November 20, 2016 – Sunday
From the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom), to the Black Warrior-Tombigbee, to Mobile Bay is just over 470 miles. Sunday we started this portion of our journey. The Tenn-Tom Waterway is divided into three sections: Divide Cut, Canal Section, and River Section. The Divide Cut is 25 miles long, 280 feet wide, and provides a 9 –foot navigation channel, we found this not to be accurate, more on that later. The Canal Section is 52 miles long and connects dams and pools to form a 300 x 9-foot waterway. The 149 mile River Section connects the Tenn-Tom to the Black Warrior River at Demopolis, Alabama.
From Grand Harbor Marina to the beginning of the Divide Cut, we were surrounded by birds, we saw more Great Blue Heron in that section than we’ve ever seen in one stretch, I counted 35 but I’m sure there were more.
We started the cut with the tug H.B. Steward coming out, we passed him on the “one” and continued down the cut.
We soon noticed that we would not always have “at least 9 feet” of water beneath us and that if we had to give-way to a large tug we might be in trouble, but all went well when we meet tug Jack Binion.
However, at 10:55 am (mm 437), we met Captain Antony, as he requested, we went to the “one,” Andiamo kissed the bottom, and we were grounded.
Fortunately, we were able to use his wake to power off and continue downstream, we yearned to emerge from the “Divide Cut” before encountering another tug. But then, along comes Creek in one of the most shallow portions of the divide. The captain asked us to pass on the “one” so we move to the west side of the canal. The captain changes his mind and asked us to pass on the “two” instead. It is very tight, we cross to the other side of the canal, held where we are in 3 feet of water and he continued upstream.
Having completed the “Divide Cut,” we pulled into Bay Springs Marina, checked in, filled the fuel tank, and spent a lovely evening, Andiamo even got a covered slip.
History: Natchez Trace Parkway
At Mile Maker 414 on the Tenn-Tom Waterway, we passed a Natchez Trace Parkway recreation area. The Natchez Trace Parkway, competed in 2005, commemorates the most significant highway of the Old South. Over 400 miles of the original Old Trace footpath went through Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez territory. Famous travelers from our history books included Gen Andrew Jackson, Jefferson Davis, John James Audubon, Ulysses S. Grant and Meriwether Lewis, who died on the Trace at Grinder’s Stand in 1809.
This national scenic byway extends 444 miles through Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, crossing four distinct ecosystems and eight major watersheds. It is a major habitat for nearly 1,500 species of plants, 33 mammal species, 134 bird species and 70 species of reptiles and amphibians.