LOG 6   6/9-6/10    TENNESSEE RIVER TO FLORENCE

DAY 49  MONDAY  6/9/08

It was 1130 and we had just left the Tenn-Tom Waterway and stuck our nose into the Tennessee River.  Were we going right or left?  Upstream or downstream for the summer.  That was the decision.  For years, we had talked about going back upstream to Watts Bar Lake to enjoy the anchorages and write my book.  However, Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, 190 miles downstream, were closer to our sons in Nashville and Wisconsin for visiting and camping.  Which way do we go? 

Actually, we had discussed this decision earlier.  We will see both families at the end of June in Nashville.  SO … sorry kids, the book wins.  We hung a right and headed for beautiful Watts Bar Lake, 315 river miles away.  We’ll rent a car for visiting with the kids.

Within three miles, we came to a finger anchorage at mm218.2 on the LDB (left descending bank).  We had stayed here in a narrow side finger on our pontoon in 1997 and the Camano in 2004.  At the back end is a small waterfall.  For old time’s sake, we stopped here for lunch.  This actually was the first time we anchored over lunch.  We always kept motoring over the noon hour and I, the Mate, attended to the Captain’s every whim for his meals!  Right! 

We resumed our trip upstream to Ross Branch, mm230, where we dropped the anchor for the night at 1430.  This was a wider bay and we picked up more breezes than at Ghost Bay.  However, it is not as scenic.  A good anchorage when passing through the area.

We are back into much bigger and wider water on the Tennessee River.  The 450 miles on the Tenn-Tom was mainly a narrow channel, on an average around 1000’ wide.  Now we have wide expanses of water, big lakes backed up by the TVA dams.  The river narrows down as it approaches the next dam.  We will be going through six of the 9 locks, beginning with Wilson Lock, one of the tallest in the world.

Day 49:  50.0 miles, anchored Ross Branch mm 230 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.89260, W 088.02073) 

DAY 50  TUESDAY  6/10/08

Anchor up at 0654.  “OPPS!  We’re 7 minutes late!”  Gene joked as he entered our “start time” in the WE BE BLEST III’s Cruise Log.  “Yes, but you were in a rush yesterday to beat the tow!” I responded. “You’re right.  Today’s a more leisurely pace.”  Gene concluded as we laughed.

We had gotten up at 0545 again.  A minor mayfly hatch had occurred in the area and they were attracted to the cabin light when I worked on my book in the evening, cluttering the cockpit with dead carcasses by morning.  Surprisingly, there were none by the anchor light which was on all night.

Fulton had a heavy, one-day mayfly hatch our first night docked there.  Yesterday, as we motored the Tennessee River, long patches of dead mayflies floated downstream.  The fish must be SO full and probably tired of their mayfly diet!

We motored 26.8 miles to Florence, Alabama and at 1030, took a slip at the very friendly Florence Boat Harbor, mile marker 256.  We took care of internet business (high speed connection – YES!!) and used the marina courtesy car to reprovision, Gene swapped books in their “take-a-book-leave-a-book” library.  Our freezer is defrosted again, by our choice, and stocked with good pork loin chops we sliced and bagged from a whole, boneless loin.  This gives us lots of lean, healthy meals.  Pork … the other white meat!

Day 50:  26.8 miles, Florence Boat Harbor mm 256 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.78678, W 087.67429) 

LOG 7   6/11-6/17     TENNESSEE RIVER FLORENCE TO CHATTANOOGA

DAY 51  WEDNESDAY  6/11/08

Around 0745, we prepared to leave Florence and when Gene called Wilson Lock, they had no power and a tow was waiting to lock through.  It would take around 4 hours to restore power and then another 3 hours for the tow.  Thus, we decided to stay another day.  Limited power was restored sooner, however by then 3 tows were backed up and in line waiting.  So our decision stayed. 

Gene puttered, fixed the bimini supports, read and I had my nose in the computer most of the day.  “It’s time to leave the cyber-world and join the real world!” Gene chided.  He was right.  However, between internet, writing, pictures and logs I do have a lot of different things I do on the computer.  Nonetheless, it can be a time sink!  Today was one of those days.

We met some LOOPERs from KY and gave them a tour of the Camano.  They were waiting for the Wilson Lock as well.

