Captain’s Log

• August 9 – 22, 2024 We moved aboard! We were (and still are) so excited to begin this new adventure. It was kind of like moving to college years ago. We piled all of our belongings that we thought we might need to live aboard for the next year or two into the back of the car and filled with high hopes and dreams of big adventures we drove to Sturgeon Bay, WI. Reality soon overwhelmed us as we started cleaning, unpacking, and settling in. I definitely had a few, “Oh my goodness, what have we done?!?” moments that first day and in the days that followed. Fortunately, we both have a sense of humor and determination. As things began to go awry and unexpected repairs, maintenance and upgrades became the norm rather than the exception to our days, these traits have come in handy. We’re still a couple of weeks away from departure but things are definitely starting to come together and Hiatus Too is really beginning to feel like home.

  Cheers!

  

August 23, 2024 Today we took the day off from boat prep and played tourists while we still had a car available. We visited Whitefish Dunes Sate Park and hiked to Old Baldy, the largest sand dune in the park, had a lovely lunch on the water in Fish Creek and climbed to the top of Cana Island Light. It was great to take a break from boat repairs and upgrades!

August 24 & 25 It was a beautiful weekend for boating! We meandered out the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Channel to Lake Michigan both mornings followed by a visit to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday & the delivery of our new dinghy on Sunday. We also dined at Donny’s Glidden Lodge and the Mill Supper Club, two iconic Sturgeon Bay restaurants.

September 9, 2024 Bay Marine Yacht Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, WI to Jacobson Marina Resort, Frankfort MI 51.1 NM, 8.8 knots, 6:04 hours After a month of preparing and a weekend agonizing over the weather and waves, today is the day! It’s also Doug’s birthday! We departed Sturgeon Bay about 10:20 A.M. and had a roly poly cruise (2-3 ft. beam seas) over to Frankfort, MI. We happily followed along behind our extremely experienced new friends from Bay Marine Yacht Harbor, Susan and George aboard their Krogen Express, Nina, as we crossed Lake Michigan. We docked at Jacobson’s Marina in Frankfort and enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner at Vita Bella. Cheers to our successful crossing and first real voyage!

September 10, 2024 We spent the day regrouping and enjoying Frankfort. We visited Point Betsie Light by bike (grueling hills even by e-bike) and went to yet another hardware store!

September 11, 2024 Jacobson’s Marina, Frankfort MI to Manistee Municipal Marina, Manistee, MI 24.6 NM, 10.2 kn, 2:44 h After emptying our holding tank, we left Frankfort to cruise to Manistee. We docked on the river next to some fellow loopers on Ginny, an Ocean Alexander 54 and connected to shore power with a little creativity. It was another glorious sunset view down the river!

September 12, 2024 Manistee Municipal Marina to Snug Harbor Marina Pentwater, MI 32.6 NM, 8.7 kn, 4:09 h. We departed Manistee Marina after a beautiful sunrise. Arrived at Snug Harbor Marina in Pentwater in time for the weekly Farmer’s Market (amazing peaches) and lunch. We took a walk out to the beach/pier after lunch and when we got back to our dock, some fellow loopers we had met in Frankfort, Tsali & Jacque on Compass Rose were docked next to us. It was great catching up with them. They are super people with a wealth of information as this is their second time around the loop (Golden Loopers). We spent the rest of the afternoon marking our anchor chain which was both easier and harder (chain is heavy) than we expected. For dinner, we joined Tsali and Jackie and 3 other couples at The Antler. As the newest loopers in the group by far, we enjoyed their stories.

September 13, 2024 Snug Harbor Marina, Pentwater to Ellenwood Landing, on White Lake, Montague, MI 32.8 NM, 7.4 kn, 4:38 h. Departed Snug Harbor bright and early for White Lake, where we stayed at Ellenwood Landing next to the Weathervane Inn for two nights. We spent the afternoon having lunch, visiting (another) hardware store and going to the grocery. On Saturday morning we went to the Farmer’s Market nearby and then set out on a bike ride to Country Dairy in New Era, MI (about 22 miles of flat to rolling hills). We enjoyed a late afternoon swim and relaxing by the pool to complete our day.

