Currently Away

Chapter 12One Too Many Mississippi Mud Pies

We slowly clawed our way down the Tenn-Tom lock by lock, stop by stop. From Columbus, we left Julia to her studies and went immediately through John C. Stennis lock with Argo. We then spent our third night on the Tenn-Tom at anchor, or “on the hook” as the captains liked to say. We were tied up in deep waters with only tiny ripples on the surface, but the current was swift. Loopers tell stories of anchors breaking free from the bottom and waking to giant sweeping spotlights tows use to find the bank. Losing confidence in the anchor systems leads to uncertainty, which in turn leads to sleepless nights, and ultimately mistakes.

We slept like babies because we were prepared. Rather than figure out how ...