Day 51:  zero miles, Florence Boat Harbor mm 256 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.78678, W 087.67429) 

DAY 52  THURSDAY  6/12/08

This morning Gene called Wilson Lock around 0745 – no tow traffic.  “Come on up with any other pleasure craft to all lock through together.”  Gene walked over to the LOOPER boat, but no visible activity.  Must still be sleeping.  We left at 0800 on our own and motored a few miles upstream to Wilson Lock, one of the highest lift locks in the world with a lift ranging from 93-100 feet. 

The lockmaster told us to take the first “pin” (bollard).  That was the calmest position in the lock.  The last bollard at the other end is another calm position during the lifts up, which are more turbulent than the trips down.  After we idled in and secured a spring line to the floating bollard, the immense lower lock gates (over 110’ tall) closed behind us.  The lift was 97’ and we were in a deep cavern as water began to fill the lock. 

At the upstream end of the lock, there was a high, solid concrete wall.  Perched on top of this wall, the lock gate itself was only about 20’-25’ tall.  Instead of swinging out, this upstream gate dropped down under the water surface to allow boats to leave the lock.  In the shorter locks (the Mississippi River and ICW), boaters grab bow and stern lines secured to the top of the lock wall.  However, the taller TVA locks utilize floating bollards, mooring posts recessed in the lock walls.

Again, we continued our string of solo smooth lockages.

Wilson Lake, 15 miles long, may be the shortest in the chain of TVA lakes, but it has the highest population density per mile of shoreline.  Secluded bays were rare.  Instead, we spotted many huge, palatial homes all along the water’s edge.  An unusual sight was that most boatlifts were two tiered – with a lift below and a deck above.  Some even had a second deck off to the side.  Pontoons and runabouts were common on the lifts, with only a few cruisers.

Sixteen miles upstream, in Wheeler Lock, we used the auxiliary lock – only 60’ wide by 400’ long, instead of the normal size of 110’ wide by 600’ long.  Once again, we took the first “pin” and kept our record of smooth solo lockages.  This was a 48’ lift.

It’s amazing how routine locking can become, even in the big locks.  (Of course, that excludes any adverse weather conditions!)  I remember thinking about the tall TVA locks with some apprehension and even fear before we began the 75-day pontoon trip in 1997.  We transited our first three tall locks on that trip (38’, 25’, and 50’) in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, and used the floating bollards for the first time.  Approaching Wilson Lock, the technique was the same here in the TVA locks.  The additional height only makes the cavern deeper as we idle into it.  Actually, using a single line to a bollard was often easier than the bow and stern lines hung from the top of the lock wall.

We anchored at 1232 at Goldfield Branch, mm 285 off the shores of the densely wooded TVA property.  We had purchased a 6’x15’ roll of solar screen from Lowes in Florence.  We hung it up on the flybridge to see how it will work.  We brainstormed cutting it into different size pieces and settled on 6’x3.75’ pieces, two of which I will sew together with fish line.  It worked well to block the sun and keep it cooler on the flybridge, yet allowing light through.  We can hang the long piece on one side and another at the bow or stern as needed.  We’ll do the cutting when we go to our son and daughter-in-law’s in Nashville.

Day 52:  27.6 miles, anchored Goldfield Branch mm 285 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.74039, W 087.24697) 

DAY 53  FRIDAY THE 13^TH   6/13/08  But we’re not superstitious!

In the morning realizing it was Friday the 13^th, Gene and I recalled an incident we had while cruising the Great Loop in 2005.  Let me give you a preview from the book I’m currently writing.

FRIDAY THE 13^TH

Factory Creek

FROM THE LOG OF THE WE BE BLEST III … 2005

At 0830, we cast off and, while cruising toward Beaufort, South Carolina, spotted a pod of about 5five to six dolphins.  However, they were not interested in catching a ride in our wake as dolphins occasionally do.

Did I mention it was Friday the 13^th?  Around 1200 we fueled up at Beaufort Downtown Municipal Marina and docked there for a couple hours to ride our new folding bikes around town.  However, as Gene began walking his bike off the dock, he noticed the front tire was flat.  Back to the boat for repairs.  Luckily, we had the spare he picked up in Stuart, Florida after our first flat tire on my bike.  With a new tire in place and inflated with our hand pump, off we rode to explore the streets of Beaufort.  The large old homes, built in the West Indies style, are elevated with spacious verandahs.  This design takes advantage of any breezes for maximum cooling during the hot summer days. 

