Day 142 & 143 November 9 - 10, 2022

Day 142 Wednesday November 9, 2022

Lower Cut Anchorage MM77.7 to Big Bayou Canot Anchorage MM9.9

We are checking the weather on the Gulf due to Tropical Storm Nicole and wondering if it will affect us.  No fog this morning.  Pulled our anchor at 6am and came up clean. We had one tow pass during the night and met our first tow of the day at 6:30 am.  Tow traffic has definitely picked up - we met 8 tows by 1pm, one of them TH Kelly, who we have met before.  We had been told to expect more, smaller tows, because of the low water conditions on the Mississippi.  Barge traffic is being rerouted to the Tenn-Tom as a result. 

 SOOOOO close. 

The scenery and wildlife continue to change.  The pelicans are now brown instead of white, there are more trees and marshy areas, less residential homes and more industry.  The very loopy nature of the river continues with double S turns, narrow channels, and evidence of low water. 

   

We passed the Tom-Bigby Alabama River junction and made it to the Mobile River. 

 You can see the water flow in from the Alabama River

"Dolly Parton" Bridge

Although it was 3pm when we dropped our anchor we still had an 8 hour 45 minute travel day.   

Entrance to Big Bayou Canot warning about a "Fixed Bridge"

Third times a charm!  First attempt to anchor brought us too close to shore at the stern, second try we hooked something submerged.  When Jerry backed up to check that we were hooked there was a violent tug and the bow of the boat went down.  We were secure, but would we be able to leave in the morning??  We needed to do something about the situation then, not in the dark the next morning.  Jerry pulled the boat ahead, dropped more chain to relieve the tension and then tried again to bring the anchor up.  This time the anchor must have freed itself from the debris and the bow popped back up. Time to move and try again.

We finally anchored a couple hundred yards from a railroad bridge.  Trains passed every few hours but were never very long.  An Amtrak train, the Sunset Limited, derailed at this location September 22, 1993 when a tow with heavy barges collided with the bridge. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 injured. 

Happy to finally be at anchor we settled in for the evening.

Arion at anchor.

Day 143 Thursday November 10, 2022

Big Bayou Canot Anchorage MM9.9 to Home Port Marina Foley Alabama 

Sunrise

Only 1 train passed through; we had a peaceful night.  Up at 5am with a tentative departure for 6am.  Our goal today was to continue our travel down the Mobile River to Mobile Alabama and then cross Mobile Bay to the Gulf Shores area.  

Tropical Storm Nicole was now considered a category 2 hurricane and is impacting our weather.  A small craft advisory had been put into affect; we could be impacted by winds and waves when we crossed Mobile Bay.  After discussion among the captains and consultation with several weather apps the decision was made to travel.  If travel got too uncomfortable we could always find another anchorage. 

The Mobile River was a very busy port with tows loading and unloading as well as ship building.  

Entrance to Mobile Bay

 

We traveled south down the Mobile River to the river delta.  By the time we reached the bay the winds were building and we experienced 2-3 foot waves.  We actually saw tows pulling barges instead of pushing them.  The worst part of the crossing occurred when we had to turn east and started taking the waves on our beam.  Luckily that lasted for only about an hour.

Pelicans were busy feeding behind a shrimp boat.  

 

We say a dredge and oil rigs.  

Our first lighthouse in a while

 

AND we saw DOLPHINS!!! 

 They were too quick for my camera.

We cruised to Bon Secour Inlet and the entrance of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW).  The GIWW is a marked channel that guides boaters along the gulf coast.  

 

 

We arrived at Home Port Marina at 1pm, glad that we had decided to travel.  It had been a little rough at times but not as bad as our experience on Lake Ontario.  

Our friends on Tug Bussle were docked at The Wharf, another marina close by.  We made plans to join them and Table 6 for dinner.  In the meantime we joined Laura, Joe, Arlene and Al to celebrate our crossing at Lulu's restaurant.  Lulu's is owned by Lucy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett's sister.  It could be considered a destination with it's arcade, volleyball court, good food, souvenir shop and live music.   

Dinner with Deb, Tim, Janet and Russ was at Ginny Lane, a restaurant next to their marina.  It was fun to see them again. Lots of Loopers staying at the Wharf Marina.