December 7-8, 2024

We leave Bobby’s and head down river. Along the way are scenic rock formations.

There are lots of switchbacks on this waterway.

There are red and green nautical markers to mark where to navigate, avoiding shallows and shoals. Keep it between the red and green!

When headed down river the red markers are on your port side (left) and green markers are on your starboard (right).
There are no marinas so we anchor out on the Tensaw River. We get there with what we think is plenty of time to get our anchor set BUT the windlass (basically this is the anchor winch) doesn’t work. We are certain it is a fuse but can’t find the fuse location to reset it. It is getting dark fast and there is no other way to release the anchor. Plan B is to use a spare anchor stored under the master berth. We haul it out and Alan does his Boy Scout sailor thing and fashions multiple knots to hold this spare anchor off the bow of the boat. We drop it in the water and get it “set” (hold on the bottom). Now it is way past happy hour and we are a bit stressed after having to improvise a solution. I get the Anchor Pro app activated to sound the alarm if our boat moves beyond the distance of an anchor swing (based on how much line we released into the water). Neither of us sleeps well when we anchor out. There are visions of breaking free and floating into the main channel where commercial barges pass 24/7. In addition to the app, we get up every couple hours to check all is well. We are tired but get an early start at 6:30am and are greeted with a beautiful sunrise.

We start the last leg of our trip down the TennTom, headed to Mobile Bay. Our planned destination is Grand Mariner Marina in Mobile. The intent is to refuel and head out the next day for a short run to Gulf Shores. A huge barge comes around a bend in front of us and we dosey-dough around each other.

Since the TennTom has narrow width, it is typically necessary to contact the barge Captain on the radio to coordinate how we pass. Barge Captains are very experienced and have the larger slower moving vessel and provide their preferred way to dance around each other. Later we encounter a railroad bridge that is closed. Using our binoculars we read a sign on the bridge with a phone number to call. They were doing work on the bridge and had it closed. We had to wait 10-15 minutes for them to open so we could pass through.

Constant lookout is required since debris is possible and could cause damage to your engine propeller.

As we get closer to Mobile Bay, river traffic picks up and gets far more industrial. Luckily it is a Sunday and most businesses are closed. We pass by many container ships and barges.

And just like that we are in Mobile Bay with multiple channels, increased waves and barge traffic. Just when we were feeling comfortable boating on the TennTom we find ourselves in a whole new environment. Grand Mariner Marina is expecting us at the fuel dock. It has been a long few days and we are anxious to get diesel tanks filled, get Nauti Nerds settled in for the night.

This marina has a nice bar and restaurant. We treat ourselves to Happy Hour to celebrate our arrival. This bar is known for their Mudslide drink so of course we had to try it. YUM!!