Log 38
Day 126
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
7:10 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY
Weather: 61* with calm winds; forecast is for sunny and 89* and a 10% chance of rain
Another beautiful morning on Headquarters. The sun is just coming up over the marina now and, while it’s cool, it’s wonderful. As I mentioned yesterday...the extended forecast “for the foreseeable future” is for more of the same. Cool nights; warm days; no rain. Great for cruising. I didn’t go back and look at all the logs, but it seems to me that most of the logs (so far) have started out with how great the weather is.
Yesterday turned out to be a day of improving things. We got up early to get the boat ready for the mechanic to come aboard and go out for a sea trial to see what the clanking was at the back of the boat. We were told he would be there at 8:15 and at 9 o’clock (when he wasn’t there) I went to the service department to see what the story was. It seems the mechanic was late for work and they told me he would be there in 30 to 45 minutes. So Deb decided to put in a couple loads of laundry...and as it turned out got all the laundry done...improvement #1.
Although the mechanic showed up a little late (11:30 instead of 9:30) he had the problem diagnosed in 15 minutes and fixed in 45 minutes. It turned out to be the starboard rudder was a little loose, and we (I helped him) lifted up the rudder with a pry bar...dropped down the top collar a little bit and tightened it up...and no more clanking noise. Improvement #2.
The other thing we improved yesterday was our DirecTV. Too long of a story of why we can’t get certain channels...but one we could not get was ABC. No big deal normally, except that the NASCAR races are now on ABC, so my need to find a fix has been heightened. To help find an answer I went to the Great Loop blog I follow, and it turns out several people have had this problem. What some smart person figured out is that if you have a New York address you will be allowed to get NY local channels (including ABC) and for some reason it works with our satellite TV no matter where you are. So...I Goggled NY marinas...found one that had an address that made sense...and called DirecTV. It took me a couple of times to find an agent that would do what I wanted, but when I did, I told him I wanted to move my “installation” address to this New York address, and keep my billing address the same. He said no problem...and 5 minutes later we were getting ABC on our TV’s. Improvement #3...can’t wait to watch the race on Sunday!!
Today...Deb is going to Paducah (with a courtesy car from the marina) to Kroger to get some things she could not get locally. She is also looking into getting her hair cut a local beauty parlor (that should be interesting...wonder how she will look with a Dolly Parton hair do). I am going to give the boat an outside cleaning, and then I need to spend a few hours planning our trip from here to Mobile. There are a number of reservations I need to make in order to be sure to keep us on track. I also need to make some reservations for the next few nights...at this point we have none, and we plan to leave here and head south in the morning.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Log 37; Day 125; GTB
Log 37
Day 125
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
5:45 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY
Weather: 65* with calm winds; forecast is for 89* and a 10% chance of rain today
Sitting here at Green Turtle Bay is like being home again. We are back at MM32...after going up the Cumberland to MM190 at Nashville, and now back down again. From here we will cross over to the Tennessee and head south (up the Tennessee River). The weather in this area is unseasonably warm. NOAA weather said yesterday that this weather will be with us “for the foreseeable future”.
Sunday...we left our slip at Rock Harbor Marina at 8:30 and headed down river. The trip was uneventful, and we enjoyed the beautiful river and ever changing scenery of the hills along the banks. Our plan was to go to Clarksville, TN (55 miles) where we had stayed only a few days before. We also planned to head into town and eat at the same bar and pizza joint we ate last Tuesday. But, when we arrived in Clarksville at about 3pm we changed our minds and decided to just relax on the boat and have dinner there. On the dock in front of us was a boat called Domestic Squall from Frankfort MI. After the NASCAR race I took a short walk over to their boat and talked to the captain for a while. Quite a story (long story)...the short version is he bought the boat because he had the dream of doing the loop, but his wife did not share the same dream (hence the name). His brother in law was traveling with him at the time and he thought (hoped) his wife might join him somewhere on the Tennessee in the next week or so. His boat was 30 years old, and he had just spent several thousand dollars at Green Turtle fixing a transmission issue he had and now they were on their way to Nashville. Another nice boater...another story.
Yesterday...was one of those good news/bad news type of days. It did not start off good at all. When I woke up about 5 and went out to make the coffee the kitchen faucet just spit out water and had lots of air in the system. I went to the power panel on the boat to see how much water we had left and it showed empty. I knew we had a problem...possibility a big problem. You see the Clarksville dock has no water, and I knew that so I filled both tanks at Rock Harbor before we left on Sunday. We used water on Sunday and when I went to bed I checked to see how much water we had left and it showed one tank completely full and the other about 1/4 full...probably about 100 gallons. Now the gauge showed no water in either tank. The fact the water just spit out of the faucet said this was true...but where did the water go? This could be bad...or very bad. After turning off the water at the panel (so we did not burn out the pump...if we hadn’t already) I started looking everywhere for water...front bilge; engine room; any low lying area. Not finding anything, I woke up Deb and started taking off panels behind our bed to be able to see in the aft bilge. As I took off one panel I felt something wet on my face and saw that a fitting on our aft water filter had broke and was spitting water everywhere in that area. I had to take off another panel to get to the fitting and when I did, I could see the problem. After lying there staring at this for a minute or so, I thought I could by pass this filter and possibly fix the problem...which I did. The next problem was we did not have any water left in the tank to see if it was really fixed. (At this point I assumed all 100 gallons had leaked in the bilge and pumped out...while we were sleeping just above it. Wonder why we did not hear this?)
With the problem identified...and hopefully temporarily fixed...we could get on with our day. But with no water (and no way to get any) made it more difficult. The major issue was going to the bathroom...no water to flush with. So Deb and I visited the port-a-johns at the top of the ramp...a real treat at 6 am...on a Monday after folks have been using them all weekend. There are lots of words to describe this...you pick one.
Knowing we had a long trip ahead of us (over 100 miles) we decided to head out at first light. Next problem was fog. Cool nights and a warm river don’t mix well, so we had to wait till the sun came up a little to burn off some fog and we could leave...which we did. Things were going well until we came around a bend and all of a sudden we were in dense fog. As you might be able to tell from the picture, I could not see a thing. I used my chart plotter to tell me I was in the middle of the river, and my radar to tell me if there was anything in front of me. The good news was there was not much out on the river, but all of a sudden I got saw a blip on the radar. Checking the plotter I could see there were no markers to cause this blip so I knew there was something...but I could not see anything. So I hit the horn a couple of times and slowed down to an idle while Deb stood on the side of the boat to see if she could see anything. All at once I could see the blip moving and it was going out of the channel...and in a minute we passed a fishing boat just off our starboard side. Deb saw it just before we got to it, but I did not see it until we were along side it. Thanks to our instruments there was no danger...but tough going for a while.
After a while the fog cleared and we had our next challenge. Because we had to go so slow (due to the fog) I decided we would get up on plane for a while and make up some time. When I did that Deb went below to make sure everything was ok...and she came back up and said there was a terrible clanging noise in the back. I went below to check it out and after a lot of investigation I still do not know what the problem is. There is no noise until you get to 1700 rpm. Even then there is no vibration...just a terrible clanging sound that seems like metal on metal. So we went back to 1000 rpm and went that speed for the rest of the day. I called Green Turtle and talked to Gary their service manager and he said he could have a mechanic look at it first thing this morning.
Today...to early to tell what this day will be like. The mechanic will be here about 8:15 or so, and we will do a sea trial to see if we can figure out what the noise is. (It could have been like this for a long time but we cold not hear it because the panels were up...but with the panels down (to dry out the back area) it was very noticeable). We also need to go into town and get groceries, and do a few loads of laundry before we leave on Thursday.
Side notes;
· When we took of on plane the first time (and the boat tilted towards the aft) I could see the aft bilge pump come on automatically and it ran for quite a while...telling me the water from the water tank should now be fully drained from the boat
· When we got to GTB I put water in the tank and checked out all fittings...things worked just fine, and we did not burn out the pump or the water heater.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 125
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
5:45 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY
Weather: 65* with calm winds; forecast is for 89* and a 10% chance of rain today
Sitting here at Green Turtle Bay is like being home again. We are back at MM32...after going up the Cumberland to MM190 at Nashville, and now back down again. From here we will cross over to the Tennessee and head south (up the Tennessee River). The weather in this area is unseasonably warm. NOAA weather said yesterday that this weather will be with us “for the foreseeable future”.
Sunday...we left our slip at Rock Harbor Marina at 8:30 and headed down river. The trip was uneventful, and we enjoyed the beautiful river and ever changing scenery of the hills along the banks. Our plan was to go to Clarksville, TN (55 miles) where we had stayed only a few days before. We also planned to head into town and eat at the same bar and pizza joint we ate last Tuesday. But, when we arrived in Clarksville at about 3pm we changed our minds and decided to just relax on the boat and have dinner there. On the dock in front of us was a boat called Domestic Squall from Frankfort MI. After the NASCAR race I took a short walk over to their boat and talked to the captain for a while. Quite a story (long story)...the short version is he bought the boat because he had the dream of doing the loop, but his wife did not share the same dream (hence the name). His brother in law was traveling with him at the time and he thought (hoped) his wife might join him somewhere on the Tennessee in the next week or so. His boat was 30 years old, and he had just spent several thousand dollars at Green Turtle fixing a transmission issue he had and now they were on their way to Nashville. Another nice boater...another story.
Yesterday...was one of those good news/bad news type of days. It did not start off good at all. When I woke up about 5 and went out to make the coffee the kitchen faucet just spit out water and had lots of air in the system. I went to the power panel on the boat to see how much water we had left and it showed empty. I knew we had a problem...possibility a big problem. You see the Clarksville dock has no water, and I knew that so I filled both tanks at Rock Harbor before we left on Sunday. We used water on Sunday and when I went to bed I checked to see how much water we had left and it showed one tank completely full and the other about 1/4 full...probably about 100 gallons. Now the gauge showed no water in either tank. The fact the water just spit out of the faucet said this was true...but where did the water go? This could be bad...or very bad. After turning off the water at the panel (so we did not burn out the pump...if we hadn’t already) I started looking everywhere for water...front bilge; engine room; any low lying area. Not finding anything, I woke up Deb and started taking off panels behind our bed to be able to see in the aft bilge. As I took off one panel I felt something wet on my face and saw that a fitting on our aft water filter had broke and was spitting water everywhere in that area. I had to take off another panel to get to the fitting and when I did, I could see the problem. After lying there staring at this for a minute or so, I thought I could by pass this filter and possibly fix the problem...which I did. The next problem was we did not have any water left in the tank to see if it was really fixed. (At this point I assumed all 100 gallons had leaked in the bilge and pumped out...while we were sleeping just above it. Wonder why we did not hear this?)
With the problem identified...and hopefully temporarily fixed...we could get on with our day. But with no water (and no way to get any) made it more difficult. The major issue was going to the bathroom...no water to flush with. So Deb and I visited the port-a-johns at the top of the ramp...a real treat at 6 am...on a Monday after folks have been using them all weekend. There are lots of words to describe this...you pick one.
Knowing we had a long trip ahead of us (over 100 miles) we decided to head out at first light. Next problem was fog. Cool nights and a warm river don’t mix well, so we had to wait till the sun came up a little to burn off some fog and we could leave...which we did. Things were going well until we came around a bend and all of a sudden we were in dense fog. As you might be able to tell from the picture, I could not see a thing. I used my chart plotter to tell me I was in the middle of the river, and my radar to tell me if there was anything in front of me. The good news was there was not much out on the river, but all of a sudden I got saw a blip on the radar. Checking the plotter I could see there were no markers to cause this blip so I knew there was something...but I could not see anything. So I hit the horn a couple of times and slowed down to an idle while Deb stood on the side of the boat to see if she could see anything. All at once I could see the blip moving and it was going out of the channel...and in a minute we passed a fishing boat just off our starboard side. Deb saw it just before we got to it, but I did not see it until we were along side it. Thanks to our instruments there was no danger...but tough going for a while.
After a while the fog cleared and we had our next challenge. Because we had to go so slow (due to the fog) I decided we would get up on plane for a while and make up some time. When I did that Deb went below to make sure everything was ok...and she came back up and said there was a terrible clanging noise in the back. I went below to check it out and after a lot of investigation I still do not know what the problem is. There is no noise until you get to 1700 rpm. Even then there is no vibration...just a terrible clanging sound that seems like metal on metal. So we went back to 1000 rpm and went that speed for the rest of the day. I called Green Turtle and talked to Gary their service manager and he said he could have a mechanic look at it first thing this morning.
Today...to early to tell what this day will be like. The mechanic will be here about 8:15 or so, and we will do a sea trial to see if we can figure out what the noise is. (It could have been like this for a long time but we cold not hear it because the panels were up...but with the panels down (to dry out the back area) it was very noticeable). We also need to go into town and get groceries, and do a few loads of laundry before we leave on Thursday.
Side notes;
· When we took of on plane the first time (and the boat tilted towards the aft) I could see the aft bilge pump come on automatically and it ran for quite a while...telling me the water from the water tank should now be fully drained from the boat
· When we got to GTB I put water in the tank and checked out all fittings...things worked just fine, and we did not burn out the pump or the water heater.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
This was a large group of Pelicans who seem to be migrating.
May be hard to tell but if you click on this picture and blow it up you can see how many Pellicans there were
This is the Clarksville free dock...that is the motor vessel Domestic Squall sitting there, and we parked right behing him.