Magnificent live oak trees graced many of Beaufort’s streets.  It was noticeably cooler as we rode under their extensive canopies and stopped under one exceptionally large tree.  With inspirations and reflections brewing in my head, I took pictures and notes to remind me of this spiritual experience.  (However, that’s another story in this book – Lessons from a Live Oak.)

Later, back on the boat, we motored due east of Ladies Island Bridge in Beaufort, mm 539.5, then anchored in Factory Creek.  Gene wanted to change oil.  Did I mention it was Friday the 13^th?  As he pulled his four gallon oil change system from the bowels of the lazarette (our “basement” in the rear cockpit), used oil dripped from one of the hoses – a minor mess, but perhaps an omen he should have heeded:  WARNING … ABORT THIS OIL CHANGE!

However, determined to continue, Gene opened the hatch in the salon floor of our trawler and crawled down into the bilge, connecting the hoses from the oil change system to the engine.  The system pumped the used oil easily into a four-gallon bucket.  Only a few drops splashed from the oil filter.  A rather successful oil change – until Gene attempted to pump the used oil from the four-gallon bucket, sitting on top of the engine, back into the empty gallon containers down in the bilge.

“Humm – no oil is coming out of the hose!” he thought.  “Oh no!”  One hose connection came apart and sloshed over a pint of that black, thick, grimy, smelly oil down in the bilge, on the engine, over tools, around the battery boxes, and under the water tank.  It was one yucky mess.  About 45 minutes and innumerable disposable wipes later, Gene finished the cleanup.  Holding that errant connection, he resumed pumping into the gallon jugs.  Did I mention it was Friday the 13^th? 

This time the top connection came apart.  Now that black, thick, grimy, smelly oil sprayed onto the throw rug and carpeting by the hatch cover.  “Jan, I need your help here!”  I heard Gene urgently call out as I, completely unaware of the messes below, leisurely studied charts on the flybridge.  With visions of blood gushing forth from various body parts, I rushed down below, relieved to find my Captain was not injured or at death’s door.  I attended to the oil soaked rugs while Gene continued to clean the bilge again.  Did I mention it was Friday the 13^th?

We are not superstitious – but we are wiser.  Transfer the used oil ONLY on land.  Remember, 100 years from now this really won’t matter.  Life has its bumps in the road.  This one happened to be a big oil slick.  As we float in our anchorage, we can laugh at ourselves and be thankful that we are still living the dream.

* * *

Gene and I laughed remembering the story.  Anchor up at 0633 for a pleasant day of cruising on the Tennessee River.  Wheeler Lake is 75 miles long, much bigger and longer than Wilson Lake.  We had planned to anchor at the Flint River, but since it was early, decided to push on through the Guntersville Lock about another 10 miles.  However, around 1500, I had mentioned that the water looked strange, and storm clouds had been building.  As we watched, they seemed to be coming our way.  We slowed our pace to study the clouds.  I asked Gene several times if the storm was coming toward us.  It was hard to tell.  We were still unsure.

It was about 5 miles to the lock and another couple of miles to an anchorage above it.  We did not want to be caught in transit without good protection.  So Gene decided to go back a mile to a little creek on the western shore nestled under a high tree-covered bluff.  When we approached the creek it was raining.

A dead tree stump stood at the mouth of the narrow Pigeon Roost Creek, mm 343, so I ran a line from the bow around the stump, back to the bow.  Then, because we did not want to swing into shore, (the creek was only 40’ wide and the WE BE BLEST III is 31’ long) Gene used the dink to take a stern line with an anchor and pull the WE BE BLEST III back diagonally into the creek.  He brought the line, chain and anchor to shore, dropped the anchor behind a very large flat boulder, and wrapped the chain around the rock to secure our stern.

When I pulled in the excess stern line, we had only about 30’ of line from the rock to the WE BE BLEST III and only about 10’ of line from the bow to the stump.  We were in tight quarters, but secure.  When Gene finished attached the dink back on the swim platform at 1524, he was already drenched, so we quickly took advantage of the warm rain and showered.  However, we cut it short as thunder and lightening began to crack and pop very near to us. 

By now, a major storm engulfed us with drenching rain and high winds blowing on top the bluff, across the river and onto the opposite shore, but we were secure in our little hidey-hole.  It was a comfortable feeling snuggled up to a cliff that had to be 80’ high, with trees on top that were 30’ or more and lightening dancing and popping all around.  We were certainly glad we stopped here and were not caught on the river or in the lock.  The storm passed after about 30 minutes.  The rest of the afternoon and evening was quiet.

