Smithville, mile 376.7

We left Aqua Marina at 7:30 this morning and happily said good-bye to the lumber mill smell that hung over the area. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, usually called the Tenn-Tom, connects the Tennessee River with the old Tombigbee River, with lots of help from humans. Miles of canals were dug, locks were built, dams created lakes behind them, and many ox-bows were straightened on the Tombigbee. The massive project was finished in the mid-1980s. Boat traffic, both pleasure and commercial, can reach cities like Chattanooga, and Pittsburgh without the great turbulance of the Mississippi and in half the distance. 

 We only met two commercial tows on the water today. While I was at the helm, I had loads of room to pass. However, when Don was steering, the canal was quite narrow. In this picture you can just see a tiny bit of the land on the right hand side. This was a "one whistle pass", meaning you move to the right. 

 We went through four locks today. We had to wait for the first one, but after that, the lockmasters called the next lock to say we were coming. The locks were opened and ready for us!  We only saw one other cruising boat all day.   

We are at Smithville Marina. It's quite run-down but the people are very friendly, and we're delighted to have cable TV and internet! 

Yesterday we had heavy rain and some fog for about four hours as a cold front came by, but we didn't mind since there were no thunderstorms or high winds. We had the radar on just in case, but we could always see the next buoy. Tomorrow there is a 30% chance of thunderstorms, and if the weather is good early in the morning, we will leave.