Dee Light Website

Alton IL to Demopolis AL

Monday – September 29 – The Alton Marina - Alton IL .. (618) 462-9860 .. Mile – 202.5 .. we contacted the Lock and left the Marina at 06:00 am in the dark and our GPS was out and had to be reset .. UGH !! .. and then we heard a thump about where the boating accident was last night .. we did not need that at all .. the boat that was involved in the accident was still perched on top of the Lock and Dams Gate as we entered the Lock .. Betty stood at the Bow as she could see better until we were close to the Lock .. we were locked thru by 06:45 am along with six other boats .. we saw the Sunrise as we headed down the 15 miles to our second Lock .. it was very slow going with all the Towboats along the River Banks .. we went thru the second Lock with the same six other boats and a Patrol Boat .. it was bitter COLD but the skies were clear as we passed by The Arch .. we made it to Hoppies at 11:15 am .. Fern and Hoppie helped us with the Lines .. th
ey are celebrating their 30th year in business as Hoppies Marine Service .. a number of the boats that left the Alton Marina in the morning when we did ended up right here for the night .. HEADLINES – AP Alton IL .. ‘Four killed as ski boat hits dam near Alton .. Assistant Chief Gary Claxton of the Alton Fire Department says four people were killed in the 7:30 p.m. accident .. three men, and one woman. Two other women were injured and taken to the hospital. A 41-year-old female was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital in critical condition .. Officials say the 20 foot ski boat was traveling on the Mississippi River near Alton, when it hit the Melvin Price Lock and Dam around 7:30 Sunday night. The lockmaster called emergency crews to report a boat in distress .. Now investigators are working to find out exactly what caused the accident’ .. we worked on both the interior and exterior of Dee Light and later we ended up having dinner at Bambino’s Restaurant and Bar ( an Italian Restaurant ) with the four person Crew from LOOASEA and the other boaters that we spent the day with on the water .. later we watched the Green Bay Packers spoil the Chicago Bears home opener in their new Space Shipped styled Stadium over Monday Night Football ..

Travel – Alton IL to Imperial MO – 2 Lock today and 54 Locks To Date – 44 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4282

Tuesday – September 30 – Hoppies Marina Service - Imperial MO .. (636) 467-6154 .. $0.75 . Mile – 158.5 .. Towboats rocked Dee Light all night .. the Towboat traffic seems to be greater than in past years .. just before we headed out Betty spotted an Amtrack going by the Marina heading South but she could not catch in .. we headed down the River at 07:30 am .. in about an hour we passed the LOOASEA .. we passed the Dredger Potter at Mile 97 and met the Towboat TITLETOWN USA .. we talked with the Towboat’s Captain and he said that the Towboats owner is from Green Bay WI ( Titletown USA ) .. we commented on last nights Game in Chicago and that generated much chatter over the Marine Radio .. at about Mile 30 we think that we saw GRAND JOY on the Hook .. later we passed he Dredger JADWIN at Mile 20 .. we were planning to set our Hook where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers join but we changed our mind and after talking with the Towboat Captain from CINDY CELESTE we decided to go with Plan B and set our Hook just below Highway 57 Bridge on the LDB of the Mississippi River at Mile 7 .. it took us three times just as the rains moved in .. it was bitter COLD and raining and it took us three times to get it set .. but by 05:15 pm we were set for the night .. Betty did say when the cold rain hit her face the thought of the Amtrack drifted thru her mind .. the other boat MAURURU that we have been traveling with today dropped their Hook just above the Bridge .. we grilled a Rib Eye Steak and had a great dinner on Dee Light .. and sooo did Autumn .. the rain continued all night ..

Travel – Imperial MO to The Hook at LDB Mississippi River – Mile 007– 0 Lock today and 54 Locks To Date – 152 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4434 ..

