Day 38 - this place rocks — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 35 Fuel purchased 148 gallons, Fuel purchased $387 Slip fee $0 Daily high temperature 75*F – it feels a lot hotter.

We spent a quiet evening in Big Bayou Canot. We anchored with bow and stern anchors because the bayou is narrow and we need to keep the channel open for other boats to pass. Another boat named Recovery Room arrived and anchored near us. Then they pulled anchor and decided to make the rest of the trip to Mobile in the dark. They had already travelled 200 miles from Demopolis that day. They will have to pass under the 14 mile bridge to get to Mobile tonight. We wish them luck.

Priscilla and I took the dingy up the river for a few miles. There are some fishing shacks accessible only by water. We did not see many birds. There was one Ibis that we followed up the river. Every time we got close he would fly way and we would follow. Eventually we gave up after getting too many long distance photos that have a white dot in the middle.

In the morning the direction of the tide had changed and the current had swung us near the shore. The shore is trees in a swamp and we had 12′ depth all the way to the edge. We were being held by our stern anchor. We took up on the bow chain to get us a few more feet off the edge. Later we tied a fender to the stern anchor and tossed it off. The boat swung around to the middle of the river on the bow anchor. I went to retrieve the stern anchor using the dingy. I could not lift it free. I returned to CL and we hoisted the bow anchor. Then we retrieved the fender and freed the stern anchor. After all of that we had to lower the swim platform and secure the dingy. Now we are on our way for the final leg of our river journey.

We have traveled almost 1,500 miles from Waukegan to Mobile. The final obstacle on the river was the 14 Mile Bridge. The span was open and we cruised right under. We will cruise into Mobile Bay to buoy #64 and head due east to Fly Creek which is at Fairhope, Alabama. He will stay at the Eastern Shore Marina until November 1.

The 14 mile bridge was open and we passed through.

There is a lot of industry in Mobile. Here is a photo of a naval vessel under construction at the Austal Shipyard.

When we entered Mobile Bay we were immediately greeted by two dolphins swimming in our wake and hundreds of pelicans and seagulls chasing the shrimp boats. The bay is wide and shallow except for the ship canal. We cruised south down the bay and turned east to go to Fly Creek in Fairhope, Alabama.

We are at this working boat yard because we will have some routine maintenance work done on CL while we are here. The town of Fairhope is a few miles away and they offer a courtesy car so we signed up for it. We received two nights free dockage. One night free for being Loopers and one night free for buying 150 gallons or more of fuel. The 148 gallons we bought was close enough. Fly Creek is open to the west with no protection from the waves. We are tied securely in our slip but I must say – this place rocks.

We have completed the first segment of the Loop which is Chicago to Mobile. We have cruised 1,460 miles and purchased 1,633 gallons of diesel fuel, The next section of our Loop adventure will be Mobile Bay to Key West. Stay tuned.

We are the red triangle on the east side of Mobile Bay.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.
“Your vessel should always be ready to clear out at a moment’s notice, so have your exit strategy well prepared.”
– Dr. Philip Meakins