Day 22 Sat, 10/3 Wilson Lock TN River

No WIFI at Ditto Landing Marina, blog a day late.

Image of Wilson Lock in in the morning fog

This morning we departed Florence (AL) Marina in a little fog at 7:20 AM to the Wilson lock 1-mile up the Tennessee River. This is a 95’lift, 137’ tall dam, constructed in 1918 by the TVA. It is the oldest lock on the Tennessee River. Wilson lock used to be the tallest lock in America, now the 6th, out done by locks on the Snake River and Columbia River. Wilson Lake is the shortest lake on the Tennessee and also the deepest. Wilson Lock gates were opened, drove in & back out in 20 minutes. The floating bollards make for a pretty secure method of security. 17 miles later we negotiated the Joe Wheeler lock with a 42’ lift. Same concept.

We have been cruising about 10 MPH when not against a strong current. When strong currents prevail we cruise at approximately 8.5 to 9.00 MPH at 1200 to 1300 RPM’s. We are in no hurry, want to enjoy the scenery along the way and capitalize on much better fuel economy, less stress on the boat and crew. All of this current we have been faced with going up the Tennessee, will be a nice boost on the return trip back down the Tennessee. MPH should increase 2-3 miles per hour at the same RPM or less.

Today’s cruise was 81 miles, to Huntsville, AL (Ditto Landing Marina) and was pleasantly surprised to find a very clean, quiet, large marina. Overnight transient slip fee was only 50 cents per foot, most competitive price we have found to date. Arrived at 4:45, conversed with other loopers, had Diann’s very special spaghetti diner on board and viewed one of (12) channels available over air broadcast