Sumter Landing Anchorage on the Tombigbee to Mobile Alabama - Oct 29, 2016

Oct 26^th – It was a warm day with a mix of sun and clouds.  We left the Sumter Landing Anchorage at 6:40am and traveled 53 miles through 1 lock to Demopolis Yacht Basin Marina.  We caught up to Brian, Judy, Tom and Cathy which we said goodbye to back in Joe Wheeler State Park.  We spent the afternoon by the pool with Brian and Judy and then joined a group of boaters for a captains meeting to discuss upcoming anchorages and stops between here and the Gulf of Mexico.  Afterwards we had docktails with the group and then we performed “Do it yourself” pumpouts on all of our boats.  Afterwards we went to Tom’s and Cathy’s boat for dinner and had both pecan pie and birthday cake to celebrate both Brian’s and Judy’s birthdays.  We retired back to our boat early since we have to get up at 6am again tomorrow and run for close to 100 miles … another long day!

Oct 27^th – It was a hot and sunny day and we hear that it snowed in our home town (Keswick, Ontario, Canada) … our weather here is opposite of what our friends are experiencing back home.  We were up extra early this morning to coordinate the lockage of 6 boats for 7am and traveled 96 miles on the Tombigbee River to Bobby’s Fish Camp in Silas Alabama.  We took turns driving the boat and Maria decided to top up her tan and sat on the front of the boat in her bikini this afternoon.  Cathy and Tom were in the lead boat and saw 2 bald head eagles attack another eagle which fell into the water.  They saw wild pigs as well as an alligator.  Once we arrived at Bobby’s we rafted 3 boats together on their dock and had a cold one to relax after the 10 hours of travelling and then went up to the restaurant and all the girls ordered the seafood platter while the guys ordered all you can eat catfish.  

Oct 28^th – It was another hot and sunny day.  We left Bobby’s Fish Camp and traveled 82 miles and went through the last lock of this leg of the trip arriving at Tensas River anchorage at mile 40 of the Tombigbee River.  We are now officially in tidal water.  We rafted with 3 other boats and had a pot luck dinner with all 4 boats plus one other boat that was anchored in the bay.  After dinner we played Left, Right, Centre on Lazy Susan and then played Euchre on Valentine.    

Oct 29^th – It was another hot and sunny day today.  My generator would not start this morning and it appears that it may be fuel related.  Another job that I’ll have to tackle when we get to the next marina.  Max from Lazy Susan made us apple and strawberry pancakes for breakfast this morning … Yum!  After breakfast we left our anchorage and traveled 55 miles today to Dog River Marina in Alabama.  During our travels we think we saw an alligator … they are very hard to spot and disappear quickly.  We also entered salt water in Mobile bay on the Gulf of Mexico and Maria saw some dolphins … Now the next trick will be to get pictures of them.  I have a few jobs to do while I’m at this marina including getting replacement oil hoses built, perform oil changes and get the generator running again plus other odd jobs.  We used the courtesy car to go into Fairhope with 2 other couples and walked around the town and had dinner.  We finally get to sleep in tomorrow … however I expect that it will be a busy day or two or three ....  

Another sunrise while we headed towards the lock

White Cliffs on the Tombigbee River

More Tombigbee travels

Maria catching some rays while it snows in Canada

Rafting in the Tensas anchorage

Max & Mike ... the designated picture takers

Potluck party

At an Irish Pub in Fairhope

No ... you can't raft that thing with us!

Grand Harbor Marina MS to Sumter Landing Anchorage on the Tombigbee - Oct 25, 2016

Oct 22^nd – It was a cool and sunny day.  A number of Loopers pulled into the marina that we met at the AGLCA Rendezvous.  Mike (Boat Daddy) and Lois invited us to breakfast this morning and drove us via their golf cart and then by car.  After breakfast I cleaned the outside of the boat while Maria did some laundry.  I noticed that our propane was getting low thus Boat Daddy told me they had exchange tanks available thus the marina swapped out our tank for a full one.  Once our jobs were done we sat by the waterfront with Mike and Lois enjoying the sun and the view.  Later they joined us for a spaghetti dinner on our boat with Maria’s freshly baked cheese and onion bread. We were listening to a number of songs that we’ve been introduced to like “Who the f@#k is Alice” by Smokie as well as songs by MacLean and MacLean and we all laughed while Mike also introduced us to some new songs.  

Oct 23^rd – It was a warm and sunny day.  We said good to Boat Daddy (Mike) and Lois from Inch-N-Along today and tried to convince them to carry on with a 2^nd loop … you never know, they may decide to start again to avoid the Looper withdrawls that they are starting to go through.  We left Grand Harbor Marina this morning and headed south on the Tombigbee River going through 3 locks and traveling 55 miles to Midway Marina in Fulton Mississippi.  We travelled with 4 other Looper boats through the locks and arrived at our destination at about 5pm.  We plan to leave at 7am tomorrow morning for another long run thus we’ve decided to just relax on board tonight.

