Great Loop Chronicles Part 12
Marine
- Sponsor
- OPTIMA Batteries
- Location
- Iuka, 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.
Yesterday was a solid day on the water, covering 76 miles over 12 hours, including moving through the Guntersville lock, a train bridge in Decatur and ending up at a free dock and a good night's rest. We had another 76-mile push to make today, but plenty of time to do it. We were up early and moved effortlessly through the Wheeler lock, but when we called ahead on the Wilson lock, we were advised to take our time, as they had a significant amount of commercial barge traffic, which gets priority over pleasure craft.
The lockmaster knew their business, because even after taking our time, we ended up waiting for 4 1/2 hours, as barges transited up and down the lock. You can see part of the trail of movement above. I know some people would've anchored, but the lockmaster indicated if they could get us in earlier, they would. I didn't want to take a chance that we could go sooner, only to miss my window because it took too long to get the anchor up.
Captain Chris had advised me to run the engines over 2200 rpms twice a day, to burn off accumulated soot and carbon, blow out deposits, keep piston rings properly seated against cylinder walls and maintain proper lubrication and sealing. He may not have said all of those things, but getting diesel engines exercised in general is good practice. After we had idled around for three hours, I radioed the lockmaster that I was going to briefly leave, just to run up the engines for a bit.
Captain Chris also advised us to stop for the day just below that lock, once we made it through, citing a wonderful nearby restaurant. We weren't having it, as we were bound and determined to make it to Iuka in the far Northeast corner of Mississippi. One of the nice features about the Garmin system is that it gives you an estimated time of arrival. We had been in fuel conservation mode up until this point, but after the long wait at the Wilson lock, we picked up the pace to ensure we'd make it safely with enough daylight to dock at Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht in Iuka.
Now that we were on Pickwick, which was officially part of the Great Loop route, I felt it appropriate to fly the AGLCA b burgee from the bow of the boat. There was a scenic anchorage on Pickwick Lake just before Aqua Yacht, that featured a waterfall. We slowed down to take a look but then motored on to make it before sunset. We arrived at the fuel dock after they closed, but I was happy to tie off on cleats for the night, even with the wind blowing across the beam. Almost immediately, we met Scott Dixon, who lives in Michigan, but keeps a slip at Aqua Yacht and was planning a Florida run of his own soon.
I figured we'd need to wait through the weekend for parts to replace the shaft seals and cutlass bearings, but we at least gave the crew there two full days to pull the boat out of the water and determine what they needed. I also expected we'd find some other issues to tackle while we were there and I viewed it as an opportunity to prep the boat for the Gulf crossing that would come later. The math also still worked for us to make it to Pass Christian in time for the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car weekend in nearby New Orleans, but in a worst-case scenario, it was now an eight-hour drive by rental car.
I knew we weren't going anywhere for a while, but Aqua Yacht was highly regarded among Loopers for their facility, staff and amenities, so I felt like we were in a good place. See what the next day brought here.
Yesterday was a solid day on the water, covering 76 miles over 12 hours, including moving through the Guntersville lock, a train bridge in Decatur and ending up at a free dock and a good night's rest. We had another 76-mile push to make today, but plenty of time to do it. We were up early and moved effortlessly through the Wheeler lock, but when we called ahead on the Wilson lock, we were advised to take our time, as they had a significant amount of commercial barge traffic, which gets priority over pleasure craft.
The lockmaster knew their business, because even after taking our time, we ended up waiting for 4 1/2 hours, as barges transited up and down the lock. You can see part of the trail of movement above. I know some people would've anchored, but the lockmaster indicated if they could get us in earlier, they would. I didn't want to take a chance that we could go sooner, only to miss my window because it took too long to get the anchor up.
Captain Chris had advised me to run the engines over 2200 rpms twice a day, to burn off accumulated soot and carbon, blow out deposits, keep piston rings properly seated against cylinder walls and maintain proper lubrication and sealing. He may not have said all of those things, but getting diesel engines exercised in general is good practice. After we had idled around for three hours, I radioed the lockmaster that I was going to briefly leave, just to run up the engines for a bit.
Captain Chris also advised us to stop for the day just below that lock, once we made it through, citing a wonderful nearby restaurant. We weren't having it, as we were bound and determined to make it to Iuka in the far Northeast corner of Mississippi. One of the nice features about the Garmin system is that it gives you an estimated time of arrival. We had been in fuel conservation mode up until this point, but after the long wait at the Wilson lock, we picked up the pace to ensure we'd make it safely with enough daylight to dock at Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht in Iuka.
Now that we were on Pickwick, which was officially part of the Great Loop route, I felt it appropriate to fly the AGLCA b burgee from the bow of the boat. There was a scenic anchorage on Pickwick Lake just before Aqua Yacht, that featured a waterfall. We slowed down to take a look but then motored on to make it before sunset. We arrived at the fuel dock after they closed, but I was happy to tie off on cleats for the night, even with the wind blowing across the beam. Almost immediately, we met Scott Dixon, who lives in Michigan, but keeps a slip at Aqua Yacht and was planning a Florida run of his own soon.
I figured we'd need to wait through the weekend for parts to replace the shaft seals and cutlass bearings, but we at least gave the crew there two full days to pull the boat out of the water and determine what they needed. I also expected we'd find some other issues to tackle while we were there and I viewed it as an opportunity to prep the boat for the Gulf crossing that would come later. The math also still worked for us to make it to Pass Christian in time for the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car weekend in nearby New Orleans, but in a worst-case scenario, it was now an eight-hour drive by rental car.
I knew we weren't going anywhere for a while, but Aqua Yacht was highly regarded among Loopers for their facility, staff and amenities, so I felt like we were in a good place. See what the next day brought here.