1998 Trip 3 Logs

TRIP 3 LOGS
July 25-August 3, 1998
Chattanooga, TN to Grand Rivers, KY

Chattanooga, TN Area, Saturday-Sunday, July 25-26, 1998

     Angela and I flew to Chattanooga on Saturday, July 25, to resume our cruise on the 1995 Carver 440 we bought in 1997. During our two weeks absence the boat was kept at the local Carver dealer’s marina. With a Caterpillar service center just over the hill, a month’s notice, and a two-week window, we hoped to get the overheating problem resolved and repaired. Also, we had some Carver-type problems to be repaired.

     Well, the Cat service center came to the boat once and satisfied themselves the starboard engine was overheating. Of course, they had done that a month earlier when we were there for a few days. Then they got too busy with “regular customers” and never came back.

     The Carver people moved our boat to another slip on the Friday after we went home. When they checked it again on Wednesday, the power was off and all the food in the freezer was spoiled. The boat was hot and smelled bad. The service manager sent a person to clean out the bad meat, and that person dumped the entire contents of the refrigerator and freezer. This included salad dressing that did not need to be refrigerated, gourmet coffee in bags inside Ziploc bags, Bacos, etc. We went to the grocery store in the rent car Saturday night and reprovisioned the boat.

     Some of the other repairs were made, but the ‘repair’ (number 4) to the Glendinning only lasted a few hours on Monday. They got the lights working in the heads. They replaced the bilge blower with one I had bought in Knoxville. We changed out all three bilge blowers on the first two trips of that cruise.

     It was cooler in Chattanooga than in Houston, and we enjoyed that. Also, Sunday was a great day, weather-wise, with a high of 83 degrees F. We had called and signed up for the 12:30pm trip on the Ocoee River with one of the outfitters there, Sunburst Adventures. We couldn’t picture us whitewater rafting, and we were nervous. It was great, and I wanted to do it again.

     We got to the meeting spot early, left and found a sandwich, and had a picnic while waiting for them to open. The 12:30pm trip consisted of 6-7 rafts, each with 4-6 riders and a guide. We all got into a school bus with the rafts on top and drove to the put-in spot. We came downriver 5 miles through some Class 3 and 4 rapids. It was exciting, and we did well. We think many of our friends and family members would love it. No one in our raft fell out, but some others in other Sunburst rafts did. Also, there were about 25 outfitters providing the same service, so there were a lot of rafts. People with their own kayaks were on the river in large numbers, too. Sunburst provided us with photos and a video tape-in fact, the video had a few extra feet of previous rafting trips, which was interesting.

     The rafting place was about an hour’s drive from the marina in Chattanooga, so it’s not far for local residents to go to get to the water. It was very scenic, and the water was refreshingly cool. We left there about 5pm and drove back to the boat for a quick change. We treated ourselves to a nice meal after a hard day on the river, and then we went to the boat. Next, we took off our old anchor rope and chain and put on 200 feet of chain we had shipped there from Houston. (No more rope with that windlass; I had had enough.) It wasn’t easy, but we got it done and had another shower.

Chickamauga Lake to Guntersville Lake, Monday, July 27, 1998

     It was humid then, and it rained during the morning hours on Monday, before we got up, and afterwards, as we made our way down the lake. Before we left the marina we pumped out, got a light bulb in the head replaced, and went to the gas station with the rent car and then to the airport to turn it in. We tried to pay our bill at the marina (they said they would rather send an invoice), and headed over to the Chickamauga Lock about 10am. We were through the lock around 11am and motored through downtown Chattanooga in the rain.

     Fog and 75 degrees F, said the weatherman of the Chattanooga airport. We could not see the top of Lookout Mountain because of the fog. In fact, the wisps of fog over most of the hills and mountains made them interesting and pretty. While this section of the river, the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee River, was foggy and wet and not good for video and photographs, it still was very impressive. For 20 miles or so, we felt as if we were surrounded by mountains. They were not just to the sides, but in front and back of the boat as well.

