Month: December 2016

We had a great night at Bobby’s Fish Camp.  From Bobby’s to the Tensaw River anchorage it is 79 miles, with the LAST lock of The Great Loop Coffeeville L&D at MM 117.  The Tensaw river anchorage is at MM 39 on the Tom Big Bee waterway, this is one of the few anchorages between Bobby’s and Mobile Bay.  We motored about a 1/2 up the Tensaw river and it is around 12′ deep where we anchored just around the bend.  We saw a few alligators swimming around when we entered the Tensaw.  We cooked some fillets and joined Inspiration for dinner.  Phil made home-made pasta sauce and we brought the steaks.  What a great feast!

The Tensaw River anchorage to Dog River Marine is 55 miles.  Going through Mobile ship channel was very cool,  many ships from other countries, and new state of the art military ships being built by Austal.  Mobile has a neat skyline, handful of tall buildings and the beginning of the salt water !  Dog River Marina had a welcoming for me and my mom when we arrived 2:30PM on Monday October 31st.  Technically Pura Vida has been to Dog River Marina a few times and well she’s completed the Great Loop in under 1 year.  I will let her rest at Dog River a couple of months, do some maintenance to all the hard-working machenery and get some fresh bottom paint.  Hoping to bring her home to Pensacola after Christmas!

Legendary Sonny Middleton and I after arriving at Dog River Marina where this whole dream got started with Pura Vida back in 2014.

Heading to Demopolis was smooth we had only one lock to go through called Heflin Lock.  This leg was 54 miles, Demopolis sells lots of diesel fuel so I fueled up here with about 224 gallons.  This will be the last time I fuel until I make it home.  We saw some beautiful limestone bluffs on this section of the river, and lots of big alligators.

Passing a tow on the inside of a turn.

Passing on the “1” whistle

Clotilde signed this bollard a few weeks ago and our friends behind us in their boats happened to see it and added on to the signatures.

Demopolis water-tower

Demopolis Yacht Basin fuel dock, there is also a nice man made basin owned by the same people with about 100 covered slips adjacent to here I wasn’t able to find a photo of

Demopolis to Coffeeville AL, Bobby’s Fish Camp.  This was a long day at 97 miles and one lock, Demopolis L&D.  Bobbies is the last stop on the river until the Mobile Convention Center 119 miles south of here, and the first marina is Dog River which is another 14 miles past the convention center.  Bobby’s is a land mark on the river, the tows slow as they pass the small marina to keep from waking anyone.  The ladies in the restaurant make the best fried catfish around, people stop just for this!

When I first bought Pura Vida Bryson and I came down these rivers from Nashville and I found my entry in Bobby’s guest book from 2014

Marcus, Mom Caroline, Phil, Pam and I at Bobby’s getting a late dinner.  Connie, Marcus’s wife was nice enough to take this picture!

Reggie, my friends Marcus and Connie’s dog from “At Last”

Leaving Bobby’s “At Last” and “Inspiration” about to depart the dock

Arial of Bobby’s, small joint with a huge heart .  Sometimes they tie the boats up 4 and 5 wide when there are lots of people passing through.  They also rent out camp sites.