Log 60
Day 164
Saturday, November 01, 2008
1:00 PM CDT
Location: Demopolis Maria, Demopolis, AL.
Weather: 73 and bright sun
Just getting around to writing the log today. We are in the Demopolis Marina and decided to stay an extra day to catch up on a few things. I was up early and walking the docks talking to all the boats leaving today and heading south, so I did not take time to sit down and write the log. I also washed the boat, and just had lunch...so I’ll take a minute to catch up on what’s going on.
We don’t have a very good Verizon signal, so I can’t send any pictures, but when we can I’ll be sending the one of what we say when we woke up yesterday at our anchorage in Sumter Recreation Area. We were totally surrounded by water hyacinth (I learned since I wrote the last log that I did not have the correct name of the water plant). Anyway...these things are unbelievable. You can almost watch them grow. They are like big green leaves with flowers growing out of them...and they are everywhere on the river. At first you try to drive around them...they you get used to them and just plow through...hoping there is nothing else under there.
We left the anchorage yesterday at about 8 am...which gave the sun just enough time to get over the trees and burn off the fog. It was about 4 miles to the lock, and they were waiting for us when we got there. Out of the lock by 9:30...we went another 50 plus miles to Demopolis Marina. The waterway now is “more of the same” and although it’s pretty in some spots, we are ready to get to the gulf. But before we do we have 218 more miles of river...which we will do in 3 days, and staying the night in two more anchorages along the way.
We arrived at Demopolis at about 2 PM...but had to sit out in the middle of the river for 30 minutes to wait for 2 boats (who got here 5 minutes before us) to fuel up and get to their slips. This is a very busy place this time of year because of all the boats heading south, and they all stop here before going on the next 200+ miles. Boats start arriving about 2 to 3 PM and continue until after dark. (When I walked the dock this morning there were boats everywhere...many had to raft off others who were on the docks). After getting settled we walked the docks and said hi to several other boats who we have met along the way. At 5:30 we were invited to go to Good News for a cocktail party, and from there 4 couples went up to the restaurant at the Marina for dinner. Back at the boat and in bed by 9:30.
Today...about 11 boats left the harbor as soon as the fog burned off (about 8:20) and they were all heading south. In the next 100 miles there are only 3 safe places for anyone to pull over for the night...so everyone is racing to get a spot in one of the coves, or to stop at Bobby’s Fish Camp...which is no more than a small floating dock just off the waterway. The dock is only about 50 feet in length, but there are stories...told by Bobby himself...that he has rafted up to 17 boats there overnight. Glad I wasn’t there! Anyway...Deb has done the laundry; the boat is clean; we have done some “light” organization on the boat; so now all that is left is to relax, take a boat nap, watch the NASCAR race, and have an evening cocktail. Oh yea...and change the clocks back an hour before we go to bed. Doesn’t sound like too bad of a plan.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Log 59; Day 163; Oct. 31; Sumter Anchorage
Log 59
Day 163
Friday, October 31, 2008
5:25 AM CDT
Location: Sumter Recreation Anchorage; MM 269.9 on Tom-Bigbee
Weather: 48* and a little foggy; forecast is for 73 and sunny
Very limited service...so I can't send any pictures.
We’re anchored in the middle of a recreation area just off the Tenn-Tom waterway this morning. No cell service...we are in the middle of nowhere. Still dark out, but I can see by the lights over at the boat ramp that it’s a little foggy. Because it’s still dark out, I can’t see around the boat, but last night when I looked the boat was completely surrounded by water hydrilla (I think that’s what they call it). It looks like a water lily with big leaves and short roots. It is everywhere on the river now, and in this small anchorage it looks like you could walk to the shore, because the water is completely covered.
Yesterday...we left Columbus Marina at about 8:15. I called the lock master early and he said it was a little foggy, but was burning off fast, so come when it looked good to us. We had decided at dinner to run again with Andy and Mary on “Good News”, and a guy at the dock said “Lorie Ann” was looking to lock through, so I called them on the radio and said we were leaving, did they want to go as well, and they did...so the 3 of us headed out.
Side Note: the M/V Lorie Ann is a 25’ trawler that you can trailer. Most who see the boat call it “cute”, because it is like a model of a big trawler. The owners, John and Lorie, trailered the boat from Seattle to the Mississippi River, where they put it in, but got caught in the floods, so they put it back on the trailer and took it to Kentucky Lake where they started their trip. I’m not sure what their jobs are, but they need to head back to Seattle in a couple of weeks, and will return to keep cruising next summer. Their plan is to take the boat to Mobile, and deal with it their. There is no way I could live on this little boat for several months...but they do it without a problem. They are new to cruising...and real troupers.
