2004 CRUISE
TRIP 3 LOGS
Iuka, MS to Knoxville, TN
June 12 - 21, 2004

Houston, TX to Iuka, MS, Saturday, June 12, 2004

     Angela and I returned to the Memphis airport on Saturday, June 12.  There we met our friends, Dick and Carolyn, from Stuart, FL.  Because of our business trip to Houston, their trip and ours had been delayed by one week; but we were glad to see each other and to finally get together for a cruise up the Tennessee River.  Dick had cruised the Tennessee before, but Carolyn had only thus far seen the lower Tennessee - from the Ohio to the Tenn-Tom.

     Kelly Beyer met us at 3pm, as we had requested; and he drove us to Aqua Yacht Harbor.  After helping us get our luggage aboard, he even took us to the grocery store for provisions.  After stowing all our purchases, we met up with Neal and Leona and Teddy on M/V 24 KARAT for dinner.  Neal had reserved a loaner vehicle from the marina, and another boater told us where to go to eat.  We ate there, but it wasn't as good as we were led to believe.  Anyway, it was great to be back on the boat; and we were ready to go cruising! 

Iuka, MS to Rogersville, AL, Sunday, June 13, 2004

     As previously agreed, our crew got a later start than 24 KARAT, which left the marina about 7am, as I was getting up.  We cooked breakfast and departed about 10:30am.  We took a few photos to show the scene at the marina as we were leaving.  That is a very pretty area, and new homes were being built on the hills around the lake.  There was a small plane tied up to the transient dock in front of us.  Later in the day, the pilot buzzed us as he flew under the bridge for the Natchez Trace Parkway.  On a later visit to the marina, Neal and Leona took photos of their boat, Cappy and Judy's boat, and Fred Myers, the author of several cruise guides for the area rivers.

      
      
     

     The Tennessee River was wide and appealing, and the weather was warm and humid.  We went under the Natchez Parkway bridge, and we went slowly as we had been advised to do.  Whoever gave us that advice said it was shallow there, but we did not experience any shallowness at all.

      

     We went into the Wilson Dam at Florence, AL at 11:30am after a little wait for the lock to empty.  Apparently Neal had gone up just before we got there, so we waited and made the next lift up 93 feet to Wilson Lake.  It was after 2pm when we entered Wheeler Lock and went up 48 feet to Wheeler Lake.  I would love to see photographs of the waterfalls at Muscle Shoals that were covered up by these dams.

     I was disappointed to find that our radio was still inoperative - lockmasters told us we could not be understood due to the hum in our radio.  I had a handheld radio I used instead of the larger, mounted VHF radio.  Also, the fan belt still squealed, and the water in the lint filter of the washer/dryer was still unresolved.  I had quit asking people to look at the water pumps - they seemed to be hopeless at that time.

     Somewhere in that timeframe (before Wilson Dam) we passed a paddle wheeler named OH SUSANNA.  I slowed down for the approximately 80' long boat with two people aboard, and after we passed the operator called to me on his VHF radio.  I didn't respond, as I was having problems with the radio; but I listened.  He seemed to have some problems with us, or with me: but I wasn't sure what it was all about.  Later, in our slip at the state park, we again saw the slower boat come into the cove and proceed to a far corner for anchoring.  I wondered if the pilot might come to the lodge for dinner, but we did not see him.  Neal said he had talked to the older gentleman for a while.  He was from Texas, and he and his wife were cruising extensively in the summertime.

     About 3:30pm we were tied up in a slip at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina.  The cost of a slip there was $0.60 per foot per night, with 220volt, 50amp shore power.  The weather had  changed to overcast with light, intermittent rain.  The seven of us had cheese and crackers and conversation on our boat from 4 to 5pm.  We ate dinner at the lodge, but it wasn't very good food (and no ice cream).  The company was outstanding.

      

     After dinner and a little walking, we took some great photos of the boats and the sunset.  Then Angela and I taught Dick and Carolyn how to play the board game SEQUENCE. 

      

Rogersville to Guntersville, AL, Monday, June 14, 2004

     Teddy wanted to swim in the pool there, so Neal and Leona decided to stay another day. Later they gave us these two photos of them on their further adventures in Tennessee.  On our boat we were up at 8am and through breakfast by 9:30.  We pulled out of the marina at 9:45am.  By 3:10pm we were in the lock at Guntersville, AL, where we went up 40 feet.  It was warm and humid all day, but we had a nice breeze from time to time.  The high temperature was in the low 80s; it was cloudy and overcast all day.

     We came upon OH SUSANNA again, and I called him on the handheld VHF.  I told him I understood he had some problem with the way I had passed him the previous day, and I wanted to know what to do to avoid his displeasure on that day?  He seemed surprised, and he said, "Why, you've just done it.  You called before you came around us."