Wednesday – October 01 – The Hook at LDB Mississippi River – Mile 007 .. $0.00 . Mile – 007 .. after contacting MAURURU we pulled the Hook and headed down the balance of the Mississippi River at 07:15 am with MAURURU right behind us .. when we made it to the Ohio we noted that there were many Wooden Dolphins coming down the River heading South .. they had to dodge the Tires and Paint Buckets just like Dee Light had to .. we also met the Towboat VIKING QUEEN with 42 Boxes .. it is the largest Towboat that we have seen .. HEADLINES – Fort Myers FL – All time record rainfall for the Month of September at 19.2 inches .. we passed by the Olmstead Lock and Dam that is still under construction .. see photo .. both Lock and Dams 53 and 52 were under water .. Lock 53 was 24.1 feet under water and 52 was 19.4 feet under water .. the Ohio River was at high water stage due to Hurricane Isabel and the recent rains that took place in Betty’s home town of Indianapolis .. the boat MAURURU was yelled at a number of times for going too fast .. once we made it on the Cumberland River the boat MAURURU contacted us and thanked us for leading them down the River System the last two days .. they then said that we were going too slow for them to hold a good pace and wanted to pass us sooo we told them that we would slow way down for them .. they said OK and went passed us at a high rate of speed providing us with a big wake .. UGH ! .. what a great way to thank us .. a Carver named CHARLIES ANGLES also passed us but they slowed right down when we did .. the Carver had its Owner and a three person Crew on it .. we called ahead to the Barkley Lock and Dam and we were locked thru by 04:10 pm along with the other boaters that passed us plus four more .. the Crew of MAURURU had quiet a lockage .. the Lockmaster yelled at them for pulling off the Bollard before the Horn .. then again for leaving the Lock too soon and then again for passing a boat on there way out of the Lock .. then they missed the turn into the Marina and got in some skinny waters .. we made it to the Marina at and were docked by 04:45 pm .. we were told that the Lock tries to hold a late afternoon lockage for as many Pleasure Crafts that are around and that it is usually about 04:00 pm .. and then the Marina gets really busy .. we had ‘Docktails’ on the Dock with the other boaters .. and we later had dinner with the Crew from MAURURU at the Commonwealth Yacht Club that is located right at the Marina .. the Crew from MAURURU have been ‘Sail Boater’ and accustom to boating on open waters without Lock and Towboats .. this is their first Power Boat .. the Owners of the boat are from Chicago IL and their friends are from Maine .. Mike ( the Manager ) at the Yacht Club said that since we were going to be spending some time at the Marina we could use there car anytime that we needed to ..

Travel – The Hook at LDB Mississippi River to Grand Rivers, KY .. Mile 32 – 4 Lock today and 58 Locks To Date – 79 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4513 ..

Thursday – October 02 thru Tuesday – October 07 – Green Turtle Bay Resort / Marina - Grand Rivers, KY – (270) 362-8364 .. Mile 32 .. $1.00 .. we will be spending a couple of weeks at Green Turtle to get some overdue work done on Dee Light and we will be leaving Dee Light here when we head out to Scottsdale Arizona for Marv’s niece Lynsi’s wedding .. sooo we settled right in and we spent the day working on Dee Light .. Marv also met with Lee the Service Manager to go over the work that we will be getting done while we are at the Marina .. this Marina has a very good Service Department and we will be traveling in areas where we will be unable to get anything done on Dee Light soooo the stay here will be time well spent .. it is cold here BITTER COLD .. highs of only 65 to 70 UGH !! .. and lows about 35 to 40 and that’s near FREEZING .. YUCK !! .. HEADLINES – USA TODAY By Michael Hiestand .. Limbaugh at center of controversy again - Rush Limbaugh became America's most popular radio show host, and perhaps the media's most polarizing personality, by thriving on controversy, usually involving other people. Now he's at the center of one himself .. Rush is from a small town just above this area .. Cape Girardeau MO .. we took the bikes down and when we were exploring part of the Marina we spotted the boat LORIEN with a Home Port of Rochester MN where the owners ( John and Ann ) are from .. they boat out of the Lake City Marina in Lake City Minnesota where we boated out of for five years .. a small world .. we sent them an e-mail and found out that they will be returning to GTB on October 15th and will probably start on down to Fort Myers on about the 25th .. Saturday was our first nice day with sunny skies and a high temperature of 80 deg .. many Loopers ( AGLCA ) pass thru this Marina .. some for a day but most for longer .. and some stop here then go up the Tennessee River to Nashville TN and then return back to GTB before they head South for the Winter .. HEADLINES - Magician Roy Horn Critically Injured by Tiger - LAS VEGAS (Oct. 4) - A trained tiger attacked magician Roy Horn of the duo Siegfried & Roy during a performance, biting his neck and dragging him off stage just feet from the audience .. the SITTING DUCK ( Bernie and Barb ) made it to GTB in the afternoon .. and later after Docktails we went to Patti’s 1880's Settlement for dinner .. the 1 and 2 inch Pork Chops were GREAT .. on Sunday we worked on the exterior of Dee Light as the Green Bay Packers beat the undefeated Seattle Seahawks in Green Bay WI .. on Monday the 6th SITTING DUCK headed South out of the Marina .. and Dee Light was pulled .. at GTB they have a 60 Ton Travel Lift and they do a lot of work on larger boats .. we were able to get the bottom of Dee Light checked out and found that all is in great shape .. a very pleasant surprise for us .. we rotated our Props that were in near perfect shape .. we worked on the Trip Tabs but were unable to get them fixed .. the Bottom Paint was put on in 1999 and we only used ¼ of one cup to touch it up .. after getting splashed we went right to the Fuel Dock and filled Dee Light up ..

