We left the Cochrane Cut-off anchorage and planned to anchor out another evening before reaching the Demopolis Yacht Basin in Demopolis, Alabama. 
Again today we had the river all to oursleves. We did not encounter another vessel until the Heflin Lock and Dam. The river and shore start to take on another look altogether in that the river banks are not as steep. In addition, the brushes, shrubs and trees now grow completely to the water's edge. 
About an hour south of the Heflin L&D we start to see the White Cliffs of Epes. We were told to take our time as we passed the cliffs to truly enjoy them. They are so different than any other geological formation that we have seen thus far on the Tenn-Tom. They seem to resemble the white cliffs at the junction of the Mississippi and the Illinois. While not as massive as the cliffs at Grafton and Alton in Illinois, the Cliff of Epes are lovely and an unexpected treat. At mile maker 225, we were exactly half way between the Tennessee River and downtown Mobile. We were making such good time that we decided to push an extra hour or so to head into port.
WOW what a place the Demopolis Yacht Basin is! Let me back up here and tell you how and why Demopolis plays a pivotal and very important role as one travels the waterways through Alabama. Demopolis is the last and ONLY place for food, water, and supplies before reaching Mobile Bay 217 miles away. Fuel and food are available at Bobby’s Fish Camp at mile marker 119 downriver but that is a story in and of itself for later. So this means that every boat traveling the Alabama waterways must stop at Demopolis for at least fuel, if not major supplies or R&R, before continuing the journey either up or down river. This includes the pushers/barges and all commercial traffic. The Demopolis Yacht Basin pumps more fuel than any other single inland port in the United States. For the commercial traffic the fuel docks are open 24/7; for us pleasure crafters, there are normal hours of service. 
Since this is truly the first or last stop (depending on the direction one is traveling) before/after Mobile, every boat stops at DYB for at least a day before venturing on. What this means is that DYB is always crowded but during the fall and spring migration of boats, the place is literally stacked up with boats. It is not a harbor of refuge but the harbor master told us that DYB will do everything it can to accommodate all boaters. In order to do this, many times they must “raft together” multiple boats since there is simply not enough slips to meet the demand. As we approached DYB, there were at least ten other boats waiting fuel and slip assignments. While there are multiple fuel pumps, it still takes at least a half hour to fill most boat’s fuel tanks – the larger the boat the longer it takes…We were prepared to wait at least two to possibly three hours before it was our turn.
Fortunately for us, due to our comparatively small draft and the fact that Captain Mark decided that we should fuel up at some other point during our stay, DYB was able to take us right in and put us back in a corner where the bigger boats could not go – there are some advantages to being a smaller boat. Mark did an excellent job of maneuvering and getting the Lolligag situated in a very tight spot where we stayed for three days. We left the slip on day two to fill our tanks and pump out during a lull between early morning and late afternoon rush hours.
We were totally exhausted from a long day’s travel but we both were excited at the prospect of once again being electronically connected to the real world – Mark was able to receive a TV signal with his silly rabbit ears and I was able to connect to the Internet = we were both happy campers. I literally spent all day Friday in the laundry room – besides doing the laundry, this was the spot where the Internet signal was the best and I had tons of blog entries to upload and emails to write.
Like the Columbus marina, many boaters keep their boats at Demopolis Yacht Basin prior to November 1st for insurance reasons. Therefore, there is a very strong and welcoming group of boaters residing at DYB. Each Saturday evening they host a potluck dinner and social hour. This gave me an excellent excuse to make Miss Lexie’s Pineapple Casserole – a signature dish of my role model and hero, Jill Conner Browne, Boss Sweet Potato Queen.
We have found that boaters just love to get together to eat, drink and be merry and it was a wonderful evening. Of course, the hot topic was the boat that hit the rock a few days before. We all made it a point to chat with the owners of Southern Nights to make sure that they were okay and to see if they needed any assistance. They assured us they were fine and would have the boat back in the water within two weeks. Everyone seemed to have some comment relating to this event, however the general consensus was relief in knowing that the crew was safe and that the boat would be repaired quickly so that it may continue to seek adventure.
Hours on the water: 8.5
Nautical miles traveled: 62
Number of locks: 1
Time spent waiting at locks: 15 minutes
Tomorrow's Destination: Old lock number 2 (Barron's Landing) anchorage
What we're listening to: I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
What we watched: TV via the rabbit ears
Lesson for the day: A bigger boat is not always better
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids
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