     We hit something in the water, never seen, no apparent damage. The lake was only 46 miles long, so we approached Nickajack Lock around 2pm. We locked through by 2:30pm, and

met the Delta Queen paddlewheeler coming the opposite way as we exited the lock. Guntersville Lake was wide and long; it was a pretty lake with not much on it. It did seem like there was a build-up of some kind on both sides of the channel, water milfoil? We were in Guntersville by 6:30pm(actually

5:30 - we overlooked the point at which we should have changed our watches back to the Central Time Zone).

     The Chickamauga Marina (and Dam) was at Mile 471.4; our overnight marina, Signal Point, was at Mile 358.5, so we covered approximately 113 miles on the day. Fuel was expensive there, so we gave it a miss, planning to fill up later downstream. The weather improved, and the sun came out, but we were cool. The high was probably in the 70s. Angela grilled salmon for dinner, which was memorable.

Guntersville Lake to Wheeler Lake, Tuesday, July 28, 1998

     On Tuesday, July 28, I got up early and changed all three Racor filters plus the two CAT fuel filters. I put off changing the fuel filter on the generator. I filled up the Racor filter holders and one CAT fuel filter with clean diesel, but the other CAT fuel filter was put on dry. After trying to get that one to run (the others were fine), I took it off and filled it with diesel (which would have been the easier way initially) and got it running. Next time, I’ll remember that! Also, I cleaned and dried the areas under the engines so I could see if I had any leaks (looked okay).

     We left Signal Point Marina at 10am and were in the Guntersville Lock by 11am. We locked right through and arrived at the City of Huntsville marina, called Ditto Landing Marina, by 12:30pm. We bought fuel at $1.009 per gallon and paid $16 for an overnight slip. We had traveled 25 miles, which was more like the distances traveled by other cruisers whose stories we had read.

     We intended to change, take a taxi to the Space and Rocket Center (largest space museum in the world), and take the tour. But, time slipped up on us, and the taxi took more than 45 minutes to get there, and the place closed at 5pm. Also, the taxi charged $25 each way, and the space center charged $15 per person. So, we changed our plans. We paid a guy to clean the outside of the boat. Angela was getting sick, but she cooked a good dinner of grilled chicken for us.

     About 6:30pm I noticed the lights going dim, so I checked the battery charger, and, sure enough, it was not charging. I thought the repairs made to it in Lenoir City one month earlier had not been enough to save it, and I started planning to replace it whenever we found the right place to do that. I plugged in the automotive battery charger we had used before and started charging the weak battery while running the house lights off the other, fully-charged battery. (I always charge only one battery with the battery charger-the one we’re using-keeping one in reserve for cranking an engine. Once I have one engine running, I can crank the other; and the engine alternators will charge these batteries without help from the battery charger, which we leave off while cruising.)

     At 10:30pm the shore power went off. Of course, the marina closed at 10pm. I checked the circuit breakers and called the marina, thinking to get their security man. No luck; I got an answering machine. I called the Huntsville police to see if they could contact their security person, and they did, getting a different answering machine. Messages were, of course, left on both machines with my name, number, and slip number. I found the main circuit breakers for the pier and got into that box, but no breakers were tripped. I concluded it might be the cable (220 volt, 50 amp), and there were other 50-amp, 110-volt outlets close by, so I hauled out the other cables (do they have to be so heavy?) and plugged in two 110-volt cables. The change put us back in business again.

     While looking about to find the source of our trouble, I noticed the main circuit breakers right next to the shore power cable connections on the transom. I checked them-no problem. Then I remembered some more breakers in the aft stateroom closet, next to the battery selector switch and the anchor windlass switch. I gave those a look and found a circuit breaker for “battery charger no. 1” I did not know was there, and it was tripped. By resetting it, I was able to get the battery charger working again and retire the little, automotive-type battery charger

     The next day, the marina manager was visiting another boat across the way from us. He hollered to me, “I see you got your shore power back on”, or something like that! I thanked him for his concern and went on repairing the hose that had blown out.