Around 0400, we awoke to another storm, quickly closing windows and keeping watch for about 30 minutes.  The heavy winds had shifted direction slightly and now came toward us with more drenching rains.  Between the darkness and rain, there was zero visibility.  The WE BE BLEST III rocked in the wind, but our lines held fast.  We had survived another Friday the 13^th!

Day 53:  59.4 miles, anchored in Pigeon Roost Creek by Bean Rock Bluff, mm 243.5 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.47030, W 086.46651) 

DAY 54  SATURDAY  6/14/08

After weathering our second storm here, Gene kept saying, “I really like this anchorage!” so we stayed another day with beautiful, peaceful, calm, sunny weather.  We dinked out in the channel to get pictures of the WE BE BLEST III in her safety hole and then motored down the creek a bit to get some shots from that direction.  It was a nice relaxing day, reading and writing.  No storms predicted.

Day 54:  zero miles, anchored Pigeon Roost Creek by Bean Rock Bluff, mm 243.5 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.47030, W 086.46651) 

DAY 55  SUNDAY  6/15/08

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers reading this log!  Today is Sunday, so we read the Scriptures for the day and the two meditations.  A good way to start the day.

After retrieving the stern anchor from shore using the dink, Gene took the bowline off the stump and used it to pull the WE BE BLEST III out into the main channel before starting the engine.  We wanted to be certain no snags or rocks would eat the prop.

This morning was our first experience on this trip for fog on the water.  When we awoke, the hills on the opposite shore were completely hidden, only the shoreline trees appeared.  Soon fog rolled into the river, and nothing was visible.  However, the breeze was dispersing it by the time we retrieved the stern anchor.  When we motored away, it was noticeable, but not thick.

Engine on 0707, heading to Guntersville Lock – 39’ lift, smooth solo again!  Guntersville Lake is another long one – 75 miles.  A beautiful day for cruising.

We pulled into Raccoon Creek at 1437, a wide-open anchorage with hills to the west, some weeds and snags.  Not our first choice, but the only anchorage around.  The first time we dropped anchor, we could tell we snagged something – hard.  Had to work a bit to free the anchor, pull it back up, and then reanchor in another spot right under the power lines.  The mud instantly stained the bow – not making for a happy Mate!  Gene was not thrilled with this anchorage, between the weeds, the snags, and power lines, we’ll go someplace else on the way back down.

It was very hot, not much breeze, however, by evening the wind came off the land and we had a cool night sleeping.  Unfortunately, I forgot to secure the ends of the LOOPER burgee as I usually do each evening.  It flapped and flapped most of the night, on the bow, directly above our heads.  This made for a restless sleep.  I WILL secure it in the future!

Day 55:  51.7 miles, anchored Raccoon Creek mm 396 Tenn R,  (GPS N 34.74592, W 085.85220) 

DAY 56  MONDAY  6/16/08

Up at 0530.  Gene remembered the mechanic who installed our NexGen generator (in 2005) telling Gene to take off the zinc when we get to fresh water, otherwise it gets soft and gooey.  He took it out.  The zinc was still hard, not soft, about half gone, but evidently doing its job in our home salt water.  (A zinc is a sacrificial item allowing any stray voltage in the water to attack it instead of the metals on the boat.)  So Gene washed the zinc and reinstalled it.  When we get back to salt water, he’ll replace it with a new one.

Shortly after we pulled anchor, we hit a fog bank and motored for about 20 minutes in a dense fog.  We could barely see the port bank, starboard was more visible since we hugged that side of the river.  Ahead was thick pea-soup.  Gene set the foghorn signal to sound every 2 minutes which indicates a vessel underway.  He also used the radar to watch for upcoming boat traffic and his position in the channel.

During the morning, we cruised in a very scenic area with the multiple wooded mountain ridges of the Cumberland Plateau along shore and in the distance.  The flat terrain of the Tenn-Tom is gone.  We’re in the rolling back woods of Alabama and Tennessee.

Our string of smooth solo lockages continued today as we transited Nickajack Lock.  How long can we keep this record going?  The next one by Chattanooga, Chickamauga Lock, is usually busy and that lockage may break our string.  We’ll see in a few days.  Nickajack Lake is only 46 miles long, the second shortest on the Tennessee River system, with the deepest water.  A spot near mm445.8 is 135’ deep.  The river follows an ancient earthquake fault here.

For 32 miles from mm432.4 to mm464 at Chattanooga, the river is called the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee.  The mountains drop steeply into the river, some places barely 700’ wide.  With a dozen turns thru the mountains, it is some of the most stunning scenery on the river.  More than 300 kinds of trees and 900 varieties of wildflowers grow in the Chattanooga area.  Only in central China does this also occur.

We motored through “The Pan,” “The Skillet,” “The Pot,” and “The Suck,” all troublesome stretches for boats before the dam was built.  The boiling and swirling water reminded the boatmen of food being cooked.

We passed Signal Mountain and remembered our pontoon trip through here in 1997.  After docking the pontoon in a marina, we had rented a car and drove up to the viewing platform at Signal Mountain to look down on the river far below.  It was hard to believe we had motored our 24’ pontoon all the way from Wisconsin to here and actually continued on to Knoxville, then backtracked down the Tenn-Tom to Fulton, MS.

Today, as we approached Chattanooga, we anchored at 1500 behind Williams Island and then tomorrow we will dock at the new facilities by the Aquarium.  We’ll stay there a couple days to “do” the city again, see the new addition to the Aquarium and go to our favorite brew pub here, “Big River Grill.”

Day 56:  58.9 miles, anchored behind Williams Island, just downstream of the power lines, mm 456 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.08026, W 085.35109) 

LOG 8   6/17-6/23     CHATTANOOGA TO WATTS BAR LAKE

DAY 57-58  TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY  6/17-6/18/08

Last night we enjoyed watching the cows come down off Williams Island to drink and stand tummy-deep in the water – cooling off.  A big turtle sun-bathing on a log nearby was not phased a bit by the bovines’ nearness.  This morning as we were leaving, they came back down.

Anchors up at 0808, and we motored the last 9.2 miles to the Chattanooga Aquarium Docks.  We called Marine Max (who operates the docks) and arranged to wait for them near the Bluffview Docks just upstream of the aquarium, where they would assist us.  After 15 minutes of idling there, Gene called again.  “Oh, just take any open spot!” they replied.  They were singing a different tune now.  The docks were quite spread out, perhaps they did not want to hoof it down to our dock.  The pump out on the dock did not work, so we ended up going back to the marina (downstream of the aquarium),  to first pump out then motored back to the Bluffview dock and finally secured the WE BE BLEST III.

During our two days here we rode bikes to a noon Mass, talked with the priest about a story reflection for my book based on a sermon I heard there, had lunch at Big River Brew Pub, reprovisioned, rode the Riverwalk Trail about 5 miles towards the Chickamauga Dam and back, and “did” the Aquarium. 

When we first discovered the Chattanooga Aquarium in 1997 on our pontoon trip, we considered it a world-class attraction by the way it depicted the Tennessee River, Nickajack Lake, the Gulf of Mexico, other fresh water bodies and the superb attention to detail.  In 2005, a second building was completed spotlighting ocean life.  This is interesting, but not as spectacular as the original building.  After our third visit to the “Rivers” section, we were still impressed with how well it is done.  It continues to be an excellent aquarium in our minds and worth a stop when in Chattanooga.

Chattanooga has really developed a nice walking/biking path and park system along the river.  A few earlier sections however were not designed for bikes with several narrow hairpin switchbacks that were hard to maneuver on a bike.

Since the docks are parallel with shore, we had a beautiful view of the park, fountains and evening lights across the channel plus all the lights on two bridges up and downstream of our dock.  We were sandwiched between the two bridges and their colored lights shone brightly and reflected beautifully in the water.  After the Market St. Bridge (downstream) was built, it replaced the Walnut St. Bridge (upstream) which is now claimed to be the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

We had a nature show from our starboard cabin window, along the riprap covered slope near our dock.  A woodchuck peeked out of his home under one of the large rocks.  Evidently, he has a number of hiding spots from all the loose dirt around the rocks in this area.  We watched him for more than an hour as he meandered around the slopes grazing on the tender leaves and grasses.  Later a mink wandered close to shore coming down for a drink and a swim.  Another morning seven turtledoves worked this same slope pecking at the loose soil probably looking for seeds or bugs.

