Hello,

Sunrise on the Tombigbee Waterway

Today Bob and Karen Rutigliano arrived with their friends, David and Lugene Yearwood. We first met Bob and Karen in our first year at Orange Beach marina. Their home is in Indianapolis and has wintered on “Always R Summer Place” for the last several years at Orange Beach. They have a 70 foot Skipperliner that has ALL the creature comforts of your home. Donna Davison, who is a manager from Orange Beach Marina, arrived shortly before noon and she will accompany Al and JoAnn on “Our Turn”. Donna had made the trip with Al and JoAnn Barr before and really looks forward to the adventure. And adventurist sort of person she is. I don’t believe I know of other women who considers big game hunting in Africa as an adventure, but she does and the proof is in her house! Later that evening, the Admirals (we Captains are but mere servants to the true leaders of our flotilla) of our fleet made a decision NOT to be tied to the galley for our evening meal, so they collectively opted to call Domino’s Pizza! One of the real advantages of a Defever 44 is there tons of room to entertain since we dined on deep dish pizza while sitting on the upper helm of our boat.

As the day went on, more boats arrived into the marina for their overnight stay before once again heading south. Since the next lock (Demopolis Lock) was just a short distance from the marina, it was apparent we needed to coordinate our early morning departure. Everyone agreed to be ready at 0600 and someone would be designated to call the lockmaster before we untie. It would be a real pain to idle in the channel of the river as we wait for the lock to become available.

There is a new “term” I have learned and that is “Looper’s Midnight”. Most boaters are early risers and get on the water as soon as possible. They would travel about 4 to 6 hours before finding their anchorage or marina for the night.  The general thought is the earlier you get on the water, the availability of contingencies increase. You really don’t want to get to your destination anchorage late in the evening only to find it occupied.  Therefore a Looper’s midnight usually occurs around 8pm.

Sunrise approaching Demopolis Lock

As the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, you could hear the boats begin to come alive. Shore power was transferred to the on board generators (gensets), engines were started and lines began to be untied. There were a total of 7 boats in our armada as we approached the Demopolis Lock. This is the largest number of boats Kris and I have ever locked through with. 

 There are a total of 10 bollards, 5 on each side, which you can tie up to. The bollards will float with the level of the water, so as you either descend or rise, you can stay secure to the wall of the lock. Sometimes the bollards are referred to as “pins”.  Once inside the lock and you are secure, you must notify the lockmaster of your status. Only after all the boats a “secure to the wall” will he/she begin to close the gate and start the drop.

Stephen and Charlotte Jensen on Jackets II

After the drop was complete, we began to dance with the other boats as the faster travelers took the lead. It is considered rude as well as unsafe to pass another boat while your boat produces some sort of “wake”. This can cause damage or harm to the occupants of the boat being passed. The boat being passed usually comes to an idle speed while the passing boat gently goes around. Three of the boats in our flotilla were considered “fast” boats (11mph) while the remaining four were slow boats (8mph).

Really nice Island Gypsy called "Monarch"

Our destination was Bashi Creek which Kris and I have stayed at before. The creek is a very narrow inlet near a public park and since all three boats are “dog friendly”, it was important for us to anchor near a spot where we could walk our dogs.

We arrived at Bashi Creek around 3:30 and fortunately there was no one in the anchorage. This anchorage is a coveted spot because it provides wind protection from almost all sides. There is a trade off for this wind protection, the channel is very narrow and has a lot of overhanging branches.  There is just enough room in the channel for the 70 foot Skipperliner to turn around.

Since Always R Summer Place has the shallowest draft, it was decided they should go in first. As Bob went into the creek, he would call out the depths. The Skipperliner has a draft of under 4 feet while Al and me, need at least 5 feet of water to be comfortable.

Because the creek is narrow, it is required to drop both a bow and stern anchor. There are different ways to do this, but the most common would be to drop and then set your bow anchor. Once the anchor is set, then you would let out several more feet of “rode” as you back up the boat. Once I had about 75 feet of anchor rode out, I dropped the stern anchor from the aft swim deck. I then had Kris begin to wind in the bow anchor using the windlass as I set the stern anchor into the floor of the creek. Now we can comfortably stay in the center of the creek without the worry of drifting to the shore. Hah!! At least that is the theory; I will let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Since Bob went in first, Al followed him and they rafted together. The original plan was for me to raft with them, but because the creek is so narrow, we decided to go it alone. Once everyone was anchored securely, Bob came by with his runabout to pick up our dog. It was a real sight to see 3 grown men with 2 large Chocolate Labs, 1 Doberman and 1 mix breed dog all in a small dingy as we slowly made our way to shore.

The Admirals have coordinated the cooking of meals. Tonight was the Rutigliano’s night and in honor of their Italian heritage, they provided a wonderful meal of stuffed shells, anti pasta salad and several other side dishes as well as different desserts. Hey... did I mention Looper’s Midnight. We were finished with our meal and the dog walked by 8pm. I was sound asleep by 8:30!!

Tomorrow we are planning anchoring at either “Old Lock Number 1” or Three Rivers. It just depends of the river. Remember, you travel at the river’s speed, not yours!

Thanks again for keeping up with us. Let us know what you think about our blog. Here are some additional pictures of today's trip

Early lock through with 6 other boats.

Nayla making sure Rusty is doing it right!

This is just below the Demopolis Lock