NJ – Page 28 – Nancy and Rick Unplugged

Ft. Walton Beach to Panama City Beach, FL

December 17, 2016 – Saturday

The Gulf Intracostal Waterway is approximately 1050 miles and runs from Brownsville, Texas to Carrabelle, Florida.

Today, Rick and I covered the 46.5 miles from Ft. Walton Beach to Panama City Beach, FL. This section of the GIWW was very isolated, we saw a few fishing boats, a homeless camp, and a consistent change of vegetation. It was only as we neared West Bay, just before Panama City, the bird life seemed to return.

Civil War History (April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865) Interesting Facts about Civil War Navies

The Union “Anaconda Plan” relied heavy on sea supremacy.
The Union navy grew by 600% to meet the demands of the war.
Naval dominance on the rivers allowed the Federals to gain an edge in the war on land.
The Civil War featured the first battle between ironclad ships.
The first successful submarine attack took place during the Civil War.
Southern raiders terrorized Northern traders, reducing the strength of the Northern merchant fleet by half.
The Union blockade failed to stop the majority of ships that tested it, but successfully deterred the majority of the South’s pre-war international trade.
Diplomatic naval crises brought the North and Great Britain to the brink of war–twice.
New Orleans, the largest city in the South, was captured primarily through naval action.
The sailors on the CSS Shenandoah were the last Confederates to lower their flag.

Orange Beach, AL to Fort Walton Beach, FL

December 15, 2016 – Thursday

We had a wonderful day, as so many others, we started the day with one of our Blue Heron friends.

After breakfast, Rick and I had coffee with Tanya Binford, author of Crossing the Wake. We discussed possible anchorages and marinas for the next portion of our adventure and she shared many of her loop adventures with us. After coffee, her friends joined us for lunch at Lulu’s. Lulu’s is owned by Jimmy Buffett’s sister, Lucy.

As fate would have it, in the late afternoon, M/V Bob Tale pulled into the slip next to ours. Owners Jean and Paul are a delight and it was great to have time to visit with them.

December 16, 2016 – Friday

We were up at 5:15 am preparing for our departure, at 6:15 am Paul and Jean are up, wishing us Merry Christmas and giving us a push off. The sunrise was beautiful.

Views from the Gulf Intracostal Waterway

The weather forecast for today was, winds from the south with waves one foot or less, instead, the winds came from the north-north-east, the direction we were going, with waves between 1.5 to 2.5 feet. That meant a day of rough riding and trying to stay on top of the waves. Tonight we are at the public dock of Fort Wald0n Beach, on the Emerald Coast in western Florida.

The dock is part of the city park which has a statue of a brown pelican, one of our favorite birds, as well as Christmas decorations.

If all goes well, tomorrow we will be Panama City Beach, FL.

Mobile, AL to Orange Beach, AL

December 14, 2016 – Wednesday

We were up early on Tuesday to start our Mobile Bay crossing but, the fog kept us at the fuel dock until 10:00 am.

Fortunately, birds love the early morning and kept us entertained.

As the fog lifted, we left Dog River for Mobile Bay, by the time we left the channel we were once again shrouded in fog, which lasted until we arrived at our entry into the Gulf Intracostal Waterway.

T0w in the Gulf Intracostal Waterway – We are almost out of the “Land of Tows,” Florida does not allow tows in the Gulf Intracostal Waterway.

We spent today cleaning, planning, walking, and watching, you guessed it, the birds.

Andiamo – The Wharf Marina, Orange Beach, AL

At the end of the day, hundreds of birds commandeered four sailboats and sportfishing boat in the marina.

Highlight of the Day

On returning from our walk, we had a note on our boat, “Hello Fellow Loopers- I am at on the 41′ Silverton – # 179 visiting friends – I had a 25′ Tug – would love to meet you…. Tanya.” When she came back, I realized that she was Tanya Binford, author of Crossing the Wake: One Woman’s Great Loop Adventure, which I had read. Tanya did the loop solo in a 25′ Ranger Tug. I really admire her for that achievement.

Mobile Alabama

December 13, 2016 – Tuesday

We will leave Dog River Marina this morning and cross Mobile Bay into the protected waters of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW).

