Friday’s weather was pretty much as advertised, overcast and chilly, but not freezing. We got off to a fairly slow start as the lockmaster in Columbus held us in the lock waiting for several late arrivals. I’m not complaining; I have been on that end before and sure appreciated those who waited. When the lock finally closed, there were eight boats most, but not all, were Loopers. Only one of them got under my skin.
Once Around and another boat were the first into the lock, so we moved all the way to the two forward spots to be sure there was plenty of ties for all the boats trying to get into the lock that morning. A beautiful 70’ Lazzara called Andiamo (fittingly, Italian for Let’s Go!) was next in and tied off in the second row. After all the boats were tied off, he got on the radio and said he travelled at 21 knots, so unless anyone else was faster, he would appreciate it if he could pass us before we got up to speed after leaving the lock. We all agreed.
As the lock doors opened, the other front row boat, Easy Waters, began to exit first as he was first in, and lock etiquette is pretty clear you go out in the same order you go in (that prevents a lot of collisions). I started to move away from the wall and glanced back (luckily) to see the 70 footer steaming between myself and Easy Waters. We had not even gotten out of the lock, and this idiot was passing between us! In six months and over a hundred locks, I have not seen anyone so rude and dangerous in a lock. I threw up the universally understood middle finger, but the guy was already getting on plane so I doubt he even noticed. Had something like this happened in a car on my morning commute to work back in the world, I probably would have honked and yelled also. But…I’m on vacation. So, I just shrugged it off.
We enjoyed a nice cruise for a few hours in what was some very pretty scenery. There were some bluffs that began to appear, and along with the leaves changing colors, the view was beautiful. We also got glimpses of the rural Mississippi and Alabama countryside as the Tenn-Tom wound back and forth in and out of both states. The temperature got up to a balmy 65 degrees. Several of the boats we went through the first lock with in the morning dropped off after 30 miles or so at a marina. We planned one more lock, then another 37 miles to get to an anchorage we hoped would be available for us that night.
The laugh of the day came when we approached our second lock with Coconuts, a boat we had been following all morning. It seems our friend Andiamo’s rushing had gotten him “nowhere fast”, as my Grandpa Debolt used to say. He had been delayed at the second lock by tow barges going in each direction. As we approached the lock, we could see Andiamo rushing in to be at the front.
“Pahdnah, please tell me I din't jus’ see you run in theya agains’ mah red light!”, scolded a ticked off lockmaster over the radio to Andiamo.
He had committed the cardinal sin of entering the lock before the lockmaster had given him the green . I laughed aloud, as I am sure most of the other captains did, as Andiamo tried to explain how the red light had appeared green from the angle of his approach. “Rrriiiighhtt”, as "Noah" used to say in Bill Cosby’s old routine. The lockmaster almost made him back out, but the real punishment came once Andiamo was in the lock. Three more boats called the lockmaster, as far away as a half an hour out. The lockmaster held the lock open so they could pass also. Andiamo’s antics had earned him nothing. The slowest boats in the lock earlier that morning had caught up with him! Poetic justice. Of course, he raced out of the lock as soon as the doors opened, hopefully not to be seen (by us) again.
This is what electronic charts of the Tenn-Tom look like
Paddle faster...I hear banjos!
We had an incredibly calm anchorage at Sumpter Recreation area Friday night. Five boats filled the small area, Coconuts, Bavarian Cream, Joysea, Once Around and a sailboat I had never seen before. The Admiral and I had a great steak, a bottle of BV Reserve Cab, and a great night’s sleep.
Coconuts at anchor
Our surroundings in this anchorage
We had a long and uneventful run the 64 miles from there to Demopolis, AL, on Saturday. The scenery got even more beautiful. We also ran across Todd from Positive Attitude (see post with that title back in July). We had met him and his family back in Canada when they were in the process of buying their new boat. Here he is with us in a lock in Alabama months later. Small world.
Positive Attitude
Some beautiful white bluffs...
...made even more spectacular by the fall color
farther downstream
We passed a steel boat appropriately named
Irony, that we had gotten a tour of a few days earlier.
Once in Demopolis, we fueled and did laundry. Cocktail hour on Coconuts with Bru and Sandy and Eldon and Diane from Maine Visions went a little long. In fact, it moved next door to Once Around, because we had connected our cable TV and the LSU/Alabama game was on t 7:00. SEC football is not to be trifled with in these parts. We ordered pizza delivered and whooped it up till 10:30. Pretty late on the Loop.
The good news is it is supposed to warm into the low 70’s today and sunny. The bad news is the Admiral has a whole list of stuff for me to do after I get done playing with the depth finder.
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