Engine Hours – Port Engine .. 2143.1 – Starboard Engine .. 2153.5

.. we watched the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football in overtime .. a great game .. many additional boats that came for the 25th Annual Hunters Moon Festival filled the Marina .. we took the GTB Van to Wally World and you would think that Betty had not seen the inside of a Store in a long time .. UFTA !! .. Dee Light went in the Water another inch but we should be set for a long time .. on Tuesday the 7th the Marina towed in two boats that were heading up the Ohio River and missed the turn off to the Tennessee River .. they both went aground or ‘arock’ .. UGH .. one is a 43 foot Silverton named SEA QUESTERED .. a brand new boat with just 80 hours on it .. they had their Port Prop, Shaft and Rudder ripped off the bottom of the boat and were taking on water they had Divers look for their missing parts ( Rudder, Prop, Shaft, etc ) but they were unsuccessful .. we talked with Bernie and found out that they had crossed paths with SEA QUESTERED on the Mississippi River a number of days ago and that they have had a rough trip all the way down going aground a number of times and have been having other mechanical problems .. we talked with the Crew from SEA HORSE .. they just made it to the Marina today from the Quad Cities where they spend the Summer Months .. they said that the Mississippi River is dropping in elevation and that the boats in many of the Marinas are sitting on their bottoms ..

Wednesday – October 08 thru Monday October 13 – Green Turtle Bay Resort / Marina - Grand Rivers, KY – (270) 362-8364 .. HEADLINES – California voters dump Governor Gray Davis .. Arnold Schwarzenegger wins recall race .. the colors in the trees are just starting to turn in time for the Hunters Moon Festival that took place from the 10th thru the 12th in the Grand Haven area .. many boaters from the Nashville Yacht Club started to arrive for their Fall Outing .. BAR RON, GYPSY JENNY and many other boaters also made it to the Marina for the Moon Festival .. when we were having Docktails on the Dock with other a number of other boaters Ken from GYPSY JENNY gave Marv a gift from Bernie ( SITTING DUCK ) .. the gift is a very official sign that states ‘THIS PROPERTY PROTECTED BY U.S. COAST GUARD’ .. we will post the sign on Dee Light to protect Dee Light from any and all Coast Guard Officials .. to better understand the meaning behind the gift you will have to check out Dee Light’s encounter with the U.S. Coast Guard that took place on September 09th when we were boating on Lake Michigan ( see our Log ) .. Marv shared the story with the boaters that we were enjoying Docktails with at the time .. Betty’s daughter Cheryl and her friend Jim arriver on Friday night just in time for dinner at the Yacht Club .. the Yacht Club had a Brunch set up for the Nashville Yacht Club that had boated to the Marina for the weekend .. the Yacht Club had set up live entertainment that was very ‘Country’ .. very Country !! .. but the boaters from Nashville really enjoyed it .. on Saturday the 11th we took Dee Light out on Lake Cumberland and the Kentucky Lake .. we could not have had a better day .. it was a great day for boating and to enjoy the Fall colors that were bursting from the shores .. Betty wore a new Swimsuit that she barrowed from one of the other visiting boaters .. see photo .. when Jim was growing up he had spent much of his childhood on the Kentucky Lake so he knows the waters there very well .. his relatives still have a place on the Lake .. Jim was able to relive many of his experiences with us and he led us to some skinny waters in route to one of the Bays that he spent much time at as years ago .. we later had dinner at Pattie’s and danced at the Street Dance .. Jim’s relatives did stop by on Sunday and once they left so did Jim and Cheryl .. it was a long afternoon for both the Green Bay Packers who played the Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay WI and the Colts who played Carolina as both games were decided in overtime .. on Monday the 13th Bill and Paula ( TIN MAN – Cape Coral FL ) and Judy and Doug ( LAST RESORT - Red Wing MN ) pulled into the GTB Marina along with 12 other Boats .. Melissa had her hands full as she was working alone so the boaters that were already at the Marina helped her out .. the Marina was full and we even had a boat in the Lift Well .. we later went to Pattie’s for Port Chops with Bill, Paula, Judy and Doug and got caught up on much overdue boating conversation .. we all had a great evening ..

