January, 1995        

Aboard 'JABBERWOCKY', Mobile, Alabama

The end of 1994 and the beginning of 1995 finds us at the Gulf of Mexico with JABBERWOCKY tasting salt water for the first time. Although only a short time has passed since our last letter, so much has happened!

Although the Great Lakes of Michigan and the Canadian North Channel of Lake Huron will always be our benchmark for comparison, it is difficult not to be captivated by the beauty and solitude offered in stretches of the inland waterways that we have traveled. Some of the anchorages that we have overnighted in have offered stunning scenery, active wildlife displays and shoreline exploring that we have found to be second to none. Whenever possible, cooking on shore and enjoying the bonfire until after dark has become an evening ritual that we have likened to the 'supper and television' routine of our landlubber life. The hoots of owls and the mournful howling of coyotes have replaced, for us, the sound of traffic on Mission road.

We have all become amateur ornithologists (I'm the most amateur.) with many opportunities to observe each day. Snowy egrets, great egrets, terns, brown and white pelicans, mockingbirds and once, a great white heron was identified. We are also proud to announce that the eagle population is seemingly on the increase and these majestic birds have offered us splendid demonstrations of their fishing prowess. Maggie and Sean, likewise, have demonstrated their fishing ability by catching a perch and a much larger catfish, respectively, in Pickwick Lake. Even though there's ten years of age between them, their facial expressions and the thrill were the same.

When we estimated that we would be around Fulton, Mississippi on Thanksgiving, Belinda phoned ahead to a marina to find out if any local restaurants would be serving dinner. The owner of the marina, a woman who lived aboard a houseboat, politely insisted that we join the marina potluck with the other marina patrons. This we did, with about 35 of us dining on a houseboat about the size of our home on Arnold Street that sported, among other things, a full size wood burning stove. It was a Thanksgiving we will long remember.

Back on the river again, on November 29, we had the equivalent of a 'fender-bender', when a large barge 'pusher', sitting crossways in the channel, powered up as we were crossing behind it. Although I tried to turn out of it, the tug's prop-wash pushed us, bow first, on to the stone riprap bank. After a preliminary check for damage and verifying that we weren't taking on water, I jumped ashore and pushed us off. That afternoon, when we stopped for the night, a closer examination confirmed the damage to be relatively minor and we decided to continue on to Mobile before having the boat hauled for repairs. (On these rivers, Bass boat facilities are as plentiful as restaurants serving grits, but sailboats, and therefore sailboat services, are still somewhat of an oddity.)

By now we have experienced about 3 months of perpetual fall weather, following the color change of the deciduous trees and enjoying jacket weather' days and cool nights. Anchoring one afternoon by a turn of the century railroad bridge in the Tombigbee River, we walked to one of the South's most famous landmarks, the Waverly mansion plantation. This house, built between 1849 and 1852 has been painstakingly restored after having been completely abandoned for fifty years. After our guided tour, we happened to run into the current owner of Waverly, Mr. Snow, who was refinishing an old piece of furniture behind one of the outbuildings. A more gentle, softer and humble man I have never met and we talked until well after dark. He appeared as enamored with us as we were with him and he gifted Maggie with Waverly peacock feathers and Belinda with Waverly garden 'elephant' garlic.

Other places of interest that begged our attention were the Tom Bevil visitor center and the retired snag boat, the MONTGOMERY. Tom Bevil is a many term congressman who helped inspire and pursue the completion of the Tenn-Tom Waterway (TTWW). The visitor center, named in his honor, displays the historical perspective of the south, the natural resources of the area and details the construction of the TTWW. Longer, and with more earth moved than the Panama Canal, the TTWW is the only other man-made structure visible from space (along with the Great Wall of China).

The MONTGOMERY is a retired Corps of Engineers steam-powered, sternwheel snag boat. A snag boat was a boat used to pull stumps and debris from the navigable river channels, dredge out silted-in areas and tow non-powered craft from location to location. Today, as a floating museum, it offers us an interesting look back at river life of several generations ago. Some traditions remain, however, such as river communications. Before the days of VHF radio, riverboat captains transmitted their intentions of passing each other in the river channels using their steam whistles. Now, when I meet an upstream barge, he requests, on the radio, that I, "Go on by on two toots" (our boats pass starboard side to starboard side) or "One whistle" (our boats pass port side to port side).

Early in December and a week or so away from the gulf, several days of rain have put the Tombigbee river at a low flood stage. In the swollen river and with the current we are able to do about 9 or 10 mph, a blistering pace compared to the 6 mph we are used to. Along with the increase in speed comes the inevitable increase in river 'trash', such as stumps, logs and other floating debris which has been liberated from the riverbanks. We are amused to see many birds such as egrets and cormorants riding the larger pieces, going downstream for miles, like they've just caught the local commuter bus. The riverbanks and anchorages have taken on a very 'southern' appearance, with great clumps of mistletoe and Spanish moss growing in the trees. One of our last anchorages before Mobile was within sight of the Amtrak Railroad bridge that was hit and displaced by a barge that caused the derailment into the bayou some months ago.

On Friday, December 9, we motored through the end of the Mobile River into Mobile Bay.  JABBERWOCKY was indeed small compared to the ocean going tankers, container ships and freighters which visit this international port. Escorted by pelicans above and dolphins beside us, we dodged the shrimp boats and tied up to the dock at Turner Marine. The following Monday JABBERWOCKY was hauled out so that repairs could proceed.  This unplanned layover gave us an opportunity to spend Christmas at my sister and brother-in-law's house in the Houston area. We have had a wonderful Christmas holiday.

Sean caught the Greyhound bus from Mobile so he could spend the holiday with his mom in southern Illinois. Use your most vivid imagination to picture a bus terminal in a large city a few days before Christmas. Sean's 'world's view' has increased dramatically. Even without cold weather or snow, the south gets right into the Christmas spirit. In Demopolis, Alabama, and a week later in Mobile, we were treated to "Christmas on the River" parades with decorated boats complete with carolers and even an Elvis impersonator!

When the repairs are complete, JABBERWOCKY will have her waterline raised about three inches and will have stripes of British racing green where they were yellow. We are anxious to proceed on, to raise the sails and see the gulf coast. We have a couple of long crossings to make, and we are both apprehensive and titillated at the same time. This time off and trip away from home continues to exceed our expectations, and the warmth and hospitality extended to us by those we meet here in the south is notable. Although it will be difficult to give up this lifestyle, it is reassuring to know we will return to a community that is as warm and caring as any we have encountered.

Bahamas bound, the crew of the JABBERWOCKY;

Mike, Belinda, Sean and Maggie
  

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