2007-13 Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Tennessee & Mississippi
Ahoy All,
After spending Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend in a slip we decided to continue on up river towards Pickwick Dam Sunday morning. It was peaceful with very little boat traffic. Seems all the merry makers had worn themselves out the day before. All went well until about 1 in the afternoon when they all came to life again!! Every size of watercraft came out in force! Everyone was nice and always waved as they cut in front, zoomed past, and pulled tubes of kids around us!! They didn't have a clue that they were sending 3 foot wakes into us.
We finally fought our way to Pickwick Dam and locked up into the lake. From there we had a 5-mile run to a cove to anchor for the night. When we arrived at the cove there were casts of thousands there. Huge motor yachts and houseboats were anchored. The big boats were rafted together with each having one or two ski boats and jet skis tied to them. There were dozens of clusters of boats like this, and they were all partying heartily!! It was quite a show to watch; however, we couldn't have dinner till after dark and the waters settled down a bit. So we floated at the back of our boat in the cool water of the lake. The ski boats and tubers didn't give up until the last rays of sunlight were gone. The parties on the big boats went on until the wee hours of the morning.
Early the next morning we decided to cruise over to Pickwick Landing State Resort Park and have breakfast. They have a beautiful restaurant overlooking the lake. It was only a couple of miles run with few boats out and about. After breakfast we decided to make a sidetrip down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Bay Springs Lake in Mississippi. After all, it was Monday and the last day of the holiday weekend. We figured that most of the boaters would be packing up and heading home by late afternoon--wrong! This was another error in judgment on the captain's part. By mid day they were out in force wringing every bit of enjoyment out of the holiday before returning to work.
The 450-mile waterway, better known as the Tenn-Tom, was built by the Army Corps of Engineers. It was completed in June of 1985 and connects the Tennessee River with Mobile Bay, AL, on the Gulf of Mexico. It consists of rivers, dammed lakes, and manmade cuts to hook it all together. A bit of trivia for you--more dirt was removed to build the Tenn-Tom than was removed to build the Panama Canal. Technically, there are two waterways--the Tennessee-Tombigbee and the Black Warrior-Tombigbee. But boaters have lumped it all together and simply call it the Tenn-Tom.
Our 40-mile run to Bay Springs Marina was hectic at best, with the kamikaze boaters and occasional tow boat, especially through a 24-mile cut where we had little maneuvering room (280' bank to bank). But, we are here to tell you we made it. The marina provided us a courtesy car for the 20-mile run into Booneville, MS for a nice dinner.
A beautiful sunrise greeted us the next morning--maybe a sign of good things to come. We hardly saw a boat on the return trip back to the Tennessee River. The birds and animals were out in force. Think they were trying to get back into their normal routine after the cast of thousands invaded their space over the holiday. We saw a golden eagle having his breakfast of fish along the bank. A coyote foraging for food even stopped and posed for a photo--hence the picture of the week.
After spending Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend in a slip we decided to continue on up river towards Pickwick Dam Sunday morning. It was peaceful with very little boat traffic. Seems all the merry makers had worn themselves out the day before. All went well until about 1 in the afternoon when they all came to life again!! Every size of watercraft came out in force! Everyone was nice and always waved as they cut in front, zoomed past, and pulled tubes of kids around us!! They didn't have a clue that they were sending 3 foot wakes into us.
We finally fought our way to Pickwick Dam and locked up into the lake. From there we had a 5-mile run to a cove to anchor for the night. When we arrived at the cove there were casts of thousands there. Huge motor yachts and houseboats were anchored. The big boats were rafted together with each having one or two ski boats and jet skis tied to them. There were dozens of clusters of boats like this, and they were all partying heartily!! It was quite a show to watch; however, we couldn't have dinner till after dark and the waters settled down a bit. So we floated at the back of our boat in the cool water of the lake. The ski boats and tubers didn't give up until the last rays of sunlight were gone. The parties on the big boats went on until the wee hours of the morning.
Early the next morning we decided to cruise over to Pickwick Landing State Resort Park and have breakfast. They have a beautiful restaurant overlooking the lake. It was only a couple of miles run with few boats out and about. After breakfast we decided to make a sidetrip down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to Bay Springs Lake in Mississippi. After all, it was Monday and the last day of the holiday weekend. We figured that most of the boaters would be packing up and heading home by late afternoon--wrong! This was another error in judgment on the captain's part. By mid day they were out in force wringing every bit of enjoyment out of the holiday before returning to work.
The 450-mile waterway, better known as the Tenn-Tom, was built by the Army Corps of Engineers. It was completed in June of 1985 and connects the Tennessee River with Mobile Bay, AL, on the Gulf of Mexico. It consists of rivers, dammed lakes, and manmade cuts to hook it all together. A bit of trivia for you--more dirt was removed to build the Tenn-Tom than was removed to build the Panama Canal. Technically, there are two waterways--the Tennessee-Tombigbee and the Black Warrior-Tombigbee. But boaters have lumped it all together and simply call it the Tenn-Tom.
Our 40-mile run to Bay Springs Marina was hectic at best, with the kamikaze boaters and occasional tow boat, especially through a 24-mile cut where we had little maneuvering room (280' bank to bank). But, we are here to tell you we made it. The marina provided us a courtesy car for the 20-mile run into Booneville, MS for a nice dinner.
A beautiful sunrise greeted us the next morning--maybe a sign of good things to come. We hardly saw a boat on the return trip back to the Tennessee River. The birds and animals were out in force. Think they were trying to get back into their normal routine after the cast of thousands invaded their space over the holiday. We saw a golden eagle having his breakfast of fish along the bank. A coyote foraging for food even stopped and posed for a photo--hence the picture of the week.
Upon arriving at the river we
planned on going about 10 miles and then anchor for the night. About two miles
upriver we spotted a raccoon and stopped to take some photos. When we decided
to leave, Dave put the boat into gear but nothing happened! For those of you
that think he doesn't move fast, you should have seen the speed record with
which he dropped the anchor. We opened the hatch and checked things out. The
"drive saver" had disintegrated, separating the drive shaft from the
transmission. We were dead in the water! And, the raccoon got away without a
photo.
A check of the cruising guide indicated the largest repair facility between Chicago and Mobile Bay was only about 5 miles away. If we had to breakdown this was the place to do it. We called them and they came and towed us into their dock. They hooked us up with power so that we could spend the night comfortably. Dave didn't get much sleep though, as the bilge pump was going on every two minutes since the drive shaft had slid back allowing water to come in. They had a new drive saver in stock and started installing it shortly after 8 in the morning. By 10 we were on our way back up river. Another near disaster thwarted successfully.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
A check of the cruising guide indicated the largest repair facility between Chicago and Mobile Bay was only about 5 miles away. If we had to breakdown this was the place to do it. We called them and they came and towed us into their dock. They hooked us up with power so that we could spend the night comfortably. Dave didn't get much sleep though, as the bilge pump was going on every two minutes since the drive shaft had slid back allowing water to come in. They had a new drive saver in stock and started installing it shortly after 8 in the morning. By 10 we were on our way back up river. Another near disaster thwarted successfully.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns