Day's log for Sunday, September 9th, 2001 - Demopolis, AL

I changed the engine oil

Jim showed up. He had wanted to join me in Mobile but I was not able to contact him until yesterday. There is no GSM service on the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers except where I-20 crosses and at Columbus, MS. We got groceries and other supplies we needed. The most difficult thing to find was stove alcohol. Jim and I kicked around alternatives such as:

  1. Cooking on a citronella bucket. I would fashion extra wicks from wire and rope to make the flame bigger. I never actually tried it.
  2. Using rubbing alcohol. Jim tried it once and wound up with a stove half full of water. It works as long as the water is dumped out. My origo stove has gauze so it would be hard to get the water out.
  3. Cold rations. Forget this!
Here are some pictures of Demopolis Yacht Basin in West Central Alabama. This is the by far the biggest stop on the Tenn-Tom since Mobile.

Here is a large steel boat. Back in May 2000 I had come through Demopolis on my way back from Mobile looking for dockage down there and surveying the Tenn-Tom waterway. I saw this boat and was thinking if it got into the right hands it could be restored and enjoyed.

Here's a nifty Chinese Junk. The cabin is all teak.

Now we're starting to get into hilly country a bit. Of course there's no wind today.

There were plenty of barges near Demopolis. By now I had it down pat what they and I expected of each other when passing.

1530 - left dock after taking on water

1556 - passed mile 218.2

1607 - passed mile 219.4

1610 - passed mile 220.3

1625 - passed mile 221.6

1703 - passed mile 225.7

1714 - passed mile 226.7

1747 - passed mile 230.4

1801 - passed mile 231.7

1815 - passed mile 233.0

1835 - passed mile 235.1

1851 - passed mile 236.8

1900 - dropped fore and aft anchors at mile 237.9

Jim remarked that two contrails formed an "X" marking the spot in the sky over where we anchored. He also brought a LED based flashlight that had a long clear tube for making a light marker. This he put up on the after mast to augment the anchor light and make us more visible.

Thus ended another long day on the river. It was still wilderness but we passed some white cliffs.

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