Safety , Safety , Safety

As I mentioned yesterday safety is of the most importance to everyone on the water.....or at least it certainly should be. This picture is of a whirlpool caused by the lockmaster opening the intakes for the water to fill the lock chamber. There are signs galore but people still take chances and get too close to the lock gates where these whirlpools will take control of your boat and destroy it. Most of the signs I have seen at locks and dams say stay back 800 feet. There is a reason and you can see it in this picture. While we were watching this whirlpool a large spoonbill fish about 5 feet long got into the whirlpool and that was the last we saw of him as he went round and round and disappeared ....as if he were flushed down a drain. The force of this water is so strong there would be no fighting back you and ..or your boat would be completely out of control. The whirlpool was apx 10 feet in diameter...BIG...thanx again for checking in Tom

Tour of the Demopolis Lock and Dam

This is Thursday morning's tour of the lock and dam . As you can imagine it was quite infomative and very, very interesting.

This picture is the lockmaster talking to our group of seven boaters from the marina. He was really glad to see us for I think he is a little bored and even lonesome at times. We are standing on the lock wall as he is talking with us. He actually took us into his little control house and showed us how to fill and empty the lock. We also had three corp of engineers people talk with us. Two of them actually grew up in Demopolis and the third came to work here from Louisianna. They were also informative for they take care of a lot of land along this river system along with every buoy in the river from Mobile to The Pickwick Pool. They of course have a tow in front of their headquarters to work with as they do their jobs up and down the river. You would be surprised how much of the land in some areas that our government owns. This area is referred to as land management . We talked about sea level, tows and their effect on the economy, the maintaining of a lock, proper ways to address the lockmaster when locking thru, the special equipment he has in his office, safety safety and safety. Every lockmaster you meet has a great story or stories of strange things they have seen happen. The two stories we heard today were about the two boys who rode their wave runners full blast over the dam, and passed eight signs warning them to stop before they got to the dam. They were not hurt and rode them all the way to the bottom. They have sued. The other story involved a young man who was supposed to pull the rope on the outside of the lock to notify the lockmaster he wanted to lock thru on his wave runner. Instead the boy climbed the lock wall to the top and then climbed the fence and went over the razor wire and walked down the lock wall to the lockmaster requesting to be locked thru. WOW.......Thanx for checking in Tom

A Little Humor

As I have mentioned before all boating is not just fun and games. Sometimes there is work to be done and sometimes it is not pretty and alot of fun. If you turn the picture sideways to look at it you will see what technological boating instrument I am working on at this particular time. Look closely for clues. Hope you enjoy a little laugh at my expense. Thanx for checking in Tom

Returning To Normal

This big boy is a signal that the locks have been repaired and are now open for navigation. He is sitting at the fuel dock here at Demopolis Marina. The TTB is returning to regular navigation North and South. One going North could be heading for Knoxville or Kentucky Lake and even Nashville.....or maybe Lake Michigan. Going South could be an adventure for the oil is still around in some places even tho the interest has shifted to Michigan and the Kalamazoo River. The big problem with going South is that it is still hurricane season on the Gulf and you could get into some serious trouble if you were careless. Hurricane season ends around the end of November. Hurricane season is generally considered to last six months from June thru November. Once again I thank you for following the blog....Tom....P S this big boy was probably close to 100 feet long.....can you say wowser

THE WALL

This picture was taken outside the boaters lounge on the Wall where we sit almost everyday at apx 3:00 o'clock . The conversations always center on boating and are very infomative

.It is a great place to bring your questions ,someone has already faced the problem you may be contemplating and may have some great advice for you. One of the former boaters painted the WALL in it's decorative state. The lounge behind these boaters has a tv and is air conditioned. It has alot of books to choose from and a small refrig and a microwave to use. It is like our own little community here at the marina. Fans are welcome as you can see and they are located by the prime seats.

My First Attempt At Some Pics....more to follow

This is a picture of the beautiful limestone walls along the banks of the Tenn Tombigbee Waterway. This limestone reminds me of my hometown Bloomington, In. I think Bedford, In. is actually the limestone capital of the world. The TTB is a combination of canals cut through the South but also involving the rivers as it makes it's way to Mobile,Al. on the Gulf of Mexico. This waterway was built in 1985 to alleviate the traffic on the Miss River which empties into the Gulf in New Orleans, La. The waterway is at least 12 to 15 feet in all places for it has to accomodate the heavy traffic composed of tows with their barges. A lot of the way down this system the water is a lot deeper then 12 to 15 feet deep because the rivers are very deep. The Black Warrior River here at Demopolis averages about 40 feet deep . So in boating you must pay attention to your depth finder because you are constantly changing from canal depths to river depths. Thanx for checking in.... Tom

The People

When you read the boating books about traveling you always read about the people met along the way. Statements are the people are wonderful, the people make it so much fun, you meet the most wonderful people, etc etc. Well I want to expand on that a little. The reason we are staying put here in Demopolis this summer is because of the people. We had originally decided to travel to Knoxville but we had done that before so Jan and I decided to just stay where we were and enjoy the people we had met and actually became friends with for life. Not just people you meet and soon forget. This summer has been marvelous. We could not go to the Gulf because of obvious reasons , we were not real excited to repeat a big leg of our previous journey so we stayed put. We have had a ball. The good food, the friendships, the swimming, the activities, the skiing, the tubing, the fishing, the boat rides, the exploring, the anchoring out, the jobs we have completed, etc. This has been amazing. There is plenty of water to explore in this immediate area. We can go 100 miles South, 50 miles North, and 100 miles up the Black Warrior. A little quick math and one can see a possibility of 500 miles of traveling with return trips included. Here at the marina the WALL stil happens almost every day with people like Dale and Joy who have been here for a couple of years. They are from Fla and he is a very hard worker with a wealth of knowledge and she is one of the nicest people you could meet and is also a hard worker. I think there is a misconception that these live aboards are lazy and just here for the fun. Not true...their boats would soon be a shambles if they were not constantly caring for it. Everyone we have met seems to work hard and to be very sharp and knowledgeable. Now do not get me wrong they do like to relax and have fun but it is first things first. Another couple from Montgomery, Jim and Jeannie C, come to their boat for a few weeks each month . They are very nice people who are as sweet as can be and are always game for a lunch at the local Mexican restaurant. Archie the nite watchman who is Black American is really a great gentleman who always has a minute to philosophy about just about anything. Always with a big smile and Southern humor. Smitty is out of New Orleans at the present moment . I say that for he has been everywhere by boat . I can not think of any place to tell you that he has not been. As an example he bought his present boat in South Africa. He is another one that is very, very smart. You students reading this need to realize the importance of knowledge. With knowledge you can do anything. A lack of knowledge will hold you back and keep you from reaching your dreams. Get out there and learn all you can about anything and everything. The owner of the marina restaurant is from the East and is a very friendly guy and quite generous with his continuing band parties at Rattlesnake Bend. Another coming up in early August. Mark Davis is the diesel man I have mentioned before. He owns his own business and has a place on the B W River complete with pontoon, ski boat, and all the shelters and fish tubs and swings and docks etc etc. He has a very nice family. They stopped by yesterday in the ski boat and took me with them to pull the son Justin, on the wake board. We then went on a nice long boat ride around Rattlesnake Bend. Rattlesnake Bend is where the river originally made a 7 or 8 mile U shape and the Corp of Engineers made a cut thru to cut off the U. Well the U is called RSB. It is still the river but is not used very much. That does not cover all the nice people we have met but that will give the idea....also....Southern Hospitality is alive and well. Do not forget Jan met the mayor and his wife uptown and they were very nice to us as complete strangers. Great Summer...thanx for tuning in Tom

Slowed Down

Things here at the DYB Demopolis Yacht Basin have definetly slowed down with the departure of coach and Jan. They left last Thurs for parts unknown. No actually Jan has to get back for grand daughter Lillys b day and for s short follow up class at Indiana State. She goes for some work with the grant she received that began this marvelous adventure. Then it is back to school. Peanut and I have been doing a lot of swimming and a lot of work but it is so hot you can not work all day. Temperatures have been over 100 several of the past few days. Mark Davis has a pontoon boat he lets us borrow for rides and swims etc it has a fish finder on it with a water temperature gauge. The temp was 98 . We went swimming and the top 4 or 5 feet of the surface water was actually hot. Not warm but hot. Not very refreshing. We have been eating a lot of homemade ice cream and fry daddy catfish. When that getsold we go to the restaurant on site and enjoy a big dish of crawfish. Jan was so happy for after being down here for a month eating like that she had only gained half a pound. She did walk every morning with another live aboard here at the marina....so can you say exercise is a good thing ...I think so. Have a big week of jobs planned and then I think Smitty and I are taking a road trip to B and B marina just outside of Chattanooga on the Hiwasee River. We had our boat there for a year....really nice people and a great country singer named Jarrod. Sounds like fun. Well that is my update for now, can not think of anything else exciting. Everyone is excited about BP getting the oil spill under control and that the storm settled down and may actually help by dispersing and breaking up the oil. Thay say there are tiny micro organisms that actually eat the oil and break it down. The storm should help in that process. THANX for tuning in Tom

She is truely a part of our family

A cluster of cypress trees is growing at the end of a nearby slough. We kayaked to them so I could get a few close up shots of these fasinating trees As you can see Peanut rode with us. She loves to ride on the front of our kayaks.

Enjoying Jimmy Buffet with 34,997 of our fellow parrot heads in Gulf Shores

Catch Up

Thought I would share a few photo's with you. We had a great day at rattlesnake cove on the 4th, and a boat full of fun people to spend the day with.

Back From The Gulf

I missed some days of posting for we were at The Gulf of Mexico and time was very scarce. We went there with Mark Davis and his eighteen year old daughter to attend the free Jimmy Buffett concert on the beach. Us and 36,000 others had a great time. The only things allowed in the concert was your blanket and field glasses. But we sure did have a good time and we sure did eat some good sea food. We stayed in a condo on Perdido Beach which is a beautiful place with white sand and blue- green water. Did a lot of swimming and keeping busy site seeing. Went to a place called Flora-Bama enough said on that topic. Went down there on Friday and returned Monday. The boat was still in good shape and the dog -Peanut- was doing just fine staying behind with Dale and Joy -two of our new friends who live aboard here at the marina. We have big plans which we will be reporting to you as they occur. Plans such as a trip to Tuscaloosa to see the Univ of Alabama; a bid fish fry at Mark Davis house on The Black Warrior River; another big catfish has been caught on the trout line , 50 pounder this time to go with the previous 32 pounder; Mark said he is making hush puppies with halopeno peppers in them along with some red beans and rice-sounds good does it not; we are also going fishing and we are going to anchor out. Today we are taking some people to the local Mexican restaurant, which is very good by the way, for lunch for some favors they have done for us. In conclusion we have some people coming to visit which will be fun. We are hoping for son Nate from NY City and friend John Cook from Indiana. So as you can see we are staying busy and having a lot of fun ....all the while we are still doing jobs on the boat. In fact Jan is on the boat while I am posting this and she is cleaning and polishing all of the teak wood in the inside of our boat. And let me tell you that is a lot of wood and I very luckily am not allowed to touch it for obvious reasons.......which does not upset me in the least. I am sitting here on The Wall posting and it is pouring the rain. I have an overhang above me and it is actually cooling things a bit. We had plans to go fishing early this a m but changed them when we awoke to threatening skies. Mark is going to clean that cat this evening so Jan will be able to post some pictures of him. We went over on our own yesterday to take pics of him but he got real aggitated when I tried to pull him up out of the water for the pics. We decided to wait instead of risking letting him get away. He has been tied for a few days with a rope thru his lower jaw . Thank you for reading our blog...sorry I missed a few days. Tom

Photo's from the River

We have decided to stay in Demopolis rather than travel back up to Chattanooga. There is plenty of water to explore, fish to catch and wonderfully nice people to hang out with!

I do envy the simple life - Now

Our famiy camped when I was young. One particularly hot weekend dad was putting up our army surplus tent with my older brother, mom was taking care of my younger brother and I was filling up the water jugs from the nearby faucet, (my job). Across from us was an old fashioned and ornate wagon. I remember being told to be mindful of the owners as they were Gypsies. I remember being fascinated with their dress but the children seemed friendly enough. This particular day the tent was giving dad fits and it was HOT! A little boy wandered over from the wagon and looked in the tent. He looked up at dad and said; you po po people, you ain't got no floor in your tent! He was right we didn't. We slept on cots, had no fancy equipment, and ate well or slim dependent on whether dad was working or the mill was on strike again. My point? We have a nice home and several big boy toys, but none of it has made us any happier than Fred and Sue who have been living, fishing and enjoying the river for fifty years, ( they are in their 70's). They live in a modest home on stilts and enjoy life simply and to the fullest. Always a smile coupled with an exuberant greeting, a fish story or two and a positive attitude. Life for many is so much simpler here and for those we have met it seems to be a rich and happy life...toys not needed.

Eighth Day on the water - time to blog!

From Jan;
I arrived Monday, the 28th. of June at about 2:30pm. When arriving at a new vacation destination, it sometimes takes a bit to "settle in" to your new surroundings and relax. Not so with my arrival at Demopolis Yacht Basin. Stepping on to Laughter was like putting on your favorite lounging clothes after a long day at work. Feel that transition mentally and physically take place.......ahhhhh, It's more than a vacation, It's like coming home!

Rattlesnake Bend

Well ever since I told Jan about the owner of the restaurant here at the marina telling me he was having bands in the sand for a big Fourth Party in the sand ,complete with bands , dancing and hoopla. She had her heart set on seeing what was going on up there. Rattlesnake Bend is so named because they kill rattlers up there. In fact one of theguys who went with us ,David , told a story of him and a buddy killing a rattler in the water while swimming there. It was really a nice place ....big beach area, many boats,and alot of people. It was quite a party. We had 15 people on board and I would like to point the fact that this group of young people on board were as nice and as helpful and as polite as one could want. I really had my confidence in our young people restored. These people even cleaned up all the trash on the boat as they left.As I mentioned pitched in and helped when something needed done. To the point ofsuggesting solutions or just going ahead and getting things done. We have really made some nice friends here in Demopolis...some of them live a boards some of them locals ...most of the locals are thru our friend Mark Davis . He has two wonderful girls and a great son and of course they have friends so that is how we meet so many people . And my cousin Kathy Fornier sp from Bham came down and it was good to see her and she seemed to really have a good time. When we got back we all got unloaded and then went to Mark's house on the Black Warrior for supper beforewatching the fireworks which were set off across the river from the marina...maybe 400 yards from the boat..great view. Oh and I have to mention another local Jan's friend THE MAYOR...Thanks for tuning in Tom

Thursday's Action....Fun,Fun, Fun

Yesterday we got up and at em and got our jobs done early morning. We had lunch and then ran a bunch of errands before the big weekend kicks off. While we were running around ...Jan had three or four stores she wanted to check and I had at least three places tostop....but anyway a man helps Jan out tothe car with some gifts she had bought for back home. He is just talking away with her and is the nicest guy. Jan introduces me to him as a former D 3 football player and he is telling about all the placeshe played at while in school. He says D 3 is where footbal is at anyway for the guys are playing for the love of the game. Anyway he gives me his business card and says if we ever have any trouble around Demopolis just call him. Well I think that is a little unusual so I look at his card.....He is the mayor of Demopolis. So the woman who owns the shop is his wife and he was just stopping by the shop to check on things and gets involved in conversation with Jan and his wife...neat. So we are going to look for him on the Fourth at the parade or at the fireworks. After that we went on a boat ride on our boat with Mark and his two daughters Sarah and Nicole. Sarah is a college softball pitcher and Nicole goes to college this Fall to study to be a vet. The boat had problems because the Impeller that I had put in that leaked on the last boat ride now burnt up and was not pumping water. So on a hot day in the river with Jan driving on one engine Mark and I changed the impeller for a new one. Then things were fine. We camebackto the slip cleaned up and sat on the back deck fishing for an hor and I gave up and went to bed . We were supposed togo over to Mark's and run the trout line with him but we were too tired. The older couple that were his neighbors had taken a 30 lb cat off the line that morning.....can you say catfish sandwich....Thanx for reading along Tom

Thursday and Firing Up for the Big 4th Weekend

Wellyesterday was a good day . Got alot of little jobs caught up and then spent an hour or two on THE WALL with Joy and Dale talking boating. We even got a picture of us signing THE WALL for posterity. Got a call from our friend Mark Davis who owns the diesel company and who did the work on our boat along with Ben Seidel...Iwill check this spelling...anyway we went to Mark's house for the evening. Boy did we have a good time. Mark is an excellent cook especially on his own design grill. He made beer can chickens. One was seasoned with lemon pepper and the other with Slap Ya Mama . They were both delicious along with a baked potato and Butterfinger Cake for desert..spelling. Before we ate he took Jan and me along with Peanut the dog and his daughter Nicole for a pontoon boat ride on the Black Warrior River. What a beautiful nite for a nice slow cruise. He wanted to show us a good fishing spot where he had caught a big blue cat the nite before . When we got to the spot it was set up beautifully for fishing or at least it looked that way. While we enjoyed his fishing hole he looked up and said I am getting ready to get crosswise with someone up there on the river. We all looked up to see two people in a boat just a couple of 100 yards up the river. So Mark started driving that way saying that they were running his trout line. That is something you do not do ,especially in the South and on the river. As we got closer we were all relived to find out it was his neighbor and friend who helped with the line at times. He had his wife of 54 years with him both with life jackets on and telling us of loving the river and of being 74 years old. They also had one big blue cat in their boat from the line they were running. I was surprised to see him baiting the line with goldfish. Yes goldfish about 4inches long. Peanut goes crazy over fishing so she was having a great boat ride. Walking on her hind legs so she could see better over the pontoon's rail. What fun. After the boat ride it was back to his house right on the river so we could eat and discuss THE FOURTH and future boat rides both on his ski boat , pontoon, and our boat......that he laughingly refers to as that yacht. So The Fourth is going to involve three bands up the TTB at Rattlesnake Bend on a sandy beach, city fireworks across the river from the marina, fireworks at Mark's house, accompanied by ribs and a brisket. Stay tuned I will let you hear of the festivities. One more good thing happened yesterday...Nate my son texted and said he was going to be able to sneak in a visit end of July or beginning of August....awesome. Thank you for reading along Tom P S the tender gets tested for leaks today

The Language of Boating

First of all different types of boating have different languages. Sailing for example has a different language than power boating. A small boat that is taken along with the larger boat and used for shorter trips and errands is called a tender on a power boat and a dinghy on a sailboat. The small flag that flies from a pole on your -bow pulpit- is called a- burgee. The -bow- is the front of the boat while the-stern- is the back of the boat-also called the -aft. Starboard- and -port- are commonly used terms meaning the right and left side. The very front of the boat where it cuts through the water will get a dirty brown colored -mustache-in river water. It also makes a large spray of water as it cuts through the water. This is called -pushing water. The- scupper-is an opening for draining water off the side walkways. At opposite ends of the boat are the -bow pulpit- and the- swim platform. The- fly bridge-is the area on top of the boat wher there is a -helm- or driving area located. There are no ropes on a boat they are called -lines. The fly bridge is covered by a -bimini. This is usually a canvas covered top or shade for protection. The maps of the lake or river or body of water you are studying or following are referred to as -charts. The channel markers you are looking to follow are referred to as -cans. When you stop to anchor you usually put out the anchor with a motor called a -windlass. The opening in the bow to allow air to enter the boat is called the -hatch. And the final term today is -bilge. This is the very bottom of the boat where you hope fluids will not gather but they do and then they are pumped out with a bilge pump. TODAYS CHORES include :finishing cleaning the I-glas, checking the patch job on the tender, cleaning the a/c strainer, pumping the bilge, doing some buffing and waxing, and checking the running and anchoring lights. Thanx for checking in Tom

Jobs, Changes, and Anchoring

Today I want to start out with a list of jobs I plan to tackle. Each day I choose from the long list of jobs to do. Also there is always a few left over jobs from the day before to finish up. For example the tender had been leaking before Jan arrived so I waited for her to get here so we could tackle that job together. We took it across the marina to the city park where there is a launching ramp. Pulled it up the ramp, took the motor off and rolled it over. It was unglued where the rubber is attached to the fiberglas bottom. I mean all of one side. So Jan walked back to the marina to get some supplies and adhesive, plus some cold drinks, and to bring back the truck. She was getting a good intro to the heat we have been experiencing. So today that job continues....especially the drying of the glue. I need to Brasso the faucets in both heads. I have some window caulk I need to replace, and finslly I want to shine all of the ising glas or the plastics as some refer to them...ck spelling. THE big change that has upset Jan is the storms coming to the Gulf area have caused the postponement of the concert we had tickets for ...and we are not available for the new date............ I wanted to point out some of the items to beconsidered when anchoring out. We have done very little of it so I am not ready to talk about technique quite yet. We will get to that later this summer for we plan to try it a few times. Although most people say it is just as cheap to stay at a marina as it is to run your generator all night keeping your food cold and your a/c running. Things to consider would include: the type anchor you have, whether you have one or two anchors, what the bottom is, the distance of swing your boat wii incur, the direction of the wind, the direction of the current, and the amount of traffic to go by during the night ....especially tows. Once agagain I thank you for tuning in Tom

The Admiral is Finally Here...Yahoo

Well the Bham airport is really nice. Easy in ..Easy out..pretty plants ,clean. Great access to the interstates. Now that Jan is here the dog that has lived with me for two weeks on the boat does not even know I exist. Glad to have her here and pleased that we can work on boating chores together. With only one person some jobs double their time of completion with all the running back and forth. Bought her to Demopolis and introduced her around. Took her to the wall for some excellent boating conversation, I knew she would love that. TOPIC CHANGE...Ilearned from Bob Lusco and Pete Hansen to do daily engine checks while traveling. You do not do your engine checks while on the move ...what i mean is daily before embarking on another leg of your journey. Two good reasons to do the checks of a morning...one is the engines have cooled down, and two is you are fresher and it does not cut into evening social time. Besides the obvious once over of the entire engine room including the engines, the generator , the couplings, the packings, and the bilge ..looking for fluids, hoping to find none. One would also check the oil and water in all the engines, check the fuel tubes, look for water in the separators, check the batteries for distilled water, and check the transmission oil. All of these are pretty casual but could save a ton of time, money and work if you found something you could solve before it became a big deal...Once again I appreciate your tuning in ..Thanx Tom

Slips

Yesterday while visiting on THE WALL another boater and I were talking and he noticed I had turned the boat around in the slip and he asked me about it. The boat originally had been backed in or as we say sterned in....as opposed to pulled in or bowed in. So he and I began talking about the differences and since I had that as one of my blog topics for the future I decided to use it today. Two obvious things when you pull in..bow in..one is that it is much easier to drive a boat forward than it is to drive it backwards...same as most motorized vehicles. Two is that on our particular boat it is almost impossible to see out the back..some boats are worse than others Jeffersons are notorious. I have received two good ideas since arriving here.....a little camera on the back of the boat much like some cars have or take the back waist high walls out of the corners of the back of the boat and replace them with see through plastic glass. Both of these ideas would help us immensely. Other good reasons to bow in include the shape of the front of the boat it is made to absorb on coming waves as opposed to a flat aft or stern, you can get the dinghy down off the aft roof when bowed in, and you are supposed to start your engined and let them come up to running temperature before pulling out. Diesels put out a lot of smoke and fumes and smell if you put that out where no boats are sitting your fellow boaters will appreciate that.....people do die from carbon monoxide. I know there is a debate on whether diesels put out co or not . I tend to lean toward the affirmative on that issue. If you bow in you miss a lot of the action on the dock in front of you , but that can be a good thing. One must also consider how much sun do you want. Mrs Hines, Jan, and I like to fish off our boat in the marinas at night so we like to sit on the aft deck and fish off the back so pulling in is a good idea. My final idea is just my conjecture but I feel the boat is actually safer sterned in rather than bowed in because bowed in makes it easy for people in boats to board your boat from the water which is a sneakier way to get on your boat. There is not a lot of that going on but it does happen. We prefer bowing in. Thank you for following along Tom

The day before the admiral arrives

Well I am excited because Jan flys into Bham airport tomorrow at 11:00. I have been down here two weeks with our dog Peanut and we have had a great time and done a bunch of work. But it is time to reunite the family and get on with our travels. Had a good day yesterday with alot of work done until about 1:00 and then lunch and the soccer game in the boaters air conditioned lounge. Several other boaters were in there talking and watching the game. After the gameMark Davis the owner of Riverside Diesel called and asked me over for a visit and beer can chickens on the grill. He live just a few miles from the marina on the Black Warrior River. He really has a great set up over there, back on a little bay off the river proper. It is so hot down here you can bet there was a lot of boaters out cooling off on a Sat afternoon. One thing about river boating is you can boat almost EVERY day. On Lake Michigan you can only boat when the waves and the wind and the weather permit....sometimes those days are few and far between. You can tell already that it is going to be very hot today. ..... I want to mention some of the many fluids a boat needs to have on board. This is just to give you an idea of some of the small things one has to consider in boating. I say small things but if you run out of them and need them all of a sudden it is not a small thing. Our two Cummins diesel engines have their own cooling system like a car does complete with antifreeze and they are also fresh water cooled out of the river. They also each hold 15 gallons of oil. There transmission uses straight 30 weight oil as its lubricant. The generator uses 10 w 30 oil and has two cooling systems just like the engines. The engine oil is 15 w 40. The rudders and steering resovoir..check the spelling...use automatic transmission fluid type A or dexron II. Finally the trim tabs use ATF generally 90 wt. So there is a little brief rundown on the fluids needed and the variety...do not get confused and mix them or you will have a very expensive disaster. P S you also need some type of diesel treatment for you fill ups to keep the diesel from gelling. And on and on we go...Thanks for reading Tom

Up and at em at 6 30 this beautiful Sat morn here at Demopolis Marina on the TTB Waterway. We are receiving a lot of new boaters from the Gulf daily. The marina is basically full at this time. Most everyone I talk to says even tho it is an extremely serious problem with the oil they themselves have not seen any oil in the waters. The new word as of yesterday was that a storm was brewing of the Yucatan Penn and could very well go thru the Gulf to Texas or to Louisiana. ....This marina sets here on the waterway as the water is running north to south. The fuel dock as is usually the case is the first part of the marina so it is easily accessible. The outside or western most section is for tow boats only. They come and go constantly for this is the first real fuel dock off north of Mobile. The inside of the dock is for boaters only for fuel and pump out. Then from west to east there are three docks hooked together in a pitchfork arrangement. A, B, and C docks as a designation. C dock is covered. I get up at apx 6 00 each a m and come to THE WALL in front of the boaters lounge and restroom area. This building looks out over the entire scene and is the site of our daily rondevous..knew I could not spell that word. We meet here in the late afternoon and visit socialize..c o for Jim Doane...These people are so nice . We share concerns ...talk about boating questions ...ideas....and solutions. They all work together ,helping each other to enjoy the pleasures of boating . It is really neat. Yesterday was Fri which is special but it was also Joy's b day so we all went to the local Mexican restaurant together for lunch and for her b day celebration. One of the gentlemen boaters who is a very nice guy asked Dale and I if we could lift a bid 8d battery off his boat for him this a m . That is the kind of cooperation I am talking about. Couple other examples would be that Dale has sewen window covers for the front and side windows on our boat. They are beautiful and the Capt is going to love them. They are really neat for you can see out but can not see in. Another helpful guy is Smitty fro New Orleans who tells of being laid up with leg problems as a kid so he got interested in ham radio and radios in general. He found out that we have a bad hum in our fly bridge radio so he has been on our boat daily checking and checking and I am positive he is going to find our problem. He is on a mission. As I sit here this morn and look out I see a tow fueling up and a huge pleasure boat at the fuel dock. A few sailors are up and working on the decks of their boats. One very interesting fact and I may be off with my facts a little but I am close some of these tows will buy 25 to 30 000 gallons of fuel at a time the tankers that deliver the fuel only hold 10 ooo so that takes a lot of tankers coming and going 24 hrs a day to keep the fuel dock supplied. P S the fuel dock is open 24 hrs a day....busy little place...hope that gives you a little thumb nail of what this place is like....Thanks for reading and following along stay in touch...have received emails and call and sincerely appreciate it...good to hear from you all...Tom

Readers and this beautiful morning

Up here on the wall this a m and it is about 6 15 I can see that the river is as smooth as glass even tho it is flowing. There are a couple of marina workers already out and about for they start at 6 00 because it gets so hot mid day. I see a couple of people over cleaning a sailboat and one worker with a boat owner working on an engine on a nice new fancy boat that just came in yesterday. Have a nice little breeze this a m but that will not last long. The new rest rooms are to open today ...that will make Capt Jan happy. She does not think marinas in general do a very good job with their rest rooms. A CHANGE OF TOPIC...I wanted to mention the audience that we hope is following our adventures and blogs for this summer. The reason to mention this is so that readers do not get the wrong idea on some of what is said. We are by no means boating experts nor do we try to be . We just want to have fun, learn, boat, enjoy, laugh, and travel. We blog for our fellow boaters back home, our new boater friends, Mrs Hines' staff, students,and parents, along with our friends and relatives. So as you can see we have HOPEFULLY quite a diversified group to address. So if some of it is boring to you or to simple for you please realize who we are trying to reach. Thanks for understanding. Well yesterday I adjusted the impeller that was leaking while we did our test run on Wed , I then sanded some marine tex spots I had repaired earlier in the week. Marine Tex is an epoxy mixture that is usually very white and then becomes quite hard as it dries. It can be sanded and painted if you wish. I also got our dingy down from the top of the aft deck roof and took it for a shake down ride. By then it was reall hot so I cooled it. Hope you enjoy following along..Thanx for reading Tom

The Boat

Well yesterday was the day of truth, the pumps had come back fro Midwest Fuel Injection in Bolongbrook, Il and it was time to see if that in fact had been the cause of the surging problem. So Mark Davis the diesel man down here in Demopolis and I went on a boat ride. The boat ran exceptionally well. We went up the Black Warrior River several miles running the boat at different rpm s so as to try every speed for a period of time. The boat never surged once and was very smooth. This BW river is really something. Beautiful places to anchor, fifty feet deep most of the way, and very peaceful and secluded. Gorgeous, gorgeous,gorgeous. The boat is a 42 foot Jefferson with two state rooms with heads in each, a living salon, a galley, an aft deck and a fly bridge, and a large bow area on the front. I really should not say on the front, for that is not a boat term.......some boating language I will get into in a future posting. The boat has two Cummins engines that are 5.9s. The boat cruises very comfortably at apx 8 to 10 knots, it will cruise at 20 to 25 knots comfortably and very expensive. The fuel tanks of which there are two each hold 175 gal of diesel fuel. This is a total of 350 gallons at apx 3.00 dollars a gallon so there you go....fill er up for apx 1050 dollars...the good news is that will last all summer.. we get 2 miles to the gallon...so 700 miles...that is a nice summers travel...thanx again for checking in Tom

Plans

I will be here the rest of this week working on the boat. Right now it is just Peanut the dog and me. Jan or Mrs Hines as her students know her will be here next Monday and we have some exciting plans popping up for us to do before we head up the TTB and onto the Tenn River headed to Chatta andKnoxville. The TTB designation will always be for the Tenn Tom Bigbie Waterway. The plans include a free iol spill concert by Jimmy Buffett on the beach at Gulf Shores to benefit the area of the disaster. I guess famous entertainers from country music to New Orleans jazz musicians are signing on. Just an attempt to get people to come down there. We are also going to anchor out at least one night to try and sharpen or refresh our anchoring skills. I will talk more about the five to one ratio at another time. We are also planning a quick trip up the Black Warrior River before we head to the Tenn River. The W leave Birmingham comes thru Tuscaloosa past the Univ of Al and empties into the TTB right here at Demopolis. Final plan so far to do here is on the FOURTH of JULY when the owner of the restaurant on site is planning a big hoopla up the river at Rattle Snake Bend. Complete with refreshments and food and three bands playing in the sand on a beach there. So we are excited so much to do before we ever leave Demopolis. Thanx for reading and following along. Sincerely Tom. PS those of you who know we had surging problems with the starboard cummins diesel engine the two pumps have been repaired by Ben Seidel in Chicago and installed in the boat for a test run today...YAHOO...Thanx Ben

Getting ready for the annual summer boat trip

I have been here at Demopolis in Al for a week or more and to say it has been hot would be an under statement. We have had over 100 degree days every day. Gets so hot you have to work inside the boat in the afternoon for it is too hot outside. Thank goodness for the A C. I want to catch up on the jobs I have been working on since my arrival but I am not going to list them all. It has been fun for me for I like to tinker and keep busy. I go to Walmart once a week and I do my laundry once a week and the majority of the time I am working on the boat. A boat is like a house there is always work to be done. Boatng is not just fun and games all the time it is like most things-a lot of work to finally realize the fun. Some of the major jobs have included changing impellers in the two engines and the generator, fixing the two strainers for the AC and the generator, painting the aft deck, checking all saftey items and 100 other little jobs. I have been here a while and still have a lot to do. I have met a lot of nice people and we gather each day in front of the boaters lounge and visit for at least two hours after we get our work done for the day. I will try to keep up the posts and stay in touch.at least until the Admiral gets here. You see I am the Captain and Jan is the Admiral or as I like to put it she is the real Captain. Email us please. Signing off Tom.