Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of week:
The crew departed Pensacola and cruised three days last week as they headed east along the Emerald Coast. The first stop was in Fort Walton Beach. The crew continued east and stopped in Destin to dock and dine for lunch at Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant. Then they made their way across Choctaw Hatchee Bay and dropped anchor near the HWY 331 bridge. Next stop was Panama City where the crew held up to allow some nasty weather packing high winds and rain to pass.
Monday, January 16, 2017
The cruise to Fort Walton Beach was uneventful. Along the run though the crew passed a sailboat, Lacuna, while running in the Santa Rosa Sound.
Lacuna in Santa Rosa Sound
About two hours after our crew landed at the Ft Walton Beach City Marina, the sailboat pulled in also. A good example of the adage in boating, “everyone ends up at the same place, the only difference is how much did you spend on fuel to get there.”
Still Waters II in Fort Walton Beach City Marina
Turns out the crew of the Lacuna, Mike and Jen, left from Wisconsin back in October to start the loop but are not members of America’s Great Loop Cruising Association. They are a young couple who are working onboard via the internet as they do the loop. The definition of Lacuna is gap or hiatus. They explained that they are taking a lacuna from their dirt dwelling life to cruise the loop. Very inspirational.
Dock neighbors for the night
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Before the crew got started this morning they welcomed some folks from Kentucky onboard. They were doing a photo shoot at the City Park and Marina.
The young man is on Instagram at braden_shannon for any of the single virtual crew members who might be interested.
Braden, the model
The crew also spent some time with Mike and Jen, the crew of the Lacuna, comparing notes and stories. Seems the two crews are on about the same schedule to move east along the pan handle of Florida and stage for the Gulf crossing.
Mike and Jen in Choctaw Hatchee Bay
Dewey Destin’s Seafood
The crew shoved off a bit after 1000 a.m. and made the hour run over to Destin to stop and enjoy a Dock and Dine at Dewey Destin’s Seafood.
They landed at the end of the T-dock. The restaurant does not look like much but the food was very good and the portions for lunch were unexpectedly huge. The crew took a to go box and have enough food left for another meal.
As the crew was walking back down the dock to leave, a couple stopped the crew and asked if they were doing the loop. The crew answered yes, and had an interesting conversation with the couple. Turns out the couple are neighbors with Ron and Eva Stob, the originators of the Great Loop Cruising Association. Small, small world.
After the conversation, the crew shoved off from the dock and headed back to the Bay. The dolphins were ready to play today and this one was very acrobatic as he jumped out of the water several times.
The crew ran another 20 miles, and dropped anchor for the night near the Choctaw Hatchee Bridge. (HWY 331)
Anchored a quarter mile from bridge
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
The crew woke up to heavy fog this morning. The crew could hear vehicle traffic on the bridge but could no see the bridge. The skipper was getting impatient with the fog, so at 1000 he called the Panama City Marina and learned that the fog had cleared over there. The crew discussed their options and decided to go ahead and leave at 1100 even if the fog was still present.
Looking at the bridge at 1100
At 1100, the fog was still socked in so the crew raised the anchor and headed east four miles with the hope that when they entered a narrow 16-mile channel that less water would mean less fog.
As they approached the canal opening the crew could not find the green day marker that was supposed to mark the entrance of the channel. They could not see the day marker on the radar either. Finally they saw a small object on radar that turned out to be a small Coast Guard boat in the position of the missing green day mark. Looked like the Coast Guard was deploying a floating green can. After passing the Coast Guard boat, the skipper noticed the green day mark washed up on shore.
Within a half mile of entering the narrow channel, the fog was completely gone and the crew cruised in partly cloudy skies the rest of the day. The channel turned out to be a big surprise with good scenery.
Finally no fog
Some pretty shoreline and reflection
While running through the narrow channel, also referred to as the ‘Grand Canyon,’ the crew passed a man paddling a canoe. Not all that unusual, except this canoe had Guinness World Record painted along the side of the canoe.
Adventure Aaron
The crew stopped in the channel and the man paddled over to Still Waters II. His name is Aaron. He started his current adventure on the Missouri River in Montana. He is paddling to raise awareness about adoption. His goal was to paddle the Missouri River to the Mississippi River, and then the Mississippi River down to the Gulf.
He said once he arrived at the Gulf he still had gas in the tank so he turned east and started paddling the Gulf Intercostal Water Way. His new goal is to paddle to the Atlantic Ocean. He has a website if you would like to learn more about Aaron and/or his cause. http://adventureaaron.com
The crew found this interesting since their own daughter and son-in-law just started their own adventure by adopting a sibling group of four in 2016.
After talking with Aaron the crew pressed on to Panama City Marina.
Sunset from sundeck of Still Waters II at Panama City Marina
Shore Excursion – Panama City
The crew decided to rent a car for the weekend and explore the area.
This next photo is of a four headed palm tree. Thought to be the only one in the world. It is located in a city park in St Andrews.
St Andrews Park
The next two pics show why this area is called the Emerald Coast.
Beach at St Andrews State Park
While shelling along the shoreline, the crew found this rare shell back turtle coming ashore. Turtles should not arrive until March so this must be a scout.
The Governor Stone is the last known working Gulf Coast schooner. She served during WWII, and has worked as an oyster buy boat, a rum runner during prohibition, a resort day sailor, a private yacht, and a sponge boat. She is now a floating sailing museum.
She was built in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1877, and has actually been sunk three times.
Next Week – The weather and wind is predicted to be bad through Monday, winds at 24 mph and gusts over 30. The crew will stay put till mid week and then make their way over to Port St. Joe. They will stay at Port St Joe until a weather window opens to cross the Gulf. When a weather window opens they will move further east to Carrabelle, Florida where they will launch their Gulf crossing to Tarpon Springs.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
Welcome back onboard as we begin to cruise in 2017
Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of week:
After spending a month at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama the crew finally cruised a whole day last week. They left The Wharf on Friday the 13th and made their way to Palafox Pier in Pensacola, Florida.
But before we get started cruising, the crew would like to give a shout out and congratulations to LeryLynn for crossing their wake as they made the run to The Wharf.
Wayne and Lynn with their Gold Burgee
Celebrating new Gold Loopers Lynn and Wayne. Brenda and Scott also at the party.
Friday, January 13, 2017
The crew had planned to cruise along the panhandle of Florida with The Lord’s Provision. However, Roger came over in the morning and informed our crew that Grace was ill and was headed to the hospital. The skipper helped Roger move The Lord’s Provision over for a pump out and get resettled in her slip before setting out for Pensacola.
Still Waters II at rest at The WharfLeaving The Wharf
The cruise was exceptional for dolphin watching. The crew counted about 35 dolphins swimming and playing in the water today.
Just before noon, the crew re-entered Florida waters after leaving them in April 2016. Little-by-little, the crew is sneaking up on their goal of crossing their wake in Ft Myers. Today was a major milestone in this quest.
Cruising along the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Entering Pensacola Bay.
After crossing Pensacola Bay, the crew landed at Palafox Pier. After securing the boat, the crew headed out to learn about the history of Pensacola.
Luna who landed in Pensacola in 1559
The Pensacola colony got off to a rocky start. In September 1559, they were wiped out by a hurricane. The survivors continued to try to make a go of it for two more years but finally abandoned the colony in 1561 and returned to Veracruz.
The Spanish settled the area again in 1698 to guard Florida from the French who were expanding eastward from New Orleans. This Spanish period lasted till 1719.
The French then controlled the area 1719-1722. As with the first colony, a hurricane destroyed Pensacola and the French burned what survived. The French then moved back west to New Orleans.
The Second Spanish period was 1722-1763. The Spanish reclaimed the area and moved Pensacola from the barrier islands to its present location.
The Treaty of Paris-1763, transferred Florida to the British following the French and Indian War because the Spanish had sided with France.
The Third Spanish period was 1781-1819. Following the Revolutionary War the British gave the land along the coast all the way to the Mississippi River back to the Spanish.
Spain sold the Louisiana territory to France. The French then sold the land to the United States in 1803. This basically surrounded the Spanish area known as East and West Florida by the growing United States.
Andrew Jackson led the US invasion to Spanish West Florida
In 1819 the United States invaded Pensacola and took control of the area. In 1821, Spain sold Florida to the United States.
On January 10, 1861, Florida became the third state to leave the United States and join the Confederate States of America.
Following the Civil War, Florida was readmitted to the Union on June 25, 1868.
While walking around historic Pensacola the crew began sighting Pelicans in Paradise, a public art display scattered around Pensacola. The crew found 14 of the Pelicans that were within walking distance of the marina.
Some of the crew’s favorite pelicans:
A few feathered friends that were too far away to go find on foot.
PelvisBuckPeg Leg Pete
While walking around historic Pensacola looking for Pelicans, the crew stumbled upon this modern piece of history, The Morrison Family Homestead. The home was built in 1906. The Morrison family bought the home in 1932. The lead singer of the Doors, Jim Morrison, was born and raised in this home. Who would of known?
Next Week – The crew plans to continue along the panhandle of Florida and visit Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, and Port St. Joe. The crew will stage in Port St. Joe and wait for a weather window which will allow them to cross the Gulf over to the west coast of Florida.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
The sun is setting over Mobile Bay and the 2016 cruising season.
Fairhope Municipal Pier and Marina
Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of week: There is a small community on the east side of Mobile Bay that the crew wanted to visit so they left Dog River on a rising tide to make their way to Fairhope, Alabama. After visiting a few days, they shoved off for the ultimate destination this week, The Wharf in Orange Beach. They made one stop along the way to enjoy a late lunch at LuLu’s.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Mobile Bay is known for shallow water so the crew took it slow and easy as they travelled the 10 miles across the Bay. The channel leading out into the Bay seemed much larger since the crew was not fighting the howling winds and waves. They crossed the Big Ship Channel with no vessels in sight and then steered towards the Municipal Pier in Fairhope.
Following two sailboats out of the Dog River channel and into the Bay
Active Captain navigation alerts warned to stay on the south side of the entrance channel to the Municipal Marina to find the deepest water. As the crew entered the channel the water depth dropped to five feet. The depth stayed five feet all the way to the dock. As the crew was docking, the Admiral noticed the crews of Arora B and Bright Angel standing on the pier.
