Good-Bye to the River System

November 4, 2010

Demopolis is the last real marina on the last leg of the TennTom so we were a little wary of what lay ahead.  We use two books that help us find anchorages and neither author was very generous with his suggestions, probably because the anchorages are few and far between.  Our first night  brought us to Bashi Creek which was just that - a Creek.  It was very narrow and had room for only three boats-us, Magoo and a large catamaran cruising boat.  We had to use a bow and stern anchor since there wasn't enough room for any boat to swing without hitting the creek bank. It is a popular fishing spot for the locals who were friendly and inquisitive.  The boat ramp made it possible for Buddy to get a good walk (and us too!).

Magoo anchored in Bashi Creek

Beginning to see Spanish Moss hanging from trees

We left Bashi Creek and traveled passed the only gas and dockage along this part of the TennTom, Bobby's Fish Camp.  Many Loopers stop here but we decided to skip it since we figured we could travel further and then anchor. 

Bobby's Fish Camp along the TennTom

We went through our last lock, the Coffeeville Lock, after waiting a half hour for a tow and barges to lock through.  We didn't even mind the wait since this was our only wait for a lock on the TennTom-it must be a record because we had heard such horrid stories about long waits for commercial traffic but we escaped the drama.

Pete in the Coffeeville Lock

Tony M with Barge

We decided after traveling for seventy-two miles (at 8 miles/hr and a lock) we would settle in at Three Rivers Lake, not really a lake but a little indent in the river.  It was so narrow and shallow (went from 25' to 6' quickly) that we would bow and stern anchor again and Magoo would raft up to us. This part worked well but getting Buddy to a safe shore was something else.  Pete shooed away three water moccasins at the first place before Buddy began sniffing them.  The second place was a sandy shore that only had lots of animal footprints and nothing that squiggled and squirmed and no alligators-a concern since we are now into alligator territory!!!

Tensaw River fish camp

Bayou country

We left Three Rivers Lake and traveled another 50 miles to Big Briar Creek, off the Tensaw River Cutoff. 
This had a couple of rugged looking fish camps on shore but the waterway was large enough for many boats to anchor.  We spent a peaceful night on anchor, getting ready for our last day on the TennTom.

Fourteen Mile Bridge in much need of repair

As we were leaving the TennTom Waterway we saw the outline of Mobile before us.  What a stark contrast to the bayou wilderness we have been in!  The commercial waterfront was so different from the cedars and Spanish moss!  The Coast Guard greeted us with instructions to stay to the right of the channel since a huge container ship was departing soon. You bet, fellas!

All of the river through Mobile is industrial, with factories, refineries, and ports for ocean-going ships. We followed a marked channel south for about 10 miles and then followed a secondary marked channel to the west into Dog River to our marina. In the one hour it took to reach Mobile, the weather deteriorated - the sky blackened with storm clouds and the winds increased to 20-30 knots-not fun!  Mobile Bay is very shallow so it didn't take long for a good 3 foot chop to start beating us up, Lake Michigan style, with everything in the boat hitting the floor that wasn't securely stowed or already on the floor.  Heavy fog rolled in, so much so we couldn't see Magoo who was closely following behind us (thank goodness for radar and GPS).  The sky opened up with heavy thunder and lightening, adding to our excitement.  We arrived at Dog River Marina with white caps on the river, something they rarely see.  We breathed a sigh of relief when we were safely tied to the dock.  What an introduction to the Gulf!

First glimpse of Mobile

Commercial boats in Mobile