19 November, 2019 Cochrane anchorage to Rattlesnake cut off mm 224

One lock, 9.2 engine hours, 63 SM

43 in galley at 0430.  Woke at 3am--Kim’s anchor alarm had gone off.  Checked mine--we had rotated 180 deg--light rain and wind must have been stronger than the current.  At 0430 boat realigned with current.

U/w @ 0650, SE winds less than 10.  Clearing 42 degrees, surface water 53 degress.  Original plan for the day was 43.2 SM with one lock for an elapsed 6:10 hours.

Saw Timbuctoo anchored off channel in cooks bend cutoff--hailed on 16, no response.  Timbuctoo is the 70’ motorsailor from Michigan we have shared a lock through several times.  Last seen ahead of us and pulling away several days ago.  They were in a deep anchorage and probably resting.

Approaching the Howell Helfin lock, we contacted the lock master on channel 16; he switched us to 14 the working frequency.  He had the lock rapidly ready, doors swinging open and a green light upon our arrival.  Solo vessel in chamber: lock in 1001/lock out 1012.  One of the most pleasant lock masters so far.  Exiting the lock, I called down to the engine room for more steam.  Rapidly we reached our cruising speed of 7mph in minutes.  We have entered Lake Demopolis of the Tombigbee water way.

70 outside--83 inside at helm around 1400---shorts and t shirts.  Solar heating of the helm working great today.  Even opened the side windows.  Started seeing Spanish moss in the trees--in the south now @ mm 247.  Keeping my eyes peeled for gators--several logs on the river banks looked suspicious--not yet.

spanish moss

Our original planned anchorage was just past the lock with an alternate about 20 miles down river. Experiencing no delays at the lock we decided to continue to our alternate.  Chart study and reading the guide books further, we began to question the validity of the alternate anchorage.  It would have been just off the channel, parallel but exposed to the coming and going of the tows.  Maybe in an emergency, but we decided to continue another 25 miles.  Along the way were these white cliffs.(Epes)

mm 248.8

And further the white cliffs of Demopolis.  (white cliffs)

1550 we slowed and exited east on the original Tombigbee at the Rattlesnake cut off.  The cut off is man-made, straightening the commercial water way.   Beautiful oxbow.  Maneuvered Serenity in a slow 180 degree turn back to the west and set the anchor @1600 in 9’  of water with a surface temp of 55 degrees.   Gentle current west to east, we gave thanks for a safe day as the sun set.(map)

Our longest day to date.