Up Apalachicola River to Lake Seminole

This is kind of a long shot question, but nothing ventured nothing gained. I am thinking of moving my boat from St. Marks up the Apalachicola River as far as Lake Seminole.

The reason for moving is that it needs a lot of cosmetic work, and this would put it close to me, so that I could work on it some every day. Right now I have to travel an hour-and-a-half one way just to get to it.

So I wonder if anyone has done that? Or knows someone who has?

Any thoughts appreciated, as always.

So you are saying that a 3 hour drive stops you from working on your boat every day...

Comodave said:

So you are saying that a 3 hour drive stops you from working on your boat every day...

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Guess I have to plead guilty to just being a wuss and not really dedicated. I feel just awful about that.

I have not, but have done some research on it. From memory, commercial traffic (tugs and barges) go all the way up the river to Columbus, Georgia. The river isn't boat navigable above Columbus because of a waterfall at Columbus. There are 2 or 3 Army Corps of engineers locks going up the river with at least one between the Gulf and Lake Seminole (right at the lake). My wife was considering a job in Columbus, hence the interest. I would still like to do the trip. Hope you have AIS. There are an awful lot of "S" turns in the lower part of the river where tugs and barges can appear quickly.

Ted

jwnall said:

Guess I have to plead guilty to just being a wuss and not really dedicated. I feel just awful about that.

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I guess that some people just aren’t dedicated... I just like to have a bit of fun with people, hope you don’t take me seriously since no one else does. I have it easy because our boat is docked behind the house in the summer and is stored in the boatyard barn in the winter. It is quite a distance down the road, almost 1 mile. So I get to work on it all winter too. I just take a propane heater and it gets warm.

That sounds like a beautiful trip. You make it post details. My next trip back to Florida I want to do some exploring up north.

Comodave said:

I guess that some people just aren’t dedicated... I just like to have a bit of fun with people, hope you don’t take me seriously since no one else does.

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Worry not. I took it the way it was meant. Poking fun, but with a smile.

I'd be hard pressed to go up that river since Hurricane Michael came through last year.

k9medic said:

I'd be hard pressed to go up that river since Hurricane Michael came through last year.

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Well, the river itself is OK. The Apalachicola is too large for fallen trees to cause a problem. And the lock at the Jim Woodruff Dam at Chattahoochee is working OK. The problem is that the Hurricane Michael pretty much wiped out all marina facilities, so there is not a place available to keep a boat with any security. So guess I will remain at St. Marks for now. Oh well.

You might want to check with the Corp of Engineers. There has been very little maintenance on the Apalachicola for a number of years. Definitely need to check on lock operations at the Jim Woodruff dam. I get the Local Notice to Mariners and recently there have been none for the river. A shame because the river is interesting. Little or no barge traffic for a number of years, hence the lack of maintenance.

Contact Gibby at Apalachicola Tours - Eco Tours Apalachicola River, Basin, Tributaries, Islands and Waterways

I think he said once he went all the way up to Lake Seminole.

Boat Move

jwnall, PM sent.