Alabammy Bound
(Not a chronology)
By
CHARLES C.CULOTTA, JR.

It was all The Wife's idea to do the Alabama River to Montgomery. This brilliant thought occurred during
Trawler Fest in Clear Lake (Houston) after talking to Fred Myers and purchasing his cruise guide to the
Tenn-Tom. Little did I know that only 4 pages of aforementioned guide are dedicated to the 288 mile
Alabama River!

When I would tell someone we were planning a trip to Montgomery they would ask "Why?" My reply
was a quote from Sir Edmond Hillery, "Because it's there". The plans were laid & Pat spent 3 days loading
food, clothes and ? on board. My marshalling of chart books, local knowledge and tourist information
consumed about 3 weeks and many phone calls.

The trip consists of several legs; 115 miles from our home west of Patterson to New Orleans; then 269
miles through Lake Ponchartrain & the Mississippi Sound to Mobile, Alabama. (Round trip total of
1300miles). Of course we made a number of overnight stops along the way for visits. At Oak Harbor in
Slidell, La. The Lts. CC & Marcie Culotta, USCG came on board and briefed us on the security being
implemented in the Port of New Orleans as a result of the September 11 tragedy.

THE WIFE adds, that after hearing years (5) of "horror stories" about the Harvey & Industrial Locks in
New Orleans, she was most pleased that it really isn't anything to be concerned about and highly
recommends seeing New Orleans from the River (the Big One).
We also stopped in Gulfport, Mississippi at their municipal marina, known as "Burt Jones Yacht Basin". If
you can, do put it down as a must stop. The manageDr,. J. Ziegler and his employees could not have
been more accmmodating.

The real jumping off point for the Alabama is Dog River about 15 miles below Mobile. While visiting there
with Charles & Janine Witt (a CHB & TWL listee and MTOA member) there came a knock on the boat.
I did not recognize the lady but she explained that our boat and hers passed in the Gulf ICW about 2 years
ago and we spoke on the VHF. She actually saw us from a bridge about a ½ mile away and recognized
the CC RIDER. What do you know-her boat is in the same marina! On the return trip to the same marina
immediately after docking a man came up and said the recognized the name on my boat but could not
remember where or when. I asked the name of his and recalled talking to him on the VHF in Texas in
May!!!

Small world, after all.

By the way THE WIFE refers to the TWL listees as "Twills", CHB listees as "Chubbies" and the "voice"
on the National Weather Service as "Senor Sea Fog".

Later that evening we retired to the Marina Restaurant and there was one of the people, (whom I had
never met) but had phoned for information on the Alabama River!! Charles Witt recognized him, having
met him a few years before. He shared the popular opinion that we were a little nuts to do the Alabama
River and suggested that we go to Biloxi or Appalachiacola instead, (been there, done that). One thing in
particular that I remember him saying was "Man you are on your own up there, no cell phone and no
marinas or anything".

Since this would be the last marina for the next 350 miles we topped off all tanks, water and fuel. The
Witts were gracious enough to drive us to the grocery store for a few last minute supplies.
After passing through Mobile there would be no town until Selma, Alabama at mile 205 and then
Montgomery at mile 288. So little traffic, that after Mobile, we saw only 1 yacht & 1 tow boat in 45 miles
of the Mobile River to its' junction with the Alabama.

We were told that there would be no traffic at all on the Alabama and there is none. The river is, at its first
reach from mile "0" to the Claiborne Lock @ mile 72, a bit difficult to navigate, had to reduce even the
slow trawler speed, as it has many sand bars (usually well marked) and is relatively shallow. The rock
jetties are marked with a single 25to 30 ft piling with a yellow buoy attached to that on a long cable-hard
to miss. The redeeming qualities are solitude, no cell phone nor VHF coverage, hard to find even a
broadcast band station, AM or FM, no traffic and you can anchor almost anywhere. There are beautiful
vistas; bluffs, birds and even a 6-point buck deer lying on the riverbank watching us go by. With the
current, only one anchor is needed on this reach as well as the second reach above this lock. Sand bottom
therefore no mud to wash off of the anchor. This reach was much less taxing on the return as the river had
risen about 1.5 ft. We also saw two really big alligators each over 10 ft fully grown and of all things a wild
turkey.