Our people watching continued as well – traffic up on the Market St. Bridge, pedestrians and bikers on the Walnut St. Bridge as well as on the Riverwalk at the top of the slope by us and along our dock.  Boats motored past the WE BE BLEST III – water taxis, amphibious ducks, tour boats, a paddle wheeler, tows with pusher and barges, and of course pleasure craft.  It was a busy place indeed.

With no shower facilities, we used the shower in our cockpit.  This time, it was my tern to be the show!  Just as I finished and was toweling off, the tourboat motored by, music playing, with happy folks waving to me from the multiple decks.  But – at least I had on my swim suit – unlike the three times Gene was caught!

Day 57-58:  9.2 miles, Docked at Chattanooga Aquarium, Bluffview Docks, mm 464 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.05695, W 085.30933)  start 0808, stop 0950

DAY 59  THURSDAY  6/19/08

This morning, we rode our bikes across the river on the pedestrian bridge to the art district, around two parks along the river, by the fountain and the carousal which has 54 hand-carved animals.  The man who supervised the construction teaches wood carving.  A number of volunteers worked with him to carve all the creatures.  He recently worked on a carousal for the Chattanooga Zoo spotlighting endangered animals.  We finished our last provisioning and cast off after lunch at 1231.

Chickamauga Lock has major construction with a new lock being built.  There was a lot of activity – several cranes on barges, pilings being drilled, concrete trucks ferried from the ramp on shore to the water site, and divers inspecting the work.

We waited about 30 minutes for the divers to finish near the lock gates and move their dive boat out of the way.  This was a solo lockage, but far from smooth.  It was a more normal lift up with the turbulent currents pinning the WE BE BLEST III against the slimy lock walls.  We really worked, and not very successfully, to keep the fenders off the wall.  Oh well, better fenders getting smushed than the WE BE BLEST III!

We have one lock left to get to Watts Bar Lake, our destination for the summer.  Can we keep our string of all solo lockages?  We’ll find out in a day or two.

Anchored at 1521 in a long finger bay off Gray’s Bluff, mm 476.  The weather has been ideal the last two days.  80 degrees, not too hot, little humidity – and NO bugs!

Day 59:  12.4 miles, anchored By Gray’s Bluff, mm 476 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.15478, W 085.16886)  start 1231, stop 1521

DAY 60-61  FRIDAY-SATURDAY  6/20-6/21/08

We took a leisurely morning – sleeping in for a change since the weather is cooler and we only had a few miles to our next anchorage.  We are near Watts Bar Lake and have reservations for a month at Blue Springs Marina beginning Monday 6/23.  We have time to kill hanging out at anchorages along the way.

Returned to a long finger bay we had stayed in on our last trip here in 2004 and had named Seduction Bay.  However, shortly after we anchored a 35’ Chris Craft dropped its anchor very near us, with not much scope out.  Then another boat, a 34’ Sea Ray rafted up to it, while a third waited, a larger Chris Craft.  Later a 60’+ houseboat joined the group, dropping a second anchor – six boats so far.  By evening, nine were tied together.  It was party central.  The music was good until about 1900 when a wanna-be DJ cranked up and began his “incessant” chatter and bad singing over a loudspeaker.

Around 2000, we decided to pull anchor (which we knew was a good hook for the potential bad weather coming).  We moved farther down the bay.  The music was still loud but tolerable.  Mercifully, they shut down at 2300.

Saturday … Happy Anniversary to middle son Greg and his wife Priya. 

We slept in again, as I’m sure those on board party central did as well.  We took a dink ride to the creek at the end of our bay to do some exploring.  It wound around through tall grasses and woods, narrowing until overhanging trees blocked our way.  We paddled back to the bay to explore the other finger that led to a boat ramp and a very low bridge.  Ducking our heads to get under we were in another smaller bay, a good fishing spot.  We putted back to the WE BE BLEST III.

This was another day of puttering, reading, writing, working on WAVES articles.  Of course, party central came alive with music early afternoon and really got cranked up again at 1830.  Several other boaters had come into the bay, anchored, but left before the night.  One dropped anchor quite near us.  I grumbled about boaters having all this room in a bay and stopping almost on top of our anchor.  My main concern was potential winds during the night and their anchor not holding.  However, after about an hour, they moved across from the entrance to this bay, probably to get away from the noise.  (The bad weather never did come while anchored here.)