September 15, 2024 Ellenwood Landing on White Lake, Montague, MI to Grand Haven Municipal Marina 26.8 NM, 7.5 kn, 3;40 h. We departed our dock about 8 AM dodging a gauntlet of fishing boats in the channel as we made our way into White lake. We had a smooth cruise to Grand Haven where we docked along the Municipal Marina. We took a long walk to lunch and exploring the town, met some more loopers at the dock and watched the Bengals – Chiefs game from the comfort of our own couch. On Monday, we rode our bikes out to the end of the pier, along the Lakeside Trail and later to West Marine and Home Depot (another hardware store). Our friends, Eileen and Bart stopped by for a couple of hours to visit with us on their way home from the Frankfort Ironman. (Bart had a personal best time on the bike portion! On the same hills that just about did us in. Amazing!) Later in the day, our friend Terrie and her friend, Dave came by to see the boat and go to dinner. We had a lovely dinner outdoors at Noto’s with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and enjoyed catching up with Terrie and getting to know Dave.

September 17, 2024 Grand Haven Municipal Marina to South Haven Municipal Marina with a side trip into Lake Macatawa, Holland, MI 49.3 NM, 8.2 kn, 6:16h We left Grand Haven about 7:40 AM, cruised to the Holland Harbor Inlet and Lake Macatawa, and then on to South Haven. At South Haven Municipal Marina we were greeted by two wonderful AGLCA Harbor Hosts, Glenn and Lisa. They were delightful! We went to Captain Lou’s (Lou’s yourself with views and booze!) on the water for lunch and then took a ride on the Kal-Haven Bike Trail. On Wednesday, we biked the Van Buren Bike Trail (much better than the Cal-Haven) to Van Buren State Park and spotted numerous deer along the way, it was a great ride! After lunch, Becki and Scott (or neighbors from back home in Ohio) stopped by to visit and deliver some meds and reds from home. It was great to see them and catch up with what’s happening on the cul de sac. We met up in the marina lounge for docktails with other loopers staying in the marina and had some great conversations. Loopers are an interesting and diverse bunch of characters and we seem to fit in pretty well.

September 19, 2024 South Haven Municipal Marina to Washington Park Marina, Michigan City, IN 49.9 NM, 9.2 kn, 5:39 h. We left the dock in South Haven a little before 8 AM and cruised on glassy, calm waters all the way to Washington Park Marina in Michigan City, IN. By the time we emptied our holding tank, tied up to the dock and connected to shore power, our guests for the next two nights had arrived! Doug’s Dad and his wife, Sue, came aboard and joined the fun. Thursday evening we ate at Bartlett’s Fish Camp near the marina (walking distance). Friday morning we took our guests on a sightseeing cruise up the Lake Michigan coast, seeing Indians Dunes National Park and the 1933 World’s Fair Century Homes along the way. We returned to the dock and grilled brats for lunch, toured the Old Lighthouse nearby and Doug took his Dad for a dinghy ride. A good time was had by all. I made Old Fashioneds for the first time and we had Miller’s Pizza delivered for a tasty dinner aboard.

September 21, 2024 Washington Park Municipal Marina to Burnham Harbor Marina 37.7 NM, 9.2 kn 4:20 h. We said farewell to Dad & Sue bright and early as they headed back to Cincinnati and we voyaged on to Chicago. It was a beautiful day to cruise past Navy Pier and the Chicago skyline. A couple of warblers joined us in the flybridge during our journey which was pretty cool but we could have done without the biting flies that invaded. One of our fellow loopers we’d met along the way saw us cruising past Soldier Field and the Planetarium and pulled out his “good camera” for a couple of amazing photos. We were thrilled when he sent them. Due to rainy, windy weather, we ended up staying in Chicago for a couple extra days which gave Kate and Justin the opportunity to finally go out on the Lake with us! Our first “Happy Hour” aboard was enjoyed with our friends, Patti & Robb. And we made the most of the rainy days by enjoying the Shedd Aquarium with Ollie, Tripp, Kate & Justin and by catching up with things on the boat (blog, installing a new radio etc.).