Here is a shot of the fog. You can see I used the wipers, but can't see anything. Deb calls this picture "trust your captain"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Log 36; Day 123 Rock Harbor Marina
Log 36
Day 123
Sunday, September 21, 2008
6:25 AM CDT
Location: Rock Harbor Marina M175 on the Cumberland River
Weather: 66* with calm winds and foggy; forecast is for 80* and a 40% chance or rain today
It’s a little foggy this morning. It rained some last night and the isinglass are wet and steamed up. Had to turn on the heater in the helm area...but it will warm up to a little over 80 later. The internet connection is operating very slow...so I hope this goes through ok.
Yesterday...We said good by to Ted and Billie on Main Course about 8:00 as they left the dock and headed back down river. We were going to just relax and take our time at the dock before heading out, but decided to untie and take off as well. So at 8:30 we fired up the boat and took off. It was a short 17 miles from the municipal dock to Rock Harbor Marina and we arrived about 10:30. Can’t say it was much of an arrival though...I could not raise anyone on the radio or on any of their phone numbers, so we just pulled up to the fuel dock and tied up. Two things we noticed...1) the fuel dock was closed on a Saturday and that seemed strange to us...2) diesel fuel was $5.75 @ gallon...maybe that is why they were closed. No one wanted pay those prices. When I called a couple of times I left a message on the owners cell phone, and about 45 minutes later he called me back telling me he was on his way to the marina and would be there in about 15 minutes and show us where we could tie up...which he did. The owner did indeed turn out to be the X husband of Wynona Judd and it did not take him long to let us know that, and the fact that he had 2 kids with her. Nice enough guy and was very helpful...and that was the last we saw of him. At 3 we had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and take us to Opry Land to get our tickets for the show. After getting the tickets we walked about 10 minutes to the Opry Land Hotel...part of the Gaylord Hotel chain and the biggest and most expansive hotel and convention center I have ever been in (I have stayed there before so I had a little idea how to get around...but it is very easy to get lost...and we did). We decided to eat at Tony Romas Steak House in the mall which was just across from the Grand Ole Opry...and then go over to the show which started at 7. All of these type of shows are about personal preference...but Deb and I loved every minute of it. The Grand Ole Opry itself is a great facility, and it is very obvious that each performer was thrilled to be there (all of them said so...and you knew they meant it). The show was 2 hours of back to back groups and singers. Some would sing 1 song and leave and maybe come out later and sing another one. Others would sing 2 or 3 songs (Alan Jackson was the only one to sing 3). So every 10 minutes or so you would see a lot of things happing on stage as new band members would come on stage and plug in there instruments and stage hands would rearrange the stage and set up new microphones. I was amazed at how fast this would happen and then the next group would just walk out...step up to the mic (without any sound checks or tuning of their guitars) and start playing a new song. It was awesome. We probably saw 10 different acts, including: Little Big Town; Jimmie Dickens; The Whites; Charlie Daniels (yes he sang The Devil went down to Georgia); Kathie Mattea; Darius Rucker (who used to be lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish...and was fantastic) and the final singer was Alan Jackson who brought the house down. All in all, it was an expensive day with tickets and dinner and about $90 worth of cab rides...but worth it.
Today...we’re back to cruising. Our plan is to head down river to Clarksville where we stopped on our way up river. It’s about a 50 mile run with 1 lock, so we may not be there until late afternoon and not sure we’ll go in to town. We blew our weekly operating budget in Nashville over the last few days...so it’s back to eating on the boat.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 123
Sunday, September 21, 2008
6:25 AM CDT
Location: Rock Harbor Marina M175 on the Cumberland River
Weather: 66* with calm winds and foggy; forecast is for 80* and a 40% chance or rain today
It’s a little foggy this morning. It rained some last night and the isinglass are wet and steamed up. Had to turn on the heater in the helm area...but it will warm up to a little over 80 later. The internet connection is operating very slow...so I hope this goes through ok.
Yesterday...We said good by to Ted and Billie on Main Course about 8:00 as they left the dock and headed back down river. We were going to just relax and take our time at the dock before heading out, but decided to untie and take off as well. So at 8:30 we fired up the boat and took off. It was a short 17 miles from the municipal dock to Rock Harbor Marina and we arrived about 10:30. Can’t say it was much of an arrival though...I could not raise anyone on the radio or on any of their phone numbers, so we just pulled up to the fuel dock and tied up. Two things we noticed...1) the fuel dock was closed on a Saturday and that seemed strange to us...2) diesel fuel was $5.75 @ gallon...maybe that is why they were closed. No one wanted pay those prices. When I called a couple of times I left a message on the owners cell phone, and about 45 minutes later he called me back telling me he was on his way to the marina and would be there in about 15 minutes and show us where we could tie up...which he did. The owner did indeed turn out to be the X husband of Wynona Judd and it did not take him long to let us know that, and the fact that he had 2 kids with her. Nice enough guy and was very helpful...and that was the last we saw of him. At 3 we had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and take us to Opry Land to get our tickets for the show. After getting the tickets we walked about 10 minutes to the Opry Land Hotel...part of the Gaylord Hotel chain and the biggest and most expansive hotel and convention center I have ever been in (I have stayed there before so I had a little idea how to get around...but it is very easy to get lost...and we did). We decided to eat at Tony Romas Steak House in the mall which was just across from the Grand Ole Opry...and then go over to the show which started at 7. All of these type of shows are about personal preference...but Deb and I loved every minute of it. The Grand Ole Opry itself is a great facility, and it is very obvious that each performer was thrilled to be there (all of them said so...and you knew they meant it). The show was 2 hours of back to back groups and singers. Some would sing 1 song and leave and maybe come out later and sing another one. Others would sing 2 or 3 songs (Alan Jackson was the only one to sing 3). So every 10 minutes or so you would see a lot of things happing on stage as new band members would come on stage and plug in there instruments and stage hands would rearrange the stage and set up new microphones. I was amazed at how fast this would happen and then the next group would just walk out...step up to the mic (without any sound checks or tuning of their guitars) and start playing a new song. It was awesome. We probably saw 10 different acts, including: Little Big Town; Jimmie Dickens; The Whites; Charlie Daniels (yes he sang The Devil went down to Georgia); Kathie Mattea; Darius Rucker (who used to be lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish...and was fantastic) and the final singer was Alan Jackson who brought the house down. All in all, it was an expensive day with tickets and dinner and about $90 worth of cab rides...but worth it.
Today...we’re back to cruising. Our plan is to head down river to Clarksville where we stopped on our way up river. It’s about a 50 mile run with 1 lock, so we may not be there until late afternoon and not sure we’ll go in to town. We blew our weekly operating budget in Nashville over the last few days...so it’s back to eating on the boat.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Here is Arch...Wynona's X...I guess this is what you do after you are married to a celebrity.
Charlie Daniels on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. You can see our seats were up in the nose bleed section...still great to be there.
This is a better shot of how far we were away from the stage. But they had large monitors so we did not miss a thing
Alan Jackson...a folk hero in Nashville...Deb took this shot from the large monitors they had
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Deb's 2 cents from Nashville
Hey All!
We’ve had a great week! We left Green Turtle Bay on Monday, visited some interesting marinas and are now headed north again on the Cumberland River. We’ll stop at Green Turtle Bay to stay again for a couple more days on Tuesday & Wednesday, to get some laundry done and borrow their courtesy van for a run to Kroger…almost out of Sesame Nut Mix!
Last Monday night we stayed at Lake Barkley Marina. There were two marina workers there…one kid to catch our lines and a lady in the office/ship’s store to check us in. The ship’s store consisted of a shelf of snack foods, a refrigerated cooler with 7 kinds of iced tea, a display of a variety of shot glasses…”Bottom’s Up” (and you can imagine what’s pictured on that glass!), a selection of Lake Barkley Tee-Shirts, and 4 aisles of fishing lures! (I’ve never seen so many different kinds of rubber worms!) We were one of only 2 transient boats and there was no activity at all on any of the permanent slips, so we spent a nice quiet evening there. This is where they put us next to another boat called “Headquarters”…what are the odds?
On Tuesday, we moved South on the Cumberland River to Clarksville, TN where we stayed on a free dock within walking distance from historical Clarksville. Here’s a weird thing…the river flows north, but we were heading south…up river…very confusing. The free dock was new and it was nice and clean, but we’d heard some things about safety that made me nervous (people untying boats in the middle of the night, etc.) I think I worked myself up into a bit of a state and had BK tie up all sorts of “special” lines, had him put on the chain with the padlocks, and even tie the small door shut that comes from the swim platform (can you say paranoid?) Turned out to be a very nice place (my paranoia was unfounded) and we’ll be staying there again on our way back down river! (It helps that there’s a great brew pub with awesome pizza within walking distance!) P.S. The “special” lines, the chain & padlocks along with tying the back door shut will still be implemented!
Our next stop for Wednesday night was Harpeth Shoals Marina which had some great stuff written about it in Quimby’s. But once again…we got there and didn’t see any other boaters (lots of boats…no people). We were on a gated dock with a coded entry and we decided to walk to the office to check in and settle up. So out the gate we go…walk around the lagoon to the office and find nothing but locked doors and dark windows. Bob had a phone number for the office but when he called, he got a message: “Hi…sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, please leave a message and I’ll call as soon as I get back from picking up my kid from day care.”….. “B-E-E-E-E-P!” ;o) In the meantime, we realized…yep…can’t get back on the dock and our boat because we don’t know the code that opens the gate and the only people around are the guys putting in docks and “Nope” they don’t know the code. But the guy did offer to shuttle us over on his little work barge and we took him up on it, hanging on to the little crane as we crossed! I tried to get him to come back and get us for dinner, but he just smiled. “Ha-ha…real funny.”
On Thursday we pulled into Nashville to their municipal dock and we were literally docked at the foot of the city! When we decided to make this little side trip to Nashville, I was thinking “Yeah…it would be nice to see Nashville”… but I was mostly just excited for Bob more than anything. Well – I gotta tell y’all (that’s how they talk here)…I LOVE this city! Music City! We took a trolley tour, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, had yummy b.b.q. and listened to SO MANY bands perform live! We were here 2 days and both days we wound up in town walking from bar to bar listening to awesome bands! I never knew I liked country music as much as I do. The musicians would call out for requests and out of MY mouth comes… “How about ‘Ring of Fire’?!” Bob’s like…hello?...Johnny Cash? Really? One band started to sing George Jones… “He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today”… and I’m a bucket of tears…”Oh, don’t play that song…it always makes me cry!” (But you have to say “cra” in a Southern accent.) Then I start singing along with them! (I know the words?...huh?...who knew?)
As Bob told you, we saw a little mini concert at the Country Hall of Fame & Museum… a tribute to Blind Alfred Reed… and once more… it was a great show! (You just can’t beat live performances!) You could tell how much all the performers just absolutely loved playing music and sharing it with anyone who’d listen. The man who organized this tribute, Tim Obrien, started out the show by saying, “Thanks for being here…but, make no mistake…we’d be singing and playing anyway, but it’s always nice to have an audience.” Reminded me of 2 of my sisters (Mooie & Jeanie) and my brother (Hoke)…they just love holding on to a microphone and singing up a storm! Other performers included, Kathy Mattea, John Lilly, Connie Smith, the Carpenter Ants, and Todd Burge (recognize any of those names?) BK told you the name of one of the songs that Blind Alfred Reed wrote…here are a couple more:
· Always Lift Him Up and Never Knock Him Down
· How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live
· You’ve Got to Have ‘Em, That’s All (referring to women…hm-m-m)
· Black and Blue Eyes
These folks that we saw perform yesterday have made an album called “Always Lift Him Up: A Tribute to Blind Alfred Reed”. Some of the songs on this album were originally recorded in 1927 during the famous Bristol Sessions. It’s kind of oldy country, bluegrassy kind of music…lots of toe tappers with fun lyrics…I think I’m going to look that one up! (Hoke & Mooie – you’d probably love it too!)
Tonight we’re going to the Grand Ole Opry and (I can’t believe I’m saying this…) I’m really looking forward to it! I’m bringing binoculars! By the time y’all see me again, I’ll have Dolly Parton hair and all my clothes will have rhinestones on them! And Annie – I’m keeping my eye out for a pair of red cowboy boots! Yee-Ha!
Hope you are all staying dry, that your boats are floating in the same spot that you left them, and that the waters go down soon! Remember…
Life isn’t about waiting for the waters to recede…it’s about learning to dance in the puddles!
Lots of luck to you and yours! First Mate-----Deb
P.S. Look again at the picture BK sent earlier of outside the Country Music Hall of Fame…the windows look like the black keys on a keyboard! Cool!
We’ve had a great week! We left Green Turtle Bay on Monday, visited some interesting marinas and are now headed north again on the Cumberland River. We’ll stop at Green Turtle Bay to stay again for a couple more days on Tuesday & Wednesday, to get some laundry done and borrow their courtesy van for a run to Kroger…almost out of Sesame Nut Mix!
Last Monday night we stayed at Lake Barkley Marina. There were two marina workers there…one kid to catch our lines and a lady in the office/ship’s store to check us in. The ship’s store consisted of a shelf of snack foods, a refrigerated cooler with 7 kinds of iced tea, a display of a variety of shot glasses…”Bottom’s Up” (and you can imagine what’s pictured on that glass!), a selection of Lake Barkley Tee-Shirts, and 4 aisles of fishing lures! (I’ve never seen so many different kinds of rubber worms!) We were one of only 2 transient boats and there was no activity at all on any of the permanent slips, so we spent a nice quiet evening there. This is where they put us next to another boat called “Headquarters”…what are the odds?
On Tuesday, we moved South on the Cumberland River to Clarksville, TN where we stayed on a free dock within walking distance from historical Clarksville. Here’s a weird thing…the river flows north, but we were heading south…up river…very confusing. The free dock was new and it was nice and clean, but we’d heard some things about safety that made me nervous (people untying boats in the middle of the night, etc.) I think I worked myself up into a bit of a state and had BK tie up all sorts of “special” lines, had him put on the chain with the padlocks, and even tie the small door shut that comes from the swim platform (can you say paranoid?) Turned out to be a very nice place (my paranoia was unfounded) and we’ll be staying there again on our way back down river! (It helps that there’s a great brew pub with awesome pizza within walking distance!) P.S. The “special” lines, the chain & padlocks along with tying the back door shut will still be implemented!
Our next stop for Wednesday night was Harpeth Shoals Marina which had some great stuff written about it in Quimby’s. But once again…we got there and didn’t see any other boaters (lots of boats…no people). We were on a gated dock with a coded entry and we decided to walk to the office to check in and settle up. So out the gate we go…walk around the lagoon to the office and find nothing but locked doors and dark windows. Bob had a phone number for the office but when he called, he got a message: “Hi…sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, please leave a message and I’ll call as soon as I get back from picking up my kid from day care.”….. “B-E-E-E-E-P!” ;o) In the meantime, we realized…yep…can’t get back on the dock and our boat because we don’t know the code that opens the gate and the only people around are the guys putting in docks and “Nope” they don’t know the code. But the guy did offer to shuttle us over on his little work barge and we took him up on it, hanging on to the little crane as we crossed! I tried to get him to come back and get us for dinner, but he just smiled. “Ha-ha…real funny.”
On Thursday we pulled into Nashville to their municipal dock and we were literally docked at the foot of the city! When we decided to make this little side trip to Nashville, I was thinking “Yeah…it would be nice to see Nashville”… but I was mostly just excited for Bob more than anything. Well – I gotta tell y’all (that’s how they talk here)…I LOVE this city! Music City! We took a trolley tour, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, had yummy b.b.q. and listened to SO MANY bands perform live! We were here 2 days and both days we wound up in town walking from bar to bar listening to awesome bands! I never knew I liked country music as much as I do. The musicians would call out for requests and out of MY mouth comes… “How about ‘Ring of Fire’?!” Bob’s like…hello?...Johnny Cash? Really? One band started to sing George Jones… “He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today”… and I’m a bucket of tears…”Oh, don’t play that song…it always makes me cry!” (But you have to say “cra” in a Southern accent.) Then I start singing along with them! (I know the words?...huh?...who knew?)
As Bob told you, we saw a little mini concert at the Country Hall of Fame & Museum… a tribute to Blind Alfred Reed… and once more… it was a great show! (You just can’t beat live performances!) You could tell how much all the performers just absolutely loved playing music and sharing it with anyone who’d listen. The man who organized this tribute, Tim Obrien, started out the show by saying, “Thanks for being here…but, make no mistake…we’d be singing and playing anyway, but it’s always nice to have an audience.” Reminded me of 2 of my sisters (Mooie & Jeanie) and my brother (Hoke)…they just love holding on to a microphone and singing up a storm! Other performers included, Kathy Mattea, John Lilly, Connie Smith, the Carpenter Ants, and Todd Burge (recognize any of those names?) BK told you the name of one of the songs that Blind Alfred Reed wrote…here are a couple more:
· Always Lift Him Up and Never Knock Him Down
· How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live
· You’ve Got to Have ‘Em, That’s All (referring to women…hm-m-m)
· Black and Blue Eyes
These folks that we saw perform yesterday have made an album called “Always Lift Him Up: A Tribute to Blind Alfred Reed”. Some of the songs on this album were originally recorded in 1927 during the famous Bristol Sessions. It’s kind of oldy country, bluegrassy kind of music…lots of toe tappers with fun lyrics…I think I’m going to look that one up! (Hoke & Mooie – you’d probably love it too!)
Tonight we’re going to the Grand Ole Opry and (I can’t believe I’m saying this…) I’m really looking forward to it! I’m bringing binoculars! By the time y’all see me again, I’ll have Dolly Parton hair and all my clothes will have rhinestones on them! And Annie – I’m keeping my eye out for a pair of red cowboy boots! Yee-Ha!
Hope you are all staying dry, that your boats are floating in the same spot that you left them, and that the waters go down soon! Remember…
Life isn’t about waiting for the waters to recede…it’s about learning to dance in the puddles!
Lots of luck to you and yours! First Mate-----Deb
P.S. Look again at the picture BK sent earlier of outside the Country Music Hall of Fame…the windows look like the black keys on a keyboard! Cool!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Log 35; day 122; Nashville, TN
Log 35
Day 122
Kathy Mattea during their tribute to Blind Alfred Reed
Deb...it's official...we're tourists
Inside Tootsie's
Great band...that girl played "The Devil went down to Georgia" good enough to make Charlie Daniels worry.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
6:40 AM CDT
Location: Municipal Marina, Downtown Nashville, TN
Weather: 68* with calm winds; forecast is for 81* and partly cloudy today
It’s a little warmer this morning than it has been for a while. There is also no dew or fog. I’m sitting on the back of the boat and things are fairly quite (as quite as they can be next to downtown Nashville) except for that bass boat that just flew by at about 50 mph. It’s light out, but the sun is not up yet, and when it does come up it will have trouble shinning with all these clouds. That said it will be plenty warm and very nice.
Yesterday was a fun and interesting day. After spending the early morning cleaning up the boat both inside and out we decided to walk to town for lunch. I had in mind some BBQ, which I always love in the south. When we were at Harpeth Shoals marina I asked the dock master is she knew of a good place and she told me to go to Jacks...so we did...and it was great. We had the beef brisket plate...if you come to Nashville...go to Jacks...you’ll love it. After lunch we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. On our tour on Thursday we passed it and decided to go see it. (side note: for all of you who have told me over the years I need to slow down more and smell the roses; please note in the last 2 days I have taken a scheduled tour (not a Bob Koerner whirl wind tour...one where some one else was driving) and visited a museum...is this what you had in mind?). It was actually the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum...and we both enjoyed it. We were also fortunate that when we started our tour they had a special concert tribute to Blind Alfred Reed (included in our ticket price they kept telling us) and it was very good. I have never heard of Blind Alfred Reed (I wonder if anyone has) but for his tribute they gathered many singers and musicians from West Virginia (where he lived) and had them all there. You can see one picture I included...the lady is Kathy Mattea...who is a famous country singer...and very good. One quick note on Blind Alfred Reed...although I have never heard of him or his music...it was good. Here is one of his song titles...”She does the best she can, woman was made after man, and she’s been after him ever since”. Yes...that’s the title...and it’s a good song.
After all that museum lookin’, we were both parched and needed to find a beer and a band (not hard to do at any time in Nashville) so we ended up at Tootsie’s (who I might add is mentioned at the Country Hall of Fame). The pictures are taken inside Tootsie’s. This band was very good, and like all bands we saw, played only for tips and the hope someone would discover them. Deb and I both agreed we really liked Nashville..and Deb tells me she has a much greater appreciation for country music. Me...I already loved it. Back at the boat by 5 we enjoyed another boat cocktail with our new friends Ted and Billie on Main Course...they plan to leave early today...heading back to Clarksville. Dinner was on the boat, and Deb cooked some awesome fish, and we ate it while watching some reruns of Andy Griffith (I knew all those recordings would come in handy). Probably the 10th time (at least) I have seen that episode...and I laughed just as hard as the first time.
Today...should be a fun day. We are leaving the Municipal Dock because it is full tonight due to the Titans game just across the bridge. We will go down river about 15 miles to Rock Harbor Marine where we will stay tonight and plan to get a taxi and come back to The Grand Ole Opry. When we were booking Nashville Deb tried to get tickets for Friday night, but when they told us who was playing we had never heard of a single act. But then the lady said...to bad you’re not going to be here on Saturday, because we have a special treat. For the same price as Friday (with no names) on Saturday they have playing...Alan Jackson; Charlie Daniels; Kathy Mattea; and a few others I can’t remember, but I recognized them when Deb told me. So we are really looking forward to going tonight.
Side notes:
· For one of the first times since I retired I felt funny yesterday. For some reason when we are cruising during the week I do not feel like I should be doing anything else. But when I was walking around the hall of fame, on a weekday, with all those older folks (well compared to Deb and I), I thought “what the heck am I doing here”?
· I promised myself I would not watch the market every day and let that determine my mood...but it sure was nice to see another 400 points positive yesterday.
· Rumor has it that the marina we are going to tonight is owned by the former husband of Wynona Judd ( a famous country singer and 1/2 of The Judds). Actually I’m not sure you can call it a rumor because the owner (Arch) told Ted and Billie (on Main Course) this was the case when they stopped for fuel on the way up here...and they told us. What he actually said was “he got the marina in a divorce settlement because he came home and found her in bed with another man”. Seems like a lot to share with someone who just stopped by to buy gas doesn’t it? I wonder how much he’ll share with us if we spend the night????
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 122
A shot from outside the Country Hall of Fame
Kathy Mattea during their tribute to Blind Alfred Reed
Deb...it's official...we're tourists
Inside Tootsie's
Great band...that girl played "The Devil went down to Georgia" good enough to make Charlie Daniels worry.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
6:40 AM CDT
Location: Municipal Marina, Downtown Nashville, TN
Weather: 68* with calm winds; forecast is for 81* and partly cloudy today
It’s a little warmer this morning than it has been for a while. There is also no dew or fog. I’m sitting on the back of the boat and things are fairly quite (as quite as they can be next to downtown Nashville) except for that bass boat that just flew by at about 50 mph. It’s light out, but the sun is not up yet, and when it does come up it will have trouble shinning with all these clouds. That said it will be plenty warm and very nice.
Yesterday was a fun and interesting day. After spending the early morning cleaning up the boat both inside and out we decided to walk to town for lunch. I had in mind some BBQ, which I always love in the south. When we were at Harpeth Shoals marina I asked the dock master is she knew of a good place and she told me to go to Jacks...so we did...and it was great. We had the beef brisket plate...if you come to Nashville...go to Jacks...you’ll love it. After lunch we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. On our tour on Thursday we passed it and decided to go see it. (side note: for all of you who have told me over the years I need to slow down more and smell the roses; please note in the last 2 days I have taken a scheduled tour (not a Bob Koerner whirl wind tour...one where some one else was driving) and visited a museum...is this what you had in mind?). It was actually the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum...and we both enjoyed it. We were also fortunate that when we started our tour they had a special concert tribute to Blind Alfred Reed (included in our ticket price they kept telling us) and it was very good. I have never heard of Blind Alfred Reed (I wonder if anyone has) but for his tribute they gathered many singers and musicians from West Virginia (where he lived) and had them all there. You can see one picture I included...the lady is Kathy Mattea...who is a famous country singer...and very good. One quick note on Blind Alfred Reed...although I have never heard of him or his music...it was good. Here is one of his song titles...”She does the best she can, woman was made after man, and she’s been after him ever since”. Yes...that’s the title...and it’s a good song.
After all that museum lookin’, we were both parched and needed to find a beer and a band (not hard to do at any time in Nashville) so we ended up at Tootsie’s (who I might add is mentioned at the Country Hall of Fame). The pictures are taken inside Tootsie’s. This band was very good, and like all bands we saw, played only for tips and the hope someone would discover them. Deb and I both agreed we really liked Nashville..and Deb tells me she has a much greater appreciation for country music. Me...I already loved it. Back at the boat by 5 we enjoyed another boat cocktail with our new friends Ted and Billie on Main Course...they plan to leave early today...heading back to Clarksville. Dinner was on the boat, and Deb cooked some awesome fish, and we ate it while watching some reruns of Andy Griffith (I knew all those recordings would come in handy). Probably the 10th time (at least) I have seen that episode...and I laughed just as hard as the first time.
Today...should be a fun day. We are leaving the Municipal Dock because it is full tonight due to the Titans game just across the bridge. We will go down river about 15 miles to Rock Harbor Marine where we will stay tonight and plan to get a taxi and come back to The Grand Ole Opry. When we were booking Nashville Deb tried to get tickets for Friday night, but when they told us who was playing we had never heard of a single act. But then the lady said...to bad you’re not going to be here on Saturday, because we have a special treat. For the same price as Friday (with no names) on Saturday they have playing...Alan Jackson; Charlie Daniels; Kathy Mattea; and a few others I can’t remember, but I recognized them when Deb told me. So we are really looking forward to going tonight.
Side notes:
· For one of the first times since I retired I felt funny yesterday. For some reason when we are cruising during the week I do not feel like I should be doing anything else. But when I was walking around the hall of fame, on a weekday, with all those older folks (well compared to Deb and I), I thought “what the heck am I doing here”?
· I promised myself I would not watch the market every day and let that determine my mood...but it sure was nice to see another 400 points positive yesterday.
· Rumor has it that the marina we are going to tonight is owned by the former husband of Wynona Judd ( a famous country singer and 1/2 of The Judds). Actually I’m not sure you can call it a rumor because the owner (Arch) told Ted and Billie (on Main Course) this was the case when they stopped for fuel on the way up here...and they told us. What he actually said was “he got the marina in a divorce settlement because he came home and found her in bed with another man”. Seems like a lot to share with someone who just stopped by to buy gas doesn’t it? I wonder how much he’ll share with us if we spend the night????
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Log 34; Day 121; Nashville, TN
Friday, September 19, 2008
Just one shot of the many beautiful hills (and some mountains) we passed
Not sure if this shot does any justice...but this was a typical view out the front of the boat as we went up the Cumberland
This was the view of Nashville as we came around the corner
This is the municipal dock where we are parked...that boat in the picture is Main Course and the bridge above is the one in the picture below
Just after we parked the tour boat General Jackson went by us...I think they go from here 8 miles up river to Opryland
The trolley we took on our Nashville tour
This is very near downtown Nashville and is supposed to be an exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece??
The mural on the wall of The Stage
The band we saw at The Stage...great
Our slip at the Municipal Marina...Deb is standing at street level
The bridge above our boat
Our boat at night in her slip...cool place.
7:10 AM CDT
Location: Municipal Marina, Downtown Nashville, TN
Weather: 61* with calm winds; forecast is for 84* and mostly sunny today
As I sit here this morning I can look to my left and see downtown Nashville...to my right (across the Cumberland River) I can see LP Field where the Tennessee Titans play football. It’s light out, but the sun is not yet high enough to shine brightly...which I think it will do soon, based on the few clouds I see. I’ve got the heat on in the helm area because it’s 61 outside, and the coffee tastes great. Pretty good morning so far.
Yesterday was a great day. As you can see by the picture, it started off very foggy...but cleared up quickly and we left the dock at 8:15. The 32 miles up the Cumberland were some of the prettiest river cruising we have ever done. I put a couple of pictures of the scenery...but as I looked at them, they do not do any justice to how pretty things were. One of the many highlights of the short trip was going by the home of Alan Jackson (the famous country singer). Rumor is he just sold the place to Kenny Chesney...I’ll check it out and let you know. After 32 miles all of a sudden we were downtown. Not a lot of buildup or warning...it was just there. After tying up and getting settled we had a quick lunch and walked into town to check things out. We ended up taking a 1 hour trolley ride around Nashville, and it was not bad. Learned a lot about the history and attractions. After the trolley ride I wanted to find a bar with a live band. I had this vision of “wana-a-be’s” who would play in these bars during the day in order to get discovered...and we found one...a place called The Stage (see the 2 pictures). Turns out they had a great band...just a few guys who were having a blast playing music. We knew we should go back to the boat...but neither of us wanted to leave. It was one of those “one more song and we’ll leave” kind of things. I’ll bet we go back today.
Back at the boat (about 5) we walked up the dock and officially met a couple we had been talking with on the radio since Lake Barkley Marina. Ted and Billie (on Main Course) are from St. Louis and both retired. He was President of a hospital...she was in education. Very nice couple and we ended up touring their boat...then they came to our boat for a tour. After that they decided to go to town for dinner...we ate on the boat.
Side notes:
· Happy to see the market go up yesterday...made the ride a little better.
· So many pictures yesterday...would love to put them all on the web page, but it takes too much of our Verizon data usage to send them all...we get a certain amount each month as part of our package.
· Nashville is a cool downtown...lots of old buildings that are not neat bars and restaurants
· Too many highlights to explain on the trolley tour...but we did see where Elvis recorded most of his records. An old small brick building that had no character at all. The tour guide said he loved it because it had the best acoustics of anywhere in Nashville. How do tour guide know all this stuff? I think they just make it up to sound good.
· Remember the cool bridge we stayed under in Alton...well we are under another one...the pictures are cool...but don’t do it justice.
· Because we are tucked under some trees at the municipal dock our satellite TV does not work for the first time, because it can’t see the satellite. No TV for 2 days. Good thing I have all those Andy Griffith episodes on the DVR
· Deb just got a call from a gentleman named Tommy Greer. He said he has been following our blog and lives 17 miles up river from Nashville and wanted to know if we needed anything. On one hand it was a strange call...on the other...mighty neighborly. If you reading this Tommy...thanks for the offer.
Today...not sure. Just a lazy day in Nashville.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
The fog as we were getting ready to leave our slip. If you look close you can see the two large condo buildings in the backround
Just one shot of the many beautiful hills (and some mountains) we passed
Not sure if this shot does any justice...but this was a typical view out the front of the boat as we went up the Cumberland
This was the view of Nashville as we came around the corner
This is the municipal dock where we are parked...that boat in the picture is Main Course and the bridge above is the one in the picture below
Just after we parked the tour boat General Jackson went by us...I think they go from here 8 miles up river to Opryland
The trolley we took on our Nashville tour
This is very near downtown Nashville and is supposed to be an exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece??
The mural on the wall of The Stage
The band we saw at The Stage...great
Our slip at the Municipal Marina...Deb is standing at street level
The bridge above our boat
Our boat at night in her slip...cool place.
7:10 AM CDT
Location: Municipal Marina, Downtown Nashville, TN
Weather: 61* with calm winds; forecast is for 84* and mostly sunny today
As I sit here this morning I can look to my left and see downtown Nashville...to my right (across the Cumberland River) I can see LP Field where the Tennessee Titans play football. It’s light out, but the sun is not yet high enough to shine brightly...which I think it will do soon, based on the few clouds I see. I’ve got the heat on in the helm area because it’s 61 outside, and the coffee tastes great. Pretty good morning so far.
Yesterday was a great day. As you can see by the picture, it started off very foggy...but cleared up quickly and we left the dock at 8:15. The 32 miles up the Cumberland were some of the prettiest river cruising we have ever done. I put a couple of pictures of the scenery...but as I looked at them, they do not do any justice to how pretty things were. One of the many highlights of the short trip was going by the home of Alan Jackson (the famous country singer). Rumor is he just sold the place to Kenny Chesney...I’ll check it out and let you know. After 32 miles all of a sudden we were downtown. Not a lot of buildup or warning...it was just there. After tying up and getting settled we had a quick lunch and walked into town to check things out. We ended up taking a 1 hour trolley ride around Nashville, and it was not bad. Learned a lot about the history and attractions. After the trolley ride I wanted to find a bar with a live band. I had this vision of “wana-a-be’s” who would play in these bars during the day in order to get discovered...and we found one...a place called The Stage (see the 2 pictures). Turns out they had a great band...just a few guys who were having a blast playing music. We knew we should go back to the boat...but neither of us wanted to leave. It was one of those “one more song and we’ll leave” kind of things. I’ll bet we go back today.
Back at the boat (about 5) we walked up the dock and officially met a couple we had been talking with on the radio since Lake Barkley Marina. Ted and Billie (on Main Course) are from St. Louis and both retired. He was President of a hospital...she was in education. Very nice couple and we ended up touring their boat...then they came to our boat for a tour. After that they decided to go to town for dinner...we ate on the boat.
Side notes:
· Happy to see the market go up yesterday...made the ride a little better.
· So many pictures yesterday...would love to put them all on the web page, but it takes too much of our Verizon data usage to send them all...we get a certain amount each month as part of our package.
· Nashville is a cool downtown...lots of old buildings that are not neat bars and restaurants
· Too many highlights to explain on the trolley tour...but we did see where Elvis recorded most of his records. An old small brick building that had no character at all. The tour guide said he loved it because it had the best acoustics of anywhere in Nashville. How do tour guide know all this stuff? I think they just make it up to sound good.
· Remember the cool bridge we stayed under in Alton...well we are under another one...the pictures are cool...but don’t do it justice.
· Because we are tucked under some trees at the municipal dock our satellite TV does not work for the first time, because it can’t see the satellite. No TV for 2 days. Good thing I have all those Andy Griffith episodes on the DVR
· Deb just got a call from a gentleman named Tommy Greer. He said he has been following our blog and lives 17 miles up river from Nashville and wanted to know if we needed anything. On one hand it was a strange call...on the other...mighty neighborly. If you reading this Tommy...thanks for the offer.
Today...not sure. Just a lazy day in Nashville.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Log 33 Day 120 Ashland, TN
Log 33
Day 120
Thursday, September 18, 2008
You can see I look excited to get started...but Deb needed another picture
This was taken from our boat...looking out at the Cheatam Lock. Notice the fisherman trying to fish in that current.
6:45 AM CDT
Location: Harpeth Shoals Marina, Ashland City, TN
Weather: 61* very foggy and calm winds; forecast is for 84* and sunny today
Very foggy this morning...actually the first totally foggy morning since we left Michigan. We have seen some patchy fog...but nothing like this. Might have to wait a while to head out this morning. The river is fairly narrow at this point and the channel is even narrower...I don’t need to be out there until the fog is totally gone.
The 47 mile ride from Clarksville to Ashland City, TN was a very nice ride on a beautiful day. The sun rose to a crystal blue sky and it warmed up to the mid 80’s in no time. We had most of the isinglass open all the way and it was great (the only problem we had at all is I was listening to CNBC market watch on our Sirius radio and going crazy listening to the market take another dive...why do I put myself through that?)
As we get closer to Nashville the river continues to get a little narrower and a little higher banks. We are also seeing more channel markers (to keep us in the deep part of the river) and the channel is much shallower than it has been (15 feet verses 40 to 50 feet down river). About 20 miles up river from Clarksville we had to go through the Cheatam Lock (see the picture of the dam next to the lock). A boat who we met down river (Main Course) had radioed us and ask if he could follow us up to, and in, the lock because they had never taken their boat in a lock before, and were not familiar with the procedure. I told them no problem...follow us. On my chart plotter I could see that there was a tow boat heading up river (remember I have the AIS system installed on my boat...a great tool for traveling the river) and I was trying to calculate how fast we would be catching him and how soon he would make it to the lock. I also was thinking about going fast for a while to pass him and possibly get in the lock before him to save us a wait time of up to 2 hours. After some consideration I decided to not go fast...but I did hear the tow call the lock and give the lock his information and discuss locking through. At that point I called the tow and asked him if we could get in the lock with him...which he said no. So I called the lock master on the phone and told him he had two pleasure craft heading up river and we were just behind the tow and could we go in with him...to which he said no. I was very nice with him (which I always am with lock masters) and told him we would be below the lock and would love a “lift” as soon as he could get to us. About 15 minutes later something interesting happened. When the tow originally called the lock he told him that before entering the lock there would be “crew change” which means that a new crew would be coming on deck and that crew would be taking the tow through the lock. When that happens there is normally a delay (because the barge slows way down...or even stops in some cases...to change crews) and so the lock master called the tow on the radio and asked him if he had changed crews yet...to which the tow said no...and so the lockmaster asked the tow if he could lock through a couple of pleasure craft before he got to the lock and the tow captain said sure...so we passed the tow and went right in. We were in the right place...and did the right thing.
From the lock to our slip for the night was about 10 miles of more beautiful river. Harpeth Shoals Marina is a new (no one lives here yet) beautiful condo complex with a new marina attached. The place is so new they don’t even have a credit card machine yet so we had to pay cash ($1 per foot for the night), but the docks are great (all of them covered) and the area is first class. About 1/2 of the slips are full at this point...but I’m sure they won’t last long, being this close to Nashville. The dock master said they had 136 condos in the complex and only 41 were left to sell. They start closing and people start moving in next week. After settling in at the dock Deb did some reading and book work and I did some cleaning on the boat. We had left over spaghetti for dinner and a nice quite evening.
Today we head up to Nashville and will be staying downtown at the municipal marina...a run of only about 32 miles. We plan to stay 2 nights in Nashville and then head down river.
Well I can see the sun now as it peeks through the fog and it is starting to lift a little bit. Hopefully by the time I get this log sent and start to get the boat ready for cruising it will be burnt off. Looks like it will be another great day.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 120
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Our slip at the municipal dock in Clarksville
You can see I look excited to get started...but Deb needed another picture
This was taken from our boat...looking out at the Cheatam Lock. Notice the fisherman trying to fish in that current.
6:45 AM CDT
Location: Harpeth Shoals Marina, Ashland City, TN
Weather: 61* very foggy and calm winds; forecast is for 84* and sunny today
Very foggy this morning...actually the first totally foggy morning since we left Michigan. We have seen some patchy fog...but nothing like this. Might have to wait a while to head out this morning. The river is fairly narrow at this point and the channel is even narrower...I don’t need to be out there until the fog is totally gone.
The 47 mile ride from Clarksville to Ashland City, TN was a very nice ride on a beautiful day. The sun rose to a crystal blue sky and it warmed up to the mid 80’s in no time. We had most of the isinglass open all the way and it was great (the only problem we had at all is I was listening to CNBC market watch on our Sirius radio and going crazy listening to the market take another dive...why do I put myself through that?)
As we get closer to Nashville the river continues to get a little narrower and a little higher banks. We are also seeing more channel markers (to keep us in the deep part of the river) and the channel is much shallower than it has been (15 feet verses 40 to 50 feet down river). About 20 miles up river from Clarksville we had to go through the Cheatam Lock (see the picture of the dam next to the lock). A boat who we met down river (Main Course) had radioed us and ask if he could follow us up to, and in, the lock because they had never taken their boat in a lock before, and were not familiar with the procedure. I told them no problem...follow us. On my chart plotter I could see that there was a tow boat heading up river (remember I have the AIS system installed on my boat...a great tool for traveling the river) and I was trying to calculate how fast we would be catching him and how soon he would make it to the lock. I also was thinking about going fast for a while to pass him and possibly get in the lock before him to save us a wait time of up to 2 hours. After some consideration I decided to not go fast...but I did hear the tow call the lock and give the lock his information and discuss locking through. At that point I called the tow and asked him if we could get in the lock with him...which he said no. So I called the lock master on the phone and told him he had two pleasure craft heading up river and we were just behind the tow and could we go in with him...to which he said no. I was very nice with him (which I always am with lock masters) and told him we would be below the lock and would love a “lift” as soon as he could get to us. About 15 minutes later something interesting happened. When the tow originally called the lock he told him that before entering the lock there would be “crew change” which means that a new crew would be coming on deck and that crew would be taking the tow through the lock. When that happens there is normally a delay (because the barge slows way down...or even stops in some cases...to change crews) and so the lock master called the tow on the radio and asked him if he had changed crews yet...to which the tow said no...and so the lockmaster asked the tow if he could lock through a couple of pleasure craft before he got to the lock and the tow captain said sure...so we passed the tow and went right in. We were in the right place...and did the right thing.
From the lock to our slip for the night was about 10 miles of more beautiful river. Harpeth Shoals Marina is a new (no one lives here yet) beautiful condo complex with a new marina attached. The place is so new they don’t even have a credit card machine yet so we had to pay cash ($1 per foot for the night), but the docks are great (all of them covered) and the area is first class. About 1/2 of the slips are full at this point...but I’m sure they won’t last long, being this close to Nashville. The dock master said they had 136 condos in the complex and only 41 were left to sell. They start closing and people start moving in next week. After settling in at the dock Deb did some reading and book work and I did some cleaning on the boat. We had left over spaghetti for dinner and a nice quite evening.
Today we head up to Nashville and will be staying downtown at the municipal marina...a run of only about 32 miles. We plan to stay 2 nights in Nashville and then head down river.
Well I can see the sun now as it peeks through the fog and it is starting to lift a little bit. Hopefully by the time I get this log sent and start to get the boat ready for cruising it will be burnt off. Looks like it will be another great day.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Log 32
Day 119
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
4:45 AM CDT
Location: Clarksville, TN
Weather: 59* and no wind; forecast is for 82* and sunny today
It is one of those real early mornings today. I woke up early and got up a little before 4 am. I feel great now but will probably need a nap later. There are a lot of things I love about cruising and living on a boat...but on the top of the list are the mornings. I can’t wait to get up each day...no matter what we are doing...but when we are cruising each day I am even more excited. I also figured out a new “hot setup” this morning. Yesterday I mentioned that it stays dark later so I need a light in the morning. Bringing out a lamp to the helm area each morning was a pain, so I thought about it and came up with the idea to use one of Deb’s book lights. I clipped the book light to the top of my computer and “bingo” I have a light for the computer without bringing out a lamp. (Note; the entire helm area has lots of lights...but they are too bright...I just want a little light to work with).
It’s a beautiful morning...cool and no wind. Sitting on the back of the boat I am looking up at the town of Clarksville, TN all lit up and just a very short walk away. We are tied to the town’s free floating dock (with no water...but free 50 amp electric) which sits just off the channel of the Cumberland River and about 2 blocks from Clarksville’s downtown. The weather radar shows no rain anywhere near here and the forecast say it will be nice weather where we will be cruising for the next several days...actually they say it will be nice until next Friday...10 days from now.
Yesterday...we left the Lake Barkley Marina at 8:40 am and arrived at Clarksville, TN at 4 pm. The 67 mile trip up river (as we traveled south) was very pretty. It turned from a wide body of water (Lake Barkley) to a fairly normal river (Cumberland) and it will be this way all the way to Nashville. Actually the river would remind you of the Illinois River (very pretty with lots of trees) except the banks are much higher, and rocky, and the channel is much deeper. We also passed a couple of Civil War battle fields (can’t remember the names) that looked really cool. Once we arrived at Clarksville and got the boat settled down Deb and I decided to take a walk into town. I had talked to a guy on the dock at Green Turtle Bay and he told me there was a great brew pub in town that had the best pizza he had ever had...so we went in search of this place...and found it. I’m not sure if it was the best I ever had...but it was very good. We will be stopping here on our way back from Nashville...maybe we’ll go back. (We will definitely go into town again...it looked very nice and I’m sure they have more than one pub. Deb saw a few stores that looked interesting as well). Back at the boat it was not long before we retired for the night.
Side note: The heavy rains and flooding in the Midwest has caused lots of problems for other Loopers behind us. I belong to the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) and follow lots of Loopers...via email blogs. Many of these emails tell stories of several boats staged in different locations (from downtown Chicago to St. Louis) waiting for the rivers to crest and then get to a level they can travel on. Locks and rivers are closed from Chicago to Cairo where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi. Many of these boats have been waiting for over a week and may have to wait another week or more before they can head south. I am so glad we left when we did...because the rivers were in great shape and we had no issues. I really feel for those folks on the Illinois and Mississippi...they have a tough time ahead of them.
Today we will go 23 miles and go through Cheatam Lock and then another 9 miles to Ashland TN...our stop for tonight...and the last stop before Nashville. So today will be an easy day. Before we leave I need to see if I can fix our internet connection. For some reason our wireless modem stopped working yesterday and we can not log onto the internet without hooking the wireless card directly to our computer. There are certainly a lot worse problems we could have, but Deb and I really rely on the internet for cruising. Everything from weather...to paying our bills at home...to making reservations for slips. It’s an important tool, so I need to get it fixed as soon as possible. Maybe that’s why I got up so early?
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
A shot to show how close the channel is to the shore as we went the 2 miles off the Cumberland to Lake Barkley Marina
If you look closely you will see the house boat we parked next to at Lake Barkley Marina is also called Headquarters...only the 2nd one we have seen in all our years of boating.
Claudia will hate me for putting this picture on here...but this is how she looked trying to climb in the boat after we went swimming in a cove.
Steve and Claudia with us at Patti's restuarant in Grand Rivers, KY
Deb, Claudia, and Steve taking a dip to cool off in a Lake Barkley cove
Just one of the bass I have been catching...actually the biggest one.
Day 119
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
4:45 AM CDT
Location: Clarksville, TN
Weather: 59* and no wind; forecast is for 82* and sunny today
It is one of those real early mornings today. I woke up early and got up a little before 4 am. I feel great now but will probably need a nap later. There are a lot of things I love about cruising and living on a boat...but on the top of the list are the mornings. I can’t wait to get up each day...no matter what we are doing...but when we are cruising each day I am even more excited. I also figured out a new “hot setup” this morning. Yesterday I mentioned that it stays dark later so I need a light in the morning. Bringing out a lamp to the helm area each morning was a pain, so I thought about it and came up with the idea to use one of Deb’s book lights. I clipped the book light to the top of my computer and “bingo” I have a light for the computer without bringing out a lamp. (Note; the entire helm area has lots of lights...but they are too bright...I just want a little light to work with).
It’s a beautiful morning...cool and no wind. Sitting on the back of the boat I am looking up at the town of Clarksville, TN all lit up and just a very short walk away. We are tied to the town’s free floating dock (with no water...but free 50 amp electric) which sits just off the channel of the Cumberland River and about 2 blocks from Clarksville’s downtown. The weather radar shows no rain anywhere near here and the forecast say it will be nice weather where we will be cruising for the next several days...actually they say it will be nice until next Friday...10 days from now.
Yesterday...we left the Lake Barkley Marina at 8:40 am and arrived at Clarksville, TN at 4 pm. The 67 mile trip up river (as we traveled south) was very pretty. It turned from a wide body of water (Lake Barkley) to a fairly normal river (Cumberland) and it will be this way all the way to Nashville. Actually the river would remind you of the Illinois River (very pretty with lots of trees) except the banks are much higher, and rocky, and the channel is much deeper. We also passed a couple of Civil War battle fields (can’t remember the names) that looked really cool. Once we arrived at Clarksville and got the boat settled down Deb and I decided to take a walk into town. I had talked to a guy on the dock at Green Turtle Bay and he told me there was a great brew pub in town that had the best pizza he had ever had...so we went in search of this place...and found it. I’m not sure if it was the best I ever had...but it was very good. We will be stopping here on our way back from Nashville...maybe we’ll go back. (We will definitely go into town again...it looked very nice and I’m sure they have more than one pub. Deb saw a few stores that looked interesting as well). Back at the boat it was not long before we retired for the night.
Side note: The heavy rains and flooding in the Midwest has caused lots of problems for other Loopers behind us. I belong to the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) and follow lots of Loopers...via email blogs. Many of these emails tell stories of several boats staged in different locations (from downtown Chicago to St. Louis) waiting for the rivers to crest and then get to a level they can travel on. Locks and rivers are closed from Chicago to Cairo where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi. Many of these boats have been waiting for over a week and may have to wait another week or more before they can head south. I am so glad we left when we did...because the rivers were in great shape and we had no issues. I really feel for those folks on the Illinois and Mississippi...they have a tough time ahead of them.
Today we will go 23 miles and go through Cheatam Lock and then another 9 miles to Ashland TN...our stop for tonight...and the last stop before Nashville. So today will be an easy day. Before we leave I need to see if I can fix our internet connection. For some reason our wireless modem stopped working yesterday and we can not log onto the internet without hooking the wireless card directly to our computer. There are certainly a lot worse problems we could have, but Deb and I really rely on the internet for cruising. Everything from weather...to paying our bills at home...to making reservations for slips. It’s an important tool, so I need to get it fixed as soon as possible. Maybe that’s why I got up so early?
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
This is a Kentucky prison (that looks like a castle) just up river from Green Turtle Bay Marina
A shot to show how close the channel is to the shore as we went the 2 miles off the Cumberland to Lake Barkley Marina
If you look closely you will see the house boat we parked next to at Lake Barkley Marina is also called Headquarters...only the 2nd one we have seen in all our years of boating.
Claudia will hate me for putting this picture on here...but this is how she looked trying to climb in the boat after we went swimming in a cove.
Steve and Claudia with us at Patti's restuarant in Grand Rivers, KY
Deb, Claudia, and Steve taking a dip to cool off in a Lake Barkley cove
Just one of the bass I have been catching...actually the biggest one.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Log 31 Day 118; Lake Barkley Marina, Cadiz, KY
Log 31
Day 118
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
6:00 AM CDT
Location: Lake Barkley Marina, Cadiz, KY
Weather: 58* and no wind; heading for 77* and sunny today
It is staying dark so much longer that I have to use a light out in the helm area each morning when I get up and get on the computer (it is light enough to see without a light at about 6:15). I like it better when the sun comes up early...but I also like it when the sun sets early.
Cool out this morning...I think the coolest morning since we were in South Haven. It’s nice to have the heater in the helm area to warm it up. We are sitting in a very pretty area about 2 miles off the main Cumberland River channel at MM 59.5. We changed our minds and decided to head up the Cumberland River (but heading south) to Nashville and then turn around and come back down the Cumberland and join the Tennessee again next week.
The last few days...Steve and Claudia arrived at GTB last Thursday evening. We had a great 4 days with them. Steve brought his fishing boat and we fished both Friday and Saturday, both beautiful days on the lake. I’m not sure what has happened in the bass fishing deal...but all of a sudden I have learned how to catch bass. I have been going out in the dinghy by myself and practicing. My secret it to only use 1 lure...a rubber worm, and reel it VERY slow. Not sure why...but it works great. Between the 2 of us we probably caught 20 to 25 bass and had a great time. After we fished in the morning, we came back to the boat for breakfast and some relaxing and then both days took the boat out to one of the local coves for some swimming...lots of fun.
On Sunday morning we got some of the backlash of hurricane Ike. Not much rain...but winds that were a steady 25 to 35 and gusts reported over 60 mph. It was quite a morning. At about 9 am we lost power (for about 30 miles in all directions)...and it still is not back. The good news is we can run the generator and have normal power on the boat, but I don’t like doing that for a long time so after dinner and a movie (steaks and “Dave”...the movie with Kevin Kline) I shut down the generator and we slept with all the windows open during the night...with no electricity (the winds had calmed down early in the afternoon). On Monday morning (about 7 am) I started the generator again so we could have coffee and breakfast. Steve and Claudia were planning on leaving early and did so at about 9. I talked to folks at the marina about when they planned on getting the electricity back...and the answer was between 24 and 48 hours...so we decided to leave (a day earlier than planned) and head up river to find a marina that had power...and we ended up at Lake Barkley Marina...about 30 miles south. Hard to understand, but we are going south...up river.
For some reason I can’t upload the pictures I had planned with this log, and I think it is because of a very weak internet signal. I’ll see if this log will upload...otherwise I’ll send it later today when we get to Clarksville, TN our next stop. The plan today is to travel about 67 miles and enter Tennessee (the state...not the river) and stop at Clarksville. The cruising guide says they have a free dock right near down town and it is highly rated by some of the cruisers we have talked to...so we are going to give it a try. From there we keep going south and our destination (on Thursday) is Nashville where we hope to spend 2 nights.
Well it is light now...but very cloudy, and 61 degrees. I need to make some breakfast and then I want to wash the boat off before we head out...which we plan to do so at about 9. I also need to completely fill the water tank because there is no water at Clarksville...but they do have power. The forecast calls for the clouds to go away and for it to be very sunny this afternoon...looking forward to it.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 118
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
6:00 AM CDT
Location: Lake Barkley Marina, Cadiz, KY
Weather: 58* and no wind; heading for 77* and sunny today
It is staying dark so much longer that I have to use a light out in the helm area each morning when I get up and get on the computer (it is light enough to see without a light at about 6:15). I like it better when the sun comes up early...but I also like it when the sun sets early.
Cool out this morning...I think the coolest morning since we were in South Haven. It’s nice to have the heater in the helm area to warm it up. We are sitting in a very pretty area about 2 miles off the main Cumberland River channel at MM 59.5. We changed our minds and decided to head up the Cumberland River (but heading south) to Nashville and then turn around and come back down the Cumberland and join the Tennessee again next week.
The last few days...Steve and Claudia arrived at GTB last Thursday evening. We had a great 4 days with them. Steve brought his fishing boat and we fished both Friday and Saturday, both beautiful days on the lake. I’m not sure what has happened in the bass fishing deal...but all of a sudden I have learned how to catch bass. I have been going out in the dinghy by myself and practicing. My secret it to only use 1 lure...a rubber worm, and reel it VERY slow. Not sure why...but it works great. Between the 2 of us we probably caught 20 to 25 bass and had a great time. After we fished in the morning, we came back to the boat for breakfast and some relaxing and then both days took the boat out to one of the local coves for some swimming...lots of fun.
On Sunday morning we got some of the backlash of hurricane Ike. Not much rain...but winds that were a steady 25 to 35 and gusts reported over 60 mph. It was quite a morning. At about 9 am we lost power (for about 30 miles in all directions)...and it still is not back. The good news is we can run the generator and have normal power on the boat, but I don’t like doing that for a long time so after dinner and a movie (steaks and “Dave”...the movie with Kevin Kline) I shut down the generator and we slept with all the windows open during the night...with no electricity (the winds had calmed down early in the afternoon). On Monday morning (about 7 am) I started the generator again so we could have coffee and breakfast. Steve and Claudia were planning on leaving early and did so at about 9. I talked to folks at the marina about when they planned on getting the electricity back...and the answer was between 24 and 48 hours...so we decided to leave (a day earlier than planned) and head up river to find a marina that had power...and we ended up at Lake Barkley Marina...about 30 miles south. Hard to understand, but we are going south...up river.
For some reason I can’t upload the pictures I had planned with this log, and I think it is because of a very weak internet signal. I’ll see if this log will upload...otherwise I’ll send it later today when we get to Clarksville, TN our next stop. The plan today is to travel about 67 miles and enter Tennessee (the state...not the river) and stop at Clarksville. The cruising guide says they have a free dock right near down town and it is highly rated by some of the cruisers we have talked to...so we are going to give it a try. From there we keep going south and our destination (on Thursday) is Nashville where we hope to spend 2 nights.
Well it is light now...but very cloudy, and 61 degrees. I need to make some breakfast and then I want to wash the boat off before we head out...which we plan to do so at about 9. I also need to completely fill the water tank because there is no water at Clarksville...but they do have power. The forecast calls for the clouds to go away and for it to be very sunny this afternoon...looking forward to it.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Log 30; Day 112; September 10, 2008; GTB, Grand Rivers, KY
Log 30
Day 112
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
5:10 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 63* and no wind; heading for 84* and sunny today
Up very early this morning so I have time for a log. Not sure why I wake up so early...I’m thinking it has to do with a clear conscience, and a great night’s sleep. Not that it matters...I love getting up early on a boat. I can’t explain exactly why...so I won’t try...but sitting on the back deck when it’s dark outside and waiting for the first sign of light is something I enjoy. I’ve got the heater on this morning in the back deck, just to take the slight chill off. You can tell summer is winding down.
There are also a lot of things I love about living on a boat, and one of them is meeting other folks who are cruising on their boats. Each one has a different story. Why they are doing it. Issues they are having, and what they plan to do about it. In the last few days there have been a lot of Loopers come in the marina. Some only stay one night, but most stay a few days or a week because this is such a great stop and the first nice stop since Alton, IL. A couple of examples. Jim on TWINS is a 42 Grand Banks classic (beautiful boat). He is from Grand Haven Michigan (where we kept our boat...I used to see his boat there on a regular basis). He left just 2 weeks ago and has been hitting it hard. He arrived at the Mississippi at just the wrong time. The big rains they have had the last week or so across the Midwest made the Mississippi rise 13 feet higher than it was when we came through that area. With all that water, the trash floating increased immensely...and he got a 4” log caught in his prop (sitting at the dock at Hoppies) and now has a vibration. The marina here at GTB wanted $400 to pull the boat and take off the prop. He decided to head out today and anchor out in a cove, and get a diver to pull the prop (because the marina would not let him hire a diver, and dive at the dock in the marina, because they said it was competition for them). I understand wanting to save the money...but can you imagine the hassle of going to a cove; getting the prop pulled; getting it to a prop shop; getting it back and on the boat? I hope he has a big dinghy. Another Looper is a very nice guy named Lorenzo on LIL’ DAVID (African American couple, which is rare for Loopers). He told me yesterday that they were going to leave the boat for a month and drive home to NC because the father of the wife, on the boat next to them (middle aged white couple), was dying and they were not sure how long he would hold on. After a few questions from me...it turns out that the two boats are slip mates at the marina in NC. Lorenzo has been planning the loop for 6 years. About 6 months before they planned to leave they were having dinner with the couple, and the wife of that couple says to her husband “why don’t you retire and we’ll go with them”...the husband could not come up with enough reasons why not...so they did. Lorenzo said “we left together (from NC in March) and we have been together ever since. So when her father is having trouble we need to be there for them. He said he was not sure when they would be back, but when they did they would resume the loop together...and finish together. Like I said...each Looper has a different story.
The last few days have been spent working on our “to do” lists. Deb has done laundry; went grocery shopping again; caught up on mail and banking, and paying the bills. I have finished waxing; cleaned the fenders; set up our anchoring system; did routine maintenance items; and (in general) made sure we (and the boat) are ready for several days and several hundred more miles of cruising. We have friends (Steve and Claudia Larry) joining us tomorrow for 4 days and then we’ll be leaving GTB heading down the Tennessee towards Chattanooga, so it’s good to take advantage of this down time to make sure we’re prepared.
I went fishing again yesterday. I timed it just right...leaving the boat at 6:15 when it was light enough to see exactly where I was going. I went back to the spot where I caught all those fish on Sunday...and caught several (6) again. In fact...I caught a fish on the very first cast. I think I need to reduce the size of my tackle box though, because I have tried several lures...but I only catch bass on one thing...a big rubber worm. It was a lot of fun...back at the boat by 8:30.
The first signs of light are just appearing now. I can see the sky is crystal clear and it will be a beautiful sun rise. This is the tough part of my day. Should I go fishing? Should I get a cup of coffee and take a dock walk? Should I go down and make breakfast? Man...the pressures I have to deal with are staggering. But somehow I manage to get through them. I think it was my CEO training.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 112
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
5:10 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 63* and no wind; heading for 84* and sunny today
Up very early this morning so I have time for a log. Not sure why I wake up so early...I’m thinking it has to do with a clear conscience, and a great night’s sleep. Not that it matters...I love getting up early on a boat. I can’t explain exactly why...so I won’t try...but sitting on the back deck when it’s dark outside and waiting for the first sign of light is something I enjoy. I’ve got the heater on this morning in the back deck, just to take the slight chill off. You can tell summer is winding down.
There are also a lot of things I love about living on a boat, and one of them is meeting other folks who are cruising on their boats. Each one has a different story. Why they are doing it. Issues they are having, and what they plan to do about it. In the last few days there have been a lot of Loopers come in the marina. Some only stay one night, but most stay a few days or a week because this is such a great stop and the first nice stop since Alton, IL. A couple of examples. Jim on TWINS is a 42 Grand Banks classic (beautiful boat). He is from Grand Haven Michigan (where we kept our boat...I used to see his boat there on a regular basis). He left just 2 weeks ago and has been hitting it hard. He arrived at the Mississippi at just the wrong time. The big rains they have had the last week or so across the Midwest made the Mississippi rise 13 feet higher than it was when we came through that area. With all that water, the trash floating increased immensely...and he got a 4” log caught in his prop (sitting at the dock at Hoppies) and now has a vibration. The marina here at GTB wanted $400 to pull the boat and take off the prop. He decided to head out today and anchor out in a cove, and get a diver to pull the prop (because the marina would not let him hire a diver, and dive at the dock in the marina, because they said it was competition for them). I understand wanting to save the money...but can you imagine the hassle of going to a cove; getting the prop pulled; getting it to a prop shop; getting it back and on the boat? I hope he has a big dinghy. Another Looper is a very nice guy named Lorenzo on LIL’ DAVID (African American couple, which is rare for Loopers). He told me yesterday that they were going to leave the boat for a month and drive home to NC because the father of the wife, on the boat next to them (middle aged white couple), was dying and they were not sure how long he would hold on. After a few questions from me...it turns out that the two boats are slip mates at the marina in NC. Lorenzo has been planning the loop for 6 years. About 6 months before they planned to leave they were having dinner with the couple, and the wife of that couple says to her husband “why don’t you retire and we’ll go with them”...the husband could not come up with enough reasons why not...so they did. Lorenzo said “we left together (from NC in March) and we have been together ever since. So when her father is having trouble we need to be there for them. He said he was not sure when they would be back, but when they did they would resume the loop together...and finish together. Like I said...each Looper has a different story.
The last few days have been spent working on our “to do” lists. Deb has done laundry; went grocery shopping again; caught up on mail and banking, and paying the bills. I have finished waxing; cleaned the fenders; set up our anchoring system; did routine maintenance items; and (in general) made sure we (and the boat) are ready for several days and several hundred more miles of cruising. We have friends (Steve and Claudia Larry) joining us tomorrow for 4 days and then we’ll be leaving GTB heading down the Tennessee towards Chattanooga, so it’s good to take advantage of this down time to make sure we’re prepared.
I went fishing again yesterday. I timed it just right...leaving the boat at 6:15 when it was light enough to see exactly where I was going. I went back to the spot where I caught all those fish on Sunday...and caught several (6) again. In fact...I caught a fish on the very first cast. I think I need to reduce the size of my tackle box though, because I have tried several lures...but I only catch bass on one thing...a big rubber worm. It was a lot of fun...back at the boat by 8:30.
The first signs of light are just appearing now. I can see the sky is crystal clear and it will be a beautiful sun rise. This is the tough part of my day. Should I go fishing? Should I get a cup of coffee and take a dock walk? Should I go down and make breakfast? Man...the pressures I have to deal with are staggering. But somehow I manage to get through them. I think it was my CEO training.
I hope everyone is doing well...I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Log 29; Day 110; September 8, 2008; GTB, Grand Rivers, KY
Log 29
Day 110
Monday, September 08, 2008
7:00 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 66* with 45% humidity; no wind...predicted to be 88 and mostly sunny today
People always ask me...”what do you do all week”...so I kept some notes of what we did last week.
Tuesday (September 2nd)...turned out to be hot and sticky. I had plans to wax the boat, and Deb planned to do some laundry. But it was just too hot, so we reserved the courtesy van (they have 4 of them here) and after lunch we went into Paducah to do some shopping. We ended up going to a Super Wal-Mart for almost everything, except we had to also go to a liquor store for some supplies (hard to believe after what we spent at Herman’s in Ottawa). We were back at the boat by 3 and spent the next hour putting stuff where it belonged (always very important when you live on a boat, because space is a premium). Although we still don’t have a real routine, somewhere between 3 and 4 you can see us closing in the back deck (to take advantage of the air conditioning) and starting to settle down and read or just relax with the TV. That’s also the time that Andy Griffith comes on (although I always keep at least 10 episodes backed up on the DVR...who knows when I might need to watch Andy to calm my nerves) and also NASCAR comes on at 4 central time, so I can get my daily updates on the NASCAR world. For dinner we had steaks on the grill and watched The Closer which had been taped earlier.
Wednesday...Not as hot today, but still very sticky. You could not do much without sweating a lot...so we didn’t do much. Deb did the laundry and I did a couple of inside the boat projects (planning all our stops between here and Mobile). Deb also started to organize her pictures on the camera which could take some time. The afternoon started to really cloud up...but the rain stayed off to our west. Burgers on the grill for dinner.
Thursday...woke up to a pretty hard rain, that diminished as the day went on. I continued on inside projects on the computer and in the engine room. I also made a couple trips to the ships store (at the marina) for some parts and ordered a couple of things we needed that they did not have. Deb spent about 5 hours on the computer working on her pictures and she still has some time to go yet (she admits she waited too long). I also ordered a weather radio (the kind that comes on and wakes you up if severe weather is in your area) on the internet and it will be delivered to the marina. At about 5 we made a cocktail and took a dock walk. We ended up stopping by John and Candy’s boat (Isle of Skye) and also had a conversation with their dock neighbor (Don and Jane). We actually met Don and Jane is a cove not far from the marina, but they had to come back to the dock because their generator impellor went out and they needed to be at the dock for power. After some conversation Don said he had a big problem because the “vanes” on his impellor (like the spokes on a wheel) were missing and he was concerned they had gone in the heat exchanger of the generator (this would mean they would get clogged in the system and stop the water from going through, and shut down the generator). As we talked I came up with an idea...I could come over in the morning with my shop vac and try to suck out the broken pieces. He was very open to this idea and we agreed to do this tomorrow.
Before leaving the dock we talked to John and Candy about joining them for dinner at the Yacht Club...which we did. Food was not all that great...but the conversation was very interesting. They have sailed so many places in the world (while they home schooled their kids on board); crossed oceans; traversed the Panama Canal in their own boat; and had so many stories (I should also point out here that neither of them had ever owned a boat before one day they just decided to buy one) Many of the stories were something I would not want to experience myself...but they were certainly interesting.
