The weather improved significantly on the weekend and provided a chance to leave Dog River. Confetti decided that they would leave on Saturday and go to Dauphin Island and move on from there. We had to turn the rental car in and decided that a Sunday departure with a 70+ mile long run to Biloxi would work for us. We said goodbye to Dick and Lace and went to return the car. When we got back to the marina, we got the boat all ready to leave the next morning, then sat back and listened to some college football games. We turned in early so we could get an early start for the run to Biloxi. As luck would have it we awoke to some seriously dense fog Sunday morning- the kind that won’t burn off until mid-morning. We saw some clearing and watched two other boats leave only to have another blanket roll in right after their departure. The channel to Dog River is relatively shallow and the markers are widely spaced apart, so going outside the channel and running aground is a real possibility and not something to attempt when you can’t see. At 0930 we felt that the fog had lifted enough for us to take off. We were about a mile from the marina and it was obvious that we should have waited longer. We finally made it to the Mobile Ship Channel and conditions improved a little. We were tooling down the channel and kept hearing a fog horn, when suddenly an ocean-going freighter appeared to our port. We weren’t in any danger of a collision, but the ship was throwing a huge wake and we couldn’t react fast enough to minimize our interaction with it. We were rocked hard and things were moving down below. We took a shortcut to cut about 3 miles off the trip, so we didn’t pass our official loop starting point, but when we passed under the Dauphin Island Bridge we called the loop complete. We had traversed these waters from this point westward. The fog lifted around noon and we put the boat up on plane to make up some time. The rest of the trip was arduous, but uneventful, and we arrived at Biloxi’s Point Cadet Marina late in the afternoon. After cleaning up, we decided to enjoy the Isle of Capri Casino’s seafood buffet to celebrate our day.
Fog over Biloxi Bay
One Jane saw on radar
I-10 Twinspan
Relaxing in Slidell
We awoke the next morning to find us fogbound. Our initial plan was to get an early start and run almost 80 miles to Madisonville, LA (remember, we’re going home), but the fog and a later start dashed that hope. Instead, we would travel around 55 miles across the Mississippi Sound and spend the night in Slidell, LA. We were taking our time preparing to get underway when we were approached by the captain from the sailboat berthed across from us. Amazingly, it was John Thomas on the S/V Discovery who we spent time with in Tarpon Springs last March! He said he recognized the boat and wanted to know how the loop went. He was in the process of moving south again and we brought him up to date on our experiences. Talk about a small world! A short time after our reunion the fog in Biloxi broke and we had 3-4 mile visibility. We got underway and was about 5-6 miles from Biloxi when we encountered a fog bank so thick we weren’t sure whether or not to proceed. We turned on our running lights, signaled with the foghorn, and continued on our course. After traveling about another hour we were startled to suddenly see a large tow appear in the soup. It was underway, dead slow, producing no AIS signal that we detected, and directly in front of us about 60-70 yards out. We did a hard turn to starboard to avoid a collision and became really unnerved by the encounter. Guess it’s time to fire up the radar. We have played with the radar which is in the lower helm on and off during the trip, but really never had the opportunity to rely on it in navigating. Furthermore, we have always navigated from the flybridge which limits the ability to use the radar. Well, now the radar was on and Capt. Larry was going below every 5 minutes with Jane at the helm to check the radar. After an hour of this exercise, we decided it was time for Jane to get a crash course in reading the radar screen. We had a second chartplotter in the lower helm and after about one-half hour she was able to pick out the ATON radar reflectors and call out anything that she couldn’t match on the plotter. She correctly called out two other boats, one to port and one to starboard, that she saw on the radar well before Capt. Larry could see them. She did an amazing job with such short training. We continued on into the Rigolets and the soup got even thicker. We were sure that when we got close to a significant land mass the visibility would improve. And that is exactly what happened. As we approached Slidell the visibility improved so that we could make our way into the marina with little difficulty. We cleaned up, had some dinner onboard, and turned in for the night knowing that we were only about 7 hours from home.
Hwy 11 bridge opens just in time!
Navigating Lake Pontchartrain
The Causeway, almost home!
Our welcoming committee!
The Albrights and a soaked Paula
Our beautiful river
Bavarian Cream sees her slip
Are our neighbors great or what?