September 26, 2024 Burnham Harbor Marina to Hammond Marina 11.7 NM, 7.5 kn, 1:49 h. Our plan was to leave Chicago, go to Hammond, IN to top off our diesel tanks, empty our holding tank and prepare for our trip down the rivers. We did take on 385 gallons of diesel and empty our holding tank. But unfortunately, we have encountered a weather delay due to the winds from Hurricane Helene. There is currently a Gale Warning for our area and it looks like it may be a few days before we depart for the inland rivers portion of our trip. We had a lovely cruise down here yesterday but a rocky night and an even rockier day as the winds have kicked up and the waves have grown. Fortunately, we are safely docked in a marina but it’s still pretty amazing how much we can feel the wind and waves. We left Chicago in our wake but it’s still visible from our dock in Hammond!

September 30, 2024 Hammond Marina to Joliet City Dock 42.0 NM, 6.8 kn, 7:09 h. Today, after the winds and waves calmed, we moved on to the inland rivers portion of our loop. About 7:30 AM we followed our new friends, Wally & Brenda on Escapade and made our way across a few miles of Lake Michigan to the entrance of the Calumet River. We encountered bridges that had to be opened for us to pass, as well as the lowest fixed bridge we will encounter on the loop, our first locks and an underwater electrified field meant to keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. We left Lake Michigan on the Calumet River, then moved on to the Little Calumet River, the Cal-Sag waterway, the Chicago Sanitary Canal and eventually the Des Plaines River. We made it safely to Joliet where we tied up to a wall on the Des Plaines River. Some friends offered to watch our boat while we ubered to Merichka’s for an early dinner. All in all, a good first day on the rivers.

October 1, 2024 Joliet to Springbrook Marina, Seneca, IL (not Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, IL as planned!) 30.8 NM, 8.2 k, 4:52 h. We got off to a late start and were joined by Her’s IV and Bertha for our cruise. We didn’t wait long at the the first lock (Brandon Rd. lock) but we waited over 4 hours at the next lock at Dresden Island which meant we could not make it to Heritage Harbor before dark. So we implemented Plan B, and stopped about 15 miles sooner than planned at Springbrook Marina in Seneca, IL. We arrived just as the sun was setting and a very nice Golden Looper named Harry (his boat was Bessie) helped us find a slip and get settled for the night. Doug & Margie (Her’s IV) came over with docktails and appetizers and we had a lovely evening getting to know one another and planning our cruise for the next morning.

October 2, 2024 Springbrook Marina to IVY – Illinois Valley Yacht Club, Peoria Heights, IL. 71.8 NM, 11.2 k, 8:10 h. We departed Springbrook Marina at sunrise (see picture above) and headed downriver to Peoria. We waited about an hour at the Marseilles Lock and arrived at IVY just in time to pump out and get stuck in the mud. The Illinois River is extremely low this year. The members were extremely welcoming and friendly, buying us drinks and treating us like celebrities! We enjoy the dining room and had a lovely dinner with our new friends, Doug & Margie.

