Anyone who knows Warren can tell you, he follows the rules, not only because he worked for the Police Dept. for 35 years, but because he believes in right and wrong. He is the only police officer I know that would pay for a parking ticket if he received one and not show his I.D.  and according to Warren there is a proper way to enter a lock. We were heading towards our last lock on the Tennessee River, the Pickwick Lock, when Warren called the lock master and asked for a passage upstream.  We were told because of a barge coming through that there would be a 2-3 hour delay.  Well, there is nothing you can do except slow down towards the lock or anchor close by.  We decided to go very slow and pace our way towards Pickwick.  As we were about to enter the lock, after a 2 hour wait, a boat from behind us decides to gun it and pass us.

“How dare him, didn’t he see us waiting here?  He is supposed to wait his turn and go in after us!”  Warren explains to me.  

“I guess he doesn’t care, it looks like he’s going in before you”  I said calmly.

Warren gets on the radio and yells, “Hey, Are you kidding?  Either you’re really stupid or you’re extremely rude!”  Then Warren throws the throttle forward, full speed ahead, and it was a race to the lock.  I was keeping quiet and was amazed  how fast the Pepi could go.  We went right by the inconsiderate idiot.  VERY unlike Warren to do that!  Three of us in the lock and we all tied up and when the giant doors opened, he raced out of the lock between our boat and another house boat.  The man was a seasoned boater, about 70 years old, he had a Maine Lobster Boat that looked like he converted it to a pleasure boat, and should have known better.  I know if Warren had his uniform on, he would have definitely given this guy a ticket, arrested him, threw him in the slammer and denied him bail!  Well, we let him go by us and headed towards the marina we planned to stay at. But guess who beat us to the marina? Yep, the lobster man!  I told Warren to go on to Aqua Marina, we could  spend the night there.  I hope we don’t run into him again soon, chances are he will be ahead of us the whole way to Florida, but Warren has a mental image of the boat and the captain that is etched into his mind.  Beware, Lobster Man!  

We are now heading down the Tenn-Tom Waterway which connects the Tennessee River to the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a 450 mile stretch that ends in Mobile, Alabama.  It costs 2 billion dollars to construct this waterway which opened in 1985.  Most snowbirds or Great Loopers take this route down to Florida.  We were told that there are 12 Locks, unusual wildlife and quaint southern towns to stop by.  We are looking forward to whatever happens, we’re New Yorkers, we can handle anything.  Even a little River Rage!