Anyway...the HQ; Good News; and Lorie Ann headed to the lock and we were able to get right in and by 9:30 we were heading down river. It was about 2 hours to the next lock and when we got there we were told it would be about 2 hours to get through because there was a southbound tow that needed to get through before us. Those 2 hours turned into more than 3 hours and we did not leave the lock until 3:20. While we were waiting, we were discussing our options for the night, because there are no marinas in the area, and we knew we would have to anchor. Our plan was to go another 36 miles beyond the lock, but sunset was at 6:04 PM and we were worried that we would not make it that far going slow (which is what we had been doing for the last few days). So when the lock doors opened we decided to pick it up and most of the 36 miles were spent going 22 mph, and we made to our destination at about 5:30. Just enough time to set the anchor and get settled before sunset. I’m not sure where “Lorie Ann” ended up spending the night, because they can only travel slow, but “Good News” followed us and decided to raft up on our starboard side, so we could swing on one anchor (ours). After getting hooked up, we made a cocktail and went over to “Good News” for happy hour. Back on our boat by 7:30...dinner was left over meat loaf, and I was in bed by 8:30.
Today...we have 53 miles and 1 lock to go to get to Demopolis, AL...our slip for the next couple of nights. Deb and I are looking forward to spending an extra day just sitting at the dock with nothing to do. When you cruise every day, you don’t have much time to do projects, or to just sit and relax.
From Demopolis we have 216 miles to go to get to the Mobile Bay, and the start of our trip across the Florida panhandle. Hopefully we will take more time at each stop to enjoy the area because we have no real reservations until December 10th when we plan to be in Ft. Myers.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
Day 163
Friday, October 31, 2008
5:25 AM CDT
Location: Sumter Recreation Anchorage; MM 269.9 on Tom-Bigbee
Weather: 48* and a little foggy; forecast is for 73 and sunny
Very limited service...so I can't send any pictures.
We’re anchored in the middle of a recreation area just off the Tenn-Tom waterway this morning. No cell service...we are in the middle of nowhere. Still dark out, but I can see by the lights over at the boat ramp that it’s a little foggy. Because it’s still dark out, I can’t see around the boat, but last night when I looked the boat was completely surrounded by water hydrilla (I think that’s what they call it). It looks like a water lily with big leaves and short roots. It is everywhere on the river now, and in this small anchorage it looks like you could walk to the shore, because the water is completely covered.
Yesterday...we left Columbus Marina at about 8:15. I called the lock master early and he said it was a little foggy, but was burning off fast, so come when it looked good to us. We had decided at dinner to run again with Andy and Mary on “Good News”, and a guy at the dock said “Lorie Ann” was looking to lock through, so I called them on the radio and said we were leaving, did they want to go as well, and they did...so the 3 of us headed out.
Side Note: the M/V Lorie Ann is a 25’ trawler that you can trailer. Most who see the boat call it “cute”, because it is like a model of a big trawler. The owners, John and Lorie, trailered the boat from Seattle to the Mississippi River, where they put it in, but got caught in the floods, so they put it back on the trailer and took it to Kentucky Lake where they started their trip. I’m not sure what their jobs are, but they need to head back to Seattle in a couple of weeks, and will return to keep cruising next summer. Their plan is to take the boat to Mobile, and deal with it their. There is no way I could live on this little boat for several months...but they do it without a problem. They are new to cruising...and real troupers.
Anyway...the HQ; Good News; and Lorie Ann headed to the lock and we were able to get right in and by 9:30 we were heading down river. It was about 2 hours to the next lock and when we got there we were told it would be about 2 hours to get through because there was a southbound tow that needed to get through before us. Those 2 hours turned into more than 3 hours and we did not leave the lock until 3:20. While we were waiting, we were discussing our options for the night, because there are no marinas in the area, and we knew we would have to anchor. Our plan was to go another 36 miles beyond the lock, but sunset was at 6:04 PM and we were worried that we would not make it that far going slow (which is what we had been doing for the last few days). So when the lock doors opened we decided to pick it up and most of the 36 miles were spent going 22 mph, and we made to our destination at about 5:30. Just enough time to set the anchor and get settled before sunset. I’m not sure where “Lorie Ann” ended up spending the night, because they can only travel slow, but “Good News” followed us and decided to raft up on our starboard side, so we could swing on one anchor (ours). After getting hooked up, we made a cocktail and went over to “Good News” for happy hour. Back on our boat by 7:30...dinner was left over meat loaf, and I was in bed by 8:30.
