Tenn-Tom Locks

Almost.... a perfect day on the Tenn-Tom. We left Bobby's Fish Camp this morning at 6:00am sharp. We had a great run. We had a short stop in Demopolis for fuel at $2.69/gallon, but otherwise, we kept it moving all day. We ran 217 miles to Stennis Lock, the 4th lock of the day when the boating Gods put the halt on us. We were literally just one mile from the marina where we planned to spend the night, but we had to get through the lock first. We arrived at the lock at 10 minutes to 5:00pm. But the dreaded Delta Express, a tow boat with two barges full of Benzene, a hazardous material, kept us from our final destination of the Columbus Marina.

So we arrive at Stannis Lock at 4:50. We didn't go through the lock until 6:45pm. Almost a 2 hour wait for one stinking barge. That is just how it goes sometimes. We finally tied up at Columbus Marina at 7:00 pm. It was ALMOST the perfect day running the Tenn-Tom, but it wasn't meant to be. Be rest assured, that first beer that Mike, Bob and I had once we got tied up never tasted so good. So we finished in 13 hours, 218 miles on 400 gallons of fuel.

The worst part is we will somehow have to get around the Delta Express tomorrow. We could end up only going 50 or 60 miles if we don't hit the locks right. Stay tuned...


The first lock of the day.




Mike, the owner is driving while Bob enjoys the view.


This is one of the floating pins in the locks. It is a little different than what most folks are used to seeing in a lock.