January 29, 2011

Today is the tenth day residing in the La Quinta Inn and Suites.  Our week consisted of breakfast in the motel, checking on the Panacea repairs and taking day trips.  We saw the devastation left by Katrina in Orange Beach, FL and oil clean up at the Gulf Shores.  We drove to Pasgagoula, MS yesterday and went to a botanical garden in Mobile today.

All-in-all we're sick of microwaved dinners and are hoping the boat will be launched (as promised) on Monday.  John noticed today the shaft was taken out of the boat again.  He said they were probably doing further adjustments as there was a problem getting it back in yesterday. 

We found Fresh Market, similar to Whole Foods, and plan to restock the boat on Monday.  If we don't get it launched, I just may climb the 20' ladder and take up residence again.  Are we having fun yet????

Below are a couple of shots of hoisting the Panacea from the water, the damaged prop, and the boat on blocks. (Not in that order; I'm still learning how to manipulate this blog!)





January 17-21, 2011

Monday we finally got a car from Enterprise.  Early Tues. a.m. we headed to Iuka, MS to pick up our car.  After 6 hours, we did a turn about and started right back to Mobile.  We stopped in Columbus, MS for the night, got up early and drove straight through to Mobile.  Returned the rental car and drove off in our own car for the first time in weeks. 

Thurs. (20th) the boat was hoisted out of the water and the bottom examined for painting and possible repairs.  Much to our astonishment, the starboard propeller was indeed damaged and had streaks of green paint on it.  It was determined we hit a sunken buoy in the Tenn-Tom.  The strut is also loose on that side, causing a slow leak.  It makes me a little weak in the knees to think what we could have endured.  Like sinking?  Well maybe not that drastic, but it could have been worse.  We were on a desolate, deserted river in the middle of BFE! 

A worker at the marina said he was retired from the Coast Guard and they are responsible for accidents such as we experienced.  John contacted them and we are waiting to hear from the specialist who handles such matters.  Hope they come through since we have a high deductible on our boat insurance. 

Once the boat was propped up on land, we went to the Waffle House for the first of many breakfasts we'll be eating out.  It'll take a week or so before the boat is back in the water.  Next, checked into the LaQuinta.  We frequent this motel since they are pet friendly.  Since we'll be staying several days, we were upgraded to a mini-suite so are quite comfortable.

Thursday we drove to Fairhope.  We definitely have to go back.  John checked out a couple of antique stores, but I want to get into the quaint shops.  There will be plenty of time to explore the area.

Today (Fri.) we drove to Dauphin Island.  Quite disappointing. Rather bleak looking this time of year. The ferry was not running, why we don't know.  We looked all over the place for a restaurant which proved to be as scarce as hen's teeth before happening upon a bakery/cafe.  It didn't serve the seafood John has been seeking, but did have delicious sandwiches, and of course fresh baked goods.

Ordering pizza for this evening.  I love the "no washing dishes" aspect of motel living, but do miss preparing our own meals.  Tomorrow we have to find a seafood restaurant for John.

January 14-15, 2011

Frost on the pumpkin again this a.m. and a rather eerie haze on the water.  Our goal today is to go through Mobile Bay to the Turner Marine where we will stay for possible maintenance and to set foot on solid ground for awhile. 

The Tom Bigbee river is a scene of total desolation.  No people and very few structures in sight.  The run down "buildings" we did see probably belonged to fishermen.  We both practically shouted "hooray" when we sighted civilization entering the Bay from the Mobile River.  John didn't have charts from the Mobile River to the Turner Marine and it was a rather hairy hour or more before we were tied up in the marina.  We followed a cargo ship out of the bay area, looking for markers 65 and 63.  Supposed to turn between these markers and look for markers 1 and 2, then chart a course for 305 degrees between them.  Right! We could see land on the horizon miles away, but there we were in this vast area of ocean water and didn't know where in the heck we were going to end up.  It was difficult to see the markers, spaced so far apart and we ran on faith most of the way until we saw #7 and the marina.

We were both deeply relieved to be tied up again and Winston was overjoyed.  He hadn't been off the boat for 8 hours and was on a mission.  He spotted a cat, however, so there was a great deal of excitement about that.  He was a real trooper these past weeks.  Deserves a tenderloin if you ask me.

A glass of wine and dinner out would have fit the bill, but there isn't a restaurant at this marina.  Alas, the "necessary liquids" had all run out, so we couldn't even relax or celebrate on the boat with a bit of cheer.  John tried to rent a car, but they didn't have any at Enterprise and we decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep looking elsewhere.  I made a meatloaf for dinner.  We were too tired to watch a movie; it was an early night.

Saturday:  Still no rental cars.  Something BIG must be going on in Mobile.  We took a cab to the Food Mart (or whatever) and stocked up on groceries.  The driver then took us to a liquor store for the necessary liquids, but it was closed. These things are few and far between down here, state run and obviously very independent.  We drove to W. Mobile and found a package store near a mall with sky high prices.  We made a mental note to stock up when we return to Mississippi to get our car which is at the Aqua Yacht Marina. 