Tuesday October 14 – Green Turtle Bay Resort / Marina - Grand Rivers, KY – (270) 362-8364 .. we headed out early .. at 04:30 am the Paducah Taxi Company picked us up and we headed to the Airport .. Autumn was not happy to see us heading down the Dock .. Melissa the Harbormaster will be taking care of her while we are gone .. Betty was quick to detect that the Taxi reeked from something that had died in the Taxi on a prior trip .. she could not determine if it was the Driver or a previous passenger that had expired .. the 35 minute drive took us about an hour due to all the navigation errors made by our Driver .. we made a number of suggestions but since we are not from the area it was like the ‘blind leading the blind’ .. after two near collisions with other vehicles on the main Highway and one encounter with a very deep ditch ( our Driver said ‘da road beck dare gots really narrow sumtime’ ) .. we made it to the Airport in time to make a fast dash to the Airplane .. only to find out that our flight was held up due to severe weather moving thru the area .. there were HIGH winds all thru the area .. we made it to Memphis in time to miss our flight to Phoenix so we were rerouted thru Detroit to Phoenix getting us there 7 1/2 hours after our original schedule .. once we got our Rental Car we drove to Jeff’s ( Marv’s son ) new to us place and spent some time looking it over .. it is a GREAT bachelors place .. after checking into the Hotel we grabbed a late dinner at the Hotels Lounge where we were pleasantly surprised to bumped into Marv’s sister Judy, her husband Jim , the bride’ Lynsi, the ‘groom’ Michael and part of their family .. after much good conversation we headed to our Room to conclude our 23 hour day ..

Wednesday October 15 thru Saturday October 18 – Orange Tree Golf Resort - Scottsdale, AZ – (800) 228-0386 .. we drove to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West and ended up at the Information Center / Gift Shop where we found a number of treasures that we just could not pass up .. we had lunch at Marv’s mothers place on the West side of Phoenix with Peg’s friend Jack .. after taking a short tour thru Sun City AZ we spent the rest of Wednesday shopping in the Fashion Center Mall in downtown Scottsdale .. HEADLINES - NEW YORK (Oct. 16) - Ferry Crash Probe Focuses on Pilot - 10 Killed in Collision With Pier .. Pilot Reportedly Fled Scene, Tried to Kill Self – Authorities were investigating whether a Staten Island Ferry pilot lost consciousness during a routine trip across a windy New York Harbor before the mighty vessel slammed into a Pier, killing 10 people and injuring at least 42 others, including three who lost limbs … on Tuesday morning Jeff picked us up at the Hotel along with Marv’s brother Dan and his son-in-law Ryan .. Jeff drove all of us to Sedona AZ where Dan and Ryan spent the day golfing with Jeff .. John Erickson from the Seven Canyons Golf Club gave us a guided tour the new Golf Course that Jeff built .. John took us on a FWD Golf Cart for the tour .. in the last number of years Jeff has sent us photos of the Golf Course as it was being developed thru e-mail .. soooo it was most interesting to see the near finished project .. the Golf Course is now completed and now Jeff is starting the work on the Condos and other buildings that will be built around the course .. once on our own we explored a number of Sedona Canyons by car and by foot .. we had lunch with the Mexicans at Casa Rincon Tapas Cantina .. the Rehearsal Dinner was Thursday night at the Orange Tree Golf Resort .. we concluded the evening watching the final game between the Boston Red Socks and the New York Yankees .. the Florida Marlins will be playing the New York Yankees in the World Series .. on Friday morning Jim ( Lynsi’s father ) had arranged for a Golf Tournament at the Orange Tree Hotel where we were staying .. soo we watched Jeff and the other golfers from our Patio as they played their First Hole .. we then headed back to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West where we took the 90 minute Tour and it was well worth every minute .. after the Tour we ordered out a light fixture for Dee Light that we had looked a before .. we had lunch at Pischkes Restaurant & Bar in Old Scottsdale .. the restaurant has a ‘nautical’ theme and very good food .. but as Jeff said it is not a place that you go to for Health Food .. it should also be noted that the waitress are also worth checking out .. it must be their boating background .. after some power shopping we drove by Jeff’s place again to see it in the daylight .. the weather in the Phoenix / Scottsdale was sunny with well above normal high temperatures every day .. the Rental Car that we had was a Mustang Convertible so we were able to really enjoy the great weather .. the day of the Wedding the temperature reached 100 degrees and established a new record high for the day .. Lynsi and Mike’s wedding was outside the Orange Tree Hotel right on the Golf Course .. what a beautiful setting with the sun filtering thru the trees .. and Lynsi just glowed all night .. as Father of the Bride Jim’s five pages of comments were quite entertaining and were as brief as seasoned Phoenix Attorney could be .. Marv’s mother left with her friend Jack right after Marv danced with her .. Marv apparently wore her right out .. on Saturday morning we got up at 02:30 am to catch the early flight back to Dee Light .. after stops at Detroit ( overcast and COLD .. about 50 - but no SNOW ), Memphis ( sunny and about 65 but not windy like it was on our trip West ) , and Paducah ( clear skies and about 70 ) we made it to Grand Rivers KY by 09:00 pm .. our Taxi Cab trip was less eventful than our last trip as this driver was from Paducah and knows the area very well .. when we got to Dee Light Autumn was waiting for us on the Back Deck with her Tail wagging uncontrollable .. it was a GREAT trip but we were ready to get back ..