A few historical facts about Mobile

• Mobile Bay was the first body of water in the new world to be accurately charted. This was accomplished by the Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda in 1519.
• Mobile was founded as the capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702 and remained a part of New France for over 60 years. The flags of six nations and republics have flown over the city since its founding: France, Spain, Great Britain, the Alabama Republic, the Confederate States of America and the United States.
• Mobile is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. The city held its first Carnival in 1703.
• During World War II the population of Mobile more than doubled in three years due to the influx of people coming to work in the shipyards.
• The Port of Mobile is the only deep-water port in Alabama and one of the Top 10 ports in the U.S. by tonnage.

Civil War History (April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865)

On August 5, 1864, at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Union Admiral David Farragut, (1801-70), led his flotilla through the Confederate defenses to gain control over one of the last major Southern ports. During this battle, when the USS Brooklyn started backing up because of suspicious looking buoys, Admiral Farragut commanded, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” His flagship Hartford swept past the USS Brooklyn into the rows of torpedoes and the rest of the fleet followed.

David Glasgow Farragut, who entered the U.S. Navy at age 9, received his first command in 1824 during the War of 1812, serving on the USS Essex, he commanded the Union blockade of the western Gulf of Mexico. In 1863 he helped secure victory at the Battle of Vicksburg, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, bringing the Mississippi River under Union control. An interesting article about Farragut and Buchanan.

Serendipity: From 2000-2004, Rick and I worked at David Glasgow Farragut High School in Rota, Spain.

Three Rivers Lake to Mobile Bay Alabama

December 9, 2016 – Friday

At o-dark-thirty the narrow channel leading back to the river seemed rather challenging, however, the sunrise added a brighter perspective.

The navigation markers are not always where they should be. I’m pretty sure that red one should be anchored in the river.

The above deer, along with three of his friends crossed the river in front of Andiamo and ran like a bullet as they exited the water. We, also, exited the river today and entered Mobile Bay. Hopefully, the following pictures will give you a taste of the flora, fauna, and commerce of this section of the river.

T/V Miss Becky – Without barges, she is going 11 knots.

Miss Becky and Andiamo wait at the CSX Rail Road Swing Bridge as a train crosses the bridge. (5′)

With the bridge open, we continue down river.

Magnetic crane releasing scrap metal onto a barge.

More scrap metal…this time it is being dropped into a truck.

It was a rough crossing from the end on the BWTW to Dog River Marina where we docked for the night. The waves were short, the sun was blinding, and there was a fair amount of traffic.

On a humorous note, a larger M/V flew around us in the shipping channel adding an additional wake. When he made the sharp turn into the channel leading to Dog River he lost his bearings. In the end, he humbly followed us the rest of the way in.

Big step up. Now the wait for a good weather day to cross Mobile Bay to the Gulf Coast.

Bobby’s Fish Camp to Three Rivers Lake

December 8, 2016 – Thursday

Coffeeville Lock and Dam (34′) This is a final lock on the on the BWTW.

Several times we have seen items dumped at the river, washer, dryer, hot water heater, and furniture like this bed. I wonder how the people who dump these items believe that it is appropriate.

At the anchorage, Rick was happy with his crock-pot meal.

Bashi Creek to Bobby’s Fish Camp

December 7, 2016 – Wednesday

Wednesday morning we said goodbye to Paul and Jean and headed out of Bashi Creek. We started our day watching T/V Jackson III pass the creek on his way South.

Sandy Beach – Soon it will be a sandy beach with blue water. 🙂

T/V Jock made a u-turn in front of us and, in the picture, are in the process of picking up a mooring.

Bobby’s dock is only about 120 feet long. Grateful II, Serenity, Andiamo, and Veritas took up the entire dock, including the fueling section. When a boat came in for fuel, they had to raft to Veritas.

Enjoyed Irish coffee with Susan and David on S/V Veritas

Demopolis to Bashi Creek

December 6, 2016 – Tuesday

With a break in the weather, seven boats left the marina at day-break to continue their trip down the Black Warrior Tenn-Tombigbee Waterway. Rick and I followed Andiamo out of the marina, they went left to the fuel dock and we continued with the other boats to the Demopolis Lock and Dam.

M/V Andiamo – 80’ (Wonder how I can get an upgrade.)

Demopolis Locks (40’) – Egrets on the lock doors.

In 1979 the tugboat Cahaba, captained by one Jimmy Wilkerson, almost overturned and sank under the Rooster Bridge. The bridge is no longer there but you can see where it once crossed the river.

