Last Friday and Saturday central and southern Alabama experienced heavy rains, leading to significant flooding along some rivers, including the Tombigbee River at Demopolis. See the chart below for data on the one-day 15-foot rise in Demopolis river levels.
We attended a Looper briefing on Saturday at Kingfisher Marina in Demopolis, which is now hosting 25 Looper boats. Demopolis is 216 miles north of from Mobile, and we learned that TowBoatUS will not rescue disabled boats more than 60 miles north of Mobile, Nevertheless, we and six other intrepid captains/first mates decided to travel the next day, to avoid predicted increasingly higher river levels.
We hoped to travel 90+ miles to Bobby’s Fish Camp at a speed of 10-12 mph, knowing that trees and other debris in the river channel could slow us down. There are no towns, stores, or marinas in this very remote area of southern Alabama. We prayed and hoped for safe and enjoyable travels on this stretch of America’s Great Loop.