October 3, 2024 IVY to Quiver Island, Havana, IL. (not the Beardstown Barge as planned) 41.4 NM, 7.2 k, 6:43 h. After topping off our diesel, we left IVY and headed down past Peoria to the Peoria Lock. We rafted off some very nice loopers on Mackinac Passage III on the dock at Kuchie’s while waiting for barges to go through the lock and for the Army Corps of Engineers to make some repairs to a valve. While we were waiting and rafting, Kuchie’s opened for lunch and we were able to order a to-go lunch before the lockmaster called us to say he was ready and that we needed to hurry (after waiting over 2 hours)! After the lock we encountered our first dredging operation on the river which caused another slowdown. Fortunately, Mary, on Mackinac Passage III, had taken great notes at the river conditions briefing at Heritage Harbor and had a backup plan for all of us when after our delays at the lock and dredge, we didn’t have time to make it to Beardstown. We happily followed Mackinac Passage III, Kingdom and Her’s IV to Quiver Island near Havana (where the marinas were closed due to low water) and we anchored for the first time overnight. It was a beautiful evening with glorious starry skies and calm waters.

October 4, 2024 Quiver Island (Havana, IL) to Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant (Hardin, IL) 86.9 NM, 8.5 kn, 11:02 h. We had a lovely night anchored behind Quiver Island until 5 AM when the winds kicked up and the thunder and lightning began! We left at the first sign of light and spent the first few hours of the day cruising through stormy weather. Fortunately the weather improved, we cruised straight in to the LaGrange Lock and after a long day arrived at Mel’s Diner Dock about 6 PM. Call Me Curly was kind enough to offer to let us raft off of them for the evening and we were very appreciative. We had a great comfort food dinner (brisket, whole catfish and cherry pie), with Doug & Margie, Grant & Sharon (Call Me Curly) and 8 other loopers. We finished up the evening with a nightcap on Call Me Curly and sadly said goodbye to Margie & Doug who were not stopping with us in Grafton.

October 5 – 8, 2024 Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Diner (Hardin, IL) to Grafton Harbor, The Key West of the Midwest! 17.9 NM, 8.1 kn, 2:30 h. We got up early and cruised to Grafton to prepare for visitors. Cathy & Tyler joined us aboard for a couple of nights. Rob, Kristen, Jack & Natalie came to see the boat and brought us our Amazon deliveries that had accumulated since we left Chicago. All of us met up with Casey, Autumn, Matt & Jenny at the Loading Dock for lunch and then we enjoyed the Grafton Winery. On Sunday, Joy & Fred came to visit and catch up with us. We had a great time! Monday we took the Grafton Aerial tour to the top of the bluff for lunch and gorgeous river views and of course, Doug & Tyler enjoyed the alpine coaster at the top. Later on Monday, we said goodbye to Cathy and Tyler (we hope to see them again in Florida this winter). On Tuesday, we rode our bikes out to Pere Marquettte State Park, something I have been wanting to do for years, after doing it, I’m not sure why? I think we were a week or two ahead of the leaves starting to turn but I’m confident it is glorious in the fall!

October 9-13, 2024 Grafton to Alton Marina 14.6 NM, 7.2 kn, 2:25 h. Today we cruised all the way from Grafton to Alton, not very far at all. We filled up with diesel and were entertained by the harbormaster, Jill, who was both efficient and funny! After settling in, working on our bikes covers and washing the boat, we found a great lunch spot, The Brown Bag Bistro. We. also discovered that, not surprisingly after we thought about it, our Starlink didn’t work at a covered dock. That was a bit of a setback as far as updating this site. Fortunately, we had lots of visitors and lots of fun on our schedule so we didn’t miss Netflix or the internet too much. First, we met Maggie & John at Fast Eddie’s (an Alton landmark) on Wednesday. Thursday afternoon, Rob brought his portable chiropractic table and adjusted my hip and leg in the marina parking lot. Afterwards, we treated him to lunch at the Brown Bag Bistro and he took us to see the Robert Wadlow statue by the SIU Dental School. Robert Wadlow was the world’s tallest man, standing 8 feet 11.5 inches tall. Ed, Steve and Bobby joined us the boat on Thursday evening and we went to the State Street Market (awesome). Friday afternoon, Robin and Steve joined us aboard for cocktails and then we went to dinner at Tony’s. It was an absolutely wonderful time catching up with our high school, college and dental travel friends again. It’s always amazing how we pick up right where we left off! On Saturday, Matt came over to visit with Ella, Jake and. Izzy, who had lots of questions about the boat and life aboard. Sunday, we rode our bikes to the National. Great Rivers Museum, went to the local. Octoberfest and prepared to leave on Monday. We were excited to catch up with our looper friends, Wally and Brenda, on Escapade, who we met in Hammond for cocktails and pizza before we left.

