Up to this point, Sue and I have posted about things we have already seen or done. This post is going to provide a quick overview of what we do to get ready to move along. We have worked on this one together!
There are numerous references we draw upon to plan the next leg of our trip. A series of “Skipper Bob” publications provide location and general notes on locks, bridges, potential anchorages, marinas, access to towns, and any unusual hazards. These documents are inexpensive and extremely useful. We have Garmin Blue Chart loaded on an iPad (which also has GPS capability), electronic charts of the rivers and coastline loaded into our Garmin Chart Plotters, Active Captain App, paper copies of US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) charts for the rivers and NOAA local charts for other areas. We also have a couple of guide books and books written by previous loopers. We check local weather forecasts via Intellicast and more detailed wind forecast information via Sail flow (assuming we have internet connectivity, otherwise we rely on the previous days forecast information and the weather forecast provided over our VHF radios).
Brian keeps a spreadsheet that summarizes destinations, distances, dates, etc. (currently at Revision 18). Our comfortable cruising speed is around 10mph. We can do up to 15mph if necessary, but the engines are working very hard and we are throwing a very large wake (we are too heavy to get up on plane). We try to plan our daily trips to be around 40-65 miles. We must account for potential delays at the locks and need a plan for either getting to an anchorage or marina before dark if we are delayed along the way. Towboats move around the clock, but very few recreational vessels travel the rivers at night. The channel markers do not have lights and it is difficult to spot logs or debris in the river at night.
We have 12 locks and 450 miles to Mobile, Alabama. This part of the trip has long stretches of river with few marina options. We prefer to stay at a marina if possible (we can hook up to power, get fresh water and have a much easier time getting Bo to shore). The USACE lowers the water levels of the rivers and lakes in the fall in preparation for spring floods. Although our draft (depth below the water line) is only 3’6”, it is enough to prevent us from using some of the smaller marinas or anchorages at the reduced water levels.
The American Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) has a big Rendezvous on the TN River near Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama from October 15-18. Our original plan was to be well past that point to stay ahead of the numerous boats attending the Rendezvous. Our delay in Green Turtle Bay has put us right smack dab in the middle of this pack moving southward (thus potentially filling up marina or anchorage space). Hurricane Michael has also encouraged us to slow our southward movement. Sections of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway have been severely impacted. We need this channel to move across the Florida Panhandle to Carabelle where we cut across the Gulf to Tarpon Springs.
When we are ready to get underway, we (really Brian) select our next stopping point, call to find out if space is available (if it is a marina), look through all our sources to determine possible “bail-out” options in case we have long lock delays or other issues. The farther we head south along the Tenn-Tom waterway, the fewer “bail-out” options we have. The challenge with anchorages is having water deep enough to avoid grounding, yet also far enough off the main channel to avoid getting run over by a towboat, which happened recently to a Looper on the Ohio River. Things will be more complicated getting Bo to shore at some anchorages due to alligators as we move into southern Alabama and Mississippi. Alligator attacks on humans during the daylight are rare as long as you stay alert. Walking a dog along a shoreline at dawn or dusk is not ideal since dogs resemble an alligator’s potential prey, and our knuckle-head’s first reaction would most likely be to bark and antagonize a local gator. We can reduce this risk by finding anchorages near boat launch ramps.
Our current schedule has us getting to Mobile around November 7. Weather or lock delays could easily push this back a few days. We decided to stay 7 days at Aqua Yacht Harbor marina to sort out our transmission alignment, pump-out issue and a couple other maintenance items. At this point it appears we should be underway October 24th.
Aqua Yacht Harbor is a large, well-managed marina. The service staff seems well organized and capable. Their on-site restaurant is good, but only open Thursday through Sunday this time of year. There are no other things to do within walking distance. They do have courtesy vans you can use for a 30 minute drive to the nearest town for supplies. We have a bit of a hike to get Bo to a large grassy area for ball-chasing, but he does not seem to mind with this cooler weather, 60s to 70s daytime temps instead of upper 80s to 90s. We have learned one more of Bo’s idiosyncrasies. A bit like Don Quixote, Bo believes he must attack the marina access gate (a single-arm coded security gate) if it moves up or down. The gate is near where we go for walks, so if anyone drives up and the gate arm rises, Bo immediately goes crazy, barking and jumping towards the gate like he must kill it! This is similar to his reaction when Brian starts the dinghy motor, however once the motor starts, he is completely calm. Yet the gate requires continued checking, looking back at it repeatedly to be sure it hasn’t moved again until it is out of sight! People driving by must wonder why we walk around with such a vicious dog.
NOTE: For anyone who looks at the map and says it looks like we aren’t even on water anymore, and is not aware of the zoom buttons (I know you’re out there, but you don’t have to admit it) …
Please look to the right side of the map where you should see 2 circles, one with a “+” to zoom into the map (more detail), one with a “-“ to zoom out of the map (less detail). Click on the “+” as many times as you’d like and the map zooms in with much more detail so you can see that we are actually still on water! :-)