We left at 07:30 just behind a tow/barge. The lock only has a 5ft drop right now due to the flooding, so turnaround time is fast. The normal drop is 34 ft - telling us there is 29 feet of flooding downstream yet; supported by fact there are almost no buoys to give boaters directions where the channel is: the buoys are either destroyed or completely covered yet by flood waters.

For those non-boaters, there are red 'nun' buoys which mark the 'left' side of the channel as we travel downstream; and green 'cans' marking the right side. The phrase to help remember which side is which is, 'red-right-returning'; which means, when 'returning' from the sea, you are travelling upriver, and you keep the 'red' buoys on your 'right'. All ATON's ['Aids to Navigation']. are color, number, and shape differentiated: red 'nuns' have a conical top and have 'even' numbers; green 'cans' have a flat top and have 'odd' numbers. All this is to make it easier to quickly decide where should you be piloting the boat to avoid running aground (or worse).

For now, the waters here are so high, we don't have to worry so much about shallow areas fortunately. I'll add a photo of the different buoys when we get back in good internet range. And I will also add a photo in the lock of our buddy boaters, in Manifest, since this is our last lock until we get to Ft.Myers in south Florida in a couple of weeks [??].

We made good time, averaging almost 13 mph over 8 hrs/100 miles; but there was lots of debris in the water so we couldn't take our eyes off the water, playing a form of 'dodgem' all day; and a lot of tow/barge traffic moving again after being delayed because the river was closed for over a week. Passing a tow w/ several barges can be a challenge in a narrow and twisting waterway; the barges/tows create a heavy wake/turbulence at times. However, the captains are friendly and helpful and readily tell us which side to pass them on. There should be a photo coming soon.

We have AIS [Automatic Identification System] which is a transponder telling anyone in the system our boat name, size, speed, location, etc; and we can see the same about them. That way, before we are even in view, the tow capt. may call on the radio and say, "Doc's Aweigh, I see you approaching, I'm slowing down at this curve so come on by and I'll see you on the '2' before I clear the curve." What he means is get a move on and pass me on my port side - "see you on the 2" means alter course to port [my left]; "see you on the 1" means alter course to starboard [my right]. Or, I will call him and ask would he prefer I pass him on the 1 or the 2.

Another bit of trivia: these tows have huge diesels and carry from 5000 to 15,000 gals of fuel [per the fuel jockey in Demopolis]! The barges are standard size, 35 ft wide and 110 ft long, and a tow down here will push 1 to 9 of these at a time. On the Tennessee River we have seen up to 18 barges being pushed and apparently twice that on the Mississippi. Because the Tenn-Tom Waterway is narrow and twisting, the tows obviously cannot maneuver those bigger loads. The size of the barges is standardized so they will fit together in a lock: locks are usually 110ft wide by 600 ft long (maximum 9 barges with their tow)

We head for Dog River Marina in Mobile Bay tomorrow; only 32 miles, but will have to go slow [no wake] several miles through Mobile City harbor. We plan to stay there for a few nights and do some work on the boat.

The coronavirus fills the news. We are diligently practicing 'social distancing', as are our looper friends, and as are many others we have talked to. 'SD' [social distancing] is the key to controlling and ending this plague. To help put this in perspective, in the 2017-18 flu season, over 80,000 people died from the flu; the worst mortality year since the 1918 pandemic. And this year, to date, there have been an estimated 36,000,000+ Americans infected with the flu, with 370,000+ hospitalized, and with 22,000+ dying. Although the coronavirus 'flu' will certainly not be any less lethal, it too will eventually be 'gone' [although it could be seasonal just like our other flu's]. So we should not let the panic consume our lives.

Stay 'distanced' but stay 'in touch'! :)

Comments:

Dick  •  18 Mar, 2020: Hi Rob & Marg, What a great way to reinforce your social distancing and as I’m sure you know, you are not missing anything at home since Florence is “closed” for the time being. If you get to Orange Beach,AL, give us a holler. We are here until Monday. Dick Peck

Robert & Margaret  •  19 Mar, 2020: Dick, Thanks for the note. We are hoping to dock at the Wharf Marina in Orange Beach possibly as soon as Friday, but that will depend on some work being here in Mobile. If we do get there before you leave, we will let you know. Rob

Deedee  •  19 Mar, 2020: Love the blog! Stay safe❤️