Lorelei IV: Grand Harbor Marina to Bay Springs Lake, MM 412

October 7, 2015

We fueled up and took on water at Grand Harbor Marina before we headed out. So far we’ve used 353.7 gallons of diesel going 498.8 miles and using the 5K generator 7.7 hrs. Fuel cost so far: $938.57, total dockage fees: $173.93.

Since we were docked at the fuel dock, we felt a little rushed, because we knew other people were waiting to get fuel as well. Rob unhooked everything and then got all the lines and cords straightened out after we were underway. Right now while everything is still pretty new to us, we really should make a written checklist of the tasks that need to be done so that we don’t forget anything, especially when we are trying to hurry a bit. It’s easy to forget to turn this or that off, which might use power from our house battery bank unnecessarily until we remember it.

Luckily for us, Sasha had taken the time to review Skipper Bob’s Guide on the iPad Mini and “The Tenn-Tom Nitty Gritty Cruise Guide” the previous evening, so at least one of us knew which way to go.

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom) is a series of canals, and 10 locks and dams which connect the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee River. There are relatively narrow canals which lead to wider lock and dam pools although the navigational channel in these pools remains fairly narrow.

The canals are pretty free of debris, because the banks are maintained and features, such as spillways and baffles, were included in the construction of the Waterway just for the purpose of reducing the amount of debris while still maintaining drainage of the watershed.

Track excavator removing trees and large brush


Track mower at work

Mowed area above drainage pipe

Baffles

There is some sort of water grass that is often seen along the outside of the navigational channel, so wandering outside of the channel might lead to clogging of engine water intakes. Clumps of the grass must break free from time to time, because we had to dodge some rather large clumps in the navigational channel. This is a great habitat for many species of birds, including ducks, geese, eagles, hawks, herons, egrets, and many others.

Great Egrets

We knew that we would reach the 1^st lock of the Waterway, Whitten Lock, MM 411.9, at about 1:00 p.m., and that there were 2 more locks to go through before there would be a good anchorage or marina. Since it is always a good idea to allow plenty of time for locking through several locks, we decided to anchor just above Whitten Lock and Dam, and to begin the locking process in the morning.

We anchored in a small cove on Bay Springs Lake right by the dam. There was 26 ft of water and plenty of room to swing. There was a boat ramp and fishing area with a dock, so it was also a nice place to take Sasha to shore.