After the boat was landed safely, the crew enjoyed lunch at Shucks, a restaurant right on the pier known for its oysters. After lunch, it was time to go explore the town.
Fairhope has ranked high on many lists as a best place to retire. After visiting the crew can see why.
One of many public art fixtures along the shore
The town was started as an experiment by 28 followers of economist Henry George back in November 1894. They formed an Association with a vision to “establish and conduct a model community, free from all forms of private monopoly, and to secure to its members therein equality of opportunity, the full reward of individual efforts, and the benefits of co-operation in matters of general concern.”
The corporation initially bought 4,000 acres along the east shore of Mobile Bay. Then the corporation leased the land back to the people. The corporation kept the land along the Bay for the general good of the community. Many of the town folks gather along the shore each night to watch the sunsets over the western shore. The Bay front property is now all parks, walking and biking trails.
A few locals out enjoying the bike trail along the shore.
Today, there all still 1800 lease holders of the original 4,00 acres.
The 4×4 block downtown area is beautiful. The streets are lined with trees, there are large brick paved sidewalks, colorful flower gardens and hanging baskets decorate the area. The people were friendly and took a lot of pride in their town. Definitely, a place to come back and visit again.
Downtown Fairhope
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
One of the things the crew tries to do when the weather is looking bad is to weigh the risk and rewards of venturing out in bad weather. There was dense heavy fog when the skipper woke up. On Monday, the fog lifted around 0900. Today, the forecast was calling for the fog to lift at 0900 also. The crew waited till 0900 and the fog was beginning to burn off again. The crew cast off the lines at 0915 and headed out into Mobile Bay.
Not to bad out here, visibility greater than a mile
Unfortunately, as the crew got further from shore the fog got worse. The skipper plotted a new course that would keep them closer to shore, in 10 foot of water, and away from the Big Ship Channel. The crew cruised south the length of the Bay in the heavy fog for four hours.
Visibility less than a quarter mile
The risk seems to be way more than any reward at this point. Just when you think it cannot get any worse though, it does. The skipper was trying to turn the radar on so he could at least “see” any ships on the radar screen before the ships got to close. Only problem was that the radar did not seem to be cooperating. After a half hour of frustration, the skipper decided it would be best to stay focused looking out the front rather than the non-functioning radar screen.
Good news, at about 1240, the crew entered the Gulf Intercostal Waterway (GIWW). Bad news, there might be more vessels in the area.
The navigational aids marking the GIWW Channel were only a half mile apart, but the fog was still so heavy the markers were not spotted until the crew was almost on top of them.
As the crew continued east towards land the fog began to slowly lift. The crew did over take this sailboat. I guess our crew are not the only fools caught by the ‘fog will clear at 0900 weather forecast.’
Sailboat less than 100 yards as we overtake them
It was a good feeling when the skipper could finally see a string of navigational aids leading the way east. Not a good day when the view below is good.
Red and green marks in the distance
Once the fog cleared, the crew began to see multiple pods of dolphins. They probably saw 30-40 dolphins in the five miles to LULU’s. The Admiral was excited to start seeing dolphins again. She went out on the bow so she could watch the dolphins swim in the bow wake. One dolphin jumped completely out of the water twice as he raced to the boat.
Pair of dolphins swimming towards the bow wave
But if you think the Admiral gets excited when she sees dolphins, check out Lucas and Marcos when they see dolphins for the very first time in their lives. Lucas and Marcos are from Peterborough, Canada and are doing the loop with their parents on a 26 foot sailboat.
If you want to see Americas Great Loop thru the eyes of second and fifth grade boys, follow their adventure at: Cruising on Living Life.
The crew decided to do a Dock and Dine at LULU’s. This is a restaurant operated by Lucy Buffett, that is right, Jimmy Buffett’s sister. Some of the Admiral’s cousins had eaten here back in October and had to wait 90 minutes to get a table. Our crew motored up to the joint, docked, and walked up and got a table. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun.
Still Waters II docked at LuLu’s
The crew had another four miles before they docked at The Wharf. The skipper had called ahead to get their slip assignment at the marina. The staff told them Dock H, slip 98, stern in, starboard side tie. Excellent, just the way the crew likes to land. The Admiral got the lines all ready for the starboard tie and put three fenders down for the floating docks.
Passing Tacky Jack’s along the canal
When the crew arrived at Dock H, slip 98, there was already a boat in the slip. The dock hand called back to the office and got a new assignment, Dock, H slip 88. So much for prior proper planning. This would be a port side tie so the Admiral had to move the fenders and lines all over to the port side. After the boat was made ready, the skipper backed the boat into the slip.
The first order of business was to troubleshoot the pesky radar. As one might expect, now that the radar is not needed it fired right up and started working.
This is just how some days roll on the Great Loop.
Next Week – The crew will head back to Texas to enjoy Christmas with family and friends.
Merry Christmas from The Wharf to all the virtual crew members and fellow adventurers out there, and have a Happy New Year!
We will resume the Great Loop Adventure mid-January. Current thoughts are to cruise the Florida panhandle in January. Then cross the Gulf over to the west coast of Florida early February.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
With a really really really cold spell (temps in the 20’s) and high winds predicted at the end of the week, this will probably be the last of the fall foliage spectacular. I guess winter will finally arrive. The extended autumn has been fun though and allowed extended cruising in the inland rivers.
Summary of week:
The crew left Demopolis on Monday morning in fog and light rain. The goal for the week was to make the 229 miles to Mobile Bay in four runs:
Monday – anchored in Bashi Creek (71 miles)
Tuesday – docked at Bobby’s Fish Camp (26 miles)
Wednesday – anchored in Alabama River Cut-off (66 miles)
Thursday – docked at Dog River Marina in Mobile Bay. (66 miles)
Additionally, this stretch of river is very remote with no towns or marinas on the water. This is a place where the boat needs to run true and drama free.
However, back in 1979 the tow Cahaba had a little drama that you might find interesting. The water was flowing 24 feet above flood level on April 19th. The tow was approaching a bridge about mile marker 200.
The tow boat Captain had his crew release the tow from the barges. The crew members stayed on the drifting barges as they floated under an 11-foot clearance under the east section of the bridge.
The tow Captain went to back up so that he could take the tow boat under the center of the lift bridge where he could safely pass under the bridge. When he went into reverse, he realized the crew forgot to release a line on the starboard barge. With the force of the current and the line attached to the drifting barges, the tow turned sideways on the bridge.
Eventually the water forced the 30-foot tall tow under the 11- foot bridge clearance. The tow Captain used his loudspeaker to tell the folks on the bridge to evacuate the area. In fact he is quoted as saying, “Evacuate the bridge, this ain’t no fire drill.”
To say the captain got the ride of his life would be an understatement.
Miraculously, the tow popped up on the downstream side of the bridge and the starboard engine was still running as the tow actually righted itself.
The tow captain survived the ordeal in the pilot house. Look at the water pouring out of the pilot house.
Notice the crew members still on the barge, bet they were glad they did not take the ride like the tow captain.
Monday December 5, 2016
With a 71-mile day with one lock to negotiate, the crew got an earlier than usual start. The first obstacle was getting passed the dredge that was set up in the mouth of the marina. The dredge had not started operations for the morning so the operator waved the crew on bye. Next challenge was to make the Demopolis Lock before the rain started.
Early foggy morning approach to Demopolis Lock
The lock operator had already told the skipper he had the lock ready for the crew as they departed the marina. The lock is only three miles down the river so all looked good to go.
However, the lock operator called back on the radio and informed the crew that there was an up bound tow unexpectedly arriving. The lock operator needed to turn the lock around for the tow and wanted to know exactly where Still Waters II was on the water. With less than a mile to the lock, the lock operator decided to wait for the crew before he drained the chamber for the tow.
Birds like to float on the bollards to look for an easy meal while the lock drains
The crew went right into the lock and once again got a fast drain down 35 feet. When the gates opened, you could see the tow coming around the last bend before the lock. More lock FOG!
The rest of the 68-mile cruise was uneventful while cruising in the rain.
The crew arrived at Bashi Creek at 1600 and prepared to drop anchor. The creek is the first prime location to anchor after leaving Demopolis. Just for the record, this is not a very good spot to anchor. The creek is barely wide enough for Still Waters II.
Anchored in Bashi Creek
To prevent getting pushed into the shore by the wake of a passing tow or wind, the crew dropped both a bow and stern anchor.
Bashi Creek boat ramp and dock
The crew first dropped the bow anchor and let out more than enough chain as they drifted back. They next dropped the stern anchor. Then they took up the extra chain on the bow anchor until both the bow and stern anchor lines were taught. This should keep the boat dead center in the narrow creek till morning. Or so they thought.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
As sometimes happens, easy days become hard days. Such was today. The plan was to travel only 26 miles to a famous looper stop, Bobby’s Fish Camp. Basically a 160 foot dock and a catfish restaurant.
The bow and stern anchors did a good job of keeping the boat in the creek. Maybe just too good of a job. The wind was blowing hard out of the west which was going to push the boat forwards and towards the shore as the crew tried to weigh the stern anchor.
The plan was to play out the bow anchor and pull the boat back towards the stern anchor and then pull the stern anchor up. Because of the strong wind, when slack was put in the bow anchor line the skipper was not able to pull the boat back against the wind. Net result was the boat was now very close to shore and the low water level alarm was sounding.
After many failed attempts to make progress on the stern anchor line, the wind eventually blew the boat around enough that the line was tangled under the boat.
The skipper finally had to go swimming to free the line from the prop and rudder. Once the line was clear of the boat, the crew finally got the boat over the stern anchor but could not dislodge the anchor from its muddy hold.
Next plan was to move forward and weigh the bow anchor first. Finally, a little success.
They then moved the stern anchor line to the bow, and then use the boat to free the stern anchor. After nearly two hours of wrestling anchors, both anchors were finally on deck.
The skipper started looking for the easy button because he wanted to hear the words “That was easy.”
With the anchors up the crew made their way to the legendary Bobby’s Fish Camp. Unfortunately, our crew will not enjoy the fried catfish because the restaurant is only open Thursday thru Sunday.
Sailboat pulling away from Bobby’s dock as the crew arrived
Two other boats joined Still Waters II on the dock at Bobby’s. One is an 84-foot yacht on its way to its winter home in Fort Lauderdale. Two delivery captains are working together to deliver the boat for the owners. The boat spends the college football season in Knoxville where the owners enjoy the home football games.
Close quarters at Bobby’s
An interesting sign near the dock.
Wednesday December 7, 2016
With a planned 66-mile day to the Alabama River Cut-off and one lock, the crew left earlier than usual. They hoped to make the anchor spot before dark which is about 1645 these days.
The crew opted for going to the right thru the lock rather than the ride over the dam.
The run started out with heavy cloud cover that made it look like it was a misty rain. After clearing the lock there was plenty of water going over the dam so the boat got a nice one knot push with the current.
Water flowing over the dam
After clearing the lock today, the crew is only 5 feet above sea level. The water will be tidal now and start to turn brackish and become saltier as they run south.
More bluffs along the water
About noon the sun finally started to break thru the clouds and warm things up a bit.
The crew made their goal of anchoring before sunset and now set to spend a silent night on the hook.
At anchor in the Alabama River Cut-off
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Another early start to ensure that the crew makes it 66 miles to Dog River Marina, south of Mobile, Alabama. There is a cold front packing temperatures down in the low 30’s expected to arrive tonight and the crew wants shore power so they can stay warm. The crew weighed anchor and began the last day on the Tombigbee Waterway.
The crew ran by this large steel plant that opened back in 2010.
The site encompasses 3,600 acres and the mill employees 2,600 workers. This was the first of many industrial projects in this section of the river. The closer the crew got to Mobile the more industry was encountered. Nice to see signs of civilization again after cruising through some extremely remote areas the last few days.
The first sign that the crew is approaching the gulf. A Brown Pelican painting a green can white.
Trees with Spanish moss began to appear.
Encountered this four foot clearance railroad bridge 14 miles north of Mobile.
The bridge tender was gracious and had the bridge open as the crew approached.
The first view of Mobile.
The water front in Mobile was a buzz with activity.
New Navy ships (targets as submariners like to call them) being built in Mobile.
Looking south out into Mobile Bay. Been a while since the crew saw this kind of open water.
The run down the bay was more exciting than wanted. That cold front is arriving and bringing some strong winds from the north. The wind was 13 mph with gusts over 20. This caused three to five foot seas and the wind was blowing the water out of the already shallow bay.
The last four miles to the marina required the crew to travel westerly which meant that there were beam seas off the starboard while the wind tried to blow the boat out of the narrow channel. The channel was barely 6 feet deep and was running at 5 feet most of the way.
Upon arrival at the marina, they saw the boat Jet Stream tied to the dock.
Captain Scott was an American Airline Pilot out of DFW, another home boy
After taken on fuel and getting settled at the dock the crew went over to pay Jet Stream a visit. They had not seen each other since leaving Jacksonville back in April. Jet Stream must have sensed the arrival of our crew because KC had just completed baking some cookies. Timing is everything, cookies hot out of the oven. Life just does not get any better than this!
Still Waters II at rest at Dog River Marina
Next Week – The crew will run over to the east side of the bay and visit the town of Fairhope. Then continue south to the Gulf Intercostal Waterway and head east to Orange Beach. The plan is to stop at the Warf and stay through the holidays.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
It is with sadness that I have to inform you that this will be my last post. Eric the Red will return next week to join the crew on their voyage east back to Fort Myers. I have been negotiating with the skipper to turn west and head to the Mississippi River, but he will have none of it.
I failed to find the Mississippi River on three previous occasions from excursions from Matagorda Bay back in the 1680’s. Since I am this close, I just have to take the turn west at the Gulf and finally find where the Mississippi River dumps into the Gulf.
It has been fun travelling and exploring the inland rivers with you for the last three months.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
But, before we get started, we need to welcome three new virtual crew members aboard:
Samuels S.
Alexa A.
Makayla K.
Glad to have you aboard and hope you enjoy the cruise!
During the week of Thanksgiving the crew took the week off and headed to Texas for Thanksgiving. Before leaving Columbus though, they took the time to visit the Waverly Mansion.
Walking thru the front gate at Waverly
After entering the grounds you see one of the finest antebellum homes in the south.
The home has an interesting history. The mansion was built back in 1852. The Lady of the house died before the home was completed. The man of the house moved his 10 children in and soldiered thru the Civil War.
Ultimately, two bachelor sons lived in the home until their deaths. The last son died in 1913 and the home remained empty until 1962. Most amazing the original mirrors and chandeliers survived the 50 years without damage from vandals. The local town teenagers would visit the house to have parties and see the supposed ghosts of the mansion.
The Snows bought the mansion in 1962 and spent 23 years restoring the home. Mr. Snow still lives in the mansion today with one of his daughters.
Mr. Snow gave the Admiral a kiss while the skipper was not looking
The grounds had a few pens where the crew found some peacocks and turkeys.
Not sure if the turkey survived the holiday but the crew made it back to the boat on Monday and headed south on Wednesday.
Summary of week: The weather was not cooperating due to heavy rains, so the crew did not shove off until Wednesday morning. The rain was dearly needed as this area has been without any measurable rain in months, and the rain did help put out the fires in the Smokey Mountains. On Monday, there were 25-30 mph winds. On Tuesday, the winds continued with additional rain and thunder. The crew spent most of the evening under either a tornado watch or warning. One tornado touched down in north-west Alabama killing several folks.
Finally on Wednesday, the crew got underway and continued south on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. They reached their destination in Demopolis on Friday with two intermediate stops.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The crew shoved off from the dock and made their way through the Stennis Lock with minimal delays. After clearing the lock the skipper noticed that the boat was moving about a full knot faster than normal for this engine rpm. The water run-off from all the rain is responsible for this added speed.
Water flowing thru the open gates at the dam
The water run-off is also responsible for all the floating debris washing down the river. The crew must be extra vigilant the next few days to prevent hitting some of this flotsam and causing boat or prop damage.
The skipper expected that most of the leaves would be off the trees because of the wind and rain. However, many of the trees are still sporting their fall colors.
In addition to the fall color, the crew also spotted a few interesting things in peoples’ yards. This ‘old school’ phone booth must be Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, secret homestead.
Then they cruised by this home with a totem pole out front.
About noon the waterway wound itself far enough east that the river re-entered Alabama. The crew then cruised under the HWY 86 Bridge and then settled into the Pirate Cove Marina for the afternoon.
After docking, the crew walked down to the Bevill Lock to visit the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is patterned after the 1830-1860 Greek revival homes of the era. The exterior of the building is based on the Erectheum, an iconic temple in Athens, Greece. It looks very much like the Waverly Mansion that the crew visited in Columbus.
A few shots inside of the Visitor Center:
Notice the Waverly Mansion painting on the wall
The crew also toured the US Montgomery which is a National Historic Landmark on display next to the Visitor Center. The vessel was the last steam-powered sternwheeler to work the inland rivers. She was retired in 1982.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
The day got off to a slow start when the skipper radioed the lockmaster and learned that a tow was about to enter the lock just outside the marina. The lockmaster said it would be an hour before he could lock our crew down. Better to be tied to the pier than float around by the lock so the crew relaxed and waited at the marina.
After getting word that the lock was ready for the pleasure craft, the crew shoved off the dock and entered the lock. Upon exiting the lock the crew found that the water was still spilling over the dam so they continued to get a 1 knot push from the current.
Notice the muddy water from the rain runoff.
The run-down river was interesting today. The scenery continued to change. The trees went from the hard wood forest to include Cyprus and pines. The shore has begun to get more of a sandy loam rather than the red clay. The river bank has also begun to lower.
With about 10 miles to the anchor spot for the night the crew decided to go another 6 miles and clear the Heflin Lock today rather than first thing in the morning. Only problem was they passed a tow boat 6 miles from the lock.
As a reminder, locks are supposed to take commercial traffic before pleasure craft. The skipper decided to roll the dice and see if they could speed up enough to make the lock without having to wait on the tow. The skipper increased the shaft rpm with the engines and settled at 10 mph.
When they rounded the last bend before the lock they still had two miles to run. The lockmaster saw them and radioed the tow and asked for his estimated time of arrival to the lock. The tow Captain responded that he was at least 45 minutes from the lock.
The lock master then asked the tow captain if it would be alright to put a pleasure craft thru the lock before he arrived. The lock master told the captain that he would turn the lock around and have the gates open for him when he arrived
The tow captain agreed and said he would dial it back a bit to give more time. The crew entered the lock and got one of the fastest drain downs to date. When the gates began to open the lock master sounded the horn to signal the crew to untie and leave. Normally the horn does not sound until the gates are completely open.
Secured in the Heflin Lock
The skipper got the message to get out of the lock. The admiral removed the line holding the boat to the bollard and yelled “All Clear.” The skipper moved the boat off the lock wall and exited the lock while the gates were still swinging open. The skipper called the lockmaster and informed the lockmaster that the boat was clear of the gates. The skipper looked back and noticed the gates closing.
About 20 minutes later, the skipper heard the lock master radio the tow and tell him that the lock was ready for the tow to enter when he arrived. A win-win for everyone.
The crew pulled into Ox Bow Creek just below the lock and celebrated their lock success by grilling hamburgers on the bow of the boat.
Friday, December 2, 2016
The crew got started as soon as they could after the fog lifted. Thirty degree nites cause thick fog in the mornings with the still warm water. By the time the fog lifted, the skipper noticed that the water runoff from the dam had stopped. It would be a calm day on the water.
Notice that there is no current flowing around the green navigational aid.
The cruise was another enjoyable day. With the sun shining, the 50 degree outside temperature is very comfortable in the enclosed helm. The wildlife was also taking advantage of the sunshine with many birds standing along the shore.
A Kingfisher soaking in the sun.
The turtles were also sunbathing.
There were some very interesting shore formations along the route today. The cliffs were high white bluffs.
In the following shot can you spot a dolphin or penguin?
The river was very winding today so as the crew was making their way thru these white cliffs they caught a down bound tow.
There was a short straight run of river past the above bend. The Captain of the tow told the crew to pass on the 1 so the skipper sped up and passed the tow in the straight narrow river section.
Yes, the skipper is only a few feet away from the tow as they go by, as you can see while looking out the window.
But that is because there is not much room over to the shore side as you look out the window on the other side.
A little after 1300, the crew passed the 225 mile marker which means that we are now halfway down the Tenn-Tom on the way to Mobile, Alabama.
About mile 225
At mile 217 the Tenn-Tom Waterway ends and the Black Warrior-Tom Bigbee Waterway begins. The junction of the Black Warrior River.
After passing this tow pushing his barges into the shore, the crew entered the Kingfisher Marina.
Next Week – The crew will head out on Monday and make their way down the Black Warrior-Tom Bigbee Waterway to Mobile Bay. Only 2 locks to clear and the boat will be back in salt water. Looking forward to spotting the first dolphins in the Bay.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Last look at the Tennessee River. Left turn onto the Tenn-Tom just after the hill in the foreground.
Summary of week: The crew started the week with something that you are not supposed to have on a boat, namely a schedule. However, they have some good friends that live nearby in Jackson, Tennessee. Their schedules did not work out when the crew passed by about a month ago. So this time the crew would make an extra effort to rendezvous with Bob and Kellie on Tuesday.
On Monday and Tuesday the crew completed their cruise on the Tennessee River. On Thursday, they started the next leg of their journey on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. They completed the week when they pulled into Columbus, Mississippi.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
If improving business processes is your thing, then by all means, please read on. However, if you find process improvements as exciting as watching grass grow, you may be better off skipping down to Monday. You have been warned!
The crew went walking around the marina and out to the river to observe the river traffic. While sitting, and watching the water go by, the skipper took notice of the gravel business across the water. He had previously learned that it takes 70 dump truck loads of gravel to fill one barge. While watching the operation, he began to wonder how long it would take to fill one complete barge.
Gravel Operation on the River
He broke out his stop watch and began timing the cycle of trucks dumping their loads in the barge. He timed ten trucks. After the tenth truck the tow called a time out from the dump trucks and took some time to reposition the barge. The cycle time to dump ten loads and reposition the barge for the next ten loads was 20 minutes. Based on this cycle time, he extrapolated that seven cycles to fill the barge would take 2 hours and 20 minutes.
A look around showed that this was the fourth and last barge to be loaded for the day. Some simple math would lead to the conclusion that the total evolution to fill all four barges would take at least 9 hours and 20 minutes.
Since this work was taking place on Sunday, and assuming that these truck drivers were getting paid by the load and not the hour, it was easy to conclude that if they could fill the four barges more efficiently they could get done sooner and go home to enjoy some good Sunday afternoon football.
With the goal of shortening their weekend work day the skipper began to analyze each cycle of the trucks dumping their load.
The normal cycle time for a truck to move into position and dump their load of gravel in the barge was around 1 minute and 45 seconds. The best practice was 1 minute and 27 seconds. Worst case was one driver who took 3 minutes and 28 seconds.
What the skipper observed though was a lot of variability in the times it took for various parts of the cycle. For example, some drivers could back the truck up to the barge in less than 10 seconds while most were taking almost 30 seconds. Another example was that once at the barge, some drivers took as long as 30 seconds to release the load while some drivers could dump the load in 10 seconds.
Based on his observations, the skipper concluded that if you took the best practices of each segment of the process and removed the variability of each driver, that the cycle time for each load dump could be reduced from the normal 1 minute 45 seconds to 50 seconds. Removing just a little over 1 minute of waste from each cycle. That does not seem like much but look at the overall effect.
The time it takes to fill one barge would drop down to just under one hour so all four barges could be filled in four hours instead of 9 hours and 20 minutes. This would result in the drivers getting paid the same amount of money in less than half the time. The drivers would not have to work any harder or any faster, just take the waste out of their process. Which would result in the drivers being at home watching football with their family all afternoon. A win-win for everybody.
The skipper used to say back in his working days that he could improve any process by as much as 50% with one hand tied behind his back. Did I mention that the Admiral was rolling her eyes and laughing at the skipper during his analysis work.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Remember that schedule that I mentioned earlier, well today is the day that the schedule drove the decision making. The crew had planned to cruise about 60 miles but the plans were changed when they ran into an issue in Decatur at the RR Bridge.
Smooth day on the water
The bridge was closed for maintenance. The vertical clearance is only eight feet so the crew had to wait for repairs to complete before they could pass under the bridge. After an hour and a half wait, the work wrapped up and the bridge tender opened the bridge.
Love the smooth sailing
The crew had docked at a marina while they waited on the work to complete. They shoved off the dock and got back underway. Because of the long delay the crew talked it over and decided that they would cruise long enough to clear the Joe Wheeler Lock. They are trying to get back to Aqua Yacht Harbor to meet some friends Tuesday night and cannot afford to have any more of these delays.
Joe Wheeler Lock
After passing through the Joe Wheeler Lock at dusk (1645), the crew talked it over some more and decided to make the additional 15 miles to clear the Wilson Lock. The risk of running at night was minimized because there is a full moon to help guide the way.
Night cruise by the light of the full moon
By deciding to get passed both the Wheeler and Wilson locks they should have no problems making it to Aqua Yacht Harbor on Tuesday. The crew passed through the Wilson Lock with minimum delays and traveled another three miles to a marina in Florence and conclude their four hour run at night.
In the Wilson Lock at Night
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
The small town of Florence is worth coming back to and spending more time exploring.
Weekend Project – Took 16 years to build
In 1818, Italian surveyor Ferdinand Sannoner laid out the town and named it after Florence, Italy. W.C. Handy, known as the ‘Father of the Blues”, was born here in 1873. Helen Keller was born across the river in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Crew spent the summer cruising the Ohio River
This would be the last day cruising the Tennessee River. Turned out to be another beautiful day on the water. With light winds in the morning, the water was once again glass smooth. The scenery continued to be excellent.
More smooth sailing
After landing at the dock, the crew anticipated the arrival of Bob and Kellie. Interesting enough, the two couples actually met in OKC watching the Women’s College World Series of softball, many years ago. However, the couples had not seen each other since June 2015 because the crew skipped the World Series in June 2016 due to their Loop Adventure. The four spent the late afternoon and evening catching up on life. It was great time had by all.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The crew will start the next leg of their journey towards Mobile, Alabama on Thursday. The trip to Mobile is 450 miles from where the crew sits today on Pickwick Lake. The trip down to Mobile will be on two waterways.
Turning right onto the Tenn-Tom Waterway
The Tennessee-Tombigbee (Tenn-Tom) Waterway is a man-made channel that goes from mile 450 at Pickwick Lake to mile 217 at Demopolis, Alabama. The Tenn-Tom is then further divided into three sections: Divide Cut, Canal Section, and the River.
The second waterway starts below Demopolis and is called the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway.
Looking down the Divide Cut
My French ancestors first brought forth the idea of connecting the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee River way back in the 1700’s. However, it took until December 1972 before shovels started to move the dirt to make the waterway. The work was completed in December 1984 and the first tow passed through the waterway in January 1985. The waterway was officially opened and dedicated June 1, 1985.
Entering Bay Springs Lake
Fun Fact: More earth was moved to complete the Tenn-Tom Waterway than was moved to complete the Panama Canal.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The run today took the crew through the Divide Cut of the Tenn-Tom Waterway that connected the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee River. The Cut is 280 feet wide and 12 feet deep. 150 million cubic yards of earth were moved to complete the Divide Cut.
Trees along the Divide Cut
Since the waterway was completed back in 1985, the land has healed itself and now the shore is lined with trees which makes for a beautiful cruise.
The fall colors are again more vivid now that the crew has made some distance south and dropped almost 400 feet in elevation over the last week or so.
Overtaking a tow in the Divide Cut
After cruising through the Divide Cut for most of the day, the cut finally opened into Bay Springs Lake. The crew docked at the Bay Springs Marina, in preparation to start the Canal Section on Friday.
Friday, November 18, 2016
The run today started the Canal Section of the Tenn-Tom Waterway which consists of 6 dams and locks connected by a man-made channel that runs beside the Tombigbee River. The channel was dug rather than using the existing river because the river twists and turns so much in these next 52 miles. These twists and turns would have added unnecessary miles to the trip.
Notice the drill marks in the rock
The run took most of the day because the crew had to negotiate four locks. Two of the locks were open and waiting for the crew to enter upon arrival. One lock required waiting to allow the chamber to be filled so the crew could lock down. And one lock had an up bound tow to lock up before the crew could lock down.
Looking down the Canal Cut from Montgomery Lock
All in all, a successful day with four locks. At the end of the run the crew pulled into the Smithville Marina. The marina is run by Scott Cox. His family has owned the property since 1886 when his great grandfather initially purchased the land. The family were farmers but had to give up farming when the Tenn-Tom was built because most of their farm land was taken and flooded. Jesse Cox (Scott’s dad) started the marina and RV park after the waterway opened. The marina has seen better days and is in need of some serious rehab.
More fall foliage spectacular
Back on April 27, 2011 an F5 tornado ripped through the town of Smithville and impacted the marina. Jesse was one of thirteen people killed by the tornado. The crew found the folks at the marina very helpful and would return here for another night at the dock in the future.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
The north winds howled all night long and had Still Waters II pinned along the east-west facing dock. A good man named Jim came over and helped the crew maneuver off the dock and get back underway in the stiff wind. Boaters helping boaters is a theme that the crew continues to see play out in this adventure, thanks Jim for the help.
Skipper over taking a tow in close quarters in the Canal Section. That tow in the background is less than 40 feet from Still Waters II.
After getting clear of the dock the crew headed over to the first of three locks for the day. The lockmaster had the gates open and the crew went straight into the lock. The lock master called ahead to the next lock that is only five miles downriver and let the lock know the crew was coming his way.
Upon arrival at the second lock the crew once again found the lock gates open and once again went straight into the lock. When the gates opened to let the crew out, they noticed a tow coming around the next bend. They were glad to clear the lock before the tow arrived.