We made it!
We awoke the next morning to a changing weather pattern, and as Capt. Larry had predicted, no fog. We shoved off early hoping to be home around noon. We proceeded to the U.S. Highway 11 bascule bridge and called for an opening. The bridge tender informed us that she was having a problem and was waiting for an electrician to arrive. We waited for over an hour when another boat called for an opening. The bridge tender asked how tall the boat was stating that she had 16’ at the center. Capt. Larry radioed and asked if that was a true 16’ which she affirmed. We decided to step our mast light and lower the antennas and scoot on through. Erie Canal déjà vu. When we had everything ready we started toward the bridge only to see it opening. We got through the bridge, thanked the bridge tender and wished her a Merry Christmas, and knew that it was smooth sailing all the way to Killian. We crossed Lake Pontchartrain, passed through Pass Manchac into Lake Maurepas then found our way to the mouth of the Tickfaw River. As we entered the river, we were met by another boat that Capt. Larry recognized to be our neighbors Frank and Paula Albright and their children. They were flashing their lights and waving. What a welcome home! The water at the mouth of the river was choppy and as Frank spun the boat around, Paula went overboard into the water! Jane came up to the flybridge and exclaimed that someone was pulling up a crab trap. Capt. Larry told her that was not a trap but Paula. It took a few seconds for all of this to sink in, but she finally realized that this was a welcoming party! Frank fished Paula out of the drink and moved ahead of us to take pictures as we proceeded up the river, then they took off to beat us home. We moved on up the river noting how beautiful our cypress swamp river is and marveling at how narrow it now seems. We turned around our bend and were greeted by both of our neighbors, the Albrights, and Jack and Ann Arnold on the other side of us. We were greeted with a “Welcome Home” sign over our deck and at the back of Bavarian Cream’s slip, and pansies planted that day in our flowerbed. What great people we live next to. We got the boat secured in her slip and started to get caught up. It was a great homecoming!
The next morning we had a planning meeting aboard Joysea. The proposed plan from the previous day was to run to Chickasaw Bogue, about 32 miles below Demopolis, and anchor there for the night, before proceeding down the waterway. Capt. Larry called Roy Short from Roy El’ and ran this idea by him. He got strong advice not to go with this plan as the water levels were too shallow. The alternative was to run to Bashi Creek from Demopolis. Since this involved a 70 plus mile day, a late start was out of the question. All of us, except Confetti, decided to remain in the marina an extra day and get an early start the next morning. Confetti said that they would push on and report what they found. We started the day making another Wal-Mart run. In the afternoon Dickie and Dixie came over to Bavarian Cream and listened to the Saints beat Tampa Bay on the satellite radio. Confetti phoned that evening and said the Chickasaw Bogue was too shallow which found them anchoring near a highway bridge abutment for the night. At first light the next day Joysea and Bavarian Cream headed for the Demopolis lock with several other boats. Me’ Nou remained behind waiting on a boat part with plans to leave the next day. After locking thorough, we started our run for Bashi Creek. It was going to be a long day. The Black Warrior-Tom Bigbee (BWTB) waterway is absolutely beautiful. Perhaps it was the full autumn colors, but we started to talk about this waterway being even more beautiful than the Tennessee River. The only problem for boaters is that there are no marinas and very few anchorages to hide out in. We arrived at Bashi Creek late in the day and not knowing what to expect. We knew that the water depth was good, but the creek is narrow and there is only room for a few boats. We arrived and found no other boats there so we set a bow and stern anchor and Joysea rafted up to us and set their bow anchor. We had happy hour and dinner and a peaceful night’s sleep.
