Tuesday, November 2, 2021 (Safe Harbor Aqua Marina - Midway Marina (Fulton, MS)

Starting out with it being somewhat brisk in the low 40’s.  Aren’t we traveling south?!!!!  Oh well, we are wearing layers just like being in Minnesota.  This day is a day for us to remember and talk about as you will hear.  We had heard so much about the Tenn-Toms waterway (Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway) but didn’t really know what to expect.  I highly recommend you do some investigating about this waterway.  Short story is that was built from the Tennessee River to the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River which is near Demopoulis, AL. It links a waterway from the midsection of the nation to the Gulf of Mexico.  It took 12 years to build, (was completed in 1984) has 10 lock and dams and is 234 miles long.  What amazed us the most was the maintenance of the shoreline as it is mowed and very clean.  

Interesting to see how the water has dropped but remember the water level is controlled by the dams.  I thought that this spillway was amazing.  I want to build one in the back yard.  Jim was not impressed…… LOL!!!

It’s still a good float until we reached the lock from HELL!!!!  We have been gone for a month and have had minor instances but things can change.  We are in line to get into the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam and find that we are the last boat.  The wind is strong plus the wakes from all of the other boats are churning the water ALOT… Remember we still don’t have Bow thrusters!!!!!  Jim was able to finally get the boat close enough for me to lasso the bollard but the wind took the bow of the boat into the concrete wall and the stern into the middle of the lock.  I couldn’t get the rope off in order to get free so Jim thought fast and cut the rope.  We were now backwards in the lock (putting on a great show for all other boaters I might add).  We exited the lock to regroup and get the next ride down so that we can place ourselves in the front where it is much calmer and away from the wind.  The locks in Minnesota have lines at the bow and stern that the Lock Master throws down for you to hold onto.  However with the bollards you have basically one anchor point which leaves the stern of the boat to go out from the wall.  Many boats have cleats along the entire side of the boat to tie from but ours does not due to the design.  So Jim is constantly moving the boat to try and stay as close to the wall as possible, deal with the current of the lock and listen to me telling him what to do all of the time…….  I am on the bow working the buoys and the line around the bollard.  I am so jealous of the boats that have the appropriate cleats because they just sit nice and calm while we are working our tails off…..  

We waited nearly an hour and a half to try the lock for the second time which was successful.  The Lock Master came over to talk with us and said that so many boats have the exact same issue as we had.  He was so encouraging and made us feel better.  Our boating buddies “Our Plan” had stopped at a marina just north of the lock and caught a picture of us in the lock.  We are the tiny small white spot at the top of the lock.

The lock from Hell!!!

We made it through the next two locks, the Montgomery Lock and Dam and the John Rankin Lock and Dam and can hardly wait to get into a slip at Midway Marina in Fulton, MI., where we are staying two nights.  We get tied to the dock at the marina but find that the power does not work.  So, they moved us to another actual slip.  Of course, we are told that the water is deep, don’t worry, blah, blah, blah…….  We need to back into a slip that is one foot wider then the boat and we are churning up mud.  Remember NO THRUSTERS……and a good current. Thankfully several other men helped get us into the slip.  Great!!!! We are secured in the slip but the power still doesn’t work.  Our helpers got to talking about how all of the boats have had problems getting power on this particular dock.  There are electric lines everywhere from all of the boats.  By this time it is dark, we haven’t had a cocktail, its very cool and we haven’t hardly eaten all day.  The one restaurant is backed up with orders and closes at 8:00, plus the marina electrician doesn’t show up.  (I can’t blame him).  The day is not lost however.  The generator and heater is on, I made cocktails and we had leftovers for dinner.  Need I say that we were ready for bed.  The generator was turned off for the night and we loaded the blankets on the bed.  So exhausted we should sleep well.

Just another day on our adventure!!!!!