To get Aegis back to its new homeport required a 550 mile voyage that spanned six days. It began on Pickwick Lake just north of Iuka, MS and ended on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, MS.
Given the uniqueness of this experience, we decided to make a family trip out of it. My mother, father, wife, son, and a family friend were all onboard.
Part 1 of the voyage home will document the first three days underway. These three days were spent traveling down all 234 miles of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and passing through its 10 locks. This route is the same used by boaters on The Great Loop as they travel south toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Voyage Planning
The Navionics app was used to plan the entire voyage. I spent the weeks leading up to the trip watching YouTube channels related to this section of the Great Loop. All were extremely helpful in determining places to stop and realistic distances that could be covered each day. The videos were also very helpful in learning the locking procedures and etiquette.
The Navionics app on an iPad was also used for our real time route monitoring/navigation. Aegis has an older Furuno Navnet VX2 display in the pilot house and on the fly bridge. That was used for radar and depth info while relying on Navionics for all chart plotting needs.
Day 1 – Pickwick Lake to Midway Marina in Fulton, MS – 55 Miles
We spent the morning of day one learning as much about the boat and its systems as possible. After topping off the fuel tanks, we departed the marina at 1100. That was definitely a little later than planned, as the goal was to make it to Smithville, MS near the Glover Wilkins Lock.
The Jamie Whitten Lock was our first for the trip and also the first lock that I had ever been through. It is also the largest lock on the waterway with an 84’ vertical drop. It was about 35 miles south of Aqua Yacht Harbor, which gave us the chance to get more familiar with the boat and its handling. We were able to pull straight into the lock on arrival and squeeze in next to a southbound tow.
After the gates opened, we squeezed our way out past the tow, continuing south on the waterway. We passed through the G.V. Montgomery Lock followed by the John Rankin Lock. At 1900, we were all tied up at the dock at Midway Marina.
Aegis ran great during the entire day. There were no issues with the main engines, generator, or any other equipment.
Day 2 – Fulton, MS to Pickensville, MS – 85 Miles
We departed Midway Marina at 0730. The goal for the day was pretty ambitious. I wanted to make it to an anchorage just north of the Tom Bevill Lock. It was going to require passing through five locks and 85 miles along the river.
The first lock for the day was Fulton, which was just a few miles south of Midway Marina. It was open and ready for us as soon as we arrived.
With some practice and experience from the previous day, the team had the lock technique figured out. One line positioned at the midship cleat and one fender each fore and aft. This setup worked best for us. Easy in and out and without a bunch of time or effort spent handling several fenders. A few quick bursts from the bow thruster would keep the boat in line with the lock walls as the water level dropped.
For most of day two Aegis ran great. We made it through five locks as planned. Right before we reached our anchorage location for the night, the port engine RPM started to slightly fluctuate. It was not too concerning at the time. We were able to make it to the planned anchorage just north of Pickensville, MS.
We anchored in an old oxbow lake about a mile off the Tenn-Tom Waterway. There was absolutely no wind, which made for a very peaceful first night on anchor onboard Aegis.
Day 3 – Pickensville, MS to Demopolis, AL – 93 Miles
The anchor was up and home at 0700, and we were on our way to Demopolis, AL. The port engine was running well with no fluctuations in RPM as we passed through the Tom Bevill Lock. That would be the first of only two locks for the day.
About 10 miles south of Tom Bevill Lock, the RPM issues returned. From a cruising RPM of 1200, the engine would drop to an idle RPM of ~650. It would stay there for a few seconds and then return to 1200. At first, this was occurring every 10 minutes, but increased in frequency to an almost continuous fluctuation.
While inspecting the engine, large bubbles were observed passing through the Racor fuel filter. We swapped to the Racor not in use and then changed the Racor filter in the unit we just swapped from. This worked for a short time, but the bubbles resumed, coming through whichever Racor that was in use.
At this point it was apparent that air was getting into the fuel line. Most likely from somewhere between the manifold in the STBD engine room and the Racor.
As the air bubbles passed through the engine, the engine would starve for fuel. We tried everything would could think of to eliminate the air leak with no success. The only thing that partially worked was to run the engine around 800-900 RPM. The slower speed and reduced fuel flow eliminated most of the RPM fluctuations.
Even with the engine issues, we made very good time and pulled into Kingfisher Bay Marina in Demopolis at 1700. We topped off on fuel and pumped out the black water tank.
After getting secured to the dock assignment for the night, we used the marina’s loaner car and went to the highly recommended Red Barn for dinner. The food was great and it was nice to get off of the boat for a couple of hours.
Epes, Alabama – White Cliffs
A few miles upriver from Demopolis are the white cliffs of Epes, Alabama. It is definitely an unexpected feature and totally out of the ordinary compared to the views on the rest of the waterway.
Part 2 – Demopolis, AL to Pass Christian, MS
Part 2 will document the journey from Demopolis down the remainder of the waterway, through the busy port of Mobile, and along the Gulf Coast to Pass Christian, MS. More of the same engine trouble ensues, but we were able to figure out a temporary fix to get us home.