Sunday October 19 thru 25th – Green Turtle Bay Resort / Marina - Grand Rivers, KY – (270) 362-8364 .. we gave Dee Light some TLC both inside and outside and we kept track of the Green Bay Packers game .. they played the Rams at St. Louis .. and later we had cocktails with Ann and John Mitchell on their boat LORIEN before we all headed to the Yacht Club for dinner .. on Monday we found out that the Service Department had not done nothing on Dee Light when we were gone .. ‘the squeaky wheel’ .. ugh ! .. so our departure will now be detained a few days .. John Ayotte made it back to GTB to take his boat to Fort Myers Florida .. we had a long talk with John about his trip South from Wabasha Minnesota .. we spent most of the day working on Dee Light .. HEADLINES – OVER THE EDGE - NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (Oct. 21) .. Free Falling - Man Survives Historic Plunge Over Falls .. He floated by onlookers -- seemingly calm, smiling. Then he went over. Encased in only the clothes on his back, Kirk Jones ( 40 of Canton, Mich. )plunged 180 feet over Niagara Falls into the rocky waters below. Then he just crawled out. But his good fortune expired: Now he faces charges .. we had dinner Tuesday with John Ayotte and Captain Dave Ellis from Marina Cove ( Dave will be heading out in the morning with John ) and Jon and Marcia Bouquet ( MAR-JON - Wabasha, MN - 52 foot Bluewater ) .. once again the Pork Chops were GREAT !! .. the pleasure craft SEA QUESTERED was put back into the water today ( Wednesday ) after being extensively worked on in the GTB Shop .. and it is floating in the water right next to the Lift Well .. I do not know when its Crew will be here ( GTB ) to head South again .. what work we wanted done when we were gone to Arizona was not started until we returned from Arizona .. they must have been working on SEA QUESTERED .. but what a great place to be for a few extra days !! .. as we are having near record high temperatures with sunny skies .. we spent much time with Jon and Marcia ( MAR-JON ) .. Marv going over Charts, etc with Jon and Betty exploring the local Shops with Marsha .. Thursday evening the Marina filled up again .. just before dark a 64 foot Sun Seeker pulled up to the Fuel Dock for the night with a AGLCA Burge flying on its Bow .. the owner said that he had done the Loop 4 times and was just starting his fifth time .. the owner had three other Crew people on board .. on Friday morning the our long awaited part ( Oil Pressure Gage ) that we have been waiting for did not arrive from the factory .. Linda in the Ships Store went on a search thru other Shops similar to the one at GTB and found a similar Gage .. soooo on Friday afternoon Jeff from GTB installed it and our repair work was completed .. we now have our GPS / Plotter working, our Oil Pressure Gage working, our Impellors are replaced, our Engine Coolant Level Gage working, etc and we are now ready to head out .. they did do a very good job but one has to remember that the Marinas middle name is ‘Turtle’ .. after having cocktails on John and Ann’s boat with John and Marcia we all went to the Yacht Club for dinner .. John and Marcia will be heading to Nashville TN in the morning and we will be heading to Pebble Island Marina .. John and Ann’s boat still has some work to be done on it soooo they are planning to start heading down the River early next week .. when we were at the Yacht Club our AGLCA Flag disappeared from the Bow of Dee Light .. UGH .. someone must have barrowed it .. on Saturday morning at 07:45 am we left the GTB Marina .. it was overcast and we headed into a 15 mph wind from the South .. sooo we had 3 footers on our Bow .. Dee Light looked great with her new wax job that was done by Dee Lights Crew when we were at the GTB Marina .. the weather forecast calls for the temperatures to drop to BITTER LOW readings of only 55 degrees and highs of only 70 plus .. soooo it is time to head South .. as Willie Nelson sings goes "I'm On The Road Again" and so are we ..

Update from Betty .. we are both glad to be on our way again .. we left Fort Myers 6 months ago today .. it has been a great trip .. even with stress and near misses .. Dee Light visited the Spa while she was here and looks much better .. she is gleaming and sporting her new Hawaiian Flag and her Captain and First Mate Halloween Pumpkins .. both Betty and Marv were smiling and looking forward as we headed South but Autumn is looking back for Melissa the Harbor Master at GTB with a sad look on her face ..

