Zippy Branch, TN, - Fulton, MS - October 25, 2008

When we got up this morning there was a beautiful blue sky, but heavy fog down near the water. We weren’t able to leave until 8:45, after some of the fog had burned off.

After a few miles on Yellow Creek, we started our 450 mile trip down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This is known as the Tenn-Tom for short and, in reality, is only the 234 miles between the Tennessee River and Demopolis Alabama. The 217 miles between Demopolis and Mobile is the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway however, when boaters refer to the Tenn-Tom they generally are talking about the entire 450 miles.


Construction began on the Tenn-Tom project in 1972 and it opened January of 1985. There are 12 locks and dams on the system. It was a huge project and more dirt was moved to build the Tenn-Tom than was moved to build the Panama Canal. Until we reach Columbus, Mississippi there are only long sections of canals between the lakes that were formed due to the locks and dams that were built. We are told that if we pay attention and just look, there is much beauty in this section of our trip. After Columbus we head southeast into Alabama and that is when we are on many of the small rivers, with twists and hairpin turns.

We met our first (of many) tows on the Tenn-Tom. When on one of the straight stretches of the canal this isn’t a problem. But if you happen to meet a tow on one of the sharp turns you must go to the side they direct you to (usually the inside of the turn). If you don’t you could be forced into shore as the tow swings wide to make the turn.

Our first three locks on the Tenn-Tom were within 13 miles of each other. The first had a drop of 85 feet and is the start of a total drop of 414 feet to the Gulf of Mexico.


We arrived at our first lock about 1:30. There were two boats about 2 miles ahead of us that waited in the lock until we arrived. Then we waited about ½ hour longer for another boat to arrive that had been about 5 miles behind us. The locks like to get as many boats in as possible and prefer to wait to lock rather than locking several times. Once we got through the first lock the rest are supposed to go rather quickly. The lockmasters talk with each other and let them know how many boats are on the way. We did have to wait at the third lock for a tow that was coming out.

“Line up the boat ramp at starboard with the red buoy and the Ford sign on land. Turn to port slightly downstream of the red buoy.” How’s that for anchoring instructions? It was a long day. We didn’t get anchored until 6 p.m.

3 locks – total 98