Thursday, October 22, 2009

It looked like it was going to be a good day for cruising.  All four boats were planning to head to Bay Springs Lake today; Life’s 2 Short  and Just Rosie were anchoring together, Motu was heading for her slip at the Bay Springs marina, and Blue Heron would bring up the rear and anchor somewhere near the other two.  The forecast was for thunderstorms beginning late in the afternoon, so we were anxious to get the traveling done and secure ourselves into a protected cove.  We were also invited to join Don, Rosie, Todd and Brenda aboard Just Rosie for a spaghetti dinner this evening.  We can’t remember the last time we shared three evening meals in a row with anyone – it probably would have been in February when we were with family in Mexico for Alicia and Brad’s wedding! 

The Tenn-Tom Waterway connects the Tennessee River at Pickwick Lake with the Tombigbee River at Demopolis, Alabama.  The waters from Demopolis to Mobile are referred to as the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway (BWTW).  The Tenn-Tom is 234 miles long from Grand Harbor Marina here in Yellow Creek to Demopolis and the BWTW runs the remaining 217 miles from Demopolis to the Gulf.  We started the trip today at mile 449 at the top of this combined waterway. 

The Tenn-Tom Waterway is divided up into three sections referred to as the “Divide Cut,” the “Canal Section” and the “River.”  The Divide Cut is a 39-mile stretch that includes the “Ditch,” which was sliced through the backbone of the land to a depth of as much as 175 feet for a distance of nearly 25 miles.  There is no place to anchor inside the Ditch so it is important to plan accordingly.  The Divide Cut ends at mile 412 and the waterway opens into the headwaters of Bay Springs Lake.   

We made our way into Bay Springs Lake late in the day and hailed Life’s 2 Short on the marine radio.  They informed us that they were anchored with Just Rosie in the northernmost finger of Five Fingers Cove and directed us in.  When we arrived at the cove, we could see that Todd was already in his dinghy and heading our way.  He gave us the option to raft up with them or he would direct us to a great spot in the next “finger” where we could nose the bow up on the beach and tie off to the trees.  We chose the sandbar option and Todd showed us exactly where to pull in.  He said he would return in about an hour to pick us up for dinner.

Our “water taxi” arrived at 6:30 pm and we joined the others for a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.  It was a treat to relax in such comfortable surroundings and to learn more about both of these couples.  Todd took us back to our boat about 9:30 pm as it was beginning to sprinkle.  Lucy was very glad to see us!