Wheeler Lake to Wilson Lake, Wednesday, July 29, 1998

     Angela had a cold, and we planned to travel only 60 miles that day. We left the marina at 9:50am and ran into rain, which lasted most of the day. It was very humid, overcast, and windy, with temperatures in the upper 70’s. We went through Decatur, AL at noon with none of the delays at the Southern Railroad Bridge that we had experienced going upstream. We got to Wheeler Lock, where we had had 4 hours delay before, and were told our wait would be 2.5 hours. We were disappointed but planned another letter to our congressman. We turned up First Creek to see Joe Wheeler State Park, which is just off the main channel above the dam. The lock operator called us and said his boss was allowing him to lock us through the auxiliary lock immediately, so we pulled up to the dam and into the open lock. He’s probably the same guy who wouldn’t hold the doors for us when our anchor was hung up and was then making amends. Or, he knew I was going to write my congressman, maybe.

     A few miles downstream of the dam we turned to port and went across the lake to Town Creek. We had read about the Doublehead Resort in Fred Myers’ cruise guide, and it sounded very interesting. It was a privately-owned 1100-acre resort with cabins, main lodge, swimming pool, and fishing and hunting. It was named after a famous Cherokee Indian chief who had lived on the property. We had made a date to meet Fred and his wife, Joanie, for dinner; and we had agreed to meet there. We tied up by 3pm after having traveled 63 miles that day.

     The place was very interesting, although the main lodge was closed. We peeked through the windows. The setting on a point of land with the water on three sides was very nice. Fred and Joanie picked us up and drove by the swimming pool on our way to eat.

     The pool had 4 little buildings located outside of and near the corners of the pool. Each building had a rock fence around it, but the fence was only 2-3 feet high. Each building was covered completely with a teepee that was 20 or so feet high. The base of the teepee was inside the rock fence. Only a very close inspection revealed the building hidden by each teepee. Fred had seen this in the winter when they remove the teepees from the inclement weather to save them for summer. It was very unusual and attractive. An imitation Indian burial mound with waterfall was immediately adjacent to the pool and provided water to the pool.

     We drove over the dam and into Joe Wheeler State Park (AL) to have dinner at the lodge there. We had seen the area from the water that afternoon. We had a delightful time chatting with Fred and Joanie about cruising and the rivers and boats. I think we were the last to leave. They are fine people, and we were very pleased to have met them. Fred really enjoys helping people, and he has a lot of knowledge about cruising and the rivers in this area. A lot of people know him, too. I asked marina personnel at several marinas, and they said, yes, they knew Fred Myers. He has authored cruise guides for the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, and the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

     We tried our 220V cable at this marina, but it didn’t work; so we concluded the cable had a problem. We used our two, heavy 110V, 50A cables, which worked fine. One of the workers there shot a snake with a 410-gauge shotgun on the bank behind the boat. Some of the spiders here need that type of treatment- they are huge, and they make great, intricate webs in just a short time-amazing!

Wilson Lake to Yellow Creek, Thursday, July 30, 1998

     Angela was getting worse, but I’m glad she was able to go to dinner. She had a bad cold, which kept her up most of the night. We left Town Creek at 9:20am on Thursday, July 30. We crossed the lake to the navigation channel (and passed a dozen small fishing boats) and turned to the left and headed downstream.

     Wilson Lock and Dam was only 15 miles below Wheeler Dam, and the vertical drop at the lock was 93.5 feet. When it was completed in 1925, it was said to be the largest dam in the world. Today it is third highest in lift, all according to Fred Myers’ cruise guide, which is very informative. The locking

through was really not bad, but the lock operator never spoke to us on the radio or when he drove by us on his golf cart. We called the lock on all the channels and gave the horn signal, but got no verbal conversation. We were having radio problems with one of our two radios (it would transmit but not receive, or we could not hear anything, even static, so it could have been the speaker). So we checked our radios out with a boat from Florida that was just coming up and out of the lock. Maybe the lockmaster’s radio was on the blink, too.

     We arrived at Aqua Yacht Harbor at 2pm and bought fuel. The day had started out humid but not hot, but that changed. It got hot and stayed humid. I got a service technician to look at and repair our shore power cable (burned connection). They could not repair the radio, so we pulled it out to send to Raytheon for repairs. We used the courtesy van to go to Corinth, MS, again, for another go at the Wal-Mart Super Center, including 13 gallons of oil for the next oil change. We ate dinner at Pickwick Landing State Park (TN) and had some more good peach cobbler before retiring for the evening. Angela was still sick, but hopefully over the worst of the virus.