October 14, 2024 Alton Harbor to Hoppie’s Marina, Kimmswick, MO. 36.9 NM, 8.2 kn, 6:44 h. After relaxing and visiting with family and friends in Grafton and Alton for over a week, we departed this morning in the cold and wind to continue on down the Mighty Mississippi through the Mel Price and Chain of Rocks locks, past St. Louis to Hoppie’s Marina in Kimmswick, MO, Hoppie’s is the last place to get diesel on the upper Mississippi before we turn up the Ohio River towards Paducah and when we arrived at Hoppie’s we had to wait for another boat to take on 445 gallons of diesel at a rate of 7 gallons/minute so we had plenty of time to relax and have lunch while we waited to top off our tanks and dock for the night.

Our new looper friends, Sylvain and Marie on Hakuna Matata kindly took our picture in front of the St. Louis Gateway Arch and we took theirs. It was an awesome experience seeing St. Louis from the river. Definitely a different perspective and a little intimidating with all of the commercial barge traffic on the Mississippi. Once we arrived at Hoppie’s and we were all docked for the evening, we enjoyed docktails with our looper dockmates and a river conditions briefing from Hoppie’s daughter, Deb. The river is extremely low which will make anchoring a challenge as we head downstream. After docktails, we joined Sylvain and Marie in an Uber and had dinner at Frankie Gianino’s in Imperial, MO as everything in Kimmswick is closed on Mondays. We had a lovely evening and look forward to another great day tomorrow!

October 15, 2024 Hoppie’s Marina to Kaskaskia Lock 36.6 NM, 9.6 kn, 4:10 h. No locks today, WOOHOO! Also, notice how our speed has picked up because the current is so fast on the Mississippi. After walking in to Kimmswick with our dockmates for breakfast at the Blue Owl Restaurant & Bakery (a looper tradition), we headed out a little later than usual around 11:30 AM. The Blue Owl was delicious and a great way to start the day and most of us took home slices of their Levee High Apple Pie as well as other goodies to complete our day. The water dropped another 1.5 feet overnight and Reel Dreams (the big blue Kadey-Krogen trawler parks behind us in the picture above) got stuck in the mud leaving the dock. It was pretty scary to watch as they listed over but fortunately they p[owered out of the mud and continued on downstream with us. After watching them, our own departure was a little nerve wracking but uneventful. We tied up to the lock wall downstream from the Kaskaskia Lock along with our friends and joined Sylvain & Marie aboard Hakuna Matata for dinner. They were gracious hosts with lovely cocktails and real glassware! We enjoyed our evening with the two of them and Kiara their little dog.

October 16, 2024 Kaskaskia Lock to Angelo Towhead. 102.7 NM, 10.9 kn, 9:52 h. Very, very chilly this morning, we had a frosty, icy deck and fog that we had to wait on to dissipate before leaving the lock wall. We had a long cruising day and most of the tow/barge captains were friendly. We hit a rock (or something hard) while anchoring due to low water levels but were fortunate to get off of it without too much damage and continued downstream to anchor with our friends on Hakuna Matata and Living the Dream. While anchoring we were bombarded by asian carp hitting the boat. but fortunately none landed onboard although our friend, Larry, had one in his dinghy in the morning. It was a beautiful evening but a sleepless night due to our less than ideal anchoring conditions.

