Demopolis, AL has a unique history, see the post from November 16, 2017.
I stopped for fuel and got a slip for the night. After 3 nights of showers on the boat, and then starting to sweat as soon as you got dried off (at 10:00 at night), I was ready for a nice shower and A/C on the boat. It has been hot and humid. I have also noticed that the engine has been running about 5 degrees hotter than normal, not in the danger zone but unusual, so I wanted to check this out. First, I tried to dive under the boat and look at the raw water intake, but it was too dark to see anything. I decided that back flushing the system would be the best option. In that process I found some deteriorated hoses. They probably would have been fine all the way to KY Lake, but I would have worried about them all the way, so I decided to replace them. I found one of the hoses I needed at the marina store right on the property. I searched the town over before I finally found the other hose I needed. Back to the boat to put all the pieces back together and get underway. Which I did by 10:30.
At noon I spotted a tow about 3.5 miles ahead on the AIS, Miss Lillie. At this point the lock was about 40 miles away. I am traveling about 7.2 MPH and the tow was traveling about 6.7 MPH. When it comes to locks, Commercial Vessels (e.g. a tow boat) have priority over Recreational Vessels (RVs). If a Tow is coming and the lock cannot get the RV through and have the lock ready for the Tow before it gets there, the RV has to wait. I have to pass this tow and put enough distance between me and him to get into the lock before he reports in to the Lockmaster. I start doing the calculations. It’s going to be close. And Sunset is at 7:45, and the anchorage I want is 4 miles past the lock, or I can anchor just before the lock and then it doesn’t matter if I beat him to the lock.(Teachers, just think of the math lesson plans from this scenario.)
It’s going to be close, so my only hope is that he has to slow down or stop when he meets another tow. I keep an eye on him for the next 5 hours and realize it just isn’t going to happen, I have him in sight, but I am not going to be able to pass him and get to the lock the required 20 minutes before him. It gets even worse when I see on the AIS another tow on the other side of the lock heading for the lock, and he is closer to it than we are, so we are going to have to wait on the southbound tow to lock through before Miss Lillie can lock through and then me. I slow up to accept my fate, I will have to stay at the anchorage below the lock and lock through in the morning. But then as we approach the lock Miss Lillie calls the lockmaster and reports he is about 20 minutes out and there is an RV following named Lesson Plan. You can probably lock us through together. Yippie!!! I am going to make it to the Sumpter Recreation Area after all.
Miss Lillie entered the lock and then the lockmaster told me to come on in and grab the first pin, so I could scoot on out of there in front of Miss Lillie. I did just that, I looped my line around the first pin I came to. After the chamber was filled and the doors opened, I released my line and tried to push off the wall to get out ahead of Miss Lillie. The prop wash from the tow boat kept me pinned against the wall and I had to proceed slowly down the wall hoping that my ball fenders kept the side of the boat from getting scraped up by the concrete wall. It occurred to me later that the lockmaster probably meant grab the front pin when he said the first pin.
Lesson Learned
Always position yourself as far forward as possible when locking through with a tow.
I haven't been able to upload pictures because I have been mostly at anchor, no free WiFi.
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