Another long day down the Tombigbee River



Today was a beautiful day and we traveled 88 miles to anchor on the Tensaw River.  We said goodbye to the locks for a while.  Our next lock will be in Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway! We are now in tidal water and will soon see the "Gulf of Wigglesworth," says Donald.

The most exciting part of today's trip for me was that we passed a tug named The Captain Kenny Cady!  I never run into anyone named Cady!  Kenny hails from Slidell Louisiana, so I'll guess I will have to see if we are related somehow. We both waved at each other as we passed. Cady for me, is like Parker for Don (mom's maiden names).

And I learned something new today! When we radioed one of the captains, requesting what side to pass him on, he said "the one to one." Don knew what that meant but I did not.  So, here's your history lesson: Whistle signals were developed before the advent of VHF radios for communication between two passing vessels. Port to Port passing is 1 whistle and Starboard to Starboard is 2 whistles!

The next captain we passed said come by on the 1 whistle, and Don replied - coming on the 1.  Out of the clear blue, the captain on the previously passed tug, "said there goes the neighborhood." 😉

And if that wasn't enough, later down the river, a fishing boat sped by and one of the passengers "flashed us."  Top only!  He looked to be about 200 lbs.

That's a pretty good synopsis of life on the Tombigbee River.

Next stop, Mobile Alabama

Hauling Fossil Fuels
Captain Kenny Cady
from Slidell LA


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Loop - Part 2 - Chesapeake Bay north to Canada and back to the USA!

Image
 May 7, 2025 We're back to looping!  Hooray!  We departed Kent Island today and motored to Dundalk, which is a suburb of Baltimore about 35 miles by water!  Took us 3+ hours! First of all, thanks to Ed and Heather for the generosity and time!  Always fun "hanging" out with them! And so happy to see brother Dave, Gulmira and Sanzhar - thanks for the great dinner.  Also had a short visit with Bess! And spent two days with my friend Jill who moved to Alexandria this past year,. She's my "Oregon" buddy even though we met at UC Davis, Trip to Baltimore included passing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, passing the Pride of Baltimore II, and getting out of the shipping lane at the request of a Panamanian freighter, named "Diva." I was driving! Docked at Anchor Bay East.  You can stay for free if you eat at their restaurant - such a deal and the food is delicious! Here are some photos to enjoy! Leaving Kent Island Under the Bay Bridge Old Railroad bridge i...
Read more

May 23 - May 30 - Branford Yacht Club to Pilot's Point (Westbrook) to Mystic and back to Pilot's Point

Image
I'm sure you've been wondering where we've been.  We've been landlubbers - staying in a house, sleeping in a real (no-boat) bed and doing laundry! And drinking (that's Don's addition). It's been family time with Don's sister Anne, husband, John, niece Lakie, husband Kevin and grandniece Parker! And site seeing in Mystic & Stonington CT. Anne and John are fantastic hosts, tour guides and chauffeurs! For those that do not know Mystic, it was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784.  It is now best known for its charm, downtown area, the Mystic River Bascule bridge and the Mystic Seaport Museum. If you love boats and the seafaring ways of old, this is the place for you. One highlight of the visit was meeting our great niece, Parker!  She is a busy young lady but took to us right away. And it was great to see Parker's other grandparents - Armand and Kathy! Of course, we ate at all the hot spots...
Read more

Delaware CIty, DE to Cape May, NJ

Image
On Mother's Day, we had the pleasure of cruising down the Delaware River into the Delaware Bay to reach our final destination Cape May, NJ.   On the way we passed two light houses, two large container boats and saw two dolphin sightings.  The amazing thing about the journey was that it can be a treacherous trip under the wrong conditions; but the gods were with us, as we had no wind and the tide in our favor.  We reached Cape May and the South Jersey Marina by 4 pm. Cape May is a cute town and seaside resort with some lovely Victorian houses (sorry no pictures) and great little shopping area at the Washington Street outdoor mall.  We walked 4 miles RT to Washington street, found the beach and a tequila bar! Since we had another day, we decided to ride our bikes and went from one end of the shore to another about a 12-mile trek. Don found a good surfer's shore break on the south end of the cape - too cold for him to surf!  There is also a sizeable commercial...
Read more