Friday...slept in till 7. It was very cloudy and not as warm as it had been. Some of the time the clouds were so heavy it was like a mist in the air. At 9 (while Deb continued to organize pictures) I took the shop vac down the dock to see if we could get the impellor vanes out of Don’s heat exchanger. It turned out to work great and we felt sure we got all the broken rubber impellor out...which is a big deal because it will save him a LOT of work tearing the generator apart to get them. Back at the boat the clouds and mist had cleared some, so I washed the boat and finished waxing the starboard side in the front. The only thing I had left to complete waxing the boat. It felt good to get that off my list. Next (way too long of a story...but here is the short version) I decided to go in the engine room and use the shop vac to try to suck out the broken impellor in my generator. When I replaced the impellor this spring it had 5 vanes broken off. I found one of them...but the others were gone. I was worried about that...but the generator water output was fine and the generator ran fine, so I decided not to tear everything apart and hope for the best. But...because it worked so good on Don’s boat I decided to give it a try on ours. And...it worked perfectly...I got the remaining 4 vanes out of the heat exchanger...and it only took 30 minutes for the entire job.
After lunch Deb finished up on the pictures and paying bills and banking, and I cleaned my mess (from waxing). At 2 we took a dinghy ride around the marina and out in the channel. It was a little cool...and every now and then we felt a little mist...but not bad. Back at the boat by and we got a surprise visit from Sherry Adams and a friend of hers..Sherry is my cousin, who I have not seen in many years. She has a place on Kentucky Lake...heard we were here...and stopped by the marina for a visit. Cool. Italian beef for dinner...in bed by 9.
Saturday...up at 5. No real reason...just woke up...guess I had enough sleep. A little cool this morning 65*...also mostly cloudy. About mid morning the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Because it was so nice we decided to get the bikes out (before we moved aboard we bought folding bikes which I store in the engine compartment). This was the first time we have used them since we bought them...and the first time I have ridden a bike in many years. We decided to ride into town...about a mile away...and have lunch at Pattie’s, which is a local landmark and some would say a “must stop” for anyone coming through here. The day before, when my cousin Sherry visited, she mentioned that she and Mary Beth were going to come back to Grand Rivers on Saturday to go to a “Branson type” variety show. While we were in Grand Rivers we checked this out and bought tickets as well. That night Sherry stopped by the boat and picked us up and we went with them to the show...very good...glad we went.
Sunday...up at 4...to go fishing. As I was preparing for Steve Larry’s visit I was searching the web for fishing information and found one that said the best time to catch fish was between 5:50 and 6:30...so I decided to give it a try. Our dinghy works great for fishing, so I set it up the night before. It was a beautiful morning...about 68* and no wind. The only problem was, when I got out on the lake, it was so dark out that I could not fish...because I could not see. I figured that if I caught anything I would not be able to take the hook out. So I got to the spot I had checked out a couple of days before and threw an anchor and had a cup of coffee while I waited for it to get light enough..which was about 30 minutes. The fishing was awesome...I caught about 8 bass (I lost count) and was back to the boat by 8:30. Back at the boat Deb made pancakes and bacon and we decided to just relax for the morning. After lunch we took a long dinghy ride. The lake was so flat and beautiful. We went in and out of a lot of coves and just went exploring. We also went in one of the coves and got in the water and swam (actually floated) for a while. Back at the boat about 4...I watched the race I had taped and Deb read her book. For dinner Deb made some great tuna patties...and we watched the Bears game until bedtime. Great day.
Today (Monday)...no plans as of yet. My boat list is getting smaller, but I need to wax the rails...which I have been putting off. I also have a couple of fun things on the list...but who knows...maybe I’ll just go fishing!
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
This is a picture of Lake Barkley yesterday...it was flat and beautiful. Great for a dinghy ride.
One of the many coves just off the Lake Barkley channel. These folks found a great spot...deep all the way to the shore so they could just step off their boats.
Day 110
Monday, September 08, 2008
7:00 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 66* with 45% humidity; no wind...predicted to be 88 and mostly sunny today
People always ask me...”what do you do all week”...so I kept some notes of what we did last week.
Tuesday (September 2nd)...turned out to be hot and sticky. I had plans to wax the boat, and Deb planned to do some laundry. But it was just too hot, so we reserved the courtesy van (they have 4 of them here) and after lunch we went into Paducah to do some shopping. We ended up going to a Super Wal-Mart for almost everything, except we had to also go to a liquor store for some supplies (hard to believe after what we spent at Herman’s in Ottawa). We were back at the boat by 3 and spent the next hour putting stuff where it belonged (always very important when you live on a boat, because space is a premium). Although we still don’t have a real routine, somewhere between 3 and 4 you can see us closing in the back deck (to take advantage of the air conditioning) and starting to settle down and read or just relax with the TV. That’s also the time that Andy Griffith comes on (although I always keep at least 10 episodes backed up on the DVR...who knows when I might need to watch Andy to calm my nerves) and also NASCAR comes on at 4 central time, so I can get my daily updates on the NASCAR world. For dinner we had steaks on the grill and watched The Closer which had been taped earlier.
Wednesday...Not as hot today, but still very sticky. You could not do much without sweating a lot...so we didn’t do much. Deb did the laundry and I did a couple of inside the boat projects (planning all our stops between here and Mobile). Deb also started to organize her pictures on the camera which could take some time. The afternoon started to really cloud up...but the rain stayed off to our west. Burgers on the grill for dinner.
Thursday...woke up to a pretty hard rain, that diminished as the day went on. I continued on inside projects on the computer and in the engine room. I also made a couple trips to the ships store (at the marina) for some parts and ordered a couple of things we needed that they did not have. Deb spent about 5 hours on the computer working on her pictures and she still has some time to go yet (she admits she waited too long). I also ordered a weather radio (the kind that comes on and wakes you up if severe weather is in your area) on the internet and it will be delivered to the marina. At about 5 we made a cocktail and took a dock walk. We ended up stopping by John and Candy’s boat (Isle of Skye) and also had a conversation with their dock neighbor (Don and Jane). We actually met Don and Jane is a cove not far from the marina, but they had to come back to the dock because their generator impellor went out and they needed to be at the dock for power. After some conversation Don said he had a big problem because the “vanes” on his impellor (like the spokes on a wheel) were missing and he was concerned they had gone in the heat exchanger of the generator (this would mean they would get clogged in the system and stop the water from going through, and shut down the generator). As we talked I came up with an idea...I could come over in the morning with my shop vac and try to suck out the broken pieces. He was very open to this idea and we agreed to do this tomorrow.
Before leaving the dock we talked to John and Candy about joining them for dinner at the Yacht Club...which we did. Food was not all that great...but the conversation was very interesting. They have sailed so many places in the world (while they home schooled their kids on board); crossed oceans; traversed the Panama Canal in their own boat; and had so many stories (I should also point out here that neither of them had ever owned a boat before one day they just decided to buy one) Many of the stories were something I would not want to experience myself...but they were certainly interesting.
Friday...slept in till 7. It was very cloudy and not as warm as it had been. Some of the time the clouds were so heavy it was like a mist in the air. At 9 (while Deb continued to organize pictures) I took the shop vac down the dock to see if we could get the impellor vanes out of Don’s heat exchanger. It turned out to work great and we felt sure we got all the broken rubber impellor out...which is a big deal because it will save him a LOT of work tearing the generator apart to get them. Back at the boat the clouds and mist had cleared some, so I washed the boat and finished waxing the starboard side in the front. The only thing I had left to complete waxing the boat. It felt good to get that off my list. Next (way too long of a story...but here is the short version) I decided to go in the engine room and use the shop vac to try to suck out the broken impellor in my generator. When I replaced the impellor this spring it had 5 vanes broken off. I found one of them...but the others were gone. I was worried about that...but the generator water output was fine and the generator ran fine, so I decided not to tear everything apart and hope for the best. But...because it worked so good on Don’s boat I decided to give it a try on ours. And...it worked perfectly...I got the remaining 4 vanes out of the heat exchanger...and it only took 30 minutes for the entire job.
After lunch Deb finished up on the pictures and paying bills and banking, and I cleaned my mess (from waxing). At 2 we took a dinghy ride around the marina and out in the channel. It was a little cool...and every now and then we felt a little mist...but not bad. Back at the boat by and we got a surprise visit from Sherry Adams and a friend of hers..Sherry is my cousin, who I have not seen in many years. She has a place on Kentucky Lake...heard we were here...and stopped by the marina for a visit. Cool. Italian beef for dinner...in bed by 9.
Saturday...up at 5. No real reason...just woke up...guess I had enough sleep. A little cool this morning 65*...also mostly cloudy. About mid morning the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Because it was so nice we decided to get the bikes out (before we moved aboard we bought folding bikes which I store in the engine compartment). This was the first time we have used them since we bought them...and the first time I have ridden a bike in many years. We decided to ride into town...about a mile away...and have lunch at Pattie’s, which is a local landmark and some would say a “must stop” for anyone coming through here. The day before, when my cousin Sherry visited, she mentioned that she and Mary Beth were going to come back to Grand Rivers on Saturday to go to a “Branson type” variety show. While we were in Grand Rivers we checked this out and bought tickets as well. That night Sherry stopped by the boat and picked us up and we went with them to the show...very good...glad we went.
Sunday...up at 4...to go fishing. As I was preparing for Steve Larry’s visit I was searching the web for fishing information and found one that said the best time to catch fish was between 5:50 and 6:30...so I decided to give it a try. Our dinghy works great for fishing, so I set it up the night before. It was a beautiful morning...about 68* and no wind. The only problem was, when I got out on the lake, it was so dark out that I could not fish...because I could not see. I figured that if I caught anything I would not be able to take the hook out. So I got to the spot I had checked out a couple of days before and threw an anchor and had a cup of coffee while I waited for it to get light enough..which was about 30 minutes. The fishing was awesome...I caught about 8 bass (I lost count) and was back to the boat by 8:30. Back at the boat Deb made pancakes and bacon and we decided to just relax for the morning. After lunch we took a long dinghy ride. The lake was so flat and beautiful. We went in and out of a lot of coves and just went exploring. We also went in one of the coves and got in the water and swam (actually floated) for a while. Back at the boat about 4...I watched the race I had taped and Deb read her book. For dinner Deb made some great tuna patties...and we watched the Bears game until bedtime. Great day.
Today (Monday)...no plans as of yet. My boat list is getting smaller, but I need to wax the rails...which I have been putting off. I also have a couple of fun things on the list...but who knows...maybe I’ll just go fishing!
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Here are our folding bikes...one folded...one ready to go. It takes less than a minute to fold or unfold them.
This is a picture of Lake Barkley yesterday...it was flat and beautiful. Great for a dinghy ride.
One of the many coves just off the Lake Barkley channel. These folks found a great spot...deep all the way to the shore so they could just step off their boats.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Log 28; Day 104; September 2, 2008; GTB, Grand Rivers, KY
Log 28
Day 104
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
6:15 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 77* with 67% humidity; light wind...predicted to be 92 and mostly cloudy today
The lowest it got last night was 77*. This morning when I came to the back deck it was very warm and muggy. There is a light breeze so I opened up the side doors and some of the isinglass and it feels pretty good. The sun is not up yet...when it does come over the hill I’m sure it will warm up fast...but they are predicting it to be mostly cloudy today. I hope so, because I am not a big fan of the heat.
Yesterday was a relaxing day at GTB. Deb made pancakes and we both enjoyed a lazy breakfast because we knew we were not on any cruising schedule. About mid morning we took a dock walk...one of my favorite things to do.
(Side note: When I typed the above sentence I thought about all the dock walks I have been on, at the many marinas...and decided to take another one...now. So I stopped typing and took a long walk...I’m back now) Anyway...this is a big very nice marina with probably at least 200 big boats docked here. A place where most folks doing the loop stop for a while. Deb and I also wanted to take a dinghy ride so after lunch we dropped the dinghy and headed out on Lake Barkley. The wind was out of the east, and it made it tough going heading into the waves out on the lake so we hugged the shore and ducked in and out of coves...and there are lots of them. We wanted to go to the cove we stayed in for a week when we rented the houseboat with Beccah’s family in July because we thought it would be loaded with boats partying. Well, we made it to the cove, but found only a few boats anchored...maybe because it was the end of the holiday weekend. It was so hot we came back to the boat and Deb went up to the pool. I sat in the air conditioning and watched the end of the NASCAR race that I had taped the night before. Deb cooked some great tilapia (I think that is how you spell it...anyway it’s fish) on the stove and we made it an early night.
The next few days will be spent getting a few things done on the boat list. Steve and Claudia Larry (we worked at TLC together, and he retired 1 week after me) will be driving down from Dixon, IL on the 11th, and Steve will be bringing his fishing boat down as well. He and I plan to see if we can catch a few fish and enjoy the area. People come from all around to fish here...maybe we can figure out why.
I probably will not be sending many updates over the next few days...as there will not be much to report that is of any “cruising” interest. If anything of significance happens...I’ll send out a note.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Day 104
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
6:15 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
Weather: 77* with 67% humidity; light wind...predicted to be 92 and mostly cloudy today
The lowest it got last night was 77*. This morning when I came to the back deck it was very warm and muggy. There is a light breeze so I opened up the side doors and some of the isinglass and it feels pretty good. The sun is not up yet...when it does come over the hill I’m sure it will warm up fast...but they are predicting it to be mostly cloudy today. I hope so, because I am not a big fan of the heat.
Yesterday was a relaxing day at GTB. Deb made pancakes and we both enjoyed a lazy breakfast because we knew we were not on any cruising schedule. About mid morning we took a dock walk...one of my favorite things to do.