Today...we have 53 miles and 1 lock to go to get to Demopolis, AL...our slip for the next couple of nights. Deb and I are looking forward to spending an extra day just sitting at the dock with nothing to do. When you cruise every day, you don’t have much time to do projects, or to just sit and relax.
From Demopolis we have 216 miles to go to get to the Mobile Bay, and the start of our trip across the Florida panhandle. Hopefully we will take more time at each stop to enjoy the area because we have no real reservations until December 10th when we plan to be in Ft. Myers.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Log 58; Day 162; Oct. 30, 2008; Columbus, MS.
This is the office area (actually the dinette in our salon) where Deb does her book work, and I write the logs when it's too cold on the back deck in the morning
Deb at our first lock today...she's really getting this locking thing down pat. The bow and stern thrusters make locking much easier.
This is "Good News" coming into her slip in Columbus Marina
Our trip to the Waverly Mansion
Dinner at Woody's with Andy and Mary on "Good News"
Log 58Day 162
Thursday, October 30, 2008
6:20 AM CDT
Location: Columbus Marina; Columbus, MS
Weather: 42* and foggy; forecast is for 72 and sunny
It’s about 8* warmer this morning than yesterday, and is forecasted to get warmer each day. Also, the fact we continue to move 40 to 50 miles south each day helps. Still too cold for me to write my logs on the back deck each morning (I miss that) because it takes a while for the heater to warm things up, so I continue to write them in the salon area (see the picture). Not the same feeling as being out on the back deck.
Yesterday...we were on the same morning drill. Call the lockmaster and check the lock status and leave the marina as soon as the lock was open and we felt it was safe enough, fog wise. I monitored the lock from about 5:30 on and called them at 7 to ask the status and he told us to come when ready. I talked to “Miss Mary” and “Good News” and they said they were ready to leave when I was...so we left at about 7:50 and were in the lock by 8 am. You can see by Deb’s sweatshirt and warm clothes it was cold out...but also very sunny. We traveled 48 miles and through 3 locks to get to Columbus Marina in Columbus, MS. This is a very nice stop with a small ships store and great restaurant on site. They also have the cheapest fuel we have bought yet ($3.19 @ gallon) so we took on 150 gallons. After tying up and getting settled, we joined Andy and Mary on “Good News” who had reserved the courtesy car to visit the Waverly Mansion...a local mansion in the area that dates back over 100 years, and was once 40,000 acres with cotton fields and about 200 slaves. We got a personal tour from a very passionate young fellow (Jimmy) who knew more about the history of the south than you can imagine. Not sure if I can highly recommend anyone take the time to visit the mansion...but I can definitely say it was interesting. After our mansion tour we stopped at a liquor store, and a Kroger (hard to believe we get excited about finding a grocery store...especially a Kroger) and then back to the boat. We also made plans (with Andy and Mary) to eat at Woody’s...the local restaurant on site...and that turned out to be a great meal. To top it off...we met Woody, who took a shine to Deb. It was a great day.
Today...not exactly sure of our plans yet. I have been working on the charts and waterway guides this morning to decide what to do. One option is to go through one lock and another 25 miles to Pirates Marina...where we currently have a reservation, but that makes for a very long day tomorrow of 2 locks and over 90 miles. Another option is to keep going past Pirates, but there are no marinas between there and Demopolis...so that would mean we would need to anchor out...not our favorite thing to do, and we will need to do it two more times before we reach the Mobile Bay. Decisions...decisions.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Log 57; Day 161; Oct. 29, 2008; Smithville Marina
This is how it looked as we left our slip today
Our dinner location...that's James holding the door for me
This is one of the better looking boats in our marina at Smithville Marina...an interesting stop.
