Tuesday

October 25, 2016

Left the Zippy Branch anchorage at 0700 and headed down the Yellow River towards the TennesseeTombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom).  Many looper boats were at Grand Harbor marina close by, and were also going down the Tenn-Tom with us.

A little bit of Tenn-Tom history

The Tenn-Tom is the largest civil works project ever undertaken by the Corps of Engineers.  The system is five times longer and has a total lift 3.5 times greater than the Panama Canal.  Construction required removal of 307 million cubic yards of earth, the pouring of 2.2 million cubic yards of concrete and the use of 33,000 tons of steel. 

The first known recommendation to build a canal linking the Tennessee and the Tombigbee Rivers was by a French explorer in about 1760.  Marquis de Montcalm believed a connection between the two rivers would help the French settle the South.

In 1820, the citizens of Knox County, TN (Knoxville) petitioned Congress to build a Waterway, so they could trade with Gulf Coast ports.

Ulysses S Grant's first official proposal in the White House, was to build a waterway from Tennessee to the Gulf.  His proposal included 44 locks and a price tag of $1.7 million, in 1874.

There were many additional studies before a workable plan was achieved in 1971.  The project started in 1972 and after 12 years cost $2 billion.  It officially opens on January 10, 1985.

The Tenn-Tom is divided into three sections:  The Divide Cut, the Canal Section and the River Section.    The Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers, continuing on into Mobile Bay are not a part of this project.

Back to today

We went through the Divide Cut and part of the Canal Section of the Tenn-Tom.  We then anchored just before the Fulton Lock & Dam.  All the other looper boats traveling with us pulled into Midway Marina for the night, a few miles earlier.

Yellow Creek-just after leaving our Zippy anchorage

A beautiful morning drive down Yellow Creek

The Tenn-Tom - Divide Cut section is called a "ditch" by most.  We thought it was beautiful.

More of the Divide Cut.   Notice the water looks like glass.  

When you see these beautiful structures, there is usually a river hidden behind them.  They control the  flow of  water into the Tenn-Tom during rainy season.

Looper boats in the first of 10 Tenn-Tom locks.  The locks start in the  Tenn-Tom Canal Section.

The first Tenn-Tom lock, Jamie L. Whitten Lock & Dam, has a lift of 84 feet.

Another view of the Whitten locks as we were lowered 84 feet.

We call this a looper float-tilla.  We all went together from one lock to the next.  There were also two boats in front of us.

A view in the Tenn-Tom Canal Section.


Tomorrow we hope to get through 3 more locks in the Canal Section and one in the River Section, before staying at the Columbus Marina for two nights.  Might not make it, but we will see.  

Monday

October 24, 2016

Today we left Joe Wheeler State Park and headed back the way we came.  We had to enter two Locks we had gone through before.  The Joe Wheeler Lock & Dam and the Wilson Lock & Dam.  We then turned into the Yellow Creek, to continue our journey down to the gulf.

Here are our friends Myron & Linda, from Wisconsin, in the Joe Wheeler lock

We tie to these bollards and they go down or up the lock with us

This is looking up the wall where the bollard tracks up and down

Myron & Linda in the Wilson Lock

First push for Joell off of a lock wall.  

Mike taking a picture of us leaving Wilson Lock, as Joell drove

Beautiful view of our anchorage at Zippy Branch, MS.

Other side view of Zippy anchorage.

Barge going past the Zippy Branch anchorage after dark.

Sunday

October 23rd, 2016

Having "Docktails" on our dock last evening...

Elwood refused to take the picture so I could be in it...

So, here's an interesting boat at the end of our dock called:

ZOE

It appears to be a motor sailer...  It has two driving stations, one outside and one inside.

Zoe's very "tubby" which lends to lots of space inside.

Just great joinery of the wood with beautiful detail.

A couple air scoops for the inside cabin.

Heavy duty bow area...

Even has two windshield wipers.

Have no idea what this means....

and I don't know who build this baby!

That's Zoe!

Saturday 

October 22, 2016

A few photos showing the exodus of yachts today.  Yesterday the larger groups took off, but today's cast off was during a beautiful crisp fall morning.  Mikee Likes It will cast off early Monday morning.  Today we were getting things ready by shopping, washing cloth and returning the dinghy to it's davits mount on the boat.  Definitely not Wisconsin color, but beautiful none the less.

Friday

October 21st, 2016

This years 2016 Loopers at Joe Wheelers Resort, Rogersville, AL.

"right side, up front"

This is Miss Bailey and she has a newly repaired mast. At a cost of $2800.00 "ouch" ......it looks pretty good though.  Who thought you could de-mast a trawler...

watch those bridges......

Last evening AGLCA had a Blind Dinghy Race "In Reverse"

If you've ever drove a inflatable keel type dinghy, you know they don't steer worth a darn...  they slide which ever way they want.  We were seconds out of 3rd place out of a group of nine couples...  Drove it out to the bouy and back in just over 3.32 minutes... One couple was in the 11 minute range, going around and around in circles (14 circles)....we only performed one 360 degree turn before straightening out and heading around the course.

Wednesday evening a group of us went to a good Mexican Restaurant in Rogersville!

Brian and Dorothy drove here from Milwaukee to get lots of information prior to starting their loop in a couple years.  Joell, Dorothy, Brian and Mike are all members of the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.... the Harbor of Hospitality!

Dorothy and Mikee

Brian and Joell

Monday

October 17th, 2016

Day one of the AGLCA Rendezvous is finally here

and their packing in the boats...

Hardly any room for fenders...

Today starts with registration, an exhibit area, ships store, introduction to loopers in progress (us), followed by a wine & beer reception and dinner.

Tomorrow, the lectures begin, covering areas such as crossing the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Keys, Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and others.

Squeeze'em in...

Two unusual boats are here with this rounded bow....

They are Kady Krogen boats...

Below is an example of How Not to do the Loop!

This is a boat in the Milwaukee Harbor that hit the break wall at night last weekend.

They'll be waiting a long time for the tide to come in!

Sunday

October 16th, 2016

Full Moon at Joe Wheeler

Elwood always looses his rawhide chew stick between the couch and ottoman.

We had several boats come in on Saturday which almost filled the slips in front of the Resort.  Many more coming today, the day before everything starts.