Day 37 – October 26 Tenn-Tom Anchorage

It was still overcast and rather chilly (like 40 degrees) when we left Grand Harbor Marina Friday morning. The weather was predicted to clear up and warm up, so we felt confident heading out and that we would be able to find an anchorage down river that evening. We passed into the state of Mississippi rather soon after leaving the marina and into the man-made canal that connects the two rivers.


A little history on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Started in 1971 and completed in 1985, the Tenn-Tom Waterway connects the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. More dirt was moved to build the Tenn-Tom than was moved to build the Panama Canal and the total cost was two billion dollars. The Tenn-Tom is officially only the 234 miles between the Tennessee River and Demopolis, Alabama. The 217 miles between Demopolis and Mobile, Alabama is the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway. There are 12 locks and during our second day’s travel, we will go through 6 of them in one day.



As we traveled south on the Waterway we passed through the man-made canal that is very much like the Ship and Sanitary Canal in Chicago. It is about as wide and about as deep. The Army Corp of Engineers left the shore and surrounding area for Mother Nature to replenish after the construction was complete, meaning that the trees and vegetation that we saw came about naturally since 1985. The area was cleared and the trees were cut down but many stumps and half buried forests remain outside the channel area. Only one town was sacrificed and it was the town of Holcut. A memorial marker notes the location at river’s edge.

We had no difficulty finding an excellent anchorage for the evening. Another boat was already in the cove so we settled in securely on the opposite side. This location was about a half-mile north of the Whitten Lock and Dam which would be the first of the six locks we would encounter tomorrow. Mark grilled steak, salmon, corn on the cob and baked potatoes for dinner. I have been unable to get an Internet signal since leaving Florence so I put the day’s blog entry in a safe place for when we have a signal and we went to sleep early. I was unable to sleep so I got up and noticed that the clouds were all gone and that the most beautiful moon was filling the sky. I spent some time enjoying the full moon and went back to sleep comforted by the moon beams.

Hours on the water: 4.5
Nautical miles traveled: 43
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Tomorrow's Destination: Aberdeen, Mississippi
What we're listening to: I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
What we watched: 0
Lesson for the day: Moon beams bring wonderful thoughts
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids