Day 13: Mobile!!

Get comfortable...this promises to be a fairly lengthy post, as today was packed full of stuff to talk about.


Michael did some work last night to enlarge some of the holes in the coolant system after talking to the experts at American Diesel Corporation, and while we are still running on a single engine, we hoped this would be enough to stop the coolant leak.

We were up before the sun this morning, and underway as soon as there was enough light. As we left our little anchorage, a rainbow shone directly in front of us.  We took this to be a good sign.  We were able to run at about 9.5 mph, and as we got further south the river current picked up, and we had an outgoing tide to help us.  In the end, we were travelling at up to 10.8 mph - on one engine.

We passed under the I65 bridge on the outskirts of Mobile late morning. The locals call this the Dolly Parton Bridge.  Can you figure out why?

The scenery changed again, looking more like bayou than river in places, while the high rises of downtown Mobile poked into the sky in the distance.  As we entered the port of Mobile, we were overwhelmed by the noise and the size of everything.  Having spent so many days in the quiet of the river, with the occasional tow to keep things interesting, to suddenly be in the middle of a large international working port was an assault on the senses.  Activity everywhere, with tugs and tows buzzing around all over the place, pushing barges into place and moving them around to be loaded or unloaded.  Giant freighters sat at their docks, offloading their cargo with cranes.


Two 'stealth' vessels sat at one of the docks.  Michael pointed to the radar as we approached, and they were indeed invisible.  Rumor has it that the pentagon will deny all knowledge of these vessels, but we took these pictures - - - or did we?

As we left the port and entered the open water of Mobile Bay, a line of freighters steamed steadily towards us.  We felt small next to the tows on the river, but I felt we were in a rowboat when these monsters passed us in the narrow channel.  Shrimp boats drag their nets, and birds follow in their wake, hoping for something tasty to be stirred up. We actually saw dolphins within minutes of entering the bay.  It's a bad picture, as it all happened so fast, and they didn't linger long with us, but they are dolphins, I promise.

I confess I got a bit giddy with excitement.  We're finally out of the river and into the salt water.

At Turner Marine we reunited with Irish Attitude, Headquarters and Blewgrass.  This called for a nice dinner out!  We went to Felix's Fish Camp and Grill, but don't let the name or the appearance fool you.  Famous for its seafood, and located right on the old causeway, it lived up to its reputation.  With tiki torches outside and palm trees around the parking lot, we are feeling quite tropical despite the need for jackets.

Dim lighting made the menus a little difficult to read for us old folks.  But we were all prepared...out came the cell phones with flashlight apps.  I'm sure the other diners around us must have been quite amused.

It looks like we'll be in Mobile for about a week to complete the engine work, but all indications are that there will be plenty to keep us amused while we're here.  

Today's miles:  67, to Mile Marker 0 and beyond!

Total miles:  641


PS:  We have been asked to provide some additional technical info, including marina and fuel costs.  Michael has promised a "Captain's Update" to cover this.