Log 57Day 161
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
5:30 AM CDT
Location: Smithville Marina, Smithville, MS
Weather: 35* and foggy; forecast is for 64 and sunny
We set a new HQ record for cold this morning...35*. Based on the forecast (and the fact we are heading south) this should be the coldest it gets for some time...we can only hope. When I got up this morning and started to turn on the heaters, it took so much power that it blew the circuit breaker on the dock so I had to go outside and see if I could fix it. First of all it was real cold...secondly, I almost fell in the water because the swim platform was solid frost and so slick I had to hold onto the rail and inch myself across to the dock. But I got it fixed, and it is starting to get warm in here now.
Yesterday...after talking to the lock, and then communicating with several boats with the VHF radio, we left the dock about 7:50 and went about 1 mile to Jamie Whitten Lock. When we got to the lock it was open, and there ended up being 5 other boats in there with us. For the next 35 miles, and 3 more locks, the 6 boats stayed together. Each time we got close to the lock they were open and ready for us to enter. When we got to the 5th lock (Glover Wilkins) 3 boats went in the lock and HQ, along with 2 other boats, turned to port (left) and up a small channel to Smithville Marina. We arrived here about 1:30. (Side note: when we were at Grand Harbor I was talking to the harbor master (and boat captain) and telling him where we were going to stop along the way, and mentioned Smithville Marina and he said “why in the world would you stop there”...after pulling in to the dock, I understand what he meant). As usual, the people here are very nice, but this is a very small; warn down; old; and very rustic marina. After getting secured at the dock, Deb and I went into the office (if you can call it that) to check in. Jesse...the owner...was there and not really interested in checking us in, but wanted to talk about his tractor collection (which was on the wall) and made sure we went through his picture album of all of his” before and after” pictures of the real tractors he had restored. Kind of weird...but also interesting, because he did have some great looking tractors that he had restored.
The other 2 boats with us are “Good News” and “Ms. Mary”. Good news was with us at the Looper Rendezvous and we also saw them at Grand Harbor. We left before them at Grand Harbor, and they ended up stopping at Bay Springs Marina and then we traveled together through the locks with them to get here. This is the first time we have seen Ms. Mary...it is a 45 shrimp boat (that was actually hand made, and “shrimped” in New Orleans for 14 years). The owner (James) is another interesting story. He has always wanted to explore the waterways and kept putting it off, so finally his daughter found a boat online and he bought it. He sold everything he owned, except what he could fit in his car, and drove to New Orleans to get the boat. He took what he had in his can and put it on the boat, spent a month getting it ready, and took off...on his own. For the last 3 1/2 years he has been traveling, by himself, throughout the US. His plans are to do this for another 1 1/2 years or so (to make his 5 year goal) and then find a place to settle down, which he is still looking for.
We had dinner with James, Andy and Mary (on Good News) at Mel’s Diner in town last night. Of course the specialty was catfish...we all had it, and it was very good. To get to dinner we asked for the courtesy car, that was advertised in the guide book. Jessie said it was in the shop, but we could use his truck, which was a very old Nissan small truck. We decided we would have to make two trips because it was so small, and there were 5 of us, and as we were getting into the truck a guy who we had not seen, and never met, said “hey...I’ve got a big 4 door truck...take mine”. Which we did. Another example of the many people who help you along the waterway.
Today...again I am monitoring the VHF radio to listen to the lock and decide when to leave the dock and head out. Our first lock is only 1/2 mile away and the 3 boats decided last night I would call the lock and we would make a decision when to leave from there. It’s not light out yet...but I can see it is also foggy, so we need to let the sun come up and burn off a little of this fog before it will be safe to head out. One of the problems with running this river is that you think it is clear, and then come around a bend and find the fog has settled in a low area. Not a good deal in a narrow waterway. Our plan today is to go through 3 locks and 42 miles to Columbus Marina in Columbus, MS.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Log 56; Day 160; Oct. 28; Bay Springs, New Site, MS.
Log 56
Day 160
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
5:45 AM CDT
Location: Bay Springs Marina, New Site, MS.
Weather: 37* and mostly clear (too dark to really tell); forecast is for 55 and sunny
I’m not sure when I’ll be able to send this log. We’re sitting Bay Springs Marina, at the end of a covered slip in a cove just off the main waterway of the Tenn-Tom. We have no phone service...no internet...we’re not connected. We do have satellite TV, so I can watch the news and weather this morning. I have the VHF radio on waiting for a conversation among about 5 boats to discuss when to leave the slip. We all have crossed paths in the last week or so, and we all ended up at the same marina, which is just above the Jammie Whitten Lock. Some of us talked yesterday and decided we would talk (on the VHF) about 7 am or so and if the lock was available we would all go together. The reason is these locks do a good job of sequencing traffic...so if several of us start at the first lock together, our hope is that the next lock should be open and ready for us when we arrive. We did this before when we were on the Tenn-Tom and it worked well.
