There was a bit of fog this morning, so we waited until 8:30 am before pulling anchor. Today we entered the final section of the Tenn-Tom Waterway, the “River,” which consists of the 149-mile section from Amory Lock at mile 366.3 to the junction of the Black Warrior Tombigbee River. This portion of the waterway is typical of what you find when a river is “canalized.” The river is straightened in some places with man-made cuts, it is dredged where the water is too shallow and finally locks and dams are added to keep at least 9 feet of water in the pool. A total of five dams were needed to provide the 9 feet of water depth; four are on the Tenn-Tom Waterway and the fifth is actually part of the next section, the Black Warrior Tombigbee Waterway (BWTW) to Mobile, Alabama.
It was a lovely morning and by 1 pm we were near Waverly at mile 337.5. We had been told there was a beautiful antebellum mansion located near this anchoring spot which was worth taking the time to dinghy to shore and walk the short distance to tour the home. We anchored in a very shallow spot, about 4 foot depth, and Twice ‘S Nice found a little deeper water close by. We took Lucy for a quick run on shore and then brought her back to Blue Heron so we could visit the mansion.
We met Paul and Sue on shore and walked less than ½ mile up the road to find Waverly Mansion. We were met at the front door by a gracious and gentle southern belle who welcomed us in with open arms. She told us the story of the mansion which was built by Colonel Young and his wife Lucy in 1852. This couple raised ten children here and eventually amassed tens of thousands of acres around the home for their cotton plantation. The last surviving son died in 1913 and the property languished in the estate for fifty years while the remaining heirs fought over what to do with it. Finally, in 1962 the Snow Family purchased the mansion and began a labor of love to restore the home. The Snows raised four children here and our tour guide was the eldest daughter who had recently moved back to Waverly to live with her father in the house. It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a warm and sunny afternoon in Mississippi.
At 3:30 pm we were back aboard our respective yachts and heading downriver. About 4:30 pm we pulled into the Columbus Marina where we fueled up and called the Columbus Lock to inquire about its status. We learned that there was a barge preparing to lock through at the moment, but the lockmaster thought he could have the lock ready for us by 5:30 pm. We knew that if it got much later than that, we would be searching for an anchoring spot in the dark but we took our chances and showed up at the lock at 5:30. As luck would have it tonight, the barge did not complete its lock through until nearly 6 pm. By the time the chamber was prepared for us and we transited through, it was 6:30 pm and the sun was setting. We still had another 3-1/2 miles to go to the next anchorage. Blue Heron led the way into the cut at mile 331.3. We used the GPS, our eyes, the moon, flashlights, handheld radios, and our good sense to maneuver into the center of the channel, drop the hook, and feel secure for the night. Twice ‘S Nice had their anchor set quite nicely; we had a little more difficulty getting our anchor to hold. It wasn’t long before we were satisfied with our mooring and settled in for the night.
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