Orange Beach, AL To Fort Walton Beach, Fl

Thursday we saw Dolphins in our anchorage.
Friday departed our Orange Beach anchorage at 0705. Saw the Blue Angles practicing near Pensacola. Arrived Fort Walton Beach at 1535. 70 degs and sunny with mostly calm seas. Overnight at Fort Walton Beach City dock. Got in a walk before dark.
Joe and Arvilla

Mobile, AL To Orange Beach, AL

Tuesday, 27 Nov 07. Arrived back on the boat after a one week visit at home for thanksgiving.

Wednesday, 28 Nov 07. Did shopping and laundry.

Thursday, 29 Nov 07. Departed Dog River at Mobile at 0752. Mobile Bay was calm to a light chop. Passed Lu Lu's restaurant which is owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister. 1350 anchored for the night in Ingram bayou near Orange Beach, AL. 71 degs and sunny all day with very little wind.
Joe and Arvilla

Thanksgiving

We Hope everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving.  We are at home for a week, and we will have the family together for Thanksgiving dinner today.  We want to thank everyone who has commented on our blogs or sent us emails.  We sure enjoy hearing from you.  We will return to our boat on Tuesday.  Then we will be leaving for the Gulf and the intercoastal waterway.  We hope all goes well on that part of our trip.

Arvilla & Joe

Mobile,AL On The Dog River

Sunday,11 Nov 07. Drive to church with a Looper couple from Maine. Shopping trip to Walmart. Saw our first palm tree at our Marina.

Monday, 12 Nov 07. Cleaned boat and dinghy to West Marine on the other side of the Dog River. Arvilla stayed in dinghy due to the 8 ft. climb up to the dock at low tide.

Tuesday, 13 Nov 07. Cleaned the boat. Dinghy to a lower dock near West Marine. Did 1 hour walk near West Marine, Dog River Marina, and Mobile Yacht Club. Too many loose dogs near our marina to do any walking.

Wednesday, 14 Nov 07. Rented a car and drove to New Orleans for the day. Toured mostly The French Quarter and the Garden District. Had lunch in a small place near Bourbon Street. Saw a lot of Katrina damage east of New Orleans on both sides of
I-10.

Thursday, 15 Nov 07. 0430 up in the dark to move dinghy out of the 30 mph north wind. Work on wheel house screen repair. Much too windy to dinghy to other side of river for our walk.

Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 54 To Dog River At Mobile,AL

0657 Departed Bates Lake anchorage after a low temp of 52 degs. Mobile Bay was flat calm this afternoon and Arvilla was happy about that. Arrived Grand Mariner Marina on the Dog River in Mobile,AL at 1520. Mostly sunny and 75 degs for a high temp. We will stay at this marina for several weeks while we fly home for Thanksgiving.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 99.9 To Tenn-Tom Mile 54

0812 Departed Old Lock one anchorage. Lots of fog during the night. Lots of tow boats and Looper boats today. Saw are first "Pelican" today. It was pushing two barges. 1400 arrived Bates Lake anchorage. Only 4 feet at the entrance and the tide is still falling out. Anchored in 8 feet. Sunny all day and 74 degs at 1330.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 145 To Tenn-Tom Mile 99.9

Departed Bashi Creek anchorage at 0750 after 80 mins of fog delay. Our friends stopped for gas at Bobby's Fish Camp and then we both got in the Coffeeville lock for a total delay of 90 mins. 1455 arrived old lock one cutoff to anchor for the night. Sunny all day with a high of 65 degs. We are at sea level now with no more locks till April.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom mile 216.7 To Tenn-Tom Mile 145

Low temp last night was 36 degs. Departed Demopolis,AL at 0610. Five boats total at Demopolis Lock with no delay. 1535 arrived at Bashi Creek at mile 145. Don,t know what city is nearby but Mobile,AL is 88 miles south. Three boats in this small creek at 1600 and talk on the radio sounds like more boats will join us. High this afternoon was 59 degs. with sunny sky all day.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 270 To Tenn-Tom Mile 216.7

