Adventures of Boreas: Day 127 – Kingfisher Bay Marina, Demopolis to Bobby’s Fish Camp, Silas, AL

We have Greg and Kate on Grianan to thank for today’s smooth travels. We have been traveling with Grianan since we left Columbus Marina. Greg suggested we get a very early start this morning as we were planning to travel over 70 miles to an anchorage at Bashi Creek. So we were up with the sun (actually a bit before the sun) and headed to the Demopolis Lock where the lockmaster was letting in a group of pleasure boats. We were very lucky to get through with this group as the lockmaster was about to shut the lock down for some maintenance. In fact the maintenance guys were already there and watched us lock through. The lock ended up being closed for a couple of hours so the next group of boats got a much later start to their day.

So, along with eight other boats we exited the lock while it was still very early in the morning. It took awhile to get all the boats organized by travel speed once we left the lock, but eventually it got all worked out. We arrived at the entrance to Bashi Creek just a few minutes after 2:00pm which gave us almost three more hours of daylight. By Fred’s calculation, if we were at Bashi Creek before 2:00pm, we could continue on to Bobby’s Fish Camp and still arrive before dark – so we continued on. Three of the nine boats that we locked through with stopped five miles before Bobby’s to anchor in Okatuppa Creek, but the other six continued on to Bobby’s. We knew that the dock at Bobby’s was just a face dock along the waterway less than 200 feet in length, but that rafting up was acceptable (and usually the norm). When we arrived there were already six boats at the dock and by the end of the evening there were 12 of us rafted together. The restaurant was open for the evening and I think every boater took advantage of someone else doing the cooking and cleaning. The restaurant is famous for their catfish and that’s what we ordered. It was delicious as advertised.

Everyone experiencing the Great Loop is having a wonderful adventure. Today, we pass the Slanty Shanty for the third time. Slanty Shanty is just what it sounds like; a raft with make shift walls and roof complete with firewood for cooking, chickens for eggs, and not much else. Powered by a small outboard motor ( ur dinghy motor is bigger), Slanty Shanty makes it way downriver and has managed to average the same daily travel that we Loopers are making in our motor yachts! We are surely more comfortable, but I suspect they will have stories to tell for a lifetime. We also passed a bamboo framed sailing vessel with blue tarp sails, blue tarp haul covering, and pop bottle flotation. Room for one person, no cover, no nothing! Everyone on the river knows about these boats as word travels fast between the tow captains and lock operators.

Miles: 86.9 Bridges: 4 Locks: 1

the spillway at the Demopolis Lock and Dam

fall colors and spanish moss

a small waterfall along the waterway

This is all that remains of the Rooster Bridge. This bridge
was made famous in 2002 when a video of a tugboat going
sideways under this bridge went viral. If you want to see
the video, search for 'Rooster', 'Cahaba' (the name of
the tugboat and 'Tombigbee'.