October 17, 2024 Angelo Towhead to Paducah, KY. 42.0 NM, 6.0 kn, 8:26 h. After waiting for the fog to lift a bit, we departed Angelo Towhead and left the Mississippi and turned up the Ohio River. You can tell by our speed that we were now going against the current instead of with it. We locked up river, our first lock going up rather than down, and cruised on to Paducah, KY where we rafted off Hakuna Matata for the night at the city dock. We had a great dinner at Doe’s Eat Place and enjoyed a nightcap aboard our boat with Sylvain, Marie and Sandie from Peace and Love.

October 18, 2024 Jack & Kathy joined us aboard in Paducah! We visited The National Quilt Museum, which is amazing and the Paducah Floodwall Murals. It was another beautiful day in a river town.

October 19 – 22, 2024 Paducah, KY to Grand Rivers, KY via the Cumberland River. 38.7 NM, 6.4 kn, 6:34 h. We left Paducah as the fog started to lift along with several other boats and cruised up the Ohio River to the Cumberland River and up the Cumberland River to the Barkley Dam and Lock where we locked up 51.5 feet to Lake Barkley. After leaving the lock, we cruised up around the bend to Green Turtle Bay Marina where we spent a few days relaxing with Jack & Kathy, watching football, listening to live music, visiting the shops at Patti’s Settlement in Grand Rivers and watching My Cousin Vinny. We also had the boat hauled out and sent the props out to be reconditioned while we went home for a week.

October 30 & 31, 2024 Welcome back to Green Turtle Bay & Grand Rivers! We drove a rental car back to Green Turtle Bay to find that the boat yard was hauling our boat out to put on the reconditioned props. So being flexible as always, we got a room in town at The Outpost, had dinner at Patti’s and kept our rental car an extra day before returning it in Paducah. We visited the Paducah Civil War Museum on our way to return our car and learned quite a bit of history and how the inland rivers helped the north win the war. It was a very, very interesting and thought provoking afternoon. A driver from Enterprise Rent-a-Car drove us back to Green Turtle Bay where Hiatus Too was back in the water and ready to go. After dinner, there was a Halloween Party at the Marina with some fun costumes and good company.

November 1, 2024 Green Turtle Bay Marina to Paris Landing State Park Marina 38.2 NM, 7.7 kn, 5:13 h. We opted for an easy day of cruising for our first day back and took the channel between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake to Kentucky Lake where we headed south on the Tennessee River/ Kentucky Lake to Paris Landing State Park where we had a lovely afternoon followed by a wonderful dinner at the state park lodge with Steve and Ann from Off Piste and a nightcap with Steve, Ann, Ric and Kathy aboard our boat. They are all staying at Paris Landing another night or two so we had to say goodbye for now but we hope to see them again somewhere as we loopfrog down to the Gulf.

November 2, 2024. Paris Landing State Park Marina to Pebble Isle Marina. 27.1 NM, 7.5 kn, 3:51 h. We got a little later start this morning as we weren’t going far. It was a beautiful sunny day to cruise on Kentucky Lake. The channel entering Pebble Isle Marina was a bit narrow and intimidating but it was deep enough as promised and we had a great afternoon and evening there. The Harbor Master, Billy was friendly, helpful and a hoot. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy his looper famous cinnamon rolls as this was the night of the time change and we had to get an early start for a long day before it gets dark at 4:54 PM.

Sunset and sunrise at Pebble Isle Marina

November 3, 2024 Pebble Isle Marina to Clifton Marina 54.4 NM, 7.6 kn, 7:23 h We woke up early after the time change and were underway by 6:29 AM! We arrived at Clifton Marina about 1:40 PM to the sounds of live music coming from the Bar & Grill. We spent a lovely afternoon being entertained by the locals and listening to Darrell and Cissie sing and play everything from hippie to country music. Enjoyed dinner with Adagio, Jamin, & Blue Odyssey, made plans to leave bright and early for Pickwick Lake and Aqua Yacht assuming winds and current don’t hold us back too much.