White Bluffs on the Tom Bigbee River
We left our Bashi Creek anchorage and leisurely cruised to our next stop, Bobby’s Fish Camp. We arrived just before noon and were the first boats to tie up to the dock. There is a limited amount of dock space available, and figuring there would be other boats coming in, we tied up so we wouldn’t block access to the fuel dock with Joysea rafted to us. We were unable to reach the manager on the phone or radio for instructions so we thought we were good.The manager came by and only said she had a boat coming in that would require fuel, but we were OK. The next thing we know, a 60 plus foot boat arrives. We helped him tie up so that he had about 20 feet of boat protruding beyond the dock, then he jumps off his boat and tells us that we are not tied up correctly and we will have to move our boats so no other boat can dock between us and possibly damage his boat. The boat’s home port is Dover, DE which is really close to New Jersey, and he had asshole written all over him. He heads up to the office and starts making demands that we move our boat and there would be no rafting, which is traditionally done at Bobby's, to his boat. We followed him to the office and first told the manager that we could not contact her for docking instructions. We were told that there were a number of boats coming in and we would have to move our boats. OK, so we leave the office and Capt. Jerkface continues to tell Capt. Larry how he had docked in the wrong space and why it was necessary to move the boat. Well, Capt. Larry had had enough of this jerk, and he told him that on the waterway all boats are equal and there’s a certain level of courtesy that captains extend to each other and he shouldn’t expect the world to revolve around him.
Rafted up at Bobby's Fish Camp
This started a debate/exchange that continued to deteriorate with Capt. Larry holding his own quite well. We moved our boats, but Capt. Larry sensed that Capt. Butthead was livid that he had been so verbally abused, so everything worked out OK! That was the start of a bad Bobby’s Fish Camp experience. At Bobby’s boaters get to tie up to a dock and that’s about it. There are no restrooms, showers, or dockside trash disposal, and until this year, there was no electrical service. Water is provided to all boaters through a single hose that is shared by all. There are dumpy house trailers with Confederate flags that are used as summer or weekend retreats and a restaurant that is open on weekends only. Crowing roosters awaken you in the morning. Additionally, there were hornet’s nests below the dock and Jane got stung on her hand which immediately swelled and made her sick. For all of this luxury boaters used to pay $1.00/foot, but this year the price increased 50% to $1.50/foot. The manager sheepishly explained that she had to invest $6,000 to have the electricity installed, and it would be a long time before she made that back. Give us a break! Six grand at the extra 50 cents a foot equals 12,000 feet of boat and there was close to 300 feet on the single day that we stayed there. So at that rate and assuming that our day was typical, it would take about 40 days to recoup the investment plus a few more days to cover the cost of the electricity. You do the math. Then there’s the issue of operating the business. As we mentioned we couldn’t reach the office by phone or radio and had no assistance in docking. The manager often leaves to conduct personal business so the office is not staffed. Confetti said that she had a doctor’s appointment and the group they were with collected the dock fees and left it in an envelope. When Capt. Larry raised the issue about not being able to reach her when coming in, he was told that her handheld VHF radio was at home. Duh! But the best example was when Capt. Larry wanted to buy a six-pack of beer.
Beautiful surroundings at Bobby's
He went to the office and got the beer from the cooler. He found the manager in the restaurant eating and talking on her cell phone on the speakerphone. After about 30 seconds, she looked up and asked him if he wanted pay for the beer. He thought, “No Einstein, I just want to stand here and watch you eat your pancakes and listen to your conversation while my beer gets warm!” He told her he could come back later to pay, then gave Dave, who was looking for a weather update on the TV, ten dollars and asked him to pay for the beer. Dave returned to the boat with $2 change and said, “It was actually $8.02 but she must like you because she said she’d "eat the 2 cents." Eight bucks for a six-pack was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Bobby’s Fish Camp is a dump and we will never find our way back there. You can fool us once…..
Swollen and happy at last lock
Exiting our last lock
The next day from Bobby’s was a 70 mile run to the Alabama River Cut Off anchorage. We had to wait on a tow in the lock which delayed our departure. Jane was elated when she learned that the Coffeeville Lock was her last lock on the trip. She handled the lines in spite of her swollen hand. The late start caused us to run faster than usual and we made it to the anchorage about an hour before sunset. Just as we arrived it started to rain fairly hard. We grilled some pork chops, watched a movie, and turned in early.