Tonight the DJ got raunchy, very loud and around 2400 sounded their sirens several times, evidently just for the fun of it.  Are we getting old and cranky?  I hope not.  I guess we are so accustomed to boating by ourselves.  Also, we must have different ideas of what it means to have consideration for other boaters when it comes to noise and anchoring space.  Nonetheless, our experience in Seduction Bay was far different than in 2004.  Perhaps we should rename it Party Central Bay!

Day 60-61:  15.5 miles, anchored in Seduction Bay, mm 491 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.30094, W 085.05497)  start 110, stop 1317

DAY 62  SUNDAY  6/22/08

Anchor up at 0800.  We joked about various revenge tactics we could use on Party Central …  such as sounding our siren and asking over our loudspeaker, “Does this sound the same at 7 am as it did at midnight?”  But then we asked ourselves, what does the Bible say about revenge?  Anyway, we really do not have the personalities to do nasty things to others.  Our Sunday Scriptures told about being a light to others, to bring the love of God and Christ to them.  So how can we be nasty?!

However, it was quite foggy as we left, and in the interest of safety, Gene did have the foghorn sounding as we idled out of the bay.  He also had a grin on his face!

What a fantastic morning for cruising.  Chickamauga Lake is beautiful with ridges, hills, tree studded slopes all bathed in a misty fog.  The water is like glass as we cut through the surface while the sun was slowly burning through the fog.  Several fishermen were already zipping back and forth from one part of the lake to another looking for their perfect hole.

Around 1245, as we approached the Watts Bar Lock and the lockmaster was readying the chamber for us, we saw a storm building in the west with lightening as well.  I prepared the cabin for a blow, closing the door and all the hatches and windows except the port side with our bollard emergency knife.

I donned my raincoat with my life jacket under it (required in all the locks).  The wind was picking up as we approached the bollard.  I got one wrap around the pin and really struggled to pull the WE BE BLEST III back over to it for the second wrap.  The stern had swung far out in the wind and the bow fenders were pinned to the wall.  Gene used the bow thruster to no avail.  Once the first wrap was on, the thruster did not move the bow against the wind.  He worked to finally bring in the stern and I wrapped the pin a second time, then over to the amidships cleat and finally a wrap on the bow cleat.  We were now secure, pivoting amidships from the bollard.

By this time, the rain had started in earnest, and the winds really picked up.  The lockmaster indicated he would bring us up very slowly – good thing!  We had buckets and sheets of rain pouring down on us, lightening (again!) cracking and flashing right over our heads and high winds whipping around the bimini and the boat.  Forget keeping the fenders off the lock wall.  We were not only pinned at times, but the lock wall was coming to us – it was raining grime, mud, and algae stripped from the walls.

I initially thought the rain would give the WE BE BLEST III a good washing.  HA!  The WE BE BLEST III and crew were speckled with junk by the time the storm had passed.  I of course was drenched being on the bow.  Gene was drenched as well up on the flybridge under the bimini.  Although his raincoat was neatly folded by his helm chair!

The lockmaster certain brought us up very slowly to protect us from the storm – instead of the usual 3-5 feet per minute, we came up 3-5 inches per minute!  We had our own hidey-hole (again) from the winds and lightening.  As we neared the top, the lockmaster even offered to let us stay in the lock until the rain quit.  He had seen white caps on the lake. 

During the deluge, I was wondering what the high winds would do to our canvas and bimini once we began to leave the lock and out on the lake.  However, it had mainly settled by the time the gates opened.  Without a doubt, this was our most exciting lockage EVER in all our boating years.  Location and timing is everything.  God provided us with a great hiding place when we needed it!

As we motored, we thought another cell was coming over us and soon found a little cove, but the weather seemed to be passing so we continued on to Pearl Harbor, a three-pronged bay at mm541, and took the left finger.  It is now peaceful, quiet (no blaring music and noise), calm, warm and the birds are chirping.  “Welcome to Watts Bar Lake”  Our destination for the summer. 

By the way, we kept our string of all solo lockages from home to Watts Bar, but the last one was far from smooth and peaceful!

Day 62:  50.3 miles, anchored In Pearl Harbor, left finger bay, mm 541.6 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.72029, W 084.70991)  start 0800, stop 1541

DAY 63  MONDAY  6/23/08

We enjoyed a relaxing morning in Pearl Harbor before motoring over to Blue Springs Marina, with stops in a few bays on the way to see if they will be good anchoring spots.  A lot of development has occurred since 2004.  Many of the bays are now filled with