John purchased something called "souse" which looks a little bit like scrapple.  It's made from pork snouts and tongues.  Ugh! It was labeled extra hot and it about blew his head off when he tasted it.  He suggested we use the remaining pieces in chili.  I do not want pig snouts and tongues in MY chili.

The weather is awesome.  It's clear with plenty of sunshine.  The temp is about 50+, and a real treat after the nasty cold weather we experienced at the beginning of our adventure.  Now for some shopping!!

January 12-13, 2011

Wednesday dawned bitterly cold.  We were determined to leave Demopolis Marina hell or high water.  Four days of being detained by the cold weather was enough.  The knots in the lines were frozen stiff and John had to use his leatherman to pry them loose. We got underway about 7:30 a.m. and ran for 10 hours until we finally spotted Bobby's Fish Camp.  This was our goal for the day, but we both agreed, that we overdid the hours navigating.

We had heard some rather derogatory remarks about Bobby's Fish Camp, but I thought it looked like a little bit of heaven.  The dock looked fairly new and certainly secure.  No asisstance tieing up tho' so our hands were about frozen when finished.  John took Winston up to do his business.  Boy was he relieved in more than one way (the dog that is).  There was a phone number posted on a tree by the walkway that John called to let someone know we had arrived.  A short time later a woman in a pick up truck came down to collect the $44 docking fee.  That seems to be the norm on this river, electric or no.  We have a Kohler generator that I protested loud and long about buying, but now I thank John (and God) every day that we have this wonderful machine.  The space heaters did a fairly good job of keeping up with the cold temps, and hot homemade chili warmed us up as well.

John purchased a plan with Verizon Wireless for 2 droid phones and a MIFI2200 gismo that supplies us with almost constant contact with friends and family.  It also allows us to watch Netflix movies even in this remote area.  We watched "The Package" and then I headed to bed with flannel sheets and a nice warm comforter. 

Thurs:  Still chilly, but sunny which lifted our spirits as we set off again.  Today we hope to get half the distance to Mobile Bay.  We will anchor out tonight. Demopolis Marina gave us a list of safe places to spend overnight.

By the way, I underestimated the number of locks we went through and much to  my chagrin, there was one yesterday and another this a.m.  John assures me these were definitely the last of them.  It's not a big deal, but when the wind's whipping and you're bobbing around trying to lasso a bollard, it's not my favorite activity.

After about an hour of running, there was a loud thump which indicated only one thing:  we hit a submerged object.  There was nothing visible before or after that we could see.  John said usually if something underwater is hit, you can see it bobbing around behind you.  He went down below to check for a possible leak, but things seemed intact.  He did determine we dinged the starboard prop, so we've slowed down to be kind to it.  We had been running around 11+ mph with the current, now down to about 9.  Hopefully the rest of the day will be uneventful.

January 10-11, 2011

Hooray!  It warmed up enough by late morning to melt most of the ice on the docks so we could safely pick up the keys and drive the courtesy car to Wal Mart.  I am not a died-in-the-wool Wal Mart shopper, but it was a welcome change to browse the Super Mart.  Sadly, the little town of Demopolis is all but out of business with the move-in of the Wal Mart.  There are still the usual fast food places: McDonald's, Hardies, Dominoes Pizza, etc., but the shops and supermarket are closed.

We had a delicious beef stew for dinner and then hiked up to the restaurant to watch the Auburn/Oregon game.  I was rooting for the Ducks, since Lora and Jason live in Oregon, but John was sitting right there beside me rooting for Auburn!  Sorry Jason.

Tues. temperatures are still below normal and it's supposed to go down to 19 overnight. We refueled, ready for the last 2 locks and the long haul south.

I went on another cleaning rampage this morning.  Really feel we're making progress organizing but John is questioning where all the trash is coming from. I've found stuff I can't even recognize in some of the nooks in this boat. It will be so nice to put our feet up and sip a glass of wine while we watch the sunset set over the Gulf from the back deck of our nice clean boat!

  


 

January 9, 2011

An absolutely boring day.  The sleet and rain came as predicted and continued all day and into the night.  We hoped to get at least to WalMart, just to get off the boat for awhile, but our deck and the docks were covered with ice by mid-afternoon.  

January 7-8, 2011

Friday was a lovely day, but a long trek of 8 1/2-9 hours before we made it through the last lock on our trek to the south.  There was no marina near us, thus we had no choice but to anchor out.  The alternative of navigating in the dark didn't appeal to either of us. 

The only highlight was John taking Winston in the dinghy to do his business.  The little dog came back with mud up to his knees.  (Do dogs have knees?)



John had a restless night, keeping an eye through most of the night on a focal point on a satellite tower to make sure the anchor held and we stayed safely in one place. It must have gone down to at least 20 and once again the propane heater was put to use.  We left the area about 7:45 in the a.m. and didn't stop until we docked at Demopolis, Al around 2 p.m.  This was much to Winston's relief.  I did finally rig up an area on the back deck where he peed, but the way he was dancing, I knew he was anxious to get on terra firma.

