Great Loop Chronicles Part 17
Marine
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Columbus, MS
The Great Loop Chronicles will be an ongoing series, following the travels of OPTIMA Batteries staffer, Jim McIlvaine, as he travels America's Great Loop, a 6000+ nautical mile journey around the Eastern United States.
One would think in 2026, nearly every square foot of waterfront property in the US would be sold and developed, but as we traveled the Tombigbee, we saw mile after mile of untouched shoreline, which seemed like it was owned by the Army Corp of Engineers. Yesterday's 35-mile run to Bay Springs Marina in Newsite, Mississippi was comfortable, but we knew we needed to start covering some water if we wanted to make it to Pass Christian in time for me to rent a car and drive to New Orleans for OPTIMA's Ultimate Street Car series. As we talked to the lockmasters the day before, we were warned we could make it through the Jamie Whitten lock, but barge traffic below that would prevent us from getting through the next two locks. They advised us to stop at Bay Springs and get an early start the next day. That meant an early morning and full day, which wasn't a problem. I'd been a light sleeper since anchoring on Lake Guntersville, so I was up before the sun today.
While I didn't want to make a habit of moving the boat in the dark, I felt safe following our Garmin trail back out of the marina and about one mile over to the Jamie Whitten Lock on the main navigational line. If the KC Lights guys were anywhere on the Loop route, I'd make a planned stop to upgrade the spolight on the boat, but it seems like all the lighting companies are out West, so we slowly made our way with the spotlight that came with the boat. We entered the lock before the sun came up, but by the time they emptied the chamber, the sun had risen. It would be the first of seven locks we would go through that day over 70 miles.
It was probably our most productive travel day yet, especially considering the time spent in the locks. We stopped at Columbus Marina at 4:30PM, which gave us some surprises we weren't expecting. The notes didn't mention how shallow the water was around Columbus Marina. I called ahead and spoke to the dockmaster, who explained how to get in, but I was still nervous and made a wrong turn and watched the depth finder go down below four feet. I immediately went to neutral and the boat kept moving, so I slowly made my way to the fuel dock, where we would stop for the night.
The dockmaster explained the Army Corp of Engineers controlled the area and had quoted them a very large fee to dredge their area, which they couldn't afford, but they assured me the water was deep enough for us to exit safely...as long as we went the correct way. The marina would be closed the next day for Easter Sunday, but we made it in time to get fueled up and catch the UConn/Illinois game.
The dock was exposed to Columbus Lake and it was fairly windy overnight and into the next morning. I didn't feel comfortable trying to exit the shallow waters and head into a lock with such strong winds. Even though it would jeopardize our timing to get to Pass Christian, I looked at the forecast and decided to wait to leave until Monday morning. It would be a nearly 100-mile run and three locks to get to Kingfisher Marina, but I had a plan. Find out if it works here.
One would think in 2026, nearly every square foot of waterfront property in the US would be sold and developed, but as we traveled the Tombigbee, we saw mile after mile of untouched shoreline, which seemed like it was owned by the Army Corp of Engineers. Yesterday's 35-mile run to Bay Springs Marina in Newsite, Mississippi was comfortable, but we knew we needed to start covering some water if we wanted to make it to Pass Christian in time for me to rent a car and drive to New Orleans for OPTIMA's Ultimate Street Car series. As we talked to the lockmasters the day before, we were warned we could make it through the Jamie Whitten lock, but barge traffic below that would prevent us from getting through the next two locks. They advised us to stop at Bay Springs and get an early start the next day. That meant an early morning and full day, which wasn't a problem. I'd been a light sleeper since anchoring on Lake Guntersville, so I was up before the sun today.
While I didn't want to make a habit of moving the boat in the dark, I felt safe following our Garmin trail back out of the marina and about one mile over to the Jamie Whitten Lock on the main navigational line. If the KC Lights guys were anywhere on the Loop route, I'd make a planned stop to upgrade the spolight on the boat, but it seems like all the lighting companies are out West, so we slowly made our way with the spotlight that came with the boat. We entered the lock before the sun came up, but by the time they emptied the chamber, the sun had risen. It would be the first of seven locks we would go through that day over 70 miles.
It was probably our most productive travel day yet, especially considering the time spent in the locks. We stopped at Columbus Marina at 4:30PM, which gave us some surprises we weren't expecting. The notes didn't mention how shallow the water was around Columbus Marina. I called ahead and spoke to the dockmaster, who explained how to get in, but I was still nervous and made a wrong turn and watched the depth finder go down below four feet. I immediately went to neutral and the boat kept moving, so I slowly made my way to the fuel dock, where we would stop for the night.
The dockmaster explained the Army Corp of Engineers controlled the area and had quoted them a very large fee to dredge their area, which they couldn't afford, but they assured me the water was deep enough for us to exit safely...as long as we went the correct way. The marina would be closed the next day for Easter Sunday, but we made it in time to get fueled up and catch the UConn/Illinois game.
The dock was exposed to Columbus Lake and it was fairly windy overnight and into the next morning. I didn't feel comfortable trying to exit the shallow waters and head into a lock with such strong winds. Even though it would jeopardize our timing to get to Pass Christian, I looked at the forecast and decided to wait to leave until Monday morning. It would be a nearly 100-mile run and three locks to get to Kingfisher Marina, but I had a plan. Find out if it works here.