Lake Pickwick to Kentucky Lake, Friday, July 31, 1998

     On Friday, July 31, 1998 we woke up to rain, just as we had 8 weeks earlier on a Friday at Aqua Yacht Harbor. It was worse back then, with electricity out all over the area. I turned in the keys to the courtesy van, made a few phone calls, and bought the other two cruise guides by Fred Myers (they are good, and so is he). We pulled out into the Yellow Creek cove at 10am. What a pretty place that was!

     After 4 miles, which are the most northern 4 miles of the Tenn-Tom Waterway, we turned left into the Tennessee River at Mile 215. We ran along the Left Descending Bank (LDB) for several miles and called the lock. They were just getting ready to lock down a pleasure boat, but we were 20-30 minutes away; so they went on without us. We got to Pickwick Dam at 11am or so and waited 20-30 minutes. This operator didn’t like to talk on the radio, either. The drop through this dam was 55 feet, and then we were in Kentucky Lake, elevation 359.

     What a difference there was in the landscape! We had been seeing a wide lake with high, rocky bluffs. Now what we saw could have been on the lower Tombigbee-a narrow channel with low banks of red clay and a lot of erosion. It did change over the course of the day, but initially it was a big difference from the upstream lake. Clifton, TN was the only town we passed on the river; and there were a lot of Civil War battlefields and historic places near there, like Shiloh National Military Park.

We saw the Delta Queen, a paddlewheeler from Cincinnati, which we had seen on the river on Monday going upstream. It was pulled up to the bank with its gangplank extended to receive or discharge passengers.

     The river was much more like the Mississippi River through here; it had hairpin turns, shallow depths (25-30 feet), low bank on one side and high bluff on the other, deeper side. There were wide places with shallow water outside the marked channel, with a large wildlife refuge just off the lake. This was supposed to be one of the best places in the state to see eagles and other birds. From Fred’s cruise guide, we learned a lot of history and could see also evidence of trading posts and landings along the river that dated back 150 or more years. One old warehouse was abandoned when the area was flooded in 1944. A lot of it was still visible above the water, but everything around it was under water.

     We crossed under the I-40 bridge (Nashville 71 miles to the east and Memphis 139 miles to the west) and turned into Cuba Landing Marina at 5pm.

     The people there were very nice. I borrowed their courtesy car and drove into Waverly, TN, passing Loretta Lynn’s restaurant at the freeway and her dude ranch 7 miles up the road. I thought I was going to see Loretta, or somebody famous like her, when I found myself behind a huge motorhome. I couldn’t wait to see the estate this thing was headed for. I was surprised when it turned in to the Wildwood Valley Church of Christ instead of some fancy home!

     During the drive I crossed the Buffalo River and the Duck River, Hurricane Creek, near Loretta Lynn’s place, Blue Creek, and several other creeks, most of which were running quickly and carrying a lot of mud, particularly Duck River. The next day, when we saw the Duck join the Tennessee, the mud was very apparent, although it didn’t change the color of the Tennessee much.

Kentucky Lake to Lake Barkley, Saturday, August 1, 1998

     Saturday, August 1, we left the marina at 9:30am. Angela was still sick; we had hoped she would be over that virus by then. I was excited about getting to our destination and seeing a new area-the Land Between the Lakes. As we journeyed downriver, the lake got wider and wider, until it was 1.5 miles or more wide, depending on where you measured it. The fishermen were really out, and the closer we got to the dam the more pleasure boats we saw. We did see a few tows with barge loads of stone, gravel, and chemicals. We started seeing the really fancy houseboats, with the sliding boards to slide from the top deck into the water. We crossed into Kentucky, which increased our total states seen on this cruise (including side trips by car) to eight (TX, LA, MS, AL, TN, NC, GA, and KY).

