Mile 404.8 - LBD Port of Claiborne County

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

404.8 LBD Port of Claiborne County

The Claiborne County Harbor is found right bank descending just below the 404.9 channel marker opposite Coffee Point and the Yucatan Run-Out Ditch. After passing a line of blocky white pump stations (Grand Gulf Nuke Plant) and a large hunting camp left bank descending paddlers will find the mouth of the harbor with good access to land via boat ramp, and also a quick place to pull off and seek refuge in case of inclement weather. The harbor is susceptible to sediment and must be dredged to maintain depth. A steel tube general cargo dock was built in 1985 as economic incentive, but to date no industry has located here. The original concrete boat ramp for public access was abandoned in 2013 in favor of a new dirt ramp closer to the mouth of the harbor because of sedimentation. The new ramp and parking lot above is slippery and muddy after rainfall.

The Claiborne County Harbor served as the start place for the now defunct but legendary Phatwater Mississippi River Challenge. Phatwater stoked the greatest passions of international competitive paddling community for 13 years between 2000 and 2013, and delivered the race in splashing displays of color and brawn, highlighted with creative marketing and glossy appearance. The brainchild of Natchez kayaker/photographer/philosopher/poet Keith Benoist, Phatwater annually “shut down” the river to towboats while race canoes and surf skiers, and high-performance kayaks chopped the water into a froth for 42 miles downstream with a spectacular finish line at Natchez- Under-the-Hill. Alas, like all good things: nothing lasts forever. Phatwater enjoyed its glory days as the preeminent race on the Mississippi River and then died abruptly in 2014 after arguments with controlling authorities on the river. Hopefully Phatwater (or some incarnation of it) will be revived on the future. However, at writing time Dec 2014 no such plans were in place.

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