Monday night at the anchorage was very interesting. At 1600 about six of the loopers got in their dinghy's and had happy hour because we were at a Corps of Engineers Rec. area and no alcohol was allowed on shore. We elected not to join them and just relax on the aft deck and eventually they drifted near us so we could chat. Lots of neat trawlers in the anchorage, probably ten in all. One boat was home built by the owner who was from Texas. It had a working calliope and the first mate played us
two tunes. Most boats put down a bow anchor and then tied a stern line to shore. High pressure moved in during the night and some of the boats had anchor problems. One boat went right next to shore and another got his stern line tangled under the boat and he was in the water(66 degs) at 0430 to untangle. Several others moved around. We had a bow and stern anchor and held fine all night broadside to the wind with Cee Jay rafted to us with no anchors. One of the boats had a ten foot pine tree attached
to his anchor when he raised it up. Someone got in a dinghy and helped him free it.
Departed the anchorage at 0730 and had no delay at the lock. 1430 arrived at Demopolis,AL Yacht Basin. Lots of looper boats here as this is the last marina until we get to Mobile,AL which is 128 miles south. They also fuel tow boats here and one came in for 12,000 gals of diesel. Sunny and 64 degs for the high temp.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 307.4 To Tenn-Tom Mile 270

Departed Marina Cove at 0815 after 50 minute walk. Only one lock today and lock time was 60 minutes. 1335 arrived at Sumter Recreation area anchorage. Eight looper boats here at 1400.76 degs.at 1400 and sunny all day. Lots of color but no palm trees yet.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 358.2 To Tenn-Tom Mile 307.4

0716 Departed Aberdeen,Ms and got in the Aberdeen Lock as soon as we got there. Had surface fog for the first hour. No lock delay at either lock. 1340 arrived Marina Cove at Carrollton,AL which is 176 miles north of Mobile ,AL. Walked with nine other Loopers to the visitor center 2 miles away and went aboard the retired Corps snag boat "Montgomery". 75 degs and sunny all day. With all the clear weather the nights get down in the 30's and 40's. 8 looper boats in this marina tonight. Down river at
Demopolis,AL the loopers are rafted 4 wide.
Joe and Arvilla

Tenn-Tom Mile 394 To Tenn-Tom Mile 358.2

Departed Midway Marina at 0730 after 15 mins. fog delay. Called the first lock at 0630 and they had the lock ready for us and the next two locks went the same way. Three locks before noon. 1329 arrived Aberdeen Marina with Cee Jay and two other boats. Sunny all day and 70 degs. at 1500. Toped off with diesel before crude is $100 a barrel. Took 38 gallons for 212 miles.
Joe and Arvilla

Ten-Tom Mile 448.7 To Ten-Tom Mile 394

Departed Aqua Yacht Harbor at 0715. Did 3 locks in 2.6 hours. Had to wait at the first lock until all six boats were at the lock then we locked together the rest of the day. 1715 arrived Midway Marina with the other 5 boats. Sunny all day and 70 degs
for the high temp.
Joe and Arvilla

Tennessee River Mile 158.5 To Tennessee River Mile 215.0 and Ten Tom Mile 450 To Ten Tom Mile 448.7

0730 Depart Clifton Marina. 0830 the Delta Queen over took us and gave us a very rough time with their wake because the river was very narrow at that point. Very little current today because the Pickwick Dam was not running any hydro units. We have been heading south the last 3 days but when we call the lock or the tow boats we have to say we are north bound. The Tennessee River flows north so we are heading up stream or north bound. Total lock time at Pickwick lock was 1.4 hours. 1614 turned to
starboard and entered the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. 1634 arrived Aqua Yacht Harbor. Changed oil for second time since leaving Trempealeau.
Joe and Arvilla