Cook's Bend Cut-off to Near Collision on Steiner's Bend

December 2 - 3, 2016

We were very comfortable at our anchorage on Cook's Bend Cut-off. Dave was up at 6:10. The temperature was 36F, our coldest day on the trip so far. We could see our breath in the cabin. The river was completely fogged in. We had to wait for it to lift. We sat back and enjoyed that first cup of coffee which is always the best. We didn’t mind the wait. When the sun finally burned through, we pulled our anchors up to find that Mucho Gusto had hooked a beer can on the tip of their anchor. It was a Bud Light! We all got a good laugh over that!

Bud Light anyone?

Rhonda working the anchor

Morning fog at Cook's Bend Cut-off anchorage

Fog is lifting slowly

The sun shines through

The waterway is lined with trees draped in Spanish moss; it’s hauntingly beautiful. We arrived at the Hefflin lock around 10:15 but had to wait for a power boat named Anytime Baby. The Lock Master commented that you could easily get in trouble with a name like that. He instructed us to move all the way forward in the chamber then changed his mind and had us stop at the first floating bollard. As I leaned forward to wrap my line I had to laugh. Henry (and Mickey too) had tagged the bollard. I wouldn’t have seen it had we moved forward as first directed.

Spanish moss covered trees

Anytime Baby trying to tie off at the Hefflin Lock

Hefflin Lock and Dam

I found Henry's bollard tag

Henry & Mickey Too!

We made it to our next anchorage at Rattlesnake Bend at dusk. Neither of us like to anchor in the dark but there are times when even though we’ve planned well, we get delayed. This time it was the lock that held us up. Rattlesnake Bend was another gorgeous anchorage. We entered the channel and made our way about a half mile up it before anchoring. It was quiet and secluded with deep orange fall colors reflecting on the water. We were all exhausted from being up late last night so we went right below to retire for the evening. In the morning, we woke to deep fog and frost on the deck. The outside temperature was 35F; the inside of our cabin was 52F.

Mucho Gusto on Rattlesnake Bend

Morning fog on Rattlesnake Bend

Fog lifting on Rattlesnake Bend

Reflections of fog

Ground fog Reflection

Ready to pull anchor

Mystic and Mucho Gusto anchored
on Rattlesnake Bend

Demopolis was only ten miles from our anchorage. It's a place where many Loopers make a stop but it was so early in the day that we decided to continue onward through the lock to anchor further down river. Rhonda called ahead and was informed there would be a 1.5 hour wait for the lock through. Since we had the time, Mucho Gusto pulled into Demopolis Marina and fueled up. While they were fueling, they got a text from motor vessel Bob Tale who had been holed up in Demopolis for weeks, waiting on repairs. We hadn’t seen Paul and Jeanne since Green Turtle Bay. It’s always nice to reconnect with cruisers you know and it was good to hear that they are doing well. As we entered the Demopolis lock we got a glimpse of the dam on the other side. It was spectacular. We got settled quickly but had to wait for a power boat named Heaven Can Wait. They had a lot of trouble tying off to the wall. The Lock Master came out to help. It turned out they had lost their rear thrusters. It took them quite some time to tie off safely. I took photos of the overflowing dam on our way out of the lock. My photos do no justice in showing the beauty of that rushing water!

Leaving the Demopolis Lock

Egret at top of the lock wall

Demopolis Dam

Demopolis Dam

Water flowing over rock formations south of Demopolis Dam

The shoreline is very pretty with fall colors in shades of brown and burnt red. It is lined with sandy beaches and white cliffs. As we motored along the waterway I noticed the ground fog separating into spirals that lifted and elongated to look like tiny twisting tornadoes which floated upward before evaporating into the sunlight. It was fascinating. Eagles and herons feed along the shallows. We passed three huge paper wasp nests and searched for alligators but found only logs.

White rock shoreline

Following Mucho Gusto around the bend

More rock formations

Flat rock walls

Dave navigating the winding waterway

Stained rocks

Paper Wasp's Nest

This part of the Tombigbee winds back and forth and wiggles like a snake. The channel often narrows. We had to wait at one bend for a Tow to maneuver before we could pass. Once again, we found ourselves arriving at our anchorage late in the day. We chose Edna’s Bend but ended up dropping anchor further south at Steiner's Bend. The river has many of with these bends which are really just a wide spot outside of the channel. It seems to be a nice place to sit for the night. Big A, a tow we passed heading south earlier in the day, cruised by us. Dave called him on the VHF to ask him if he thought we’d be safe here. He said we’d found a good spot. Dave asked if he would let other Tow Captains know we were here. He promised to do so. A little later we heard him on the radio telling a Northbound Tow, the Ella Gertrude, “There are two pleasure craft right up there on Steiner's Bend. You’ll see them homin' there alongside the right descending bank.” We settled in next to a green channel marker and had Scott and Rhonda over for dinner on Mystic. We put charcoal in our coal stove to warm up our cabin; our first time ever using our coal fireplace. It was a lovely evening.

Coal fireplace warming Mystic's cabin

A short time later, a huge spotlight lit up our cabin and a frazzled voice came over the radio. We heard, "Well that's a hell of a place to anchor!" The Tow Captain of the Ella Gertrude had nearly run us over. The captain was upset with us but it appeared that he had missed the bend. He was pushing a large empty tow. These tows can get going pretty fast when they are empty. We stood by the radio and watched him get his load back on track, ready to assist, in any way, if needed. He made several forward and backward adjustments then passed us. As soon as he was gone, we picked up anchor and moved 100 yards north behind the green marker in the hopes of being safer there. It was 7:30 in the evening and pitch black outside. We'd just been through a terrifying experience. None of us would be getting any sleep tonight. The party was over, so we went to bed hoping there wouldn't be much traffic on the waterway while we slept. Dave counted a total of 12 tows that passed us overnight; 6 southbound and 6 northbound. Not one of them came anywhere near as close to us as the the Ella Gertrude did. 

Our anchorage was just inside the green marker