Still On The Civil War Trail

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30th - Near West Point, MS

Trip Day:	226	Latitude:	33°31.26' N	Locks Today:	3
Miles Today:	39	Longitude:	088°28.88'W	Locks Total:	103
Total Miles:	4,871	Location:	Waverley Recreation Anchorage   MM 337

At six-thirty the temperature in our cabin was 45 degrees when we ventured out from under the multiple layers of covers.  Since the thermostat read 40 in the salon area, Ron started the      generator and ran the heat for a little while.  By seven-thirty he started to engine to allow it to warm up before asking it to push us along on this cold morning.  I was at the helm when Ron went forward to handle the anchor, when I heard a thud. . . . seems his boat shoes didn’t have much traction on the ICE on the deck!   Now that is a first for us.

We travelled in a pack again today making the lock tenders happy to be working with a full lock.  I brought the boat into the locks and Ron braved the cold to lasso the bollard and hold the line for the 15-20 minutes in each lock. 

The sun brought some warmth to the day, but the highs only reached the low sixties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were able to fly our jib between locks and enjoyed the river scenery—the yellow flowers along the bank were a pleasant surprise.  There was a mixture of industry and homes along the shores, but we only passed one barge.

By mid afternoon some boats had gone ahead pulling into a marina, but three of us anchored out near the Waverley Recreation Area in a nice secure spot behind an island.  As soon as we were secure at anchor we all lowered our dinghies and headed to the launch ramp.  A half mile up the hill we toured the Waverley Mansion which in 1852 was a cotton plantation owned by Col. Young with his wife and 10 children.

  It was self-sustaining community with gardens, orchards and livestock, but unfortunately after the last son died in 1913 the house was left vacant for 50 years.  Vandalized and opened to the weather, the  mansion was in horrible condition when Robert Snow of Philadelphia bought it and 40 acres in 1962.

 The restoration of this once magnificent home is an ongoing project.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were able to access six channels on our laptop through our antennae and saw the first news reports on Hurricane Sandy.  Our hearts go out to all the families in New Jersey and New York.  It is hard to imagine tunnels and subways filled with seawater in New York.