Oct 24^th – It was a warm and sunny day.  5 Looper boats left the Midway marina at 7am this morning and travelled 53 miles through 4 locks on the Tombigbee river and 3 boats anchored in Fletcher Anchorage at mile marker 340.3 and the other 2 boats went to Columbus Marina.  It is a beautiful anchorage directly across from a park.  I was thinking about going for a swim, however I was told that alligators have been seen in the area thus I quickly changed my mind.  We just relaxed in this very peaceful anchorage and enjoyed the moment.  We plan to leave at 7am again tomorrow morning for another long run thus I’m sure it will be an early night tonight.

Oct 25^th – It was a hot and sunny day.  3 boats left our Fletcher anchorage this morning at 7am and travelled through 2 locks together, however 2 of the boats decided to go to a different anchorage since they were afraid they couldn’t get in to the Sumter Landing anchorage which was 69 miles away from our last anchorage.  As we creeped in the anchorage we saw 1.5 feet on our depth sounder … a little too shallow for our liking, however we made it in successfully.  The other 2 boats had deeper drafts thus they decided to go to an alternate anchorage.  Maria had the crock pot going all day which has been making me very hungry.  The anchorage is beautiful and well protected and we have the bay all to ourselves.  I’m hoping the cell signal is good enough to post a blog entry tonight … I’ll soon find out.  We’re hoping to catch up with Valentine plus others tomorrow at a marina which is 70 miles away thus we’re planning to leave extra early tomorrow … first light seems to be at 6:45am.

Me, Lois and Mike (Boat Daddy) having a nice dinner aboard Aqua-Fennatic

Traveling south on the Tombigbee River

The boats we anchored with in the Fletcher Anchorage

Great reflection picture of Bar-B

We left in the fog from Midway Marina

A sunrise picture ... to prove we were up really early!

Another sunrise picture to prove we could do it 2 days in a row

Canadian Geese on the Tombigbee ... Imported from Canada

A big bird

More white pelicans

What a beautiful day travelling the river

The Sumter Landing anchorage

Joe Wheeler State Park AL to Grand Harbor Marina MS - Oct 21, 2016

Oct 19^th – It was another hot and sunny day.  After breakfast we attended conference sessions covering travels from Tarpon Springs along the Gulf ICW to Key West then up the Florida Keys as well as Florida’s East coast.  We also attended a session providing information on the Bahama’s side trip, which we plan to take.  A group picture was taken of all the Rendezvous attendees by the pool … it was a big group!  After our sessions were completed for the day we boarded a bus to a large horse farm and went for a hayride to tour their race horse barn.  We then saw a live Polo match, had dinner and then were entertained by a live band called Uncle Shoals which allowed us to dance the night away.  We stayed until the last bus was ready to take us back to the boats.

Oct 20^th – It was a hot and cloudy day with some rain and chances of thunderstorms throughout the day.  Today we attended conference sessions covering travels from Jacksonville Florida north along the ICW to Beaufort South Carolina continuing on to New Bern North Carolina.  Afterwards there was a conference session Q&A with lots of interesting questions followed by Docktails by the pool and our final dinner which marks the official end of the Fall AGLCA Rendezvous.  Afterward we gathered around a group of people with musical instruments and had a big sing along while we drank bush wackers (like a chocolate shake for adults with 5 kinds of alcohol). We plan to leave the marina in the morning and we are working with a volunteer coordinator to ensure that the 2 up coming locks can handle the traffic leaving the marina.  Our plan is to get in front of the crowd, if possible, so we aren’t competing for marina slips and anchorages as we head south.  From a statistics perspective we’ve travelled 1880 miles over 112 days and have boating cards for 66 Loopers plus we’ve met others that we don’t have boating cards for.    

Oct 21^st – It was a very cool and windy day and for the first time this trip I had to wear pants, socks and shoes … terrible!  We travelled 61 miles and went through 2 locks from the Joe Wheeler State Park Marina in Alabama to Grand Harbor Marina in Mississippi.  We travelled with 12 other Looper boats through the locks and then we continued on to our destination.  After we arrived we obtained a courtesy vehicle from the marina and went to town to purchase some provisions.  Our credit card was declined at Walmart and at a gas station thus I called the credit card company and our trip triggered a fraud detection alert which I had to discuss with them to get the card activated again.  We had to use a Canadian credit card as a backup, however we’ll most likely get hit with additional fees on the conversion rate. Once we arrived back at the marina “Boat Daddy” (Mike) brought his golf cart over to the courtesy car to help us transport our groceries over to the boat.