     We chatted awhile on the radio.  He and his wife cruise in the summer and live at their home in Texas in the winter.  I think he said he was 81 years old.  His stern paddle was indeed the means of propelling the boat, and it was run by a small and efficient diesel engine. Due to the length of the vessel, he did not  usually stay in marinas, because they charge by the foot and it can get expensive.  We noticed marina slip rates going up almost everywhere we inquired.  His name was Joe Moore, and his wife's name was Rosie.  We had a nice visit, and I would like to meet him and his wife someday.


      I like to see the high rocky banks of rivers, and Angela took some photos along the way to show the beautiful cruising grounds available on the Tennessee River.  The famous and very pretty Painted Bluff was on our left before we arrived at the dam in Guntersville.  We got some good photos to show our friends.

    

      

     As we arrived at the Lake Guntersville Yacht Club, the winds picked up; and we had trouble getting to the dock to tie up.  I had been unable to raise anyone on the VHF or the cell phone.  About the time we had boat almost tied up, here came Shawn to dispense fuel for us, at a different dock.  We moved over to the fuel dock and tied up on the windward side - no problem.  Shawn used to live in Houston; he was very helpful.  In fact, we continued to meet friendly and helpful people on the river day after day.



      

     After filling up with diesel, we moved away from the small fuel dock and back to the transient dock.  That time we tied up with our bow into the wind, and it was an easier job.  It was bouncy that night, though; and the winds and occasional rains continued all night.  Lisa, who was sick and supposed to be off for the day, arrived to assist us in docking in the rain - another friendly and helpful person on our journey.

     We had a good meal and played SEQUENCE again.

Guntersville, AL to Chattanooga, TN, Tuesday, June 15, 2004

     It was so windy I could not sleep, so I got up and got us going.  We left at 8am in a light rain, moving slowly while we ate breakfast. The weather was cloudy and cool all day, with overcast skies and occasional rain.  We passed some great scenery, although our pictures were sometimes dark due to the cloudy skies.  We stopped the boat and took photographs in front of a bridge we like - it was attractive in design and painted a pretty blue color.

      

        

     We arrived at Nickajack Lock about 12:30pm and waited 45 minutes for a downbound tow and barges.  Lift in that lock was 41 feet.  The lock chamber was 600 feet by 110 feet.  The lower 6 locks on the TN River were that size; the 3 above Chattanooga were 360 feet by 60 feet in length and width.

        

     We called a tow with barges and asked the operator if we could pass him and on which side, etc.  After making our pass he called back on the radio.  We went to a conversation channel and discussed our trip.  He said he lived in Knoxville, actually just a short distance from our marina.  So we traded phone numbers and agreed to meet at the marina on Sunday.  Lloyd Archer was his name; he was very nice and helpful to us.

        

     Lloyd, and perhaps others, mentioned a festival going on in Chattanooga at that time.  When we arrived at the downtown waterfront area, we saw a lot of construction and a stage set up for concerts.  Also, tents for street vendors were set up just beyond the stage.

        

     We were ready to go up the lock at Chickamauga Dam at 3:30pm and had a short wait.  The lift was 48 feet; we were out of the lock by 4:15pm.  The Chattanooga Yacht Club was in a very nice cove above the dam, LDB.  We pulled in there at 4:45pm and tied up and plugged in.  We realized we had to change our watches; somewhere along there we had changed time zones and were now in the Eastern Time Zone.

      

     We grilled steaks and ate salad and played SEQUENCE that evening.  It was very nice.  The yacht club had more transient dock space than any we had ever seen.  Its location in a nice, protected cove was excellent as well.

Lay Day in Chattanooga, TN, Wednesday, June 16, 2004

     We slept late and woke up to a warm and humid day with occasional rain and hot, sunny periods.  Our plan was to rent a car and go downtown to see the sights in Chattanooga.  Dick called Enterprise, and they brought us a car about noon.  

        

      

     Dick drove us downtown, and we parked and ate lunch at a TGI Friday's there.  We walked around the concert area and checked out the downtown.  We went to a used book store called The Novel Idea and bought a number of books, which I am glad to have in my library now.  About 4:30pm we returned to the boat and took a nap.  On the way we paid our marina bill and met the harbor master and learned a few things about the yacht club.

     We drove downtown for dinner on Market Street.  The first place that was recommended to us we didn't like, so we went across the street to St. John's Restaurant.  They were packed, but they had a new, smaller restaurant next door, called St. John's Meeting Place.  We ate there, but we wouldn't recommend it.  We drove to a grocery store and bought a few grocery items and turned in for the night.

Chattanooga to Ten Mile, TN, Thursday, June 17, 2004

     We were up and about at 8:30am.  Dick returned the rental car, and we filled up the boat's water tank.  We left about 10:15am.  The weather was hot and humid, not too bad, with no rain until after 3pm.

        

     As we passed a towboat with 9 barges going down the river, I called him to ask a few questions.  He was accommodating, and I asked if he were planning to go through the Chickamauga Lock.  He said that he was.  Since the lock was too small for multiple barges, I wanted to know how they did it.  He said, one barge at a time.  I asked him how long it would take for him to get his towboat and 9 barges through the lock, and he said 12 hours.  That must be very tedious work, hard on everyone concerned.  The Corps of Engineers was planning to add a new, larger lock at that dam; but, of course, it would take years to construct.

        

     At 2:30pm we went up 57 feet in the Watts Bar Lock.  I have always liked that lake because it has so many islands, short-cuts, and interesting scenery.  It also has some wide open spaces, which helps to explain why we saw so many sailboats in the marina.  Sailboats are not popular on those inland lakes because there isn't enough wind or room to sail.

     We made Blue Springs Marina at 4pm.  It's a beautiful and well-protected cove, with deep water.  The owners had added quite a bit to it since we were there in 1998 - dry storage and more covered boat slips, for example.  We walked around and looked at boats and met a couple from Kemah, Texas - what a small world.  M/V MIMI was a very pretty yacht.

      

     Angela grilled pork chops on board, and we had a fine meal.  We played a little more SEQUENCE and called it a night.

Ten Mile to Lenoir City, TN, Friday, June 18, 2004

     We were up about 8:30am and ate breakfast before we left.  There seemed to be a pattern developing there.  We left the marina a little after 10am and proceeded upstream on Watts Bar Lake.  We had overcast skies and some light rain before we reached the Clinch River about 12:15pm.  I wanted to go back up that river later in the year.  (It was the location for the photo of our Carver 440 we used on our website and calling cards for the past five years.)

        

     On my mother's 80th birthday we had a special dinner at a place on the lake called Whitestone Inn.  They had said they were developing a small marina down on the lake.  I called them and found out where it was.  When we passed it we checked it out, but it was for boats much smaller than ours.  We really didn't have the spot in our schedule to stop there, but we could see the buildings from the lake.  It was an attractive place, and we enjoyed our experience there a few years ago.

        

     About 1:30pm the sky cleared, and we had hot, sunny weather.  We arrived at the Ft. Loudon Lock at 4:15pm and went up 72 feet.  That is the second highest lock on the Tennessee River and the last, or uppermost lock of 9 on the TN River.  The pool elevation of the lake was 814 feet above sea level.  We pulled into the Ft. Loudon Marina at 4:45pm.  Our space was very tight, but we got in there easier than we got out the next day.  We ran slowly for most of the day covering 56 miles in 7 hours, an average of 8 mph.

       After resting a bit, we checked out the marina, had dinner, and played SEQUENCE.  That marina charged $25 a night, and its facilities were very nice.  Their diesel price was high, so we didn't buy fuel.  I read on the internet that that marina was the largest marina in Tennessee.

Lenoir City to Knoxville, TN, Saturday, June 19, 2004

     Our plan was to go downtown and stay in the new marina in downtown Knoxville.  It was not in existence when we visited there in 1998.  Downtown Knoxville was about 45 miles upstream of the dam, and the upper limits of navigation on the Tennessee River were about 5 miles further upstream.

        

     Our weather was okay, no rain, warm to hot, and partly cloudy.  We left at noon and arrived downtown at 3:30pm.  It was a distance of 45 miles, and we saw some beautiful and large homes on the way.  Also we were stopped by a law enforcement officer (not sure what kind) with blue lights on his boat.  He wanted to see our registration, so we had a discussion about that.  he said state law required us to have a state registration in addition to our documentation, so we got the boat registered and changed the hailing port on the transom at a later date.

     There was quite a bit of driftwood in the river, and at times we just had to stop and carefully pick our way through it.  Downtown Knoxville was nice looking from the river.  The University of Tennessee sits on the RDB of the river, and its football stadium has more seats than all but one of our nation's football stadiums.  Football is serious business in Knoxville.  Lots of boaters take their boat to the games, and they tie up along the river near the stadium.  They call these boaters the "Vol Navy", after the Volunteers, which is what the football team is called.  I understand the boats have to raft up to use the limited facilities to attend the football game by boat.

        

     The marina downtown was a disappointment.  Its orientation is along the side of the river, and boats are berthed in slips perpendicular to the river.  When I was trying to back into the slip, there was a 3-4 knot current, and I could not bring myself to accelerate fast enough to get into the slip before the boat turned to the side.  There was an uncovered houseboat on the upstream side of us, with no finger pier, just fenders.  There was an empty covered slip on the downstream side, and we were up against the vertical supports for the roof of that covered building.  Eventually we went in bow first, which was easier.  Our shore power cord just did reach all the way to the front to plug in for shore power.

