FRIDAY OCTOBER 30TH

Hot and muggy. Highs in the 80’s with high winds and storms predicted. We decided to stay another day at Grand Harbor. Finished getting our list of projects done. It was very windy all day and the storms hit in the afternoon. When they hit we were happy we decided to stay put. Once the first storm passed the temp dropped to about 60 degrees. Not much else to report on so I’ll just tell you what I have learned about this section of the river.

The Tenn-Tom

Started in 1971 the Corp of Engineers moved more dirt to build the Tenn-Tom than was moved to build the Panama Canal. It was completed in 1985. Now it is possible to cruise to the Gulf Coast and the Midwest without having to risk the lower Mississippi, which can be very hazardous. It’s a 234 mile waterway project to connect the Tennessee River and the Tom Bigbee River.

The elevation at the north end is 414 feet. So the lock system in that 234 mile section will lower us to sea level by the time we arrive at Mobile Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico. There are a total of 12 locks we will pass through to achieve this. The average lock is 10 feet wider than a football field and the length of two fields. The protocol at the locks is somewhat different on this waterway. Back home on the river, we are use to being thrown lines by the lock tenders. Here you rarely see a person at the locks. It is only floating bollards, which are great. Once you are secured to one, you must state on the radio your boat name and that you are secure. By law everyone must be wearing a life jacket in the locks. They close the gates and then sound a horn that sounds like an air raid siren before the water rises or lowers. Scared the beejeebers out of me the first time I heard it!

Here are some fun facts about barges. You never know when info like this might come in handy. Could be a Daily Double question on Jeopardy! Okay, one barge carries the same amount of cargo as 15 freight train cars and 60 large semi loads. We’ve seen towboats pushing up to 30 barges. In gas pump terms, a gallon of fuel will move one ton of freight 500 miles by barge. So now you know.