(Side note: When I typed the above sentence I thought about all the dock walks I have been on, at the many marinas...and decided to take another one...now. So I stopped typing and took a long walk...I’m back now) Anyway...this is a big very nice marina with probably at least 200 big boats docked here. A place where most folks doing the loop stop for a while. Deb and I also wanted to take a dinghy ride so after lunch we dropped the dinghy and headed out on Lake Barkley. The wind was out of the east, and it made it tough going heading into the waves out on the lake so we hugged the shore and ducked in and out of coves...and there are lots of them. We wanted to go to the cove we stayed in for a week when we rented the houseboat with Beccah’s family in July because we thought it would be loaded with boats partying. Well, we made it to the cove, but found only a few boats anchored...maybe because it was the end of the holiday weekend. It was so hot we came back to the boat and Deb went up to the pool. I sat in the air conditioning and watched the end of the NASCAR race that I had taped the night before. Deb cooked some great tilapia (I think that is how you spell it...anyway it’s fish) on the stove and we made it an early night.
The next few days will be spent getting a few things done on the boat list. Steve and Claudia Larry (we worked at TLC together, and he retired 1 week after me) will be driving down from Dixon, IL on the 11th, and Steve will be bringing his fishing boat down as well. He and I plan to see if we can catch a few fish and enjoy the area. People come from all around to fish here...maybe we can figure out why.
I probably will not be sending many updates over the next few days...as there will not be much to report that is of any “cruising” interest. If anything of significance happens...I’ll send out a note.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Deb's 2 cents Labor Day 2008
Labor Day 9/1/08
Ahoy All!
As you know, we’ve landed at Green Turtle Bay and will be here for a couple of weeks. It’s a great marina, lots of boating activity all around to watch. Bob tells me that the ship’s store is a very good one…lots of boatical things to buy. (I saw a cute tee-shirt!)
We’ve had a couple of cruising days and understandably, things are a little disheveled right now. After enjoying the rest of the Labor Day weekend, we’ll get right on that!
We had a couple of wakeful nights at anchor, on Friday and Saturday night. It was beautiful where we were both nights…very calm and quiet (the locusts and frogs were the noisiest things around!)…but still, I constantly wondered if the anchor was holding. I would set a landmark out the back window before we went to bed (a tree, or a break in the tree line or something that stands out) and all night long, I would wake up and look out that window to make sure my "mark" was still in the same position! I remember one anchorage a couple of years back, I looked out the window and SWORE we were moving! I went out to the helm area and stood for long minutes, staring out the window and watching the water move by (seriously!) I even woke BK up saying, "I think we're drifting." Turns out it was just the wind on the water making ripples in the moonlight. Sheesh! So that's usually how I spend my nights at anchor. On Saturday night at the Cuba Towhead (behind the island on the TN River) I was looking out that window regularly until 2:00 am and I'll have to admit...when BK went topside and kept watch...then I slept like a baby! I think I owe him a night on watch duty!
But yesterday we pulled into Green Turtle Bay Marina and tied HQ securely in a slip. We put fenders and lines all over the place! And after a quiet afternoon at the pool for me and a cool afternoon on the boat watching the race for BK, and following a couple of long days and sleepless nights, at 9:00 pm when we headed for bed, we both looked at each other and smiled...looking forward to a great night's sleep!
We were here on vacation in July on a rented houseboat with Jeff, Beccah and the kids. It'll be fun to check out the places we explored while with them. At that time, we found a great cove to anchor and stayed there all week. It was quiet enough to be able to play on the houseboat slide and swim all day long without the worry of other boats getting too close. We got there on a Monday and had it all to ourselves all week long. But early on Saturday, boats started trickling in, rafting off each other and cranking their stereos up! Seems we had stumbled upon this part of KY Lake's version of "Party Cove"! So today we're going to pack a cooler and take a dinghy ride over to that cove to check out the Labor Day partiers! It's supposed to be 95* and sunny and this being the unofficial last weekend of summer, the cove should be packed!
But first, a little TLC for HQ. BK's outside washing the last few days of cruising off the boat. Seems the anchor is a little muddy (hm-m-m...I must have missed a spot) and we're bowed into the slip so he's excited about the fact that he can get to the bow and really get it clean! (Simple pleasures!) I'm going to straighten up a bit (nothing too strenuous...it's a holiday after all) and then get the cooler ready! Another great day on a boat!
Enjoy your days off...I'll chime in again soon.
----- First Mate Deb -----
~I found out that the first mate runs the ship...everyone reports to the mate, except the captain. Doesn't that sound like a position of importance? (Now I just have to get someone else on board to boss around!)
Ahoy All!
As you know, we’ve landed at Green Turtle Bay and will be here for a couple of weeks. It’s a great marina, lots of boating activity all around to watch. Bob tells me that the ship’s store is a very good one…lots of boatical things to buy. (I saw a cute tee-shirt!)
We’ve had a couple of cruising days and understandably, things are a little disheveled right now. After enjoying the rest of the Labor Day weekend, we’ll get right on that!
We had a couple of wakeful nights at anchor, on Friday and Saturday night. It was beautiful where we were both nights…very calm and quiet (the locusts and frogs were the noisiest things around!)…but still, I constantly wondered if the anchor was holding. I would set a landmark out the back window before we went to bed (a tree, or a break in the tree line or something that stands out) and all night long, I would wake up and look out that window to make sure my "mark" was still in the same position! I remember one anchorage a couple of years back, I looked out the window and SWORE we were moving! I went out to the helm area and stood for long minutes, staring out the window and watching the water move by (seriously!) I even woke BK up saying, "I think we're drifting." Turns out it was just the wind on the water making ripples in the moonlight. Sheesh! So that's usually how I spend my nights at anchor. On Saturday night at the Cuba Towhead (behind the island on the TN River) I was looking out that window regularly until 2:00 am and I'll have to admit...when BK went topside and kept watch...then I slept like a baby! I think I owe him a night on watch duty!
But yesterday we pulled into Green Turtle Bay Marina and tied HQ securely in a slip. We put fenders and lines all over the place! And after a quiet afternoon at the pool for me and a cool afternoon on the boat watching the race for BK, and following a couple of long days and sleepless nights, at 9:00 pm when we headed for bed, we both looked at each other and smiled...looking forward to a great night's sleep!
We were here on vacation in July on a rented houseboat with Jeff, Beccah and the kids. It'll be fun to check out the places we explored while with them. At that time, we found a great cove to anchor and stayed there all week. It was quiet enough to be able to play on the houseboat slide and swim all day long without the worry of other boats getting too close. We got there on a Monday and had it all to ourselves all week long. But early on Saturday, boats started trickling in, rafting off each other and cranking their stereos up! Seems we had stumbled upon this part of KY Lake's version of "Party Cove"! So today we're going to pack a cooler and take a dinghy ride over to that cove to check out the Labor Day partiers! It's supposed to be 95* and sunny and this being the unofficial last weekend of summer, the cove should be packed!
But first, a little TLC for HQ. BK's outside washing the last few days of cruising off the boat. Seems the anchor is a little muddy (hm-m-m...I must have missed a spot) and we're bowed into the slip so he's excited about the fact that he can get to the bow and really get it clean! (Simple pleasures!) I'm going to straighten up a bit (nothing too strenuous...it's a holiday after all) and then get the cooler ready! Another great day on a boat!
Enjoy your days off...I'll chime in again soon.
----- First Mate Deb -----
~I found out that the first mate runs the ship...everyone reports to the mate, except the captain. Doesn't that sound like a position of importance? (Now I just have to get someone else on board to boss around!)
Log 27; Day 103; September 1, 2008; Green Turtle Marina, Grand Rivers, KY
Log 27
Day 103
Monday, September 1, 2008
7:30 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
(Click here to go to Google Maps and see where we are today)
Weather: 78* with 70% humidity; light wind...predicted to be 95 and sunny today. HOT
Based on my timeframe the last couple of days, I slept in this morning...getting up at 6 am. Even then it was getting hot and humid and you can feel it is going to be very warm today. I have already put up our sun screens (they are white mesh material made of a soft type of canvas that we put over the windows and isinglass to keep the sun out of the helm) on the boat and turned on the A/C in the helm area, and the other 3 in the cabin as well. I’m sure the A/C in the helm will have trouble keeping up today with this kind of heat...but it will keep the humidity out and feel very good compared to outside. This is important, because when we’re on the boat (and not sleeping) we spend about 90% of our time out in the helm (see the pictures of Deb and I in our “positions”).
Yesterday...we had a nice comfortable day of cruising. We left our anchorage just off the Tennessee River and went about 1 mile to get back on the Ohio. We traveled up the Ohio about 12 miles to join the Cumberland River and then went up the Cumberland 31 miles to the Barkley Lock (the picture will give you an idea of the size of this lock). Barkley Lock is one of the biggest we will be in on the entire trip. We went up 64 feet in less than 10 minutes. It is amazing to think about the amount of water they put in that chamber that fast. After exiting the Barkley lock we only went 1 mile to GTB (Green Turtle Bay Marina) our home for a few days. (Note; If you click on our location it will take you to Google Maps and you can get a good picture of where we are. To the right of the blue marker is Lake Barkley; to the left is Kentucky Lake; just above it is the Cumberland River; and above and to the left is the Tennessee River) Upon arrival we stopped at the fuel dock and got fuel (the first since Alton, IL) and also pumped out our holding tanks. I put 235 gallon of fuel on. 105 gallons in the starboard tank and 130 gallons in the port tank. I put more in the port tank because this is the side the generator pulls from and I calculated that is about how much we have used since we left Michigan. Once in our slip we did not get much done the rest of the day...it was so hot and neither Deb or I had the energy to do much. So Deb went to the pool and I sat in the air conditioned helm and watched the NASCAR race. After a dinner of pork chops on the boat grill we were both in bed by 9 pm.
Today...not really sure. We both agree that we need to clean and organize the boat because we have not done anything as we have been cruising the last several days. But it is Labor Day and we should honor this holiday by taking it easy. The good news is we will be here several days and so there is plenty of time to do any chores necessary. We also plan to do a lot of exploring on the dinghy while we are here...so we’ll see what happens.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
The first time you enter a lock like this it can be kind of intimidating
Here is a shot of GTB Marina...HQ is on the far right side of this picture
This is what I call the helm area and what I mean when I say I am looking out the back of the boat. This picture was taken when we anchored just off the Mississippi River...which you can see in the backround. This is where I sit and watch TV; write the logs; and of course this is where we enjoy cocktail hour.
This is a shot looking at Deb from where I am sitting on the shot above. Deb spends most of here time here reading each morning and late afternoon. The TV you see is where we watch most of the TV on the boat.
Day 103
Monday, September 1, 2008
7:30 AM CDT
Location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY.
(Click here to go to Google Maps and see where we are today)
Weather: 78* with 70% humidity; light wind...predicted to be 95 and sunny today. HOT
Based on my timeframe the last couple of days, I slept in this morning...getting up at 6 am. Even then it was getting hot and humid and you can feel it is going to be very warm today. I have already put up our sun screens (they are white mesh material made of a soft type of canvas that we put over the windows and isinglass to keep the sun out of the helm) on the boat and turned on the A/C in the helm area, and the other 3 in the cabin as well. I’m sure the A/C in the helm will have trouble keeping up today with this kind of heat...but it will keep the humidity out and feel very good compared to outside. This is important, because when we’re on the boat (and not sleeping) we spend about 90% of our time out in the helm (see the pictures of Deb and I in our “positions”).
Yesterday...we had a nice comfortable day of cruising. We left our anchorage just off the Tennessee River and went about 1 mile to get back on the Ohio. We traveled up the Ohio about 12 miles to join the Cumberland River and then went up the Cumberland 31 miles to the Barkley Lock (the picture will give you an idea of the size of this lock). Barkley Lock is one of the biggest we will be in on the entire trip. We went up 64 feet in less than 10 minutes. It is amazing to think about the amount of water they put in that chamber that fast. After exiting the Barkley lock we only went 1 mile to GTB (Green Turtle Bay Marina) our home for a few days. (Note; If you click on our location it will take you to Google Maps and you can get a good picture of where we are. To the right of the blue marker is Lake Barkley; to the left is Kentucky Lake; just above it is the Cumberland River; and above and to the left is the Tennessee River) Upon arrival we stopped at the fuel dock and got fuel (the first since Alton, IL) and also pumped out our holding tanks. I put 235 gallon of fuel on. 105 gallons in the starboard tank and 130 gallons in the port tank. I put more in the port tank because this is the side the generator pulls from and I calculated that is about how much we have used since we left Michigan. Once in our slip we did not get much done the rest of the day...it was so hot and neither Deb or I had the energy to do much. So Deb went to the pool and I sat in the air conditioned helm and watched the NASCAR race. After a dinner of pork chops on the boat grill we were both in bed by 9 pm.
Today...not really sure. We both agree that we need to clean and organize the boat because we have not done anything as we have been cruising the last several days. But it is Labor Day and we should honor this holiday by taking it easy. The good news is we will be here several days and so there is plenty of time to do any chores necessary. We also plan to do a lot of exploring on the dinghy while we are here...so we’ll see what happens.
I’ll keep you posted.
BK.
This is Barkley lock at it's lower stage. It took less than 10 minutes for them to fill this and lift us 64 feet.
The first time you enter a lock like this it can be kind of intimidating
You can see them closing the lock doors beind us. In these locks you wrap a line around a floating bollard and then back to the boat. As the water rises the bollard rises also and the line holds you against the lock wall.
This is the entrance to Green Turtle
Here is a shot of GTB Marina...HQ is on the far right side of this picture
This is what I call the helm area and what I mean when I say I am looking out the back of the boat. This picture was taken when we anchored just off the Mississippi River...which you can see in the backround. This is where I sit and watch TV; write the logs; and of course this is where we enjoy cocktail hour.
This is a shot looking at Deb from where I am sitting on the shot above. Deb spends most of here time here reading each morning and late afternoon. The TV you see is where we watch most of the TV on the boat.
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