.. we met a number of Towboats that were on the Lake heading North .. the skies became thick but the rains held off for our entire trip on the Lake .. we were in the Marina and tied off just after 01:00 pm .. we had good depth ( 10 to 14 foot ) all the way into the Marina from the marked River Channel .. once we were at the Marinas Docks we only had 5 to 7 foot of water .. the Harbor Master said that the level of the Pool was only 6 inches above the Winter Stage .. after taking the Marinas Van to WAL-MART for supplies we had dinner at the Pebble Isle Café .. the Café is a floating restaurant between the end of the Fuel Dock and the Shore line .. during dinner we watched Tennessee beat Alabama 51 to 43 in the fifth overtime ..

Note from Betty ……. enjoyed the trip to WalleyWorld via the Marina’s Van .. the Walmart greeters spoke very slowly with this brogue not heard in other parts of the country .. even the talking toys had the same brogue and one little lady told me from her wheelchair that you couldn’t see everything in this store in 2 weeks .. some of the men were wearing these shirts and caps with unusual flags on them and do you know when we returned to the boat Marv got in the storage area on the back deck and found one just like it which he placed on the flag pole in the cockpit .. don’t know what that man is thinking some days ..

.. thunderstorms moved thru the area during the night causing Dee Light to ‘rock and roll’ all night .. the wind direction also changed from the South to from the North .. and the temperatures also dropped over night .. the Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the sixth and final game of the World Series ..

Travel – Grand Rivers, KY to New Johnsonville, TN – 0 Lock today and 58 Locks To Date – 74 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4587 ..

Sunday October 26 – Pebble Island Marina - New Johnsonville, TN - (931) 535-3827 – Mile 96 .. $0.70 / foot .. overnight the winds switched and were from the North .. and it was bitter cold .. time to head South .. we left the Marina at 07:30 am DST .. we called GYPSY JENNY ( Ken and Bonnie ) as we passed by Cuba Landing where they have been living on their boat fro the last number of years .. Bonnie said that they will be heading South on Tuesday .. it was a good day to use our Autopilot .. and with the cold temperatures and rain it was a good day to have the heater going in the Fly Bridge .. we talked with the couple on Sea Horse as we passed them .. after spending three weeks at GTB they had left Marina two days before we did and are also slowly making their was South for the Winter .. at Mile 186.5 we passed a Towboat Box that had gone aground and was now being worked on .. even on Sunday they had at least a 6 person Crew working on the Box to try to get it empty .. we called ahead to the Pickwick Landing Lock and Dam at 02:00 pm and the Green Light was on when we got the Lock within sight .. we locked up about 60 feet .. we made our way on to the Tenn-Tom and were docked at the Marina by 04:00 pm .. the Crew ( Bernie and Barb ) from SITTING DUCK helped us with our lines when we pulled up to the Fuel Dock for the night .. we had cocktails with Bernie and Barb on Dee Light and then we all went took the Marina’s Van to The Rib Cage for dinner .. the food and conversation were both GREAT .. the Colts beat Huston and the Packers did not lose today as they had a bye this weekend in preparation for their game with the Minnesota Vikings next weekend ..

Travel – New Johnsonville, TN to Pickwick Dam, TN – 1 Lock today and 59 Locks To Date – 120 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4707 ..

Monday October 27 - Grand Harbor Condominiums & Marina - Pickwick Dam, TN - (888) 689-5551 – Mile 449.7 .. $0.80 / foot .. the Marina was formerly the Pickwick Tenn-Tom Marina .. it is a very good
5 Anchor Marina .. it is a large Marina and they have it all at reasonable prices .. SITTING DUCK made it down River at 07:30 am in the fog .. we were at the Aqua Yacht Harbor and tied off to the Fuel Dock by 08:00 am .. after getting Dee Light docked we had a strong Diesel odor reeking from the Engine Room .. we later discovered that it was coming from a broken Fuel Sensor on our Port Engine .. the same part had broken on the Starboard Engine in the fall of 2001 .. when we replaced it at that time we bought a second part for ‘just in case’ .. Marv was able to do the replacement work and clean up the ‘mess’ that it caused .. we found SOUVINOR ( Dick and Diane – Afton MN ) on G Dock .. they will be heading South to Florida very soon .. SEA HORSE made it to the Marina about 01:30 pm .. we had Aqua do some work on Dee Light .. when they moved us they used their Work Boat due to the low water elevation in the Marina .. the Work Boat ran out of fuel as hey were moving Dee Light and drifted into very a shallow area where our Port Engine Water Inlet must have picked up some ‘slug’ .. the Impellor that we just had replaced at GTB had to be replaced again .. we have hardly had a mechanical problem for our entire trip and now it seams like ‘when it rains it pours’ .. after getting it replaced we decided to put on Fuel .. we did not need Fuel at this time but they had a good price on Diesel so we decided to fuel up ..

