traveling.  After a quiet day on the water, we were anchored by 4:00 p.m. and again took the dinghy out in search of shade.

I know you can’t really see them, but this mimosa tree was covered with butterflies!



Todd thinks maybe this is about the size of the stump we hit below the Demopolis lock a few weeks ago.  I think not!



On Wednesday, June 1st, we were off by 9:00 a.m. with another 48 miles to cover, plus two locks and a stop at Columbus Marina for some ice.  Fortunately, we had the north breeze again and found afternoon and evening shade at our anchorage at the Canal Section Cut-Off at mile 366.3.

This dredge was operating at mile 366, just south of our anchorage.





We love finding a sandy beach to pull up on for the evening!



By Thursday we’d had enough of the heat and decided to go to a marina for the evening.  We took off about 8:00 a.m. with 28 miles and three locks to go to reach Midway Marina at mile 394.  We arrived at 12:30, pumped out the holding tanks and attempted to relax in the air conditioning all afternoon.  However, with the intense heat and lack of shade at the marina, the A/C could only do so much.  But it was still much nicer than being outside!  That evening we ate at the marina restaurant and took the courtesy van to the Wal-Mart in nearby Fulton to get a few supplies.

Friday we were underway by 9:30 a.m. and were through the final three locks and 18 miles of the Tenn-Tom within three hours.

Approaching the final lock on the Tenn-Tom.



There were hundreds of swallow’s nests beneath the stairs outside the lock chamber.



Just as we were entering Whitten Lock for the 84-foot lift to Bay Springs Lake, a tow arrived to be locked down.  We’re assuming the lockmaster must have been in a hurry to lock us up because he had that thing in full gear when it was filling, which caused our bow to slam into the lock wall so hard that the ball fenders were flattened and the stainless steel rail on the bow actually hit the lock wall!  Plus Todd & I were both on the bow pushing against the lock wall as hard as we could and we weren’t able to budge it.  After this happened a couple of times, Todd got on the radio and told the lockmaster he was killing us and to please slow it down!  Not a good way to end our seventh time completing the twelve locks on the Tenn-Tom, often referred to as “the dirty dozen.”

The last of the dirty dozen.





We made our way up the lake a few miles to Five Fingers Cove where we found a nice place to get out of the afternoon sun and spend time in the clear (if not cool) water of Bay Springs.  We were hoping the water would be cooler once we reached Bay Springs but it was still nearly 90 degrees!



That evening we joined Hank & Nancy on “Last Laugh” for dinner.  They had already spent a few days exploring Bay Springs and were heading to Pickwick the next morning to have some work done on one of their generators.  While we were talking that evening, Hank told Todd they would love another mess of bass so Todd got up early Saturday morning and caught them enough for another meal.



Nancy has a knack for growing the most amazing orchids I’ve ever seen!





We spent a hot, but quiet, day on the boat Saturday and then took the dinghy out exploring around 6:00 p.m.  It’s amazing how many nice, shady, private coves there are in the Five Fingers area.  And we saw the biggest bald eagle we’ve ever seen anywhere.  What a wonderful place!



After another early morning fishing trip which netted three more bass to fillet, we headed to Bay Springs Marina where we pulled into a covered slip and proceeded to do some much-needed cleaning.  Even though the boat had been washed a few days before we left Demopolis, you couldn’t tell it by the time we reached Bay Springs!

Our long-time friend Mo, off the motor vessel “MOTU,” stopped by to visit and, as she said, supervise our cleaning efforts!  Then she and Todd sat on the dock and had a couple of Bloody Mary’s while I had a few cold beers on the bow.  After resting in the air conditioning the remainder of the afternoon, we got together on the dock that evening with Mo, Chuck & Pip (off “Miss Pip”) and some other dock friends we hadn’t met before.

I am ending this blog update the morning of June 6th.  Todd’s parents arrived early Monday afternoon and will be on the boat with us for a week.  Plans are to spend a few more days at Bay Springs before making the trek to Pickwick where we hope to find another covered slip waiting for us at Aqua Yacht Harbor.  In this heat, anchoring out is just not a viable option with company on board.