Frank and Carrie on Once Around
We wanted to move further downstream the next day, but a railroad bridge that was being replaced was blocking the waterway. ConfettiConfetti told us that the bridge was operational and they were in the bay heading for Dog River, but it was too late for us to move so we stayed put. That evening we were invited to happy hour with Frank and Carrie Vellutini from Sacramento, CA aboard Once Around. This was our first experience of going to happy hour in an anchorage and Frank was good enough to pick us up in his dinghy, since our dinghy was rolled up and stowed in the engine room. Joysea was also invited and we all had a wonderful time aboard the Vellutini’s beautiful boat. We were returned to our boats and spent a cold evening in the anchorage. was anchored at the bridge and reported that, although the bridge was supposed to open at 1700 the previous evening, it was still closed and traffic was backed up. Additionally, there was a small craft advisory for Mobile Bay with winds around 25 knots. Since we wouldn’t be able to make it to Dog River Marina and we feared that the limited anchorages downstream would be congested, we decided to spend a second night in our anchorage. Around noon
We awoke the next day to find ice on the foredeck, fog on the waterway, and our stern anchor set so hard from the high winds from the previous day that we had to use the boat to pull it free.
Sighting the Mobile "grain elevator"
Louisiana on our minds
Downtown Mobile and harbor
We finally got underway for a long 70 mile run to Mobile and Dog River. However, we left with 9 other boats out of the Alabama River Cut Off, so there was a parade down the Mobile River and a lot of chatter on the VHF. As we entered the Mobile River, we noticed a lot of scenery changes that reminded us of home. We saw lots of bald cypress trees, exposed mud flats from low tides, and sea gulls and brown pelicans everywhere. All of the boats cruised at a fairly quick clip down the waterway until we came to a halt at the “14 mile” railroad bridge. Here we had to wait over an hour for the new bridge to open after a couple of trains passed over the bridge. The bridge finally opened and there was a mad dash for Mobile and the marinas in the bay. Since Bavarian Cream was one of the faster boats, we decided to run to the front of the pack and be one of the first boats into Dog River Marina. We arrived at the marina with Once Around and fueled up while waiting for our slip assignment. With the help of Confetti, we finally were secured in our slip and had happy hour aboard their boat.
USS Alabama and her 16 inch guns
Going to lunch
Gold looper ladies
Gold looper guys
Pouring the "bubbly"
Celebrating with dinner and friends
At the naval air museum
We all decided to move to Dauphin Island the next day ahead of some approaching bad weather and stage ourselves for a run across the Mississippi Sound when the weather permitted. This would allow us to “cross our wakes” and we would celebrate the completion of the loop on Dauphin Island. However, a rapidly changing weather pattern caused us to reconsider this plan to move and we decided to remain in Dog River and have a celebration that evening. Happy hour would be aboard Confetti and then a celebratory dinner for the “gold” loopers would be aboard Bavarian Cream. A number of looper boats were in the marina and over 20 people showed up for champagne and happy hour aboard Confetti. After happy hour, we had grilled steaks, salad, and dirty rice aboard Bavarian Cream for 6 people. Then we all went to Confetti for dessert and after dinner drinks. We staggered back to the boat and crashed for the evening. The next day Lady in Red took us to tour the USS Alabama battleship and a WWII submarine. Afterwards, we all went to a great seafood restaurant for lunch. We got a rental car the following morning and took off with Dick and Lace to sightsee Mobile Bay’s eastern shore passing through Fairhope, Foley, and Daphne. We passed several small shops and boutiques, but darn if we could get the car to stop so the ladies could shop. The next day we took a ride through downtown Mobile and saw lots of antebellum homes, then headed over to Pensacola. After lunch, the ladies went shopping while Dick and Capt. Larry toured the Pensacola NAS Naval Aviation Museum. The museum focused only on naval aviation, but had planes from the past to the present day. We considered it one of the better military museums. We headed back to the marina to find updated weather reports to be not very encouraging for leaving anytime soon.
Visiting Ft. Gaines on Dauphin Island
Having stayed at Dog River for a week and not seeing a really decent weather window for another 3-4 days, we started to consider other plans, since getting the boat home before Thanksgiving was beginning to look difficult to do. We decided to extend the rental car through the weekend, and if the early part of Thanksgiving week was not going permit us to move the boat, we would take the car to Louisiana and get the boat out of Dog River later. We had already bumped up to the marina’s monthly rate, so moving the boat later would not cost us anymore. We spent the last couple of days before the weekend’s big decision doing some shopping and viewing more of the area’s sights.
