A 0530 wake up call got us through the Coffeeville Lock before dawn fully broke. This is the last lock on the river system.
This tug along shore was pulling a propeller up on a line near the bow, with divers in the water. We wondered what was up.
This photo of one page of our chart shows why it is 100 miles as the crow flies from Demopolis to Mobile, but 200 miles as the river flows! Shortly we come to the junction of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. From this point on the waterway is called the Mobile River.
We anchored for the night with three other boats in roomy Big Briar Creek, just off the Tensas Cut Off.
There are occasional homes along the river, with rickety docks. And we know we are getting south, as we saw a huge gator slip off the muddy banks as we passed.
Now we are in Mobile.
These stealth military ships are built here by Austal Shipbuilders, a big employer. Airbus’ US headquarters is also in Mobile, bringing lots more jobs.
The 600-foot Star Fraser out of Bergen was crosswise in the river as we approached, making a U-turn with the help of two tugs.
The skyline has a lacy look.
Ships come here for repairs, this one in a dry dock. The dock is submerged, the ship is parked in it; as the water is pumped out of the dry dock it rises up.
Monarch hurried to get ahead of the container ship Yan Ming Mobility, southbound on Mobile Bay. Unfortunately, her considerably large bow and stern wakes caught us broadside as we turned north into the Dog River Channel, rolling us severely. But no damage.
We entered Dog River Marina, located on the western shore of Mobile Bay at low tide.
Here we will spend two nights, to have Monarch pulled out of the water and her spurs installed. These are line cutters that mount in front of the propellers, designed to cut any lines (like from crab traps) that might wind around the shafts.
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