Tow in the distance at Smithville Lock
When they arrived at the third lock the gates were open but a tow was coming out. The lockmaster told the crew to stay out of the way and enter the lock as soon as the tow was clear. Then again, when the gates were opened to let the crew out they noticed another tow headed to the lock.
Tombigbee River joining the Canal Section – marks the beginning of the River Section
All in all, another very successful day negotiating tows and locks. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the Admiral was practicing at the helm today and maneuvered Still Waters II off the lock wall, out of the locks and passed the waiting tows in the three locks today.
The River Section of the Tenn-Tom Waterway
The crew pulled into the Columbus Marina where Still Waters II will lie until after the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Next Week – With the Thanksgiving Holiday on Thursday, the crew has decided to leave the boat and take a week off from cruising. Food, family, friends, and football will be the activities of next week. The crew wishes all the virtual crew members and fellow adventurers a Happy Thanksgiving!
Being French and all, I do not really understand this Thanksgiving thing, but I have been informed that I have the week off and my next post will not be until December 4th.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of week: The crew arrived back on the boat from their trip to Texas in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. After getting some sleep, they spent Wednesday afternoon preparing to set out on their return trip down the Tennessee River.
The crew managed to travel three days from just above Chattanooga and ended up in Ditto Landing Marina in Huntsville, Alabama for the weekend
Replica Pinto and Nina were docked in Chattanooga as the crew went by
Thursday, November 10, 2016
The crew decided to shove off and start back west because of the cool weather. They had about 6 miles to go before arriving at the Chickamauga Lock. Unfortunately, there was a tow just beginning to lock up so the lock master said to find a place out of the way because it was going to be a while. The crew’s experience is the wait would be at least three to four hours.
Bearcat in the Chickamauga Lock
However, the lock master called on the radio and informed the crew that he would allow them to lock down with the tow Bearcat as he went back down to get more barges. So after the tow secured his two barges above the lock, the crew followed him into the lock for the 44 foot drop down to the Nickajack Lake level. The crew only had to wait about an hour to get in the lock.
Locking through with a commercial tow was a first for the crew.
Locking down 44 feet with Bearcat
The next part of the cruise was the 25 miles thru the ‘Grand Canyon of Tennessee.’
The crew saw this large house up on the hill. Locals say it is owned by the DuPont’s.
20,000 sq ft under one roof
Another interesting structure in the canyon was the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Project. At the top of Raccoon Mountain is a large reservoir, 528 surface acres, 107 billion gallons of water. It takes 28 hours to pump water from the river below to fill the reservoir.
The facility has four hydroelectric generators for a net of 1628 MWs.
When power is cheap they pump water up the hill to the reservoir for storage. During peak demand (think high prices) they drain the lake back to the river and sell the electric power.
The crew passed by where the water comes back into the river.
The gates are behind the wall
The crew then arrived at the Shellmound Recreation Area, and landed along a 30-foot dock. Upon arrival, the skipper spotted a Bald Eagle that looked like he was standing on the water. As he observed the eagle and was trying to take a picture, a second young eagle landed for the photo bomb.
Shellmound Recreation Area
Friday, November 4, 2016
Short dock at Shellmound Recreation Area
The crew woke up to an early sunrise and shoved off from the dock after the fog lifted. The Nickajack lock was only about a mile away and the lock master had the gates open to allow the crew to cruise into the lock and get secured. The lock dropped the crew 37 feet down to Guntersville Lake level.
Guntersville Lake
The cruise was mostly through wilderness refuge areas so the scenery was great with very few homes along the shore. As the crew approached Guntersville though, the wildlife areas gave way to residential development. The crew got docked at 1600 and decided to take a mile hike to the nearest restaurant to enjoy a night out on the town.
Gilbreath House
They walked by a home with an historical marker in the yard. The home was built in 1851 and was only one of seven buildings to survive the Civil War in Guntersville.
The marker explained that the owner of the house was a mason. Just so happens that the Union officer in charge was also a mason. The officer in charge ‘spared’ his fellow mason’s home when the home owner begged the Union officer not to destroy the house.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
The crew left the dock and made their way over to the Guntersville Lock. Along the way, they passed two interesting sites. However, they only saw one of the sites. The first site is on Goat Island. The island gets its name from a local goat rancher who allowed his goats to roam free on the island before the Civil War. During the Civil War the Union troops harvested the goats for food.
70 foot cliffs at Goat Island
Supposedly, carved in the rock face is the following: ‘Gen Andrew Jackson 1813-1914, Ala. D.A.R.’ The crew looked but could not spot the carving. Looks like the island trees have blocked the view from the water.
The carving was made back in 1914 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The 1813 commemorates the year that the General was in the area and used a cave, that is now under water, as a supply depot in his war against the Creek Indians.
The Creek and Indian War was a side war during the War of 1812. General Jackson defeated the Creek with the help of the Cherokee. The Creek lost all their lands and had to relocate west to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. After the General became President, he rewarded the Cherokee for their support by moving them along the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma also.
Grey Bat Cave
The second site is a Bat Cave Sanctuary. The sanctuary is to protect the Grey Bat. It is estimated that 20-50 thousand grey bats use the cave.
The crew then entered the lock and made the 40 foot drop to Joe Wheeler Lake. The crew decided to make it a short day and stop at the Ditto Landing Marina for the weekend.
First view of Joe Wheeler Lake after the lock
Next Week – The crew will continue their return trip on the Tennessee River to Aqua Yacht Harbor, and then start their journey down the Tenn-Tom River towards Mobile, Alabama.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of week: Based on some local knowledge that was shared with the crew at the Fort Loudon Marina, the crew decided to nix the trip to Knoxville and head to the Little Tennessee River and the Tellico River instead. They spent three nights at the foot of the Smokey Mountains before heading back towards Chattanooga.
This week’s movements from Ft Loudon Marina, to Vonore, to Ball Play, to Tallassee, to Kingston, and then back to Dayton
Sunday, October 31, 2016
Saturday evening, the crew met the first of several local boaters from the Fort Loudon Marina. Rand and Cheryl have a trawler that they cruise about in. Rand was also the first to suggest cruising the Little Tennessee River rather than making the trip up to Knoxville.
Sunday afternoon, Claudia met another boater, Pam. Pam and her husband are just about ready to launch their ‘Loop Adventure’ aboard Bye George. Pam and George came by Still Waters II later in the day to pick our crew’s brains about doing the Loop. Somewhere along this journey our crew has gone from novices to experienced loopers, more than happy to share their experiences with those just getting started.
Looking out from Fort Loudon Marina
The crew also had another enjoyable surprise. Back in the 2015/2016 winter, you may recall that the crew stayed in the Ortega Landing Marina in Jacksonville, Florida. Just down the dock from the crew was a sailboat named Journey, and she is crewed by Dana and Michael. They have been ‘In Progress’ on the loop for about five years. Turns out that Dana and Michael have put Journey up in heated storage on the Erie Canal. Also, turns out that their homeport is Fort Loudon Marina. Dana noticed Still Waters II and came over and said hello. Later in the evening, our crew went over to visit with Dana and Michael aboard their houseboat, Irish Mist. Great evening catching up on each other’s travels.
Monday, October 24, 2016
The Little Tennessee River started making the national news back in the late 1970’s. If you were alive back then, do you remember the Snail Darter?
Snail Darter
The Snail Darter was one of the first test cases for the new Environmental Protection Law. The little unknown fish brought the Tellico Dam project to a screeching halt.
The Snail Darter was discovered in the shallow waters near the dam after the dam was approximately 80% complete. The Snail Darter was added to the endangered species list and then environmentalist went to court to stop the building of the dam. The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts positions that the dam could not be completed. Basically, upholding the new Environmental Protection Law protecting endangered species.
The completed Tellico Dam
As you can see though the dam is complete and there is a Tellico Lake. So how did that happen?
Well, after the Supreme Court decision, the Tennessee legislators snuck a rider into an unrelated bill that exempted the Tellico Dam project from the Environmental Protection Law. Once the bill was signed into law the construction on the dam was completed.
You may be glad to know that biologist have found other snail darter populations in other waters. Biologist also relocated the snail darter to other areas before the dam was complete. In 1984 the snail darter was moved from endangered to threatened.
After cruising some more beautiful areas, the crew stopped at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum
The crew was not sure if they would be able to get to the dock because the water depth was not plotted on the charts. The skipper eased the boat, ever so slowly, to the dock and found 12 feet of water all the way to the dock. As the crew was securing the boat two other boats arrived and tied up on the dock.
Sequoyah
Our crew left the dock and headed to the museum. The museum discusses Sequoyah and how he developed the written Cherokee alphabet and written word.
He called the written word on paper ‘talking leaves.’
He was born in 1776 in Tuskeegee near the museum. He joined General Andrew Jackson and fought for the US during the war of 1812. During the war he observed the US soldiers writing letters back home. After the war, he decided to create a written system in Cherokee. The system eventually contained 85 symbols.
The museum makes a point that never before, or since, in the history of the world has one man, not literate in any language, perfected a system for reading and writing a language.
After visiting the museum, the crew decided to walk the 1.5 miles to the Fort Loudoun State Park. The park has a nice Visitor Center and a replica fort. The fort is a replica because they had to raise the land 20 feet so that the location would not be flooded by the Tellico Dam.
Looking out from inside Fort Loudoun
The fort was the furthest west that the British ever built a garrison. The fort was built in 1756 to provide security for the Cherokee Nation women and children as the men went west to help the British fight the French during the French and Indian War.
As the Cherokee were returning home from battles conducted further north in Pennsylvania they stole some horses to shorten their time on the trail. Stealing horses was a time-honored tradition in the Indian Culture. The white folks were none to pleased about the loss of their horses and killed 33 Cherokee in attempts to get the horses back.
The Cherokee Culture also had a Blood Law that they honored. If you killed the Cherokee, they blood avenged their deaths with the blood of the same number of your deaths. So, the Cherokee killed 33 white folks on their way home. When they reached Fort Loudoun the British and Cherokee began to negotiate a treaty to stop the bloodshed.
The British held the Cherokee negotiators in the Brigg for several months. The British finally released three of the Cherokee but kept 24. The Cherokee decided to lay siege to the fort to get the return of their 24 brothers. In August 1760, the British finally surrendered the Fort to the Cherokee.
Part of the treaty for the surrender of the fort was that the Cherokee would provide a safe escort for the British soldiers and their families out of Cherokee Nation held lands. The Cherokee escorted the British soldiers 15 miles from the fort the first day. However, during the night, all the Cherokee left the British. The next morning the Cherokee attacked the British soldiers and took the women and children back as slaves. The Cherokee later traded the women and children back to the British.
Another interpretation that the visitor center laid out was the importance of the French and Indian War on shaping the future of the American colonies. The British finally won the war and in the Paris Treaty, the French surrendered all of Canada to the British. The French had also given Spain all the lands west of the Mississippi, basically ending the French presence in the New World.
But the land mass changes were just the beginning of the end for both the British and the French. The British began taxing the colonist to help pay for the large debt left following the war. These taxes stirred the hearts and minds of the colonist and eventually lead to them fighting for their independence from British rule. The French also had a huge war debt that weakened the French Monarchy and eventually lead to the French Revolution.
But all this may have you wondering, if Spain owns the land west of the Mississippi in 1760, how did the French sell this same land to the United States in the famous Louisiana Purchase of 1803? Well that is a story for another time and another place as we make our way south.
Sunset at Sequoyah Birthplace Museum
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
The crew made a very short cruise this morning to mile 8 on the Tellico River. There is a red buoy at mile 8 that the locals warned the crew not to pass. The red buoy marks the end of the navigable waters of the Tellico River. Small fishing boats can go further up the river, but Still Waters II will be happy to drop anchor here by the red buoy and take in the scenery for the rest of the day. This may just be the best anchor spot on the whole loop thus far.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
The crew decided to move over to the end of the navigable waters on the Little Tennessee River and check out the mountain views from there. The cruise took the crew past Fort Loudoun and the Tellico Blockhouse.
The Blockhouse was built in 1794 with its primary purpose to protect the Cherokee Nation from the white settler’s encroachment into the area. The war department also built a trading post here to provide supplies to the Cherokee. It took 35 deer hides to trade for a rifle and ammo. Unfortunately for the deer population, as more Cherokee began hunting with rifles the deer population took a rapid decline. Before the Cherokee left the area, hunting parties went from three days to three weeks because the number of deer nearby continued to decline.
As the crew went around a horseshoe bend, they noticed a set of markers standing near the water’s edge. Each of the markers stand for one of the Cherokee Nation clans: Deer, Wild Potato, Wolf, Paint, Bird, Long Hair, and Blue.
There was also a marker indicating the town of Tanasi, the capital of the Cherokee Nation from 1721-1730. It was during this time-period that the term Tanasi was also applied to the river. In 1762, Lt. Henry Timberlake modified the spelling and assigned the name ‘Tennessee’ to the river on a map that he was preparing. Then in 1796, the name was selected for the 16th state of the Union.
The views from the anchor on the Little Tennessee River.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The crew weighed anchor and set off for Fort Loudon Marina. The wind was unusually calm which made for excellent cruising. The crew made good time getting back to the Tennessee River, so rather than head to the marina they locked down to Watts Bar Lake. The lock dropped the crew 70 feet, and they were back under way. The crew then cruised about another 25 miles and called it a day when they dropped anchor in the Painted Rock Cove.
Calm day on the water
Fort Loudoun from the water
Painted Rock Cove
Friday, November 4, 2016
Some days in life are strange, then some days are even stranger. This was one of those kinda days for the crew. The skipper awoke to the news that one of his aunts had passed on to the next life. This was no surprise for she had been on hospice care for several days. However, it is always a shock and sad when someone moves on to the next stage of life. The crew decided that they would make a long run and try to get to a marina with a rental car agency nearby so they could arrange for a trip back to Texas to attend the funeral.
Saw these two early in the morning
Then the crew got a surprise when they arrived at the Watts Bar Lock to find that the lock was closed until 1600 because divers were in the water doing maintenance. That will make the long day on the water even longer as the crew must wait three hours to clear the lock.
Interesting way to mark some shallow water
While the skipper was talking with the lockmaster, he slowed the boat down. No since rushing to the lock to wait three hours. The Admiral noticed a kayak that looked to be in distress. The kayaker was about a half mile away from Still Waters II. The Admiral used her man-over-board training to maintain constant visual contact on the kayak while the skipper talked with the Lockmaster. It looked as though the kayak was sinking. Sure, enough, the kayak finally turned over and dumped the young man into the drink.
Boats supporting work at the lock
The Admiral commented that they needed to go see if they could help the young man. The wind was blowing the kayak away from the young man, and it appeared that he was swimming towards an Island that was 0.75 miles away. The closest land to him at the time.
Red Kayak barely afloat
The skipper turned the boat around and headed to the young man. By the time that the crew arrived, the young man was struggling to stay afloat even though he had on a life jacket. He also had a backpack, fanny-pack, full camo gear, and boots. He was trying to get the backpack off to unload some weight. The young man could hold on to the swim platform and get his backpack and fanny-pack off his body and onto the swim platform. He was then able to climb up the swim ladder and get safely aboard.
The skipper then turned the boat to see if they could also rescue the kayak. The Admiral fetched the boat hook and gave it to the young man. He could reach over and pull the kayak over to the boat once they got within six feet of the kayak. He then managed to get the kayak up on the swim platform and eventually the dingy davits.
Jordan resting before getting on swim platform
With the excitement over, the crew learned that the young man’s name is Jordon. He was out taking photos of wildlife. He mentioned that he was sure glad that he had taken out a one year insurance plan on his new camera. Jordon said that the drain plug had come out of the kayak.
As he was paddling, water began to enter through the drain plug opening. After a while the water began to cause the kayak to sit lower in the water. Then as he paddled up a wave the back end started going under water, taking in even more water.
Eventually the kayak was filled with water so he rolled it over to get out of the kayak and swim for safety.
Wrestling the kayak aboard
With the introductions done and some light conversation, the skipper asked Jordan where he needed to go to get back to his car. Jordon said that he was over at the boat ramp near the lock.
When the skipper arrived near the lock some small TVA boats would not let him go to the boat ramp. One of the little boats finally came over to tell the skipper to back out of the area. The skipper explained what he was trying to do, so the little TVA boat guy said to load the kayak and Jordan on his boat and he would take him to shore.
Still smiling after transfer to TVA boat
With Jordan off loaded the crew headed for a little cove where there was an abandoned dock to wait for 1600.
Waiting on the lock at the dock
The lockmaster called the skipper at 1605 and reported that it was now safe to enter the lock. The crew was clear of the lock at 1645 but still had about 30 miles to go to make the marina. Based on the projected time for sunset, the crew would arrive about 30 minutes after dark.
Exiting lock at 1645
Still 6 miles to go, or about 40 minutes to marina
This is the fourth time the crew has navigated at dark. Luckily, the crew was at this marina just last week so they are familiar with how to approach and land at the dock, even in the dark. With the sunset at 1845, the crew made the last 45 minutes at dusk. The last 15 minutes were sure enough in the dark.
Next Week – The crew will take a break from cruising to attend the funeral for Aunt Pat. They are a day away from Chattanooga, so they may move there late next week..
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
Summary of the week – The crew arrived in Chattanooga on Monday and took a couple of days to enjoy the town. Then they set off up river to make their way to Knoxville. They ended the week in Fort Loudon Marina, about 50 miles southwest of Knoxville.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
The crew shoved off early from the Guntersville Lock (0755) in preparation for a long cruise. The goal was to arrive at the Nickajack Lock in the late afternoon and depending on the availability of clearing the lock, either anchor above or below the lock. These plans were almost immediately crushed when the skipper ran the boat up on a sand bar coming out of the break wall guarding the docks. He immediately shut off both engines to prevent them from sucking sand and mud up into the engine cooling system, strainers, and heat exchangers. That was a sick feeling for the skipper.
Since the engines had not warmed up completely, the skipper was only idling along into the current. However, the boat got wedged up on the sand bar pretty good. After the Admiral checked the bilges below decks and confirmed that there was no water entering the boat, the skipper tried to rock the boat off the sand bar.
He initially started the port engine and bumped the engine into reverse. The boat nudged back a little bit. He bumped the port engine in reverse again and the boat moved back a little more. He started the starboard engine, then bumped both engines into reverse. The boat pulled itself off the sand bar and the crew was finally under way. The sick feeling was washed away with feelings of joy as the boat headed towards the days first bridge.
The cruise across northern Alabama on the Tennessee River was extraordinary. The view was obstructed a few times by industry along the banks, but for the most part this is a very isolated and remote area. By 1500 the crew left Alabama and re-entered Tennessee.
Then it became obvious that the Nickajack Lock would be within reach to lock through if there was no commercial tow traffic. As the LeryLynn and Still Waters II were making the final approach to the lock, they were joined by a Ranger Tug, Tug O’ My Heart. The three boats entered the lock and were raised 40 feet up to the Nickajack Lake.
First look at Nickajack Lake
Upon exiting the lock, the crew headed over to a small park that had two free docks. One dock was already full of boats. The second dock was full of fisherman. Rather than run the fishermen off the dock, the crew decided to go around to the next cove and anchor for the night. Turns out the anchor option was a perfect spot to swing on the hook for the night.
Looking across the lake from the anchorage
Monday, October 24, 2016
With the cool night (44) and warm water, there was a heavy fog at day break. The crew had to wait for about an hour before they could see far enough ahead to safely navigate up river. Also, this next section of river is touted to be some of the best scenery so it would be worth the wait to let the fog clear out.
LeryLynn waiting for the fog to lift
By 0900, the crew had weighed anchor and made their way to the ‘Grand Canyon of Tennessee.’ This area was some of the best that the crew has seen on the entire loop. The river made about a dozen u—turns over the 32 miles to Chattanooga, with the mountains towering over 1,000 feet above the river.