Yesterday...we had an easy day of travel. It was sunny, but cold and windy. Thanks to our heated helm area we were warm and comfortable. We came our first 38 miles on the 450 mile Tenn-Tom waterway, which starts in Iuka, MS...and ends in Mobile, AL. This waterway is the largest project ever undertaken by the Army Corp of Engineers. It started in 1972 and was open in 1985 at a cost of over $2 billion dollars. It’s mission was to connect the Tennessee River in Mississippi, with the Black Warrior River in Alabama, to provide a direct route to the Gulf of Mexico, which would save 800 miles verses using the Mississippi River to get to Mobile. While it was originally planned for commercial traffic...it is mostly used by pleasure boats. It is the route all Loopers use to get to Florida.
Most of the next several days will be spent in the middle of nowhere (with very limited cell service)...crossing back and forth between the states of Mississippi and Alabama several times. They did not build this route very close to any towns and unless you are on the water there is no need to be here...so this is really a bunch of south bound boaters out here together. There are a few marinas in the first 250 miles...and then nothing until Mobile. In this stretch there are also 10 locks which will drop us 341 feet before we reach Coffeeville, AL (116 miles north of Mobile) and the beginning of sea level water. It’s an interesting trip.
Today...once we find out the lock status we’ll all head out. Not sure about the others, but HQ’s plan is to go through 4 locks and stop at Smithville Marina, in Smithville, MS. A distance of about 40 miles. If the locks treat us ok, we should be there in mid to late afternoon.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 160
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
5:45 AM CDT
Location: Bay Springs Marina, New Site, MS.
Weather: 37* and mostly clear (too dark to really tell); forecast is for 55 and sunny
I’m not sure when I’ll be able to send this log. We’re sitting Bay Springs Marina, at the end of a covered slip in a cove just off the main waterway of the Tenn-Tom. We have no phone service...no internet...we’re not connected. We do have satellite TV, so I can watch the news and weather this morning. I have the VHF radio on waiting for a conversation among about 5 boats to discuss when to leave the slip. We all have crossed paths in the last week or so, and we all ended up at the same marina, which is just above the Jammie Whitten Lock. Some of us talked yesterday and decided we would talk (on the VHF) about 7 am or so and if the lock was available we would all go together. The reason is these locks do a good job of sequencing traffic...so if several of us start at the first lock together, our hope is that the next lock should be open and ready for us when we arrive. We did this before when we were on the Tenn-Tom and it worked well.
Yesterday...we had an easy day of travel. It was sunny, but cold and windy. Thanks to our heated helm area we were warm and comfortable. We came our first 38 miles on the 450 mile Tenn-Tom waterway, which starts in Iuka, MS...and ends in Mobile, AL. This waterway is the largest project ever undertaken by the Army Corp of Engineers. It started in 1972 and was open in 1985 at a cost of over $2 billion dollars. It’s mission was to connect the Tennessee River in Mississippi, with the Black Warrior River in Alabama, to provide a direct route to the Gulf of Mexico, which would save 800 miles verses using the Mississippi River to get to Mobile. While it was originally planned for commercial traffic...it is mostly used by pleasure boats. It is the route all Loopers use to get to Florida.
Most of the next several days will be spent in the middle of nowhere (with very limited cell service)...crossing back and forth between the states of Mississippi and Alabama several times. They did not build this route very close to any towns and unless you are on the water there is no need to be here...so this is really a bunch of south bound boaters out here together. There are a few marinas in the first 250 miles...and then nothing until Mobile. In this stretch there are also 10 locks which will drop us 341 feet before we reach Coffeeville, AL (116 miles north of Mobile) and the beginning of sea level water. It’s an interesting trip.
Today...once we find out the lock status we’ll all head out. Not sure about the others, but HQ’s plan is to go through 4 locks and stop at Smithville Marina, in Smithville, MS. A distance of about 40 miles. If the locks treat us ok, we should be there in mid to late afternoon.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Log 55; Day 158; Oct. 26th; Grand Harbor
Deb stays dry in her rain suit as we go through the lock.
This is Wilson Lock...80 foot drop. You can see how small boats look in this Lock.
