Got a less than timely departure from Grand Harbor today due to problems with their fuel pumps. We finally pushed off at ~1000 hrs. Took on 150 gallons - excellent fuel economy. However, the delay was not without its benefits. We met a guy who was the previous harbor master. He shared his experiences on the TN Tom and gave some good advice about what we would encounter. No sooner had we entered the “ditch” and there was a tow looking straight at us. I hailed him on the radio, said he had me in sight, and said we will pass on the port side (port side to port side) or "one whistle". Bada boom bada bing! And so we were off and running. Saw only one other tow for the rest of the day. The neat thing about the TN Tom is the lockmasters will coordinate locks for you (if they can). Fortunately for us there was little traffic, and we made our three locks today without any wait. I had planned a short day, about 50 miles, because I didn’t know what to expect. Given the light traffic and the coordinated locks, we could have gone another 70 miles or so to Columbus, MS.

No problem. Instead, we arrived early and did our laundry.

Right now we have a beautifully clear sky and are looking at an orange sunset. It’s windy and there’s a steady chop against the hull. Maybe the winds will subside this evening otherwise it will be a noisy night’s sleep. Tomorrow we’ll go to Columbus (or beyond), I think.