Turner Marina Mobile Alabama

December 7 - 13, 2016

Spending the night tied to the Mobile Convention Center wall wasn’t bad. The river is a busy waterway with a lot of traffic so we got rocked a bit. Downtown and waterway noises filled the night but did not hinder our sleep. This is a free tie up with easy access to town; definitely a treat! In the morning, Dave and I went off in search of a cup of coffee. We found a cute place called Mostly Muffins. They had maps on the walls with push pins marking where their patrons had come from. I proudly added a pin somewhere between Duluth and Two Harbors, MN.

Mostly Muffins ~ Mobile, AL

Mostly Muffins Patron Map #1

Mostly Muffins Patron Map #2

My purple pin marking a spot between
Duluth and Two Harbors, MN

There is an ice rink near the convention center where you can skate as long as you wish for only $10. They were cleaning the ice melt off when we walked by. We asked if we could make our friends a snowball. The workers smiled as we molded a whopper! Rhonda and Scott, who are originally from the Chicago area, laughed when we tossed a little bit of home to them.

Ice Skating in Mobile, AL

My Uncles, Fred and Ron, live in Mobile. They came to the Convention Center to meet Scott and Rhonda then gather us up for some sightseeing. We drove through Foley, Fairhope and the Gulf Shores before stopping in Robertsdale, AL for lunch at Ivey’s. We had a fabulous meal of catfish, blackened shrimp and eggplant. Mystic is sitting on top of the Bankhead Tunnel that runs under Mobile. Fred drove us through on our way home so we could, literally, drive underneath our boat. We were up til 10:30 enjoying each other's company, talking and laughing and sipping wine in my uncle's kitchen. When we returned to Mystic, Mucho Gusto was gone. They had made the crossing to Turner Marine. We would be staying at the Convention Center another night.

Uncles Ron & Fred

Fred telling stories to Rhonda and Scott

Fabulous food at Ivey's ~ Robertsdale, AL

We headed off the convention center dock around 8:30 and cruised south out of downtown and into the bay. There was a Bubba Gump type fishing boat, with nets out the back, circling inside the narrow channel. Dave tried to hail them on the radio but got no answer. I grabbed the binoculars and could see that everyone was on deck, working the nets. The boat was on autopilot. This unnerved us. We weren’t sure how to pass, but we noticed that each time the boat circled, the circle got smaller. There was plenty of room to avoid collision if we were careful.

Carnival Fantasy docked in Mobile

Mobile Container Terminal

Naval Research Laboratory ~ Former USS Shadwell

Fishing Vessel Lady Lauren in Mobile Bay

As we entered the bay, I was delighted to see a pair of dolphin in front of us, moving in perfect tandem curves of surface, dive, surface dive off of our bow. Dave did not see them because he was focused on a big power boat coming toward us in the bay. It was throwing a huge wake. I hailed them on the radio to request that they slow down. Mystic was in choppy waters with wind that was building steadily. We were having some trouble under these conditions. Our conversation went something like this; "This is sailboat Mystic, heading out bound out of Mobile, calling the motor vessel entering Mobile up bound. Do you copy?" To my surprise, the response I got was, "This is the US Coast Guard; please switch to channel 13" Oh boy!!! I switched to 13 and called back "Mystic on Channel 13; would it be possible for you to slow down just a little as you pass? We are having a heck of a time in the turbulence." The US Coast Guard responded, "Oh yes, ma'am, we are already pulling back at this time. You have a safe trip now!"

The crossing of Mobile Bay is something we won't ever forget. It was right up there with the other terrifying experiences we've encountered so far. The channel is shallow and narrow so there is very little wiggle room for navigation. We had a North wind pushing us out into the bay for 10 miles or so. The wind kept building as we moved along. At the Dog River bend we had to make a turn to the west which put us into a side roll with four foot waves slamming our starboard side. It was unpleasant until we slipped under the Dog River Bridge and got relief from the conditions. This was not an ideal day to be making this crossing. We should have left with Mucho Gusto yesterday but we were having too much fun with my uncles. Woulda, shoulda, coulda!!!

Turner Marine is just under the Dog River Bridge (I63). We were directed to tie up on the South wall just inside the Marina. Scott and Rhonda, along with several yard workers and boat owners come out to greet us. We made our way in slowly and promptly ran aground. Mystic draws 5’6” which means we need about six feet of water to float. The bottom is muddy here so it is a soft grounding. It’s low tide but the North wind has pushed the water out of the river making it shallower than normal. We are able to back off the mud and slip into the marina from a different angle. This time, we make our way to the North wall. We ran aground again as we backed Mystic into our slip. Almost all the way in, but not quite, she settles into the mud. We will be fine here. The wind will calm and the water will rise. Eventually we will float. The slips here are Mediterranean style, with tiny triangle docks instead of long piers, which makes it difficult for us to come and go from our muddy perch. Scott and Rhonda let us borrow a ramp to make shore life available to us while we are grounded.

Turner Marine Website

Turner Marine, just under the Dog River Bridge

Turner Marine view from shore

Mystic in her slip at Turner Marine, Mobile AL

We plan to step our mast on Friday. Dave worked on preparing Mystic while I do laundry and clean the boat. We both get showers, our first in more than a week! The wind howls for over 24 hours, not allowing water back into Dog River. It becomes apparent to us that Mystic is still resting in the mud on Friday morning. We can’t get out of the slip. Once again, we must rely on plan B, the stepping will have to wait until we return at the end of January.

We are so happy to be settled at Turner’s. Mystic will call Mobile “home” for the next couple months while we make our holiday detour to Minnesota and Orlando Florida. We take a deep breath and count our many blessings!