Tackling Tombigbee

Today, Bob, Brett and Colin left Kentucky Lake and had another eventful day after - wait for it - putting more fuel in the tank at the Aqua Yacht Harbor.

Fueling the Tank

Brett's Morning Coffee

Tombigbee River Alabama

The first stop was to be the Pick Wick Lake area. Leaving the harbor, they began their descent of the Tennessee Tombigbee waterway and entered the State of Mississippi.  In 1810, the citizens of Knox County, Tennessee (current location of Knoxville) petitioned the U.S. Congress to build the waterway that would shorten the distance by more than 800 miles for trade with New Orleans, Mobile and other ports along the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after Alabama joined the union in 1819, the state hired an engineer to survey its rivers, including a possible connection with the Tennessee River. After a very controversial long battle and a comparatively short 12 years of construction, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was completed on December 12, 1984 at a total cost of nearly $2 billion.

Their day ended at the Midway Marina after getting through 3 locks including the Whitten L&D,  Mile 411.9, which has a lift of 84 feet and is the 4th highest single lift lock in the nation.  It is located in Tishomingo County near Belmont, MS.  Whitten L&D is the northernmost lock on the Tenn-Tom. The dam forms a 6,600-acre lake that joins the so-called Divide Cut canal, and ultimately connects the Tenn-Tom with the Tennessee River. 

From Late Date's Bridge Looking Out from Midway