The AGLCA Fall Rendezvous attendees ... We're in the top right at the back

Selfie on a hay ride at the horse farm

Maria has a new "Horsed faced" friend

The first live Polo match we've ever seen

Uncle Shoals band playing on the Polo field

Dancing the night away!

Sing along after the conference

Traveling through the Wheeler lock with 12 boats

The Wilson lock

Joe Wheeler State Park AL – AGLCA Rendezvous - Oct 18, 2016

Oct 16^th – It was a hot and sunny day.  We moved the boat from the Joe Wheeler anchorage to the Joe Wheeler marina which we will be staying at until Friday while we are attending the AGLCA Rendezvous.  We went for a 12 mile bike ride into town and back with Brian and Judy and then we went for a trail hike.  We definitely got lots of exercise today!  There’s a very high concentration of Loopers at the marina and I’m sure we’ll meet many of them during the next few days.  The weather forecast shows that we may break some records for high temperatures over the next few days thus you’ll most likely be reading “It was a hot and sunny day” over and over again.  We attended docktails by the pool at 5pm and the crowd is growing larger.  Afterwards we went for a dingy ride to visit Brian, Judy, Tom and Cathy since they are not attending the AGLCA Rendezvous and are anchored close by.  We had our last dinner with them on their boat since they plan to start heading south before the Rendezvous ends to avoid the traffic jam.  Once they leave we will not see them until sometime in January since both couples will be flying home once they reach Mobile for a couple of months L

Oct 17^th – It was a hot and sunny day.  Brian, Judy and I went for an 11 mile bike ride this morning … Maria opted out since her knee was bothering her a bit from yesterday’s ride.  Afterwards we went to the pool for a swim and to relax in the sunshine.  At 3pm Maria and I registered for the AGLCA rendezvous and then checked out all the vendor booths.  We also played Looper bingo where we had to identify other loopers meeting certain criteria and have them sign our card.  We were very popular since one of the squares required a Looper’s signature from Canada.  We became even more popular after we introduced ourselves to the audience as part of the In-Progress Looper introductions.  Afterwards we attended a free Wine, Beer and munchie event and then a Looper dinner.  The Gold Loopers (ie. Those that already completed the loop) introduced themselves and many are going through Looping withdrawls … which I’m sure we’ll experience as well since this is an incredible lifestyle with life changing experiences.  After dinner we went to Over Ice to say goodbye to Brian, Judy, Tom and Cathy who will be leaving in the morning.  To say goodbye we had shots of Fireball and the youngest Looper we know (Max) had a great toast for us: "There are good ships and wood ships and ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships and may they always be!"

Oct 18^th – It was another hot and sunny day.  We went to the conference provided breakfast this morning and prepared ourselves for another action packed day.  We attended a number of sessions preparing us for our travels from here through the river system including 14 locks to Mobile and then along the Gulf Inter-Coastal Waterway to Carrabelle as well as crossing the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs or Clear Water Florida.  The people here are great and we are learning lots!  During a break Maria checked Facebook and noticed that the AGLCA posted a link to our blog … I’m not sure what initiated this, however it seems to be driving more traffic to our blog.  All the Loopers gathered for another sponsored Wine, Beer and munchie event followed by a Looper dinner.  I think I’m going to gain a few pounds during the next few days!

Brian, Tom and I at the Last Supper before they head south

Judy & Cathy

Hiking in the woods ... Brian ... where are you going?

At the AGLCA Rendezvous ... Can you spot Aqua-Fennatic?

Dinner at the AGLCA Rendezvous

Robert from "Over Ice" trying to impress us Canadians ;)

Max - The youngest Looper with the great toast!

Grand Harbour Marina MS to Joe Wheeler State Park AL - Oct 15, 2016

Oct 13^th – It was a warm day with a mix of sun and clouds.  We got the boat ready in the morning and then headed out from Grand Harbour Marina to an anchorage about 15 miles away on Pickwick Lake called First Class Harbor or Rock Piles.  On the way I checked my shaft log that I tightened on the side the motor mount was replaced since it was leaking more than it should.  The shaft log was hot and I noticed there were brass filings from the shaft rubbing on the shaft log thus I assume the shaft alignment is still out, which Green Turtle Bay should have identified when they installed the new motor mount.  I loosened the shaft log to the spot that was previously warn down when we first identified the motor mount issue and it’s OK for now, however it leaks water into the bilge.  I’m going to have to address this issue once I get to a good marina that has good technicians before we get to saltwater.  We rafted together and turned on some tunes while we enjoyed the scenery.  Brian and I went diaper diving (ie. You put your legs into your lifejacket and float in the water) which made it easy to float around the boats to clean the waterline.  We BBQed dinner and had a great meal and afterwards we watched the movie “Captain Ron” which Brian and Judy never saw before.  We are slowly heading to the AGLCA Rendezvous which takes place next week for 4 days in Rogersville Alabama.  