Above Claiborne Lock, the river is much deeper (28-40 feet) and without the sand bars, rock jetties, pile
jetties and fallen trees along the banks. Travel becomes substantially less tedious and even The Wife is
willing to act as wheelman for a while.

We were pushing trying to make it to the Claiborne Lock by 4 p.m. as it opens on the even numbered
hours only. Upon raising the Lock Master on the VHF we learned that traveling boats are locked thru at
any time! Pleasant surprise. By the way, so many people I talk to are deathly afraid of locks. I have been
transiting them for many, many years and there is ABSOLUTELY nothing to fear. Granted there are many
types and some require a different approach than others but ask someone who has done them or at least
the lock keeper for the correct procedure BEFORE entering the chamber. Trust me on this one; it ain't
rocket science. I digress.

On this reach the terrain starts to get hilly and the scenery improves greatly with the bluffs and dense
foliage. Some of the prettiest vistas were the numerous creeks that empty into the river through deep
ravines with the trees and moss hanging almost to the water. There are many rock walls with water seeping
from them that trickles down to the river. We came upon two men in a skiff who were harvesting fresh
water oysters as he called them, actually muscles. As my friends in Vernon Parish (La.) would say," I've
been to two hog callins and a turkey shoot and ain't never seen nothing like that"!
In south Louisiana and Texas there are numerous cable operated ferries all of which have the cable run
under water. We saw one on the Alabama that has the cable strung overhead and a large spool that looks
for all the world like a paddle wheel, to pull the ferry across the river.
An economic tidbit is that EVERY commercial loading dock/facility on the river is shut down, not one is
operating. I think that it is problematic as to how much longer the Corps will operate these locks. The
power plants yes, but not the locks.

Above the Millers Ferry Lock the river really hits it's stride, wide and deep 40 to 55 ft deep. Strict
navigation is no longer required and relaxation and enjoying the scenery is the order of the day. This is truly
the most scenic reach interspersed with long distances of wilderness and then groups of nice homes one of
which is a replica of "Tara". Another home had a civil war era cannon facing the river, not a field piece but
of bombardment size.

We may honestly say that we have taken CC RIDER to the Appalachian Mountains, as this is
archeologically true. The tip of the chain is at Montgomery!! In honor of this auspicious occasion I played
my Bluegrass C D's, all of them. (Other sections called for Vivaldi and Wagner). We transited three locks
30,48 and 45 ft for a total lift of 123 ft. Still no traffic at all, in fact, on the entire Alabama we met only one
commercial vessel and no pleasure boats just some small johnboats and pontoon party barges.
When traveling the Gulf of Mexico coast through Louisiana and Texas everyone you meet waves to you as
you pass and of course the courtesy is returned (or initiated as the case may be) but not on the Alabama, it
was difficult to get people to wave. It came to a point that Pat or I would step out of the pilothouse and
wave until we got a return wave!

We had planned a stop at the only other town on the river, Selma, but due to lack of a suitable place to
anchor, (no way to get into the 'marina' as it is suitable only for bass boats and the like) we continued on to
an anchorage too many miles up river. A long day! Unfortunately the city has provided no access from the
river that bisects it and there are numerous historic buildings along the river calling out to be seen! (At
Montgomery we rented a car to tour the area and did visit Selma. It is well worth the t i mOne) t.his reach
we encountered something that really shook me when I first saw it. In the middle of the river the water was
boiling as though there was a sand bar or other underwater obstruction. I stopped and attempted to go
around but could not due to lack of depth.

Fortunately we were headed up current, which was stiff at this point, to say the least, and I could stop and
hold. Anyway, after careful probing it turned out to be the underwater discharge from a paper mill. The
effluent colored the river brown. Obviously it is non-toxic but it certainly leaves something to be desired in
the, pardon the pun, stream of ecological consciousness! Besides that, it smelled terrible. Right, and the
EPA have us going through gyrations with holding tanks ad-nauseum. Interestingly, the mill has its water
intake ABOVE the discharge!!!!

After spending five days on the river we arrived in Montgomery at the Montgomery Marina owned and
operated by Captain Pat Dozier and his daughter Laura. More pleasant and interesting hosts cannot be
found. This is a real neat "down home" operation, very laid back. Pat had us tied to his floating sports bar,
an old head boat converted for the purpose.

