Demopolis to Chocktaw National Wildlife Refuge

We started our morning in Demopolis at 5:30 a.m..  we reached our first and only lack of the day before sunrise.  We had seven boats in the Demopolis lock so we didn't break any records.  Apparently lots of people decided to sleep an extra 2 hours and go at 8:00.  

The biggest boat in the lock with us was 100 ft long with the name Freedom out of Marathon Florida.  What a beautiful yacht...

The opening picture is actually one of the last shots I took today.  In the National wildlife refuge we took the dinghy and explored a whole bunch of lakes and channels for miles in here.  We are anchored where the wildlife refuge empties into the Tombigbee waterway (well protected and very cool)
Once we got out of the lock the river was quite exceptional for a couple of miles.  

Then we hit really dense fog... Like really.   
It is very hard to take a picture of fog.  Fog just makes it look like a white picture.  So I took a picture as I was entering one of the fog banks.  When in the fog you pretty much have to use your chart and radar because you can't see what's in front of you hardly at all.  Maybe 30 to 50 ft.  I've been in thicker fog before but not in a river in a place I'm not familiar.  
We are now about 120 mi (river miles) from Mobile Alabama.  But we are only about 6 mi from our last lock.  

Once we are through that lock in Coffeeville, The water will begin to be brackish and we will begin to deal with something I've never experienced when boating - tides.  

Well technically that's not true.  I was boating with friends in Clearwater last winter then we got stranded on an island when the tide went down and the insects came out and chewed us alive.  That was not pleasant.  But I've never been the captain of a boat having to deal with tides and knowing when the water will be too shallow or not to pass.  I figure we've got 50 to 70 mi before I really have any of those decisions though.  The water up here is mostly fresh and will become more salty the closer to Mobile we get.  We will probably have one additional day at anchor before we reach Mobile Bay.  Life at 10 mph is not very fast... And it doesn't help that God made this river with turns in it. If he built it straight we could get there quick.  Haha. 

Til tomorrow.  Time for dinner. 

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