M/V Andiamo fueled up, went through the locks about 45 minutes after we did, and passed us fifteen miles downriver.

Views from the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway

Rentz Ferry Ox Bow – One of the many 180 degrees switchbacks on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway (BWTW)

Meridan and Bigbee Rail Road Lift Bridge. This bridge is 45’ closed and 55’ open, it is up unless a train is coming. In either case, not a problem for Andiamo.

In the afternoon, we tucked into Bashi Creek and rafted with M/V Bob Tale. We had a wonder evening sharing tall tales with her owners, Paul and Jean.

Last Day in Demopolis, Alabama

December 5, 2016 – Monday

Today was a full day of preparations. Welcomed by a heron guarding the fuel dock, we refueled at 7:30 am, filled the water tank, cleaned Andiamo, used the courtesy car to get groceries, and did laundry. p1010681 We plan to leave for Mobil, AL tomorrow. On the river, the distance from Demopolis to Mobil is 216.2 statute miles (187.9 nautical miles). On the highway that’s usually pretty straight forward, it is a little more complicated on the river. At an average of 6.5 knots per hour, we expect to be on the river for 3 nights. The challenges are that there are no marinas, at low water conditions no really good anchorages, and our daylight hours are much reduced from summer hours. The plan is to anchor on Tuesday night, stay at Bobby’s Fish Camp on Wednesday, anchor on Thursday night, and be in Mobil by Friday evening.

Bobby’s Fish Camp is not a true marina, but it is one of the oldest restaurants in southwest Alabama. The restaurant was built in 1956 by Bobby Dahlberg to service local river traffic, with the camp being built in 1960. The opening of the Tenn-Tom in 1985 resulted in an increase in yacht traffic, these yachts needed a place to refuel between Demopolis and Mobile. At the request of the Demopolis Yacht Basin Marina, Bobby installed a fueling station at his Fish Camp, thus becoming the smallest marina, with the least amenities, of the Tenn-Tom Marina Association. More on the Bobby’s after our visit.

Our last night in Demopolis.

Demopolis – Christmas on the River

December 2, 2016 – Friday

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Since 1972, the small town of Demopolis, has been celebrating “Christmas on the River” with a nighttime parade of boats decorated for Christmas and fireworks. This small festival is now a five-day event that averages about 40,000 people. In 2013, A&E television named Demopolis the #5 Ultimate Holiday Town in the USA. Our first stop, Gaineswood.

Christmas in the Canebrake – Three historical antebellum homes, featuring 19th-century-style-holiday decorations of fresh fruit and greenery gave candlelight tours and local talent filled the air with the sounds of the Christmas season.

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Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-off – After our Gaineswood tour, we stopped for a little BBQ from the Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-off. This event became part of “Christmas on the River” in 1989, Friday’s event was the party portion. For an entry fee of five dollars, you could eat all the BBQ, chili, & gumbo your heart desired, meet with family & friends and dance the night away. The competition cooking took place after the rest of us were snug in our beds and was judged on Saturday.

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There are over 40 competing teams, 48 judges, and many BBQ connoisseurs, including Rick and I.

Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-off Winners

Grand Champion: House of Q
Reserve Champion: Smokin’ Triggers

December 3, 2016 – Saturday

We walked into town, in the rain, checked out the goodies at the Fair on the Square (arts and crafts show) and the annual Christmas Parade.

Fair on the Square and Christmas Parade

p1010620 — Marshmallow Shooters for $5.00

p1010623 — In spite of the rain, all parking lots are full.

p1010628 — Motor Cycle Police Start the Parade

p1010632 — Would it be a parade without children getting “the goods?” In this case, candy and Mardi Gras beads

p1010633 — Demopolis HS Drill Team and Band

p1010636 — Nightmare before Christmas, a different take.

p1010650 — Next Generation of Queens & Princesses

p1010671b — Notice the saguaro cactus? I thought I was back in Arizona.

p1010675 — Forty minutes later, Santa ends the Parade.

Nautical Parade & Fireworks:

Saturday evening we braved the cold and rain to watch the Nautical Parade by the river. Between the dark, rain, and movement of the floats on the water, pictures were nearly impossible.

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p1010679 — Christmas on the Water, Demopolis, AL 2016