Entering the Canyon
When the crew approached within 10 miles of Chattanooga they came by Williams Island. This Island played a part in the Great Locomotive Chase that took place back in April 1862. You may have heard the story told that James J. Andrews led 21 men behind enemy lines in Marietta, Georgia. The goal was to capture a railroad engine, drive the train north 100 miles to Chattanooga, and destroy the track and communication lines as they returned north.
Which way to go? Sometimes you have to stop looking at the scenery and remember there are other boats out here.
On April 12, 1862, Andrews and his 21 men boarded the GENERAL and then waited for the engine to stop for water and allow the passengers to eat breakfast. While the passengers and train crew were off the train at the nearby hotel having breakfast, the team unhooked the passenger cars and took off in the engine. William Fuller and two other train crew members initially gave chase on foot. Fuller soon came upon a hand propelled cart and continued the pursuit on rail. Fuller then traded the cart for the engine Yonah, when Andrews failed to destroy the engine as he passed the engine.
The Texas locomotive in the Atlanta Cyclorama
Fuller traded the Yonah in for the William R. Smith in Kingston. However, four miles later Fuller abandoned the Smith due to destroyed tracks and continued the pursuit on foot for three miles. Finally, Fuller came upon THE TEXAS and once again began to close in on the GENERAL. When it became clear to the crew of the GENERAL that they would not make Chattanooga, they began jumping off the engine and running to the woods to avoid capture. Within the week, Andrews and his 21-man team had all been captured. Turns out that Andrews was captured right here on Williams Island.
Looking back at Williams Island where Andrews was captured
On June 7th Andrews was hanged in Atlanta. On June 18th, seven more of the raiders were hanged. The remaining 14 soldiers planned and executed a daring escape rather than swing from the end of a rope. Eight of the 14 made it to safety. The other six were recaptured.
Private Jacob Parrot
On March 25, 1863, these six were involved in a prisoner swap and meeting with the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. He was so moved by their story that he excused himself and then returned with six new medals. He told the six that Congress had recently passed a law allowing medals for valor on the combat field. Stanton stepped in front of the youngest member of the team, Private Jacob Parrot and pinned the very first Medal of Honor ever awarded. After pinning the remaining five soldiers he took them to the White House to meet President Lincoln.
Approaching Lookout Mountain
Looking up Lookout Mountain as we cruise by
Looking down Lookout Mountain at Chattanooga – pic by Lynn Merritt
Preparing to dock in downtown Chattanooga
Safely on the pier in Chattanooga
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
The crew docked in downtown Chattanooga upon arrival in town yesterday. The dock is located near what was the original Ross Landing, a ferry crossing on the south shore of the Tennessee River. The ferry was run by the Cherokee Chief, John Ross. The ferry allowed transport of goods and services from the US on the north side of the river to the Cherokee Nation on the south side of the river.
The crew decided to visit the Aquarium that is right beside the docks. The Aquarium is housed in two separate buildings. One is dedicated to fresh water fish and one dedicated to salt water fish. The Aquarium also is showing a special exhibit on monster fish from around the world. The crew spent about five hours wandering around the exhibits. A few of the favorites were the sea horses, jelly fish, and freshwater sting rays.
On the way to the Aquarium the crew passed an interesting art project commemorating the Trail of Tears. The project had Cherokee Art on a wall overlooking a waterfall. The forced removal of the Cherokee from 1838-1839 to Oklahoma took place in response to a speech that President Andrew Jackson gave to Congress in 1829. The speech called for the relocation of all Indians east of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Congress responded to the speech by passing the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Always remember – words matter.
You may be wondering why the need to move the Cherokee Nation back in the late 1820’s. Well, as the skipper likes to say, “Follow the money.”
The Cherokee Nation was south of the Tennessee River and extended into what is now north Georgia. Some white folks illegally had crossed into the Cherokee Nation and discovered gold in the north Georgia mountains in 1828. The Cherokee were making it difficult for the white man to steal the Cherokee’s precious medal. So, the Indian Removal Act was the response to allow miners to go for the gold.
The Cherokee Nation split into two factions. Those wanting to negotiate the best possible land in Oklahoma, became the Ridge Party. John Ross, the legitimate Chief of the Cherokee Nation lead the majority in the National Party. The US government negotiated a treaty with the Ridge Party. The Treaty of New Echota in 1835, was never approved by the Cherokee Nation Council. The treaty required all the Cherokee’s to relocate by 1838.
The Trail of Tears was the result of the US Army’s forced removal of the Cherokee from their land in 1838, in accordance with the unapproved treaty. Twenty-five percent of the Cherokee’s died on their way to Oklahoma, including the wife of John Ross. Cherokee tradition required leaders who gave up ancestral lands to die. Two of the three Ridge Party leaders were mysteriously killed by fellow Cherokee who were carrying out the tradition. The third narrowly escaped with his life.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
There is an Art Museum just up the river from the docks. The museum has some interesting public art displayed around the museum.
FULL COUNT is a four-piece sculpture with a pitcher, catcher, batter, and umpire.
FREE MONEY is a piece with a couple dancing on a money bag.
Interesting enough, the sculptor of FREE MONEY also made a piece titled LAST PENNY.
What is fun about art is the different perspectives one can contemplate about the art itself. These two pieces can invoke a very different emotion if viewed separately, or together. If viewed together, the order in which you ponder the pieces also makes a difference, rags to riches or riches to rags. Hmmmmm…….
Thursday, October 26, 2016
The crew cast off from the deck to begin their trek to Knoxville. They had hoped to go all the way to Knoxville, but were not sure if the weather would hold long enough to make the run and get back south. Looks like another week of 80-degree weather so they will keep heading north. They might regret this decision later, but for now it seems to be the right thing to do.
Entering Lake Chickamauga
The weather was indeed perfect. The crew continued to cruise through beautiful fall foliage.
After clearing the Chickamauga Lock they cruised around a bend and left the channel to cruise up the Hiwassee River about three miles. They had found a few anchorages to try for the night, but were uncertain about the approach depths due to low water levels. The crew was unable to get very far off the main channel before finding 4-foot water. They tried three locations before giving up and heading to the back-up plan, the Blue Water Resort.
Lake Chickamauga
The Blue Water Resort is on Richland Creek that winds its way to Dayton, Tennessee. You may recall the famous Scopes trial was conducted in Dayton back in 1925. The skipper is trying to figure out how to go visit the restored courtroom and museum related to the trial.
Looking up the creek to Dayton from the sundeck
Friday, October 27, 2016
These short days make for shorter cruise days. This morning the sun did not break through until after 0730. Then there was still light fog in the area. The crew got off the dock a little after 0900, but almost immediately got socked in by the fog. The skipper slowed to an idle speed and moved all the way over to the port shore. Looking to starboard you could not see the shore. The skipper was sure hoping no tow boat was coming.
A little fog is pretty
This much fog is flat out dangerous – glad no tow was coming
While they were running slow along the shore the skipper did spot one Bald Eagle standing on a nest. He marked the location and hopefully the crew can get a better look on the return journey. After about four miles the fog finally gave way to the sun and the rest of the day was beautiful. The scenery continues to get better each and every day.
This is a little better view looking out the front
After clearing the Watts Bar Lock, the Crew entered the Watts Bar Lake. The lake is easily the best lake along the Tennessee River so far. Its remote location from both Chattanooga and Knoxville seem to have kept the development down. Also, the lake has islands and bluffs that are just drop dead gorgeous.
After six hours of cruising, the crew found a cove to pull into and drop anchor for the night.
The end of another great day
Saturday, October 28, 2016
The crew had to wait for the fog to lift again this morning before setting out. After the fog lifted the crew headed to Fort Loudon Marina. The marina has a good fuel price and only charges a minimal transient fee rather than a charge by the foot of boat length.
The Lake is starting to narrow and look more like a river
The journey on Watts Bar Lake continues to be spectacular. The crew has timed the fall foliage color change just about as good as can be done. The views just continue to dazzle. The only problem is that the pictures just do not do the actual scenery justice.
After a good cruise, the crew arrived at the Fort Loudon Lock with the gates open and just waiting for us to arrive. After getting secured in the lock the lockmaster raised the boat 60 feet to the level of Lake Loudon. After clearing the lock, the crew had their first view of the Great Smokey Mountains in the distance.
Entering Lake Loudon
After landing at the marina, a couple came over to talk with the crew. The couple highly recommended scrapping the plans to go to Knoxville and head into the Tellico and/or Little Tennessee River instead. They painted a convincing argument so the skipper may spend some time recalculating the next route.
Calmly at rest in Fort Loudon Marina
The closer the crew gets to Knoxville the more of this type of graffiti adorns structures, sorry Bob
It’s called Fall for a reason, the leaves are beginning to let go and fall
Next Week – John Muir was quoted as spinning the phrase, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” The crew has decided to answer the call of the mountains, so they will go explore the waters of the Little Tennessee River and head to the Smokey Mountains. They will spend several days exploring the area and then start back to Chattanooga.
Faint grey blue outline of the Smokey Mountains in the background
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
La Salle here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.
But first we have had a bunch of folks meet the crew on the pier and come aboard as virtual crew members. So we need to pause and welcome aboard:
Shoaib R.
Matnobles
Ginasjoys
Russ B.
So a hearty Welcome Aboard!!!! Glad you joined the adventure.
Sunday anchored near Clifton, Monday anchored near Savanah, Tuesday & Wednesday at Aqua Yacht Marina for repairs, Thursday anchored, Friday free dock in Decatur, and Saturday free dock in Guntersville
The crew did not make their goal of Chattanooga this week. Still Waters II decided she wanted some rest and relaxation at the Aqua Yacht Marina. The crew limped into the marina on one engine on Tuesday. After getting repairs complete the crew commenced the side trip up the Tennessee River towards Chattanooga.
Sunday, October, 16, 2016
The crew left out of Pebble Isle Marina after stopping at the fuel dock and taking on 216 gallons of fuel. The marina gives a 10 cent per gallon discount for both a AGLCA and Boat US memberships, for a total of 20 cents off each gallon. That was just too good of a deal to pass up without topping off the tanks. Then there was an added surprise at the fuel dock. The guy helping fuel the boat brought out three large hot cinnamon rolls from the restaurant and gave them to the Admiral. Now this is a good way to start the day and week.
