Mobile Alabama Mystic Has Arrived

December 5 - 6, 2016

Arriving at the Three Rivers anchorage after dark was unpleasant, but we had a peaceful night on the hook. When we woke, we could see why this was a favorite choice for dropping the hook. It was in the middle of deep woods, serene and private. The channel was very narrow but far less than we thought last night. It was simply lovely in the daylight.

Three Rivers Anchorage

We left Three Rivers around 7:00, headed for the Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama where we could tie up for two nights. The waterway is lined with birds fishing along the sandy shoreline. We are starting to see turtles again too. It's very windy today and the channel is rather narrow. After about 18 miles, the channel opened up wide! Once we passed the Alabama River and the Tensas the channel narrowed again. Dave and Scott had been watching the weather all day. Around 12:30 we had to find shelter after we received tornado watch warnings over the VHF radio. We were able to tuck into Bayou Matche, a small anchorage just off the waterway with houses dotting it's southern shore. Mucho Gusto slipped in first with Mystic following. We rafted together, just in time, as the sky opened up and rain fell in buckets! The storms and radio warnings continued through the night. There was no way we'd be able to leave our little cove today. Mobile would have to wait! Dave put our clear hatch cover in so we could watch the storms. Somehow mosquitoes were finding their way into our cabin. We must have killed a hundred of the little suckers! Each time we'd put out the lights we'd hear them buzzing around our heads. Dave always brags that he can sleep through the buzzing but the truth is, they only bite me. How lucky is he!

Mucho Gusto tucked into Bayou Matche

View looking through clear hatch cover

Bayou Matche anchorage just off of waterway

In the morning, we uncoupled our boats and pulled anchor. We've been putting out anchor trip lines because the waterway is full of debris and fallen trees that settle at the bottom. It is common for anchors to get caught under this debris. The trip line allows us to pull our anchor from a different direction than the anchor line; backwards, which essentially unhooks it from the debris. Often, snagged anchors have to be abandoned. Today, Mystic's anchor was stuck! It took a bit of work but Dave was able to release it using the trip line. Unfortunately, the trip line was also tangled but Dave just untied the attached fender and pulled the rope free by weaving it back through the debris; losing our anchor avoided!

Mucho Gusto making a tight turn to leave Bayou Matche

Dave untangling the anchor and trip line

Our first glimpse of sun after the storm

There are so many more birds now, including brown and white pelicans, gulls and cormorants. The pelicans make dramatic swan dives to capture their meal. The splash is enormous and reminds me of the flying carp we watched on the Mississippi. We are in tidal waters now; the tide is going out, which helps us move toward Mobile. We pass under the I65 which is referred to as the Dolly Parton Bridge for obvious reasons. We heard that most people believe Dolly is flattered by this reference. Next, we pass under the Big Bayou Canot train bridge. In 1993 a train derailed here, killing 37 and injuring 103. It remains the deadliest train wreck in Amtrak history. The accident was caused by damage to the span and rails after a tow of heavy barges collided with the bridge only a few minutes before the derailment.

Approaching the Dolly Parton (I65) Bridge in Mobile

Passing under the curves (arches)

Mucho Gusto following our lead

Big Bayou Canot train bridge

Our first glimpse of Mobile

As we start to see glimpses of downtown, the river gets busier. We catch up to a sailboat named Paloma (Dove) and pass her. The convention center comes into view around noon. We passed it, then turned back to tie off facing upstream against the current. We had a tough time getting our boats settled. The busy river traffic made wakes that bounced us into the hard plastic posts along the wall. The cleats were very far apart making it difficult to get our lines just right. We both managed to get a few new dings in the process. We called security at the convention center to register our boats for the overnight stay and then walked into town for lunch. Scott and Rhonda lived here for four years so they know their way around. They brought us to Bienville Square Park and to Loda for lunch. Everyone is in a great mood! It's December 6th and we made it to Mobile, Alabama; almost exactly three months since leaving our home port in Knife River, MN.