Day 210: - Near Pickensville to near Gainesville, AL
Day 210: Tuesday, November 22nd: We were up early and radioed to the Tom Bevill lock to check traffic. The lockmaster was flushing water through the lock in an effort to raise the water level below the dam and thereby help two grounded tows get off the mud. So, we waited.
Finally, about 9:00am, the lock was ready and five of us got underway and headed for the lock. Integrity was in the lead again, with Catnip Too and Pelican right behind. Wind Dreams and Living Well were next.
The wind was blowing hard from the north (note flags) as we waved to the invisible lockmaster behind the black glass:
Looking out of the lock at the dam spillway we wondered how much more water the lock could have added to the "tailwater" height:
By the time we locked down and left the "pit," one of the un-stuck tows was waiting to go up:
In this part of the Tenn-Tom there are no marinas and many of the potential anchorages are silted in and too shallow for us to use. The water level was also low, adding to the difficulties. As we traveled down the waterway we poked out nose into several places to check, but they were too shallow to get in.
Finally, after checking all the places above the next lock, as it was getting close to twilight, we went back upstream a couple of miles to Sumter Landing, a lovely little cove in a Corps of Engineers park. Pelican had made it across the mud bar blocking the entrance. Then Catnip Too tried and got through. We draw the same four feet of water as Catnip Too -- so we tried it. We rubbed the bottom slightly but made it. Then Living Well, Wind Dreams and Seaductress, all big sailboats, powered through cutting a trench with their keels. Thank goodness the mud was soft.
Once anchored the cove seemed very nice. This picture is looking out the shallow entry:
Seaductress was anchored next to us:
Wind Dreams and Living Well were rafted further in, with Pelican and Catnip Too ahead of them:
There was one lone hunter camping in the park campground:
Position tonight: N32 52.374 W088 11.026
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