From the middle of bum bleep no where to the big city Nov 5th 2013

Nov 5^th, 2013

Up at 4:30.  The morning looks great….warm, no fog.  I tried to raise the lock on the radio but could not hear an answer (turns out he could he me but I could not hear his response).  I called the lock with Trick’s AT&T phone (I had no signal) and could barely hear as the AT&T signal was not great but there was a tow coming upstream and the lockmaster was not going to turn the lock around until I was close.  Time to go.

I announced to the crew on “One More Time” at 5:20 what was going on and they said they wanted to bug out also.  I started my motors and John on Tutto Bene told us he also wanted to make the first lock but he was concerned since it was still dark.  I told him I would just putz down there slow to make sure the lockmaster turned the chamber around (that means fill the lock with water to allow us to lock through downstream) before the tow arrived as that would delay us a good hour to get through the lock.

After I pulled away from the dock at 5:30, Pisces called on the radio and said “Aye Sea No Snow, I see no sun!”  lol  I told Jim what was going on and he said he was going to call the lock.  He called back and said the lockmaster was turning the lock around for us and he was about to leave along with Pengeo. 

 

We entered the chamber right at 6:00AM……perfect!  The four other boats followed in and we were going down at 6:20 and out at 6:30…..prefect.  John and Diane (Tutto Bene) we sooo nice at Bobby’s…there were having some motor problems so they using just one motor.  Thelma Parker II  was waiting for us just outside the lock and I called him on the radio to thank him for his patience…..very nice Captain as he thank me ‘cause he “needed a break anyway”.  Lol

Coffeeville lock master....he looks a little tired!

Thelma Parker II

We are through the last lock…..the very last lock……no more locks……we are dang near at sea level and heading for Mobile Bay.

 

Speaking of Mobile Bay, the radio forecast calls for strong winds and choppy conditions.  We have to go about 4 miles down the bay from Mobile before we turn into the channel that will take us to Dog River Marina.  It is a good thing Melissa is not along, she would not like Mobile Bay this evening.  If all goes well, we will be turning into that channel at sunset and arriving at the marina with just enough light to see Kerm and Chris on the dock…..I can’t wait. 

 

The river from Cuba Landing to Mobile Bay is challenging and keeps your attention.  Barges, shoaling, debris in the water, locks, limited hours of daylight, and those dog gone fishermen requires your attention 100% of the time.  It is an adventure worth doing.

breakfast in the lock

fishing in the lock

here fishy fishy!!

I look at all the things I have attempted in my life and I am pretty satisfied.  I get outside my comfort zone just enough to experience the “fruits” of life without taking foolish risks (my opinion, not necessarily the opinion of my spouse).  I like how there is so much variety in the type of people I interact with.  I have contact with people of all income ranges, all ages, different races, different nationalities, different genders, and different beliefs.

 

Is that a still??

Life is truly a mosaic and I am grateful I get to experience so much of it.

recycle plant

Now that's a big recycle truck

river beach

Survey Says!!

We met a Viking coming upstream at 8AM and then caught Sailing Vessel Believe at 8:55 just before the Jackson Rail Bridge.  Ten minutes later we caught S/V Taino and passed them.  Just before noon we met “Yvonne” coming the other way.  We passed a huge recycle plant at mile 46 then passed the tow “Safety Explorer” taking material to the recycle plant.  

Then it was Mr. David around 1PM.  We could hear “E B Wallace” on the radio as they were coming in from the Alabama river.  The I heard a noise from the stern, looked back, and here comes this Piper  J4 float plane taking off from behind heading right at our stern.  He flew right over us!

As we approached Mobile  Bay the Chartplotter was filled with AIS signals. 

Mobile from 8 miles out

We motored right on through except for a slight delay at the 14 mile railroad bridge waiting for….you guessed it……at train.  The harbor in Mobile bay is overwhelming!  There are sooooo many ships and things going on. 

Super Secret Ship

Super super secret ship

We passed the city dock about 5:50 with 10 min of sunlight left.  There was room on the dock if we needed it (a good Captain always has contingency plans) but everything felt good so we kept on motoring.  As we got into the shipping channel, the conditions were calm.  I had prepped for a rocky ride based on the weather radio but this was a piece of cake!  We saw our first Dolphins but they were to quick for me to get a picture.

It was pretty dark when we turned into the Dog River Channel at 5:35 but everything was A OK and going according to plan.  We negotiated the channel with no problems and found Chris and Kerm waiting for us at the dock.   YEA!  Chris made dinner for us on the Southern Belle, Kerm and Trick had a beer, and all is well with the world.  I have a strong cell signal so it was nice to have a normal conversation with Missy before I hit the sack.

The wind is predicted to be strong tomorrow so we will hang tight at Dog River for a day and then press on EAST,  Yes east I say, not south, we have motored south….now we get to go EAST to Florida!!!!

It was really fun traveling with Jim and Jan Dobbs on Pisces.  All of the cruisers have been great and I hope to see them on the Gulf!  In the meantime, I am looking forward to more pelicans and dolphins!!!