The World Cruise of Veleda IV

We encounter a mysterious hulk .. no, not Elvis

On October 29, 1998, we weighed anchor and proceeded down the Tennessee River going past the Shiloh Battlefield we had visited the day before. We were able to get through the Pickwick Lock immediately, and were alongside the Pickwick Ten-Tom Marina by 1055. This is a first class marina with modern floating docks, a marina store, showers, etc. The people were most friendly and apologetic over the fact that they just had a power failure and had no water pressure and also did not have any diesel fuel left in their tanks. Power and water pressure were restored shortly, and we had a lovely shower, and also used their telephone to send out some E-mail. Fortunately just a few miles along was another first class marina, Aqua Yacht Harbour, where we topped up our diesel and water tanks. Then we motored another two miles back to anchor in a lovely little bay called Stick Cove.

Judy wanted to anchor there as our Ten-Tom Waterway guide indicated there were swarms of butterflies on Ten-Tom Island, and Stick Cove is the only anchorage on it. However, when we passed the mouth of the cove we saw a power boat stretched across the inner bay of the cove. We went in anyway. There was nobody on the boat. It looked abandoned. As we scanned it with the binoculars, we noticed it was damaged and several holes were in the superstructure and several portholes were torn off or badly broken. We didn't know what to think. Was it abandoned? Was it stolen and stripped? Was it used for drugs? We were afraid to go too close to it, and so did not even launch our dinghy. We did stay all night and left first thing in the morning. No one was seen on the boat over night. As we left I called Pickwick Ten-Tom Marina to report this derelict. We didn't want to call earlier in case there were criminal elements involved. We could imagine all sorts of bizarre scenarios to account for this ghost ship. The man at the marina indicated it was an eyesore that belonged to a couple of locals who came down periodically to fish or party. It did not leave the anchorage month in and month out. It was a shame, as it was a lovely anchorage which most boaters would not enter as this boat was stretched across the inner bay and created a crowded situation (except for nervy people such as me). Oh well, at least there were no bodies decomposing on board.

The location of this cove was at TT 448.7 (Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway), and only 448.7 land miles to go to Mobile, Alabama, the start of this waterway and the end of the river systems for us. Incidentally, we did not see many butterflies at Stick Cove.

When we were at the Pickwick Marina the day before we sent and received some E-mail. One of the messages was from Bob Anglin, a fellow boater in the Toronto Power and Sail Squadron and member of the World Cruising Club from Toronto. He asked us to look out for a cousin of his, George Van Nostrand and his wife Sheilah, in a trawler called Dreamcatcher, who left Ontario in August and were coming down the Ten-Tom as well. The next day after we left Stick Cove, we were approaching Whitten Lock and were asked to wait a few minutes for a power vessel coming down and wanting to lock through. Guess who? Bob Anglin's cousin and wife. We hailed them on the VHF as I recognized the name of their boat, Dreamcatcher, from Bob's E-mail, and they were on the lookout for us as Bob told them of our trip. So we shared the next two locks (Montgomery Lock and Ranken Lock) with them, although as they were faster than us, they had to wait a bit at each lock for us to catch up. They then went on ahead.

The river widened out into marshy lowlands and we had to stay within the buoyed channel as the water shoaled very rapidly outside it in spots. The water was still muddy brown making it impossible to see bottom, and our depth sounder was still unreliable. We saw many bass boats with people fishing in the shallows. There were many stumps as this area was flooded when the Ten-Tom waterway was created. Now, south of Tennessee and into the state of Mississippi, we realized we were in the deep south.

We arrived at Midway Marina (TT mile 394.0) at 1710 to be helped alongside by not only George and Sheilah from Dreamcatcher, but also Ed and Ev Van Allen from Cassia Lea, whom we had met a few days earlier when we were anchored above the Shiloh Battlefield. It was nice to renew their acquaintance. The marina was again a very nice friendly location. That night they were having a Hallowe'en pot-luck supper for the regulars and we were invited. It was an enjoyable evening and all the other boaters were quite friendly. Many of them were live-aboards. The couple who owned the place were from up north and when motoring down to the Gulf saw this marina for sale, bought it and have been there ever since, enjoying the boaters and the local community of Fulton.

It is a good marina with gas and diesel, as well as repair facilities. I was having trouble with my 9.9 hp outboard on Sprite. It sometimes would not open up enough to get the dinghy on a plane. The mechanic was also a live aboard at the marina. The motor needed a new electronic timing device as the old one was not working properly. Of course they did not have one in stock, but could order one from their supplier in Tupelo, about 20 miles away. So, off I went with him and had a good drive through the local area. We even stopped at the HOME OF ELVIS, and saw the hardware store where Elvis got his first guitar! We also picked up some extra spark plugs for the motor and had them gapped for me. The marina had a courtesy car which we used to get groceries. We did a laundry there as well. I mention the facilities as some people think there are too few and inadequate marinas on this way south. We had no problem in finding marinas at convenient locations with power, fuel, pumpouts, water, laundromats, clean showers, and repair facilities all down the Ten-Tom Waterway.

We stayed at Midway Marina for two days, leaving at 0645 on November 1 for a long day, going through four locks before anchoring at 1700, 52 land miles down from Midway at Barton Ferry Cutoff. We were now at Mile 342.9 on the Tombigbee River. Because the river winds around the straightened channel, there are many oxbow cutoffs where there are good anchorages. In many other places, the channel simply followed the twists and turns of the existing river. There was one stretch where we travelled 18 convoluted miles along the river to make less than 6 miles straight distance.

Next Log

Links:

Official Elvis Site