Oct 14^th – We had heavy rain this morning.  I can’t remember the last time it rained and I bet I can count the number of times it rained on our trip on one hand.  We just relaxed this morning until the rain slowed down, which was about 11am, and then we pulled our anchor and traveled 29 miles to the Wilson lock.  Unfortunately the lock was under construction thus they told us we would have a 2+ hour wait.  The lockmaster allowed us to tie to the wall at the entrance and we rafted Valentine to our boat.  We called Green Turtle Bay about our shaft alignment issue and they responded that the shaft is aligned and believed that I was overtightening the shaft log, which I’m not.  I monitored the issue today and the shaft log is cool to the touch, there are no more brass filings and it doesn’t leak much underway, however it continues to leak when the boat is motionless.  I’ve decided to live with this for now and continue to monitor the issue.  Once we got through the lock we went to the Carter Branch anchorage on Wilson Lake.  We had Judy’s chicken chili for dinner with fresh pumpkin corn bread which was great and just chatted the evening away.     

Oct 15^th – It was a hot and sunny day.  We left the Wilson Lake anchorage to head for the Wheeler Lock which was only 8 miles away.  We arrived with 6 boats and immediately entered the lock.  During the lockage we saw at least 20 catfish feeding on thousands of baitfish at the surface of the water.  Our friend Brian from Valentine tried to catch some for dinner however they were too smart and avoided both a net and a fishing rod.  We arrived at our destination for the AGLCA Rendezvous which is Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama however we decided to anchor for now and pull into our slip either Sunday morning or Monday morning since the Rendezvous starts Monday afternoon.  We dropped the dingy and went for a dingy run with the others to the marina which was loaded with other Loopers.  We ended up having early docktails with a large crowd of people, however Maria and I left early since we had planned to cook a pork roast on the BBQ.  While the BBQ was doing its thing Maria and I went swimming … the water was 76 degrees F which feels great!  Later we had 10 people on our boat for dinner and tunes. 

Diaper Diving

Brian from Valentine in a soapy diaper

The leaves are starting to change

Waiting for the Wilson lock

Brian is napping while we wait for the lock

Heading towards the Wheeler lock

Anchored in Joe Wheeler State Park

Sunset from the Joe Wheeler anchorage

Dinner on Aqua-Fennatic

Grand Harbour Marina MS - Oct 12, 2016

Oct 10^th – It was a warm and sunny day.  Maria and I decided to perform some cleaning today.  I washed the entire boat and worked on removing some diesel dust from the cockpit area while Maria cleaned the inside of the boat.  I also added distilled water to the batteries.  Afterwards we borrowed a courtesy car from the marina to go to town to do some shopping.  We got back and had a late dinner then we went to visit some Loopers to socialize after a long day of cleaning and shopping. 

Oct 11^th – It was a warm and sunny day again today.  We borrowed a courtesy car with 4 other Looper couples to visit Shiloh National Military Park which was a major site for the Civil war in 1862.  It was a very large park with multiple battle sites which took us ½ a day to go through.  Afterwards we went out to a Mexican restaurant for great food and margaritas.  We arrived back at the marina just-in-time to return the courtesy van.  We then met up with Loopers that we haven’t seen since we were in the North Channel in Canada and we joined them plus a large number of other Loopers for docktails.  On and off throughout the day I’ve been dealing with the TD Bank to figure out how to get USD into my US Borderless Bank Account to pay off my USD Visa bill.  They made the process way too complex and I had to open a TD Savings account over the phone to allow me to move money from my other bank account to my TD savings account to my TD USD account to pay my TD USD Visa bill.  I’ve been also working with Amanda (our daughter) to figure out how she can transfer USD to us and we’ll give her CAD for when she returns to Canada.  She wired the USD to us, however we’ll see if we can find a solution with lower fees for next month.  Fun with banks! 

Oct 12^th – It was a hot and sunny day.  We went for a walk in the area and admired the beautiful direct riverfront homes on the Tennessee river.  Afterwards we went for a swim in the pool which turned into a community fish fry / BBQ by the pool with at least 20 other Loopers.  Of course there was way too much food for everyone.  We played some Euchre while others played Left, Right, Centre.  What a beautiful evening … only shorts, sandals and a t-shirt with a cold beer in my hand.  I’m thinking that I should see Jimmy Buffet around here any time now ;)

Breakfast on Brian's & Judy's boat

Brian drew the short straw and had to ride in the back with all of our provisions

Shiloh Church

A cabin on a Peach Orchard that was caught up in the Shiloh battle

Cathy, Judy and Maria at the Fish Fry / BBQ

Euchre game by the pool

Maria in her PJs playing "May I" in the club house