The weather report has been warning of snow and sleet on Sunday, so we'll stay in this marina until the weather clears.  It's no fun, nor is it safe to boat in nasty conditions. 

Looks like another Clint Eastwood movie for this evenings' entertainment.

January 5-6, 2011

The weather took a turn for the worse overnight.  We were greeted with a steady, cold rain this a.m.  Not fun going through another lock in the rain. John used the propane heater most of the a.m. (with ventilation) and we finally called it a day and cautiously made our way into Aberdeen Marina in MS.  The visibility was poor so we didn't feel safe going any further that day.  A lazy day of reading, napping, eating...

In the morning the marina had some sinful freshly made sausage biscuits that John insisted we have for breakfast. About noon we refueled and were on our way again.  The day was glorious with sunshine and clear sky.  Unfortunately, we were held up at a lock at Columbus, so pulled into the marina nearby.  I was elated to find a very accessible laundry room and spent the time John was in the bilge replacing the water pump washing and folding clothes.  Our washing machine on the boat leaks and I'm reluctant to use it.  I'm hoping someone at a marina farther south will have someone with knowledge of this type of setup.  It's a blessing not to have to tote the clothes to a laundromat, but will do so until the darn thing is repaired.

I made a chicken dinner, with sides of baked potato and corn topped off with Key Lime pie. We're wrapping up the evening watching a Clint Eastwood western.  John got an anthology for Christmas from daughter and son-in-law.  Whoopee!  Looks this will be our entertainment for many evenings to come.

January 3-4, 2011

It was dark by 5:30 p.m. when we docked at Bay View Marina.  It's always a good feeling to be securely tied for the night.  I took Winston up to the grounds to do his business and he woofed and snorted at some unseen critter in the bushes.  We thought it best to hightail it back to the boat.

We weren't underway too long on the 4th before we encountered the first of 12 locks we will go through to reach the Gulf.  The drop in the chamber was 85 feet.  I felt as if we were going to end up in China.  We went through 2 more locks, each about 35 feet deep.  Winston insists on going on deck to supervise as I lasso the ballards.

The weather was relatively warm and sunny.  The first of "southern weather" we experienced so far.  After about 4 hours, we tied up at Midway Marina for the night.  They have cable so we watched the TV for the first time in days. Sort of refreshing to have a respite from the daily woes of the world.  

January 3, 2011

Awoke to dense fog, so we knew we weren't going anywhere for several hours.  This did give us a chance to stock up on some "necessary liquids" and settle up with the marina with out rushing. 

OK, off we go.  The engines started, however, the generator failed to start.  No way!  This is critical to our journey and the battery was almost dead. John drove to a nearby hardware store to get a replacement.  By the way, did I mention he had already purchased a new water pump since the present one sounded like it was on its last leg?  Just a couple of minor details to take care of!  Once the battery was installed (and worked!), we were all set.

Finally at 1:30 p.m., John untied the Panacea and we were off to new adventures in our lives.

January 1-2, 2011

We awoke New Year's Day to rain and about a 25 degree drop in temperature. Undaunted we ate a hasty breakfast at the hotel and drove off into the rain for Mississippi.  It was only a 2 1/2 hr. trip to the Panacea. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our friends Bonnie and Ken, whose permanent residence is on their boat. We spent the day stowing away the gear we brought from home.  We had burgers and chips for dinner and then called it an early night.  The next day we shopped for perishables and necessities in preparation for our departure on Tuesday.

We went to a BBQ rib "little hole in the wall" dinner for ribs with Bonnie and Ken, managed to get through the first 2 episodes of "Pillars of the Earth", and called it night.  Forgot to mention, even with the heaters, we were freezing our rears off!  Wish I had brought my Cuddle-duds.

December 29-30, 2010

Retirement at last and beginning John's dream of traveling to the Gulf and Chesapeake on the Panacea, our 48' trawler!  We wrapped up John's retirement after 10 years at WVMI with a memorable party for 30 colleagues, friends and neighbors at our home.  When the dust settled by the next morning, John headed to the office to "sign out" for the final time while I worked furiously to take down Christmas wreaths, santas, angels, and candles galore. Then stuffed duffle bags with clothing, both for cold weather as well as warm. We originally planned to set sail for the south on January 5, but John was just itching to get underway as soon as possible and we really broke some records getting the car packed for the trip the next day.  

The a.m. of the 30th, with Winston (the dog!),  we left home at 8:30 and headed for the Drury Hotel in Nashville to spend New Year's Eve.  The temperature was 69 degrees and we were beginning to like this.  The hotel offered free drinks and food, but the dining area was so swamped, we ate ate our own chips and dips and drank wine in our room until John ventured downstairs to get our "dinner".  The entree was hot dogs!  Winston (the dog!) enjoyed them. 

We were tired from the frenzy of packing and from driving for 8 1/2 hours so were in bed long before the ball dropped.  Adventure awaited us in the morning when we would drive to the Aqua Yacht Marina in Iuka, Mississippi and board the Panacea.