        

     I had read some other cruisers' logs that said it was a long walk from the transient slip to the office/fuel dock/downtown restaurants; and that was true for us.  Carolyn and I walked down to the office to pay our bill.  Their fuel was the highest price we had seen anywhere.  The young people who worked there were friendly and offered us a ride on their golf cart - that's the way they got around - but we chose to walk and get some exercise.


     We ate at the Regas steakhouse at the top of the hill, but we were not very happy with it.  One of their air conditioners was out, and it was too warm for us inside or outside.  After dinner we walked down the riverbank for a mile or so.  Knoxville has definitely tried to dress up that area and make it attractive for tourists and locals alike.  The marina would probably be a good choice for a live-aboard who worked downtown.  For transients it was expensive ($1 per foot) and at the upper end of navigation on the river.

     Richard helped me set up a weather instrument Angela had given me for Christmas.  It was an outside unit that measured the temperature and transmitted it to the inside unit.  The inside unit gave the temperature and humidity and time for the inside of the boat as well as the outside temperature.  It was interesting to set it up and start using it.

In the Knoxville, TN Area, Sunday, June 20, 2004

     We were up by 8:30 and out of the marina by 10am, our "usual" time for a short trip.  We wanted to go all the way to the end of navigation before turning around and going back downstream.  Also, I read about a Sea Ray plant that existed on an island just above the upper end of navigation, and I wanted to see that.

     We cruised slowly up to the confluence of the Holston River and the French Broad River, the end of the navigable Tennessee River, or the beginning of the river by that name.  Off to the left the Holston River ran up to Cherokee Lake near Morristown, TN, where I lived for a number of years including my high school years.  There was a high railroad bridge above the Holston River at that point.  We were surprised to see an old house located very close to the railroad bridge, and we wondered which one was built first?  In any event, it must be very noisy when a train goes by that house!

        

     Off to the right was the French Broad River, and we went up that way.  That river goes up to the area of Biltmore House, near Ashville, NC, where we had visited and taken family members many times in the past.  I would have liked to see every foot of it, but it was too shallow for our boat.  We spoke to a guy on a passing Sea Ray, and he assured us there was enough water to get by the Sea Ray headquarters on Pickle Island.

     So we cruised by the plant, which was closed on Sunday; and we turned around and went back down to the confluence of the two rivers.  I'm glad we went up there because got to see that a beautiful rock wall across the river from Sea Ray.  

     We cruised back down the Tennessee River to Mile 626, having traveled a total of 34 miles for the day.  We pulled into the Ft, Loudon Yacht Club and met Jim, the harbor master.  He was very helpful in getting us fueled up and pumped out and tied up at our transient dock.  That dock was not convenient, but we only needed to get back and forth across the cove once, to go home; and Jim said he would come get us anytime in his dock boat.

    It turned out to be unnecessary, as I called Lloyd Archer and he came over to see us.  Lloyd was a fine fellow, and we sat for an hour or more, talking with him about boats, the river, towboats, etc.  Lloyd offered to take us to the airport the next day, and we accepted.  We spent the evening cooking and eating what we could of the refrigerated food, and packing our clothes for the return flight.

Fly to Houston, TX, Monday, June 21, 2004

     Lloyd came by about 8:30am and took us to the Knoxville airport.  Dick and Carolyn were on the same Delta flight we were on from Knoxville to Atlanta, so we got on the same plane at the same time.  We split up an Atlanta, and they went on to West Palm Beach, FL and we went on to Houston.  It was rainy and we had some delays, but it was a decent ending to a very nice cruise.

Statistics for the trip:

Running Hours:  38
Miles:  480
Generator Hours:  45
Fuel Used:  691 gallons
Fuel Costs:  $930.42
Running Days:  7
Lay Days:  1
Travel Days:  2
Total Days  10
Average Speed:  12.6 mph
Average Fuel:  1.44 gals per mile, 18 gallons per hour
Average Fuel Cost:  $ 1.35 per gallon
Average Miles Per Running Day:  69
Average Running Hours Per Running Day:  5.4
Locks  7

Statistics for Trips 1, 2, and 3

Running Hours:  128
Miles:  1,660
Generator Hours:  173
Fuel Used:  3,187 gallons
Fuel Costs:  $4,407
Running Days:  18
Lay Days:  7
Travel Days:  5
Total Days  30
Average Speed:  13.0 mph
Average Fuel:  1.92 gals per mile, 24.9 gallons per hour
Average Fuel Cost:  $ 1.38 per gallon
Average Miles Per Running Day:  92
Average Running Hours Per Running Day:  7.1
Locks  24
Generator Hours per Engine Hour = 1.35