     Kentucky Lake is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes; it is184 miles long and has a shoreline of 2400 miles. I didn’t know that. I continued to be amazed by the width of the lake, the depth (increasing to 60-70 feet), and the length (we traveled almost two days between dams).

     Fred’s cruise guide said to stop and see an old stone quarry and the colorful graffiti on the walls, and we did. Most of the party crowd was there to see and be seen, and we picked our way through the crowded anchorage. With our   “Houston, TX” homeport on the transom, we gave them something to see that they don’t see every day! Plus, we were a lot taller than these boats. We saw 111 feet deep on the depth finder, so the old quarry went down pretty deep.

     We turned right into the Barkley Canal at Mile 25 and made the final run to Green Turtle Bay Marina, Grand Rivers, KY. We filled up with fuel and got a slip assignment for a covered slip (quite common on these lakes, along with floating docks). We were then on Lake Barkely, which is the impoundment of the Cumberland River. What an interesting area! We borrowed a golf cart and drove around the resort to see the condos, boat and houseboat rentals, dry stack storage, condos, restaurants, piers and fuel dock with laundry facilities, ship’s store, canvas shop, repair area, condos, tennis court, swimming pools, conference center. We saw one new home on the hill that looked particularly attractive.

Grand Rivers, KY Area and return to Houston, TX, Sunday-Monday, August 2-3, 1998

     On Sunday, August 2, we washed clothes and did some driving around to see the area. Angela was still sick but getting somewhat better. We used the courtesy van loaned to us by the marina to see both Kentucky Dam and Barkely Dam and the town of Grand Rivers, KY. The weather was hot, but not too bad when a breeze could be felt, which was not often.

     The staff at the marina was very nice. There were a large number of big boats there, and the boating conversations we heard indicated a widely traveled and sophisticated crowd. The resort was packed with people in the marina and the condos. We heard about large groups of boaters and condo-users coming repeatedly to be together and enjoy the facilities. There were a lot of families. We heard that some people fly their small planes into there to eat at Patti’s. We split a 2”-thick pork chop there at dinner so we could have desert; they had 16 different kinds of pies.

     On Monday, August 3, we made arrangements for some repairs and got a ride to Paducah, KY with one of the marina staff. We flew to Memphis and then Houston Hobby-the end of Trip3.

     The following is a summary of statistics for the first three trips in this cruise:

              Engine    Generator                      Fuel         Running     Lay      Total
              Hours       Hours          Miles      Gallons        Days       Days    Days

Trip 1       130            194          1562        2332              14           9        23
Trip 2         45            173            523         736              10           5        15
Trip 3         34              35            460         641                6           4        10

Totals       209            402          2545        3709              30         18        48

     Speed averaged 12.2 mph based on running hours and total fuel used, including generator use, which was higher on that cruise. On our CT to TX Cruise in 1997, we averaged 13.8 mph. Also, that year we were not able to go as fast due to the overheating problem on the starboard engine. Fuel usage averaged 1.46 gals per mile. It was 1.36 on the CT to TX Cruise in 1997. Fuel averaged $1.04 per gallon, compared to $1.33 in 1997.

     During the three trips, we had been traveling on the water 30 days or an average of 7 running hours and 85 miles per day. We used about 124 gals of fuel per day of travel, on the average. Our long day was 15 hours, 175 miles, Avery Island to New Orleans, LA. We also had a 13-hour, 141-mile day at the upper end of the Tenn-Tom. Our short day was Guntersville to Huntsville, AL, 2 hours, 25 miles. Actually, there were two other “lay” days when we took a short trip on the upper Tennessee River to see houses, etc.

     We stayed in marinas, paying for our slip, 14 nights in Trip 1, 5 nights in Trip 2, and 9 nights in Trip 3. We anchored for the night twice in Trip 1, five times in Trip 2, and none during Trip 3. We had free dockage in Chattanooga for two nights during Trip 1, and in Knoxville for ten nights in Trips 1 & 2, plus the 13 nights between the two trips. We paid reduced rates at marinas for the two layovers between Trips 2 & 3 and 3 & 4. The most common charge for a single night at a marina was 50-60 cents per foot per night.