Engine Hours – Port Engine .. 2163.1 – Starboard Engine .. 2173.1

.. as we were finishing up fueling and as the sun was setting Ann and John ( LORIEN ) pulled into the Marina .. after cocktails we all took the Marina’s Van to Jon’s Pier at Pickwick for dinner ..

Travel – Pickwick Dam, TN to Iuka, MS – 0 Lock today and 59 Locks To Date – 2 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4709

Tuesday October 28 - Aqua Yacht Harbor - Iuka, MS - (662) 423-2222 – Mile 448 .. $0.00 / foot .. since we had fueled up they did not charge us for dockage at all .. we had a great sunrise .. lets hope that the sunrise is a good sing for our travels ahead .. the mechanic from Aqua checked out his work on Dee Light ( Impellor ) and we pulled out of the Marina at 08:45 am .. John and Ann were taking on Fuel when we left and were soon behind us .. we met three Towboats and we tried to call them on the Marine Radio but we did not get any responses from them at all .. we locked thru our three Locks today with SEA HORSE and DREAM CHASER .. the first lockage was 84 feet down and the other two were 30 feet down .. Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam - this is the highest Lock on the entire Loop .. we heard LORIN on the Marine Radio locking thru behind us .. Betty has a sore shoulder from either working on Dee Light or from the weather sooo we took our time at each of the Locks and kept Dee Light heading towards warm weather .. HEADLINES – Fires are Ragging in Southern California .. the fires are the largest ever in the State of California .. since we were with two Trawlers we had a slow day thru the Locks .. we made it to the Marina at 03:00 pm with SEA HORSE right in front of us .. when we checked in at the Marina Office Autumn got a big Dog Treat from the Harbor Master .. the weather was great all day .. the forecast was for rain but we had a sunny day with clear skies .. but it was COLD with a high temp of 65 degrees .. just as it was turning dark ( BLACK ) we contacted LORINE on the Marine Radio .. they were just going thru the last Lock and were about 5 long miles away .. LORINE got to the Marina just after 0600 pm and it was totally DARK .. Betty had cocktails ready for the two of them as they stepped off their boat .. when we all migrated to Dee Lights Back Deck with oversized ‘stiff’ drinks John and Ann shared their hair raising experience from the Lock to the Marina in the dark .. John described how it was to operate LORINE with one hand holding their Handheld Spot Light, one hand on the Wheel, the Marine Radio held under his arm, loosing his power to the Radar Unit, trying to read the Charts, getting pieces of navigation information from a number of boaters, in unfamiliar waters, the plastic Bridge Enclosure impairing his vision, etc all in the DARK with Ann at the Bow clarifying the colors of the Channel Markers .. after the nerves were calmed down we took one of the better Marina Vans to town for dinner .. Marv drove the Van as he was the one that the Harbor Master had shared the unique qualities with .. i.e. Reverse is in Neutral, Neutral is in Reverse, Drive is in Reverse, etc .. but it did have doors and we made it safe and sound ..

Travel – Iuka, MS to Fulton, MS – 3 Lock today and 62 Locks To Date – 55 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4764

Wednesday October 29 - Midway Marina - Fulton, MS - (662) 862-7306 – Mile 394.0 .. $0.60 / foot .. we woke up to heavy FOG .. the Marina has Cable TV and Channel 6 is out of Tupelo Mississippi the home of Elvis Presley and it is a ‘Down Home Country Channel’ .. we called ahead to the Lock and at 07:45 am we left the Marina with LORINE, SEA HORSE, and THE JOBSITE .. THE JOBSITE had filled up with fuel before leaving the Marina so we had a little wait .. the other two boats at the Marina decided to stay at the Marina and head out later .. just as we left the Marina the fog became so dense that we could not see at all .. we used our Radar, Plotter and Betty stood at the Bow yelling out directions .. when we were about half way to the Lock it did start to clear and by the time that we got to the Lock we could see quite well .. we met a number of Towboats heading North and we had a wait at two of the Locks .. when we locked thru the Glover Wilkins Lock Betty secured two Lilly Pads from the top of the Bollard that we tied off to .. the weather today could not have been better .. sunny, 80 plus degrees, no wind at all and the Fall Colors all around us .. SEA HOURSE did not make it to our last Lock of the day to Lock thru with us as the Lock had a North bound Towboat that they had to lock thru after us .. we pulled into the Marina at 03:00 pm .. we cleaned the exterior of Dee Light and did laundry .. LORINE made it to the Marina at about 03:45 pm and SEA HORSE followed at about 04:45 pm .. about 05:45 pm another 60 Viking ( SERENITY ) docked directly behind us .. after they got tied off we talked with them ( Henry and Sue Merce ) .. they are from Sylvania Ohio near Put-in Bay and are doing the Great Loop .. they will be spending a few days at the Marina and tour the Columbus area by car .. we took the Marinas Diesel Truck into town for dinner at J Broussard’s and it was GREAT !! ..
.. John and Ann said that they were going to spend an extra day at Columbus so Thursday we will be heading out without them ..

