Lasts and Firsts

As this post is being written on Monday, October 26, we are tied up snugly at Eastern Shore Marine in Fairhope, Alabama (on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay) watching the remnants of Hurricane Patricia inundate the area with rain. Still, we are very happy to be here and not stopped at some anchorage along the river. Timing is everything, and we are exactly where we had hoped to be when the days and routes were being drawn up. We had great weather when we needed it for cruising the rivers and now we have rain and wind for a couple of days when we can use the break.

It's pouring out there, and the fixed docks (the wood under the
yellow power cords) are only about 6 inches away from
being underwater.

When we left Kingfisher Bay Marina in Demopolis, AL on Friday, October 23, we knew that we wanted to be done with the river cruising and at a marina on the Gulf coast before the predicted bad weather hit. This meant boating from dawn to dusk on October 23 and 24 to keep our anchorages to two, and a similarly early start on October 25 in order to get across Mobile Bay to Fairhope as soon as possible that day. Initially we were on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system, and then the Mobile River. Frankly, only the names changed. The riverscape continued to be pretty and serene, but it was much the same as it had been on the Tenn-Tom--Water. Trees. Locks (but only a couple).

Hints of fall color at "Lover's Leap". The trees
at the bottom of the cliff were tenaciously growing
out of the rock.

Water like glass on October 24

Ezell's Fish Camp, an Alabama institution. Started
in 1937 and housed in a Civil War era building, but
there was no place for a boat to tie up for lunch.

The past few days have given us some "Lasts and Firsts":

The Last Lock: Pat in the Coffeeville, AL
lock on October 24

The Last River: The Mobile skyline along the Mobile
River (and harbor) on October 25

The First Brown Pelicans: a sign of our proximity to
salt water, spotted at mile 19 on the Mobile River

The First View of Mobile Bay: a small fishing boat is at
 the foreground of the entrance to Mobile Bay. We
can imagine the Gulf of Mexico in the distance!

Getting through the harbor at Mobile and transiting to the east side of Mobile Bay were the big challenges for October 25. Mobile is a significant port city, not just for river traffic, but for ocean-going ships as well.

Meeting and passing the "Whistler Spirit" in
Mobile Harbor as it was being escorted to its
dock by pilot boats

Too many AIS targets in Mobile harbor. Good
thing most of the associated boats were docked
 and not moving

Manufacturing Navy ships

The water on Mobile Bay was a bit choppy as we left the more protected confines of the harbor. Fortunately, we didn't have too far to go. The direction of travel to the marina had us mostly meeting the waves on the bow of the boat, so we weren't rocked too much or for too long. After two nights "on the hook" it's nice to be close to a town and services.

In 27 cruising days we have completed 1603 miles, essentially all of it on various rivers. After a few more cruising days covering approximately 220 miles on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway we should reach Appalachicola, Florida. There we will wait for a weather window that will allow us to cross the Gulf of Mexico to St. Petersburg in safety and comfort.