November 4, 2024 Clifton, TN Marina to Aqua Yacht/Safe Harbor Marina Iuka, MS. 49.8 NM, 6.7 kn, 8:05 h. We departed as scheduled along with Adagio, Jamin, Blue Odyssey and Remedy about 6:25 AM. In spite of a little headwind and current going upstream we made good time and enjoyed the beautiful views of changing leaves, rocks and cliffs. After a brief wait at Pickwick Lock we locked up 52.5 feet to Pickwick Lake from there it was a windy, choppy cruise to Aqua Yacht. On our way we crossed the 3 corners of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee on Pickwick Lake. Borrowed the marina courtesy van for a trip to the grocery and to The Rib Cage for an early dinner. I was asleep by 7:30 PM after a long day!

November 5 & 6, 2024 Aqua Yacht/Safe Habor Marina We spent a couple of days enjoying this corner of Tennessee and Mississippi. A trip to The Outpost for lunch and ice cream and a private tour of Shiloh National Military Park with Larry DeBarry. Larry’s family has been in the Shiloh area for 5 generations, he shared his family tree and history as well as the history of the Civil War Battle of Shiloh. We learned a lot and were highly entertained at the same time. And of course, while we were at Aqua Yacht, docktails were enjoyed with our fellow loopers on Island Girls, Kingdom, Off Piste, Remedy, Ginny West, Adagio and Jamin.

November 7, 2024 Aqua Yacht/Safe Harbor, Iuka MS to Bay Springs Marina, New Site MS 33.9 NM, 8.0 kn, 4:44 h. After cleaning our engine strainers, emptying our holding tank and topping off our diesel, we departed for our first cruise down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (aka The Ditch). We had a super easy cruise and arrived at Bay Springs in time to borrow the courtesy car for the afternoon and visit Tupelo, MS which we missed on our road trip up the Great River Road last Spring. Tupelo was a hoot, we enjoyed chatting with the locals during lunch at The Stable in historic downtown Tupelo. We were tempted to stay for Mac McAnaly’s show that evening at the historic Lyric Theatre where rumor has it Elvis stole his first kiss. Good sense prevailed and we returned to Bay Springs for a quiet restful evening after visiting Elvis’ birthplace and childhood home.

November 8, 2024 Bay Springs Marina to Midway Marina, Fulton MS. 17.4 NM, 6.2 kn, 4:00 h. We left Bay Springs at the crack of dawn and cruised right in to the Whitten Lock, we we started our descent to Mobile Bay by going down 81 feet! Next up was the Montgomery Lock where we descended another 31 feet without delay. Our luck didn’t hold for the Rankin Lock where we waited about an hour for Island Girls and Dinky Dau to join us while we locked down another 31 feet for a grand total of 143 feet closer to sea level for the day. We are hanging out at Midway Marina for a few days, enjoying Guy’s Place on the Water and waiting for the rain and storms to pass. Also, we used our new homemade lock lasso as suggested by our friend, Sylvain for the first time. It was a game changer making the process significantly easier!

November 11, 2024 Midway Marina Fulton, MS to Columbus Marina Columbus, MS. 51.2 NM, 7.3 kn, 8:01 h. Four locks today, Fulton, Wilkins, Amory (Cochran) and Aberdeen (Waldon). Started a little later than desired due to barge traffic (not a surprise). Sea Gem took the lead, setting the pace and contacting the first lock. After the first lock Keep Calm took the lead and we followed. Shamrock, Karma’s Reward, Kingdom, Jubilee III, ALoan Again, Good Stuff, Sea Gem and Dream Looper followed behind. It was a long day and quite a flotilla but we cleared all the locks and we all made it to Columbus before dark! The crew at Columbus Marina was great doing at slip pumpouts and helping everyone tie up as we arrived. Doug & I took a local taxi adventure into town for dinner at Harvey’s and it was our lucky night, all bottles of wine were half price! We decided to stay only one night at Columbus as the weather forecast looks bad for anchoring later this week.