Travel – Fulton, MS to Columbus, MS – 4 Lock today and 66 Locks To Date – 65 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4829 ..

Thursday October 30 - Columbus Marina - Columbus, MS - (662) 327-8450 – Mile 335 .. $0.75 / foot .. at 03:00 am we heard a Towboat going thru the Columbus Lock .. at 05:45 am we were having a cup of coffee and we heard a South bound 136 footer ( JANIE II – Kingston ) call the Lock .. the Lockmaster said that he would have the Lock ready for them .. sooo we flew out of bed and contacted the Lock .. by 06:35 am we were locked thru with the 136 footer and three Bass Boats .. once out of the Lock we contacted JANIE II and passed them as they were going to maintain a speed of 10 knots .. the skies were clear and there was no fog at all .. yesterday we had a few Duck Blinds ( clumps of Lilly Pads – Hyacinth ) and today we had had many Duck Blinds to dodge and even a few Dolphins ( large Logs ) are starting to appear .. we made it thru the Howell Heflin Lock & Dam by 11:30 am .. our last Lock of the day .. many of the trees had Spanish Moss clusters in them .. we made it to the Marina at 02:45 pm but they had two other boats waiting in the River .. soooo we waited in the River also .. at 03:45 pm we were told to enter the Harbor and raft off on the Port Side of QUE BELLA a 60 1997 Jefferson in rough shape .. the Marina was filled with a number of Loopers .. we had a great dinner at the restaurant right at the Marina .. New Orleans Bar & Grill .. the restaurant was filled with boaters .. deep fried Onion Basket, deep fried Buns and deep fried Cheese Cake .. yes we are in the South ..

Travel – Columbus, MS to Demopolis, AL – 3 Lock today and 69 Locks To Date – 119 Miles Today – Cumulative Miles 4948 ..

Friday October 31 - Demopolis Yacht Basin - Demopolis, AL - (334) 289-4374 – Mile 216 .. $1.00 / foot .. since we were rafted off to the side of QUE BELLA and since they wanted to head out early at 05:45 we untied Dee Light from their side and when they pulled out we took their place on the Fuel Dock .. we had Dee Light tied off by 06:00 am .. a number of Loopers ( AT ASE .. ODYSSE .. EASY GOING . etc ) and other boats that were in the Marina that were heading South all left at 06:00 am and headed down River to the Demopolis Lock .. when the Marina Staff got to work we fueled up

Engine Hours – Port Engine .. 2187.7 – Starboard Engine .. 2197.7

.. we re-docked Dee Light after fueling up .. all afternoon a number of boats started to fill the Marina again today .. then about 03:00 pm three boats came into the Marina .. a 57 foot Bayliner ( DISTANT SHORES ) rafted off to our Starboard Side .. an 81 foot CheoyLee ( ‘N MYDREAMS ) docked directly behind us and the 136 footer ( JAMIE II ) docked on the other side of the Fuel Dock from us .. JAMIE II was built in Spain and was owned by the King of Spain .. the current owner keeps the boat in Fort Lauderdale Florida and brought it up the River System for the Alabama – Tennessee game that went into five overtimes .. we saw the game over TV when we were at the Pebble Island Marina in New Johnsonville Tennessee .. about 04:30 pm we heard SEA QUESTERED over the Marine Radio .. when they made it to the Marina it went directly to the Lift Well and was pulled to switch out their Props as they had gone aground again .. their hired Captain was twisting his beard and shaking his head as he headed down the Dock .. we ended up having dinner with the couple from SEA HORSE at the New Orleans Bar & Grill .. after dinner JAMIE II had to move to make room for a Towboat to take on fuel .. and about 09:00 pm we heard SLOW MOV’N OUTLAW II from Ozona FL ( 56 Carver ) calling the Marina .. they wanted Fuel and dockage for the night .. this Marina is a zoo .. when they pulled into the Marina Marv and the Dock Hand helped them dock their boat .. they said that the last 50 miles in the dark were very loooong miles ..

Link to our - Trip Log of the last Leg of our Great Loop Trip - LEG I