Here in Demopolis, Ala., I’m again observing two general types of people on The Great Loop: those who want to plan and those who don’t. It’s obvious on our boat, but I hear about it from other boats too. Most seem to have one of each kind on board, so there’s a constant negotiation of sorts. It’s kind of amusing, actually — assuming safety isn’t an issue.
This is one of those phases of The Great Loop when you do want to compare notes, check weather, look at anchorage options, and think ahead … even if you prefer to “wing it.” We are 217 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. There is only one marina in this stretch, and it’s reportedly a very bad one (limited services and slips, etc.), so that means anchoring out for at least two nights and probably more. In good weather, this trip to the Gulf would take us about four days. And four days from now, the weather forecasts predict high winds at the Gulf. We don’t want to be in the Gulf of Mexico in high winds.
Keep in mind that our communications signals from here to there will be touch-and-go, and good updates might be hard to get. So. Choices loom ahead, and possibly a longer stretch of anchorages than we’ve had yet. I’m glad we found some huge water jugs and loaded 10 gallons of extra water on board. If we don’t ever need them, so much the better.
I shook all this off for awhile with a nice jog today, and attended a service via Zoom. It feels good to connect with my land-based networks, but it’s often a challenge to find a private place with a good signal. Today, I sat on a log bordering the marina parking lot. I didn’t notice that it was under a power line. A single pigeon sat on that line. And pooped. On me. I don’t know what that means...if anything…but I did laugh.
Photos and captions from Demopolis and Kingfisher Bay Marina below.
For Many Moons 