November 12, 2024 Columbus, MS to Warsaw Cut Off Anchorage 52.2 NM, 8.2 kn, 7:11 h. Barge traffic held us up again and we left the dock a little after 7 AM. We planned to do 3 locks today but only made it through 2, Stennis (Columbus) and Bevill. Along our cruise we saw the iconic phone booth along the riverbank and couldn’t decide if Jim Croce’s, “Operator” or Jimmy Buffett’s, “If the Phone Doesn’t Ring It’s Me” was more appropriate music for the moment. When we arrived at the Warsaw Cut anchorage about 5 miles above the next lock, we heard from the lockmaster that there would be at least a 2 hour delay getting through the Heflin Lock to the anchorage we had chosen. We decided to call it a day (smart choice) and anchored along with Keep Calm, Carma’s Reward and Jubilee III. It was a gorgeous and calm evening on the hook.

November 13, 2024 Warsaw Cut Anchorage to Kingfisher Bay Marina – Dempolis 50.6 NM, 8.3 kn, 6:37 h. We departed our lovely anchorage at the Warsaw Cut with opnly a little trouble dislodging our anchor from the mud. We cruised comfortably passed the White Cliffs of Epes (similar to the White Cliffs of Dover) and on to Dempolis. We followed Mick & Dawn on Shamrock as they finished the final segment of their loop to their home port of Demoplois. We enjoyed celebrating this momentous occasion with them and toasting the completion of their adventure with docktails. Torrential downpours and thunderstorms made us very happy to be safely docked and enjoying the evening under cover with our looper friends. Fortunately, the sun came out the next morning and we biked to (another) hardware store and enjoyed a lovely and entertaining lunch at SVH Bistro.

November 15, 2024 Kingfisher Bay Marina – Demoplois, AL to Bobby’s Fish Camp 83.7 NM, 9.1 kn, 9:43 h. We left Kingfisher Bay before dawn (5:30 AM) to make it down river for the 6 AM locking. We had to leave in fog and darkness but the moon setting was so cool to watch! We made it to Bobby’s with an hour to spare before sunset. The short days make it more difficult to go long distances. It was just us and Kingdom (Jolie & Kevin) at the dock overnight and we had a wonderful evening getting together and sharing stories.

November 16, 2024 Bobby’s Fish Camp. to Tensaw Anchorage 71.6 NM, 9.1 kn, 8:29 h. We got a later start than planned due to heavy fog. Our friends on New Wave joined us as we made our way through the fog to get to the LAST lock of the inland rivers portion of our trip. Fortunately we were moving before the barges and we got right through the Coffeeville Lock and were heading down river by 8 AM. Lots of barge traffic this morning as we made our way down the circuitous Tombigbee River to the Tensaw River. I ran into some mud while driving the boat (Doug was down below fixing his lunch) due to my confusion over a missing green can (channel marker) but no harm was done to anything but my pride;-D We anchored on the Tensaw River along with Kingdom and New Wave for another beautiful evening on the hook.

November 17, 2024 Tensaw Anchorage to Fairhope Docks 48.6 NM, 8.6 kn, 6:18 h. Woohoo! We made it to Mobile Bay! We left shortly after sunrise and were rewarded with changing scenery as the Mobile River widened out and the vegetation became more swamplike with yuccas and palms. We entered Mobile Bay and found ourselves amongst huge ships and gantry cranes. We passed a Carnival Cruise ship, naval ships, container ships and lots of barges. The city of Mobile was huge compared to anything we’d seen since St. Louis. We cut across the shallow waters of the bay to spend the evening celebrating our successful navigation of the inland rivers at Fairhope Docks Marina on Fly Creek. After seeing the docks we changed up our plans for the next couple of weeks and made arrangements to move on to The Wharf in Orange Beach in the morning before the remnants of Tropical Storm Sara blow through. Once we were settled and our plans were made, we celebrated with our friends Jolie and Kevin, at McSharry’s Irish Pub in Fairhope with a live Irish music session, green tea shots (a favorite of Kevin’s) and a delcious dinner.