He installed a 50amp receptacle just for us! They also have a grand little restaurant up the hill overlooking
the marina, under spreading oak trees that serves a killer hamburger steak and bleu cheese burgers. The
bar in the restaurant is made of a genuine old 25 ft wood skiff, very imaginative and attractive.
Here we found one other trawler style, a 36 Gulf Star and the obligatory Sea Ray with a, ugh, pwc on the
swim platform.

Naturally we had to experience some mechanical malfunction, an impeller failed on the raw water pump on
one of the Perkins. While I was down in the holy place effecting the repair and Pat was at the wheel
running slow on the other engine I came up with a great idea on how she and I could communicate.
Sometime back we purchased from E-Toys two-way radio voice activated headphones for use while
docking. These were perfect for this situation. We could easily keep each other apprized of what was
happening. It worked absolutely perfectly. Hay, and they are only about $20 per pair.
Below each dam the water level is subject to significant fluctuation so all docks are floating and utilize a
unique hinge affair that involves some mechanical gymnastics. Long pipes, as long as 25 to 30 ft, lead up
the bank to posts where they are hinged. The other ends are hinged on the dock thus allowing the dock to
float up and down freely. Guy lines up and down stream counter the current.
Obviously there is little theft problem judging by the boats and motors left unattended along the entire river.

NAVIGATION CONSIDERATIONS

A good friend, (John Webb, yachtsman, boat builder and writer extraordinaire) asked me to keep a log
and report to him so that he could determine if this was a "boat trip or a voyage". This was a voyage!! A
boat trip is marina-to-marina, plug into plenty of shore power each night, go out to restaurants and darn
little navigation. From the moment we passed mile "0" on the Alabama we were glued to the chart book,
GPS and clock. This is no mamby- pamby river, it requires, no, demands attention. I equate it to a small
Mississippi River except that here you are dealing with both deep and shallow water along with swift
current (while the dams are generating electricity). These conditions exist only on the first reach to the
Claiborne dam and for about 10 miles below the other two locks and dams; the pools above the dams are
stable.

One must "read the river" that is watch the banks for the high verses low side for deeper water and be
cognizant of where sand bars normally form whether or not you see them. On occasion you may be within
25 feet of the bank running in 45 ft. of water.

When the generators are on, portions of the river may rise 6 to 7 ft in a few hours and then recede.
Anchoring takes on a whole new meaning!!!! So does navigating, as depth is very important even at high
water, again, below the dams, because you may easily find yourself on a sand bar that will be completely
exposed as the river level drops. Ok, you Pacific Northwest coasters deal with large tides and heavy
current daily but a large tide differential on the Gulf coast is 2 ft.

It is important to get the generating schedule so that you can judge where the channel should be. With so
much current there are a number of buoys missing or out of place as one log can easily displace an aid that
was installed a few hours before. Of course the water flowing through the generators, pardon the pun,
generates a significant current. At one point on the north- bound leg we were making 6.3 mph sog and on
the return 10.7 at the same point and same rpm (that was with just one generator out of five in operation).
Somewhat noteworthy!! (In my estimation the current is a more relevant factor on the down bound trip for
you really don't want to be highballing it through some of those "S" turns at 14 miles per hour. The current
and the fact that we were traveling down hill on the return translated into 15 fewer engine hours coming
home). I merely asked the lock keeper about the schedule and he readily offered to call the power station
for the information. I only wish that all of the lock keepers on the Harvey Lock in New Orleans were as
nice as ALL of these. Not only that but they each called the next lock to advise that we were on the way
so that the lock would be ready for us on our arrival!!!!

The generating schedule is determined on a daily bases and seems to follow heavy use patterns such as: 6-
7am One unit: 7am-2pm two units: 6-9pm three units and 9-10 pm one unit.

The method that Pat and I devised to keep track of our exact position (the photo chart book published by
the Corps does not provide lat and lon) was this: We drew 3 columns on a sheet of paper one each for
mile boards on the bank; miles from a known point using the trip feature of the GPS; and the time. As we
passed a mile board we would note it, the time and what mile was shown on the trip odometer on the
GPS. Later to determine our position when there were no mile boards, add or subtract (depending on
whether you're going upstream or down) the GPS miles from the known mile base and you have your
exact position. Very neat, quick and accurate. On the trip out, it gave us the extra delight of knowing
exactly how far from our home dock we were at any time.

