SeaDream Ports at Ditto Landing Marina for the Summer

Living aboard SeaDream now ends until the Fall. Leaving in March from Green Cove Springs, FL, moving south from Jacksonville, across Lake Okeechobee and up to St. Petersburg. Leaving there with Fred and Linda Mangelsdorf, we continued across the Gulf of Mexico to Mobile, AL, and up the Tennessee TomBigbee Waterway, through Mississippi into Pickwick Lake to the Tennessee River, Wilson Lake, and finally Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama. Each segment has been an interesting and exciting adventure. The scenery changed from ocean coastal to tidal marshes to lush green tree-lined, clear freshwater rivers. As always, Mike and I enjoyed learning the history of the many places we passed. Mississippi and Alabama are simply filled with notable Civil War history.

The vitality of the rivers, with so many barges delivering loads to shore side industries, is amazing. Even with so much commerce, the rivers are full of wildlife and the water, though silt-filled is some southern-most stretches, appears healthy. Many evenings, as the sun set, we would gaze over the water to see fish jumping and turtles bobbing, listening to birds and frogs singing their evening songs. Every small community along the way extended gracious “southern hospitality” to passing boaters.

Our last two cruising days were easy, with only two locks the first day and none the second. Wilson Lock was the highest lift yet at 100 feet!

Joe Wheeler State Park Marina was our port on Tuesday evening, with a lovely lodge and pool by the marina and inexpensive rates.

Our last day, we cruised the gentle wide Tennessee River, passing tree lined shores and limestone cliffs here and there looking like the remains of majestic castle walls. Decatur, Alabama, was busy with many factories and industries along its banks. Tows busily nudged barges into place at a wide variety of riverside facilities, including a big Meow Mix factory and the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. At 3:30PM, our destination, Huntsville’s Ditto Landing Marina, appeared around the final bend. After more than 1500 miles, SeaDream has finally reached her summer home.

History of Ditto Landing:

Sometime around 1802-1804 James Ditto rounded the Great Bend of the Tennessee River to the point of Chickasaw Island (now called Hobbs Island). Landing among friendly Chickasaw Indians in the area known as the Chickasaw Old Fields, Ditto established a trading post in 1805 and a ferry in 1807, creating Ditto Landing. His ferry transported Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett across the Tennessee River on their way to the Creek and Indian War. Around 1824, the area became known as Whitesburg, named for James White, a salt trader. Being near the early Western boundary of the United States, Ditto Landing was one of our first inland ports of entry and remained a hub of trade and economic activity for the Huntsville area into the 1840s.

Ditto Marina is operated by Huntsville-Madison County and has clean new facilities and nicely designed docks. The road trip to Nashville is just a little over two hours so we plan to visit SeaDream often. She’s safe from hurricanes and will be sitting in clean freshwater.  

Entrance to Ditto Landing Marina off Tennessee River.

SeaDream on left at Ditto Landing Marina.