Shoreline along Tennessee River
Unfortunately, the good start to the day and week would not last long, but such is the life of a live aboard cruiser. The skipper noticed that the port engine temperature was acting erratic during the cruise, a harbinger of things to come.
Cypress Trees in the River – well sorta
After cruising about 20 miles the crew passed under the Interstate 40 bridge between Nashville and Memphis. The skipper can remember crossing over this bridge at least a dozen times over the years, but this is the first time either crew member has passed under the bridge in a boat.
I-40 between Memphis and Nashville
Another 20 miles up-river, the crew passed Lady Finger Bluff. The Bluff was so named after a woman jumped to her death from the bluff rather than be captured by Indians.
Lady Finger Bluff
Then 10 more miles found this little lady advertising for the Mermaid Marina. The crew resisted the advertisement and went on up river to Double Island to anchor for the night.
Monday, October 17, 2016
This morning when the skipper started the engines to allow them to warm up, the port engine temperature again became erratic. The temperature climbed up to about 200 degrees and then dropped down to 175 where the engine normally runs. Then the temperature started to climb again. This time the temperature kept going past 200. When the temperature reached 210 and climbing the skipper turned the engine off. The initial troubleshooting could not find anything wrong so the skipper decided to go on one engine for the day and look more in depth at the end of the day.
Shoreline Shot
Cruising on one engine developed a few new skills for the skipper. The boat handles much differently and it took a while to get used to the new dynamics. For example, trying to turn around on one engine is much more difficult. And while at idle speed, steering with the wheel is tough because there is not much water passing by the rudder. The skipper learned to increase the throttle a little to help steer while going slow.
More Shoreline
The crew passed by a small town on the river after they got going, Clifton, Tenn. The town was almost the state capitol of Tennessee back in 1843. The town lost by one vote to the eventual winner, Nashville.
Coming around a bend in the river the crew saw what the chart had plotted as Chalk Bluff, very scenic area. As the crew approached the bluff, you can see that the bluff is actually clay and sand, no chalk.
Chalk Bluffs
Then just a little further up river, about five miles they came to Cherry Mansion. The house was built in 1830 by David Robinson. He gave the home to his daughter, Sarah, and her new husband, W.H. Cherry.
Cherry Mansion – Built in 1830
But the home was used by General Grant in April 1862. Grant was actually eating breakfast in the home on Saturday morning, April 6, 1864 when the confederates attacked his soldiers about 8 miles up-river at Pittsburgh Landing. The first day the Union forces took heavy losses and it looked to be a Confederate win in the making. However, late in the day the confederates let up and stopped their attack. This allowed the Union forces to bring in re-enforcements overnight and launch a counter attack on Sunday morning.
Pittsburgh Landing where Union troops re-enforced from the river
The confederates withdrew from the battlefield late Sunday and the Union troops did not pursue the Confederates. When the fighting ended on Sunday, the Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle to date with nearly 25,000 dead and wounded. General Albert Sidney Johnston was one of the many casualties. He is the highest ranking American ever killed in combat.
After skirting around the sacred battle ground, the crew made another 5 miles and dropped anchor at Wolf Island for the day.
Water view from sundeck at Wolf Island
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
The crew weighed anchor and set out for the Aqua Yacht Marina to get the port engine repaired.
To get to the marina though they would first have to make it through the Pickwick Lock, which was about two hours away. The crew called the lock and learned that there was one tow about two miles in front of them. The lockmaster agreed to lock the pleasure craft through the lock if they arrived more than 30 minutes ahead of the tow. The skipper did some ciphering and figured they could catch the tow by mile 200. Then due to the bends in the river and the slow speed that the tow would have to go to maneuver around the curves, that they could make the lock (mile 206.5) 30 minutes ahead of the tow.
Looking out the Pickwick Lock
When the crew was about two miles from the lock, the skipper called the lockmaster again. The lockmaster agreed to let Still Waters II and LeryLynn through the lock and he had the gate open when they arrived. With only one engine, getting into the lock and safely secured was a bit of a challenge but the crew worked together and made it happen.
After clearing the lock, it was only another hour to the marina. The little bit of Pickwick Lake that the crew saw was beautiful. But the crew had to turn off the Lake and head into the Tenn-Tom Waterway to get to the marina. The crew passed one point where Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi merge in the waterway.
In the water before the point, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi borders meet
The crew then made their way over to the transient dock at the marina and managed to safely land the boat. No small accomplishment with the high winds blowing the boat off of the dock and maneuvering with only one engine.
The maintenance team came down and decided that the water pump needed to be replaced. They will order the part and the part should arrive sometime Wednesday.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
The new water pump arrived as expected on Wednesday and the mechanic changed the pump out. Post maintenance checks were sat so the crew shoved off from the dock to test the port main engine repairs under actual running conditions. Glad to report that the engine ran well all day. The folks at Aqua Yacht Harbor did a fine job.
Some Fall Foliage Color
With the engine running well, the crew set out to return to the Tennessee River and start their side trip to Chattanooga. The first half of the trip was wonderful, but about 1300 a thunderstorm caught the crew. They were in a heavy down pour for about 45 minutes and even had one lightning strike less than a quarter mile from the boat. After the storm passed the sun tried to break through but just couldn’t make it.
Been a while since the crew got drenched
The crew timed another lock well and got a lift of 93 feet at the Wilson Lock. The lock is named for Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president. After clearing the lock, the crew entered Wilson Lake and headed another six miles upriver to six-mile creek to anchor.
Waiting for the Wilson Lock gates to open
Friday, October 21, 2016
The crew weighed anchor and set out to the Joe Wheeler Lock. This lock is named for Joseph Wheeler. He was one of many West Point graduates that fought for the Confederate Army. During his military career, he rose to the rank of General, fought in 127 battles, and had 16 horses shot out from underneath him. After his military career, he served in Congress. Upon his death, he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
The crew saw a small armada of 12 looper boats headed down bound leaving the fall looper rendezvous. Because of the distance between the boats, the crew did not recognize any of the boats.
Part of the armada leaving Joe Wheeler
Upon arrival at the lock, there was a tow entering the lock. The lockmaster said it would be two and a half hours before the crew could enter the lock. The lockmaster did give the crew permission to tie up along the wall of the auxiliary lock to wait. The LeryLynn arrived about an hour later, so they rafted off of Still Waters II and the two crews chatted while waiting on the lock.
Had to wait for this big guy to clear the lock
Finally, a little after noon the tow completed locking up and the crew was prepped to go in the lock. When the lockmaster lowered the water level in the lock, the water came boiling up near the crew.
For a little perspective, the wall is about 5 foot tall
Three looper boats locked down and the crew saw Abaco Lady for the first time since Norfolk, Virginia, way back in May. The two crews waved at each other as they passed by.
Abaco Lady and Crew
After clearing the lock, the crew made their way to the town of Decatur where there is a free dock to tie up on for the night. There was a looper boat, Irish Lady Too already on the dock so the crew came over to catch our crew’s lines and help them dock. Kurt and Susan crew Irish Lady Too. They set out on the loop in May of 2015 from Baltimore, Maryland.
Sunset in Decatur
Saturday, October 22, 2016
After shoving off from the dock the crew dodged a near catastrophe. Just another reminder that the crew has to be constantly diligent of their surroundings. After getting past the break water wall for the dock the skipper ran the boat up on an underwater sand/mud bar.
The depth changed from 9-10 feet to less than 4 feet almost instantly. The good news was that the skipper was only running at idle speed waiting for the engines to fully warm up. The starboard engine shut off and the skipper turned off the port. The Admiral ran below and checked all the bilges and made sure there was no water coming in the boat. After a positive report from the Admiral, the skipper started the port engine and tried reverse. The boat budged a little bit. The skipper tried reverse again and the boat rocked back a little more. The skipper then started the starboard engine and put both engines in reverse. The boat slid backwards and off the sandbar. Not a good way to start the morning.
After allowing the engines to warm up the skipper put the engines in forward and speed up. The engines ran fine all day and all seems to be ok.
The run along the river was breath taking today. The fall foliage continues to change more colorful by the day. The cool weather, in the 40’s at night might be the reason for the color change. The run after the Guntersville Lock and Dam was spectacular. The cliffs surrounding the lake were just gorgeous.
The crew did pass one interesting area full of space history, Huntsville, Alabama. This is the area where the US entered the space race thanks to the German engineering of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Von Braun is credited for developing Germany’s V-2 rocket that was used to bomb the day lights out of the British. With the war winding down and not wanting to be captured by the Russians, von Braun and his team headed towards American forces and surrendered to the Americans. Following the war, von Braun and 100 members of his team agreed to come to the United States.
Cruising with LeryLynn
They initially were sent to Ft. Bliss, Texas. In 1950, the von Braun rocket team was moved to Huntsville, Alabama. On January 31, 1958 the US launched a Jupiter-C Rocket from Huntsville carrying Explorer 1, which became our first earth orbiting satellite. Huntsville is the home of the Space & Rocket Center, the world’s largest space museum. The crew plans to visit the museum on the return trip down the Tennessee River.
LeryLynn
About two hours after cruising by Huntsville, the crew approached the Guntersville Lock. The Lockmaster had the gate open for the crew and they cruised into the lock for the 40 foot lift up to Guntersville Lake.
After clearing the lock the crew headed for the town of Guntersville and found another free dock at a municipal park. The crew tied up and grilled steaks on the dock with the crew of LeryLynn.
Next Week – The crew is still two days away from Chattanooga. The plan is to arrive on Monday and spend three nights in town. They will leave Chattanooga on Friday morning and start the four-day journey to Knoxville, Tennessee.
Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.
After landing at the dock, the crew anticipated the arrival of Bob and Kellie. Interesting enough, the two couples actually met in OKC watching the Women’s College World Series of softball, many years ago. However, the couples had not seen each other since June 2015 because the crew skipped the World Series in June 2016 due to their Loop Adventure. The four spent the late afternoon and evening catching up on life. It was great time had by all.
Voyaging America's Great Loop Aboard Still Waters II 