It's always a great sight when the lock doors open.
One of the cemetary's at Shiloh
One of the Shiloh battle fields...amazing how these young men charged each other across this wide open fields
Log 55Day 158
Sunday, October 26, 2008
5:15 AM CDT
Location: Grand Harbor Marina; Counce, TN
Weather: 48* and foggy; forecast is for 74* and sunny
It keeps getting colder each night now. Weather.com says it’s 39 out right now...but we’re on the water, so the temperature is never as cold as on land...we’re at 48. The forecast calls for it to get down to 29 tomorrow night...so it will probably be in the mid to upper 30’s on the boat. The high for today is forecasted to be 74 and sunny...tomorrow is forecasted to be a high of 55. When you’re on a boat...that’s cold.
Getting here...was cold and rainy most of the way. When I got up early at Joe Wheeler the rain was really coming down and it was cold and foggy. Our plans were to go about 40 miles and through 2 locks to Florence Alabama, so I started monitoring the VHF radio to listen to any activity at the locks (about 2 miles away). At first light I could see 2 boats making their way out of the marina, and soon after I heard them call the lock. It turned out one of them (L’attitude Changer) was heading down river, and the lock master said he had just locked through a north bound barge and had another one down river coming up...so if L’attitude Changer came right away he could lock through...otherwise it would be a while. Hearing that, I called the lock and asked if we head out in the next few minutes would he wait for us and take us down as well...to which he said he would. So it was kind of a fire drill to get the boat started up, and in about 10 minutes we were leaving the slip. It was foggy, rainy, windy, and cold as we entered the lock with 2 other boats. You can see the picture of Deb in her rain suit...and she had warm clothes on under them. I stayed inside in the warmth and kept dry so I would be ready to drive when the lock opened. We ended up getting through the 2 locks by mid morning so I called Florence Harbor and told them to cancel our reservation and called Grand Harbor and told them we would be there 1 day earlier than planned. We arrived at 3 PM.
Grand Harbor is a great marina. One of the best I have seen. First class docks; marine store; and condos. After taking on 50 gallons of diesel ($3.60 @ gallon...$1 a gallon cheaper than when we came through here 3 weeks ago) and pumping out we pulled along side the fuel dock...our home for the next 3 nights. By the time all this happened, the rain and cold front had passed by, and it was sunny and about 65 degrees. Very nice.
Yesterday...at about 11, we borrowed the courtesy car (a very nice 4 door Nissan truck) and headed for the Shiloh battle field. This historic battle field is about 30 minutes from the marina and was quite a place to see. It was a picture perfect fall day with bright sun and about 70*. We took a driving tour of Shiloh...which consists of getting a map; buying a $14 CD; plugging in the CD; and being directed to different locations around this several hundred acre battle field and listening to the moderator tell you about what happened in this 2 day battle that killed thousands. We really enjoyed the tour. As with many things like this...I never had any appreciation for what happened at Shiloh...but I do now.
After leaving Shiloh we drove to the grocery store to “top off” our grocery supply and then back to the boat by 4:30. After dropping off the groceries we walked the dock down to a 70’ Neptune boat call Mr. Chips. Bill is the owner of the boat, and I had met him a couple times on the dock, and he wanted to exchange cards. It turns out Bill is a 3rd generation owner/CEO of Vitner Potato Chips...a very popular brand in the Midwest and one we are familiar with. We met him and his family and their captain. They are taking the boat to Florida for the winter and wanted to exchange cards because he said “I know our paths will cross in Florida somewhere and we need to have a drink together”. Really nice guy...and beautiful boat. After walking back to our boat we passed a couple other boats we had been with at Joe Wheeler. They asked us to “bring a heavy appetizer...and let’s meet on the dock at 5:30 for cocktails”...which we did. There ended up being about 10 of us on the dock...and the appetizers ended up being our dinner. It was great conversation and a great time, but when the sun went down it got chilly, so we were back at the boat about 8...and I was in bed not long after.
Today...we will spend another day here at Grand Harbor. No real plans, except I want to watch the NASCAR race later this afternoon. We will probably use today to get ready for the next week of traveling. Once we leave here we will travel 450 miles due south to Mobile, AL...and hope to arrive there in about a week. The next several days we will spend in the middle of no where (winding between Mississippi and Alabama), with limited marinas and much more rustic accommodations then we have had recently.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
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