Day 171 2nd year November 10. Divide Cut and Bay Springs Lake Section of the TennTom. Miles 32. Total miles 5186

We left around 10am to wait out the weather and for Bill to get questions answered on the inverter from Zantrex Support. Information received and rain dissipated, we got ready to leave.

We left Zippy Creek and traveled a bit in Pickwick Lake before turning into the Divide Cut section of the TennTom. The Divide Cut is a canal which was dug through the land for 25 miles to connect the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee River. Massive amounts of dirt were excavated to complete the project.

The canal reminds me of the canal in Venice, Florida, crushed rock forms the shoreline which is elevated about 4 feet and joins the forests surrounding the waterway. Along the way, there are numerous parks with picnic tables and boat ramps.

As we traveled down the canal, we enjoyed some Fall colors and the creative ways the Corp of Engineers used to control the flow of the creeks into the canal. We also passed two barges with tows and a Looper sailboat.

The Divide Cut ends at the beginning of Bay Springs Lake a four mile lake was created by the Whitton Lock which we will go through tomorrow morning. The lake has many fingers and lots of places to anchor.

We choose 5 Finger Bay and entered and put down the anchor for the evening,

Day 173. 2nd year November 11. On to Whitton, Montgomery and Rankin Lock.

Miles 19 Total Miles 5205

We weighed anchor at Bay Springs Lake and headed down stream two miles, passing under another section of the Natchez Trace Parkway to reach the first of three locks today, James Whitton. We were joined by 6 other Looper boats- one who had anchored near us and the other five from a nearby marina.

Traveling through the lock, we were lowered 84 feet into the canal section of the TennTom Waterway. The next 52 miles are a series of locks and levees that form the nine foot deep waterway. The shoreline is forested with clay bluffs where the water has eroded the shore.

We had two tows and barges to keep our boat flotilla for the day company.

We traveled through two more locks today- Sonny Montgomery dropping us 33 feet and John Rankin dropping us 31 feet.

Traveling a bit further, we pulled into Midway Marina for the night.

Today was a wonderful example of strangers helping others in need. Bill shared we needed to get to pharmacy. And after telling us the best options, the lock master proceeded to contact the other lock masters to help us avoid long waits. We had intended to anchor, but changed plans to go to Midway Marina and they graciously found a spot for us and recommended a clinic and pharmacy and reserved the courtesy car for us. Well it all worked out well and after medications and a nap I felt better. Sometimes things just work out!

Tonight we had a beautiful sunset we wanted to share.

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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