About the Alabama River Photo Chart book, it is big, measuring about 16 in. by 21 in. with 68 pages of
charts. . Fortunately it starts in Mobile and goes up the Mobile River to its juncture with the Alabama
obviating the necessity of purchasing another chart for this short 45 mil e I r fuonu.nd it to be a very fair
depiction of the river and in many respects superior to an ordinary drawn chart as it consists of actual
aerial photos. If an aid to navigation happens to be missing it is often apparent exactly where the channel is
from the photo. Pat discovered several small errors on the charts the most grievous of which was a
transparency of the river was reversed so the curve was one way but the transparency of the aids to
navigation was correct---putting them well up on the bank. But then again some of the buoys were up
there anyway!! Just slightly off station.

I mentioned mile boards and day marks, on this as many other rivers they are placed on trees which adds
a nice touch to those of us accustomed to their being placed on creosote pilings.
To plan this trip the first call you make is to the Corps in Mobile to determine the river stage, if it's high you
certainly don't go then but wait for it to recede. Generally the best time of year is late September and
October as it is cool (we used the gen-set one night for about two hours) and the leaves are starting to
turn.

Get an Alabama highway map so that you will know where you are in relation to the landside of the river. I
obtained all of the brochures on the various parks operated by the Corps on the river but these are of little
or no use due to the fact that none have any dock or facility that you can use. Any access is by your dinghy
only and a suitable anchorage never seemed to be available.

Do not be misled by the so-called marinas as that all depends on who is writing the definition, they are only
accessible (due to shallow water and their size), by skiff.

On our return to Mobile we came into severe weather, winds gusting to 30-40 mph with rain at noon. I
called the marina, which was still 15 miles south of us for conditions. BAD. Water was already over their
docks and the entrance to the river was not safe to transit. Now what?
There are no marinas in Mobile harbor so I found an abandoned massive concrete bulkhead in a large slip
about 50 yards wide and 200 long and tied up along side for the afternoon and night. Used every fender
on board. At the time we docked there was a big waterspout within a few miles and headed our way.
Tornados all around and the tv station was already on emergency power!!! Did I mention that we were
having fun? By nine pm the weather passed over and all was well for the rest of the night.
The remaining trip home proceeded to its conclusion sans war stories as well a trip should.

P.S. from THE WIFE
A page from my journal:

Sometime during our recent boat trip I was reflecting (boat trips are good for that) on how things have
changed since Charles & I were married. I know all (most) men say that things change once they marry,
but I 'm not going to make any sweeping generalizations of all men or even all boat people for that matter, I
am merely reflecting on my man. When we were courting, a boat trip usually consisted of a very short time
on water and mostly what I did was nap, read books and look around.

Occasionally I would try to throw a line over a piling in an attempt to be useful, but if I missed the piling, he
would just smile and think "Look how cute, she's trying to help." I could put any sort of food in front of him
and he would smile and be gracious no matter how yucky it was.

WELL, things have changed, now I have RESPONSIBILITIES !! Now I am expected to handle all lines
over pilings (or whatever) regardless of weather, wind, distractions. No more napping, here are some
things he says to prevent that; Pat, could you hold the wheel a minute (which could turn into longer if he
goes into the engine room to fix something) Pat, could you look at that chart, GPS etc and tell me where
we are? Pat, " " " " " " " " and tell me where we're going and what is coming up? Pat, could you set a mile
mark on the GPS or reset the "o's" on the trip log ? Pat, what else is for dinner? What, no dessert?

On this particular day of reflection we had been underway for 8 hours, I helped set the anchor (My part is
holding the wheel, centering the wheel and shifting gears) and once anchored I went downstairs to find
dinner, chattering away to no response and a few minutes later I went back into the pilot house to discover
my knight in shining armor NAPPING !!! As I gazed into that sweet face I couldn't help but wonder "Did
he marry me because he's crazy about me as he professes or did he just grow weary of auditioning and
training new deck hands ? Hmmm.

P. S. A sincere thank you to all who sent notes in support of my 3 open boxes of dental floss. Remember,
you really shouldn't neglect dental hygiene.

Warmest Regards,
THE WIFE

Epilogue
Lock status 205-752-3571
River status 205-752-3571
Corps, charts 334-441-5631
Montgomery Marina 334-269-5490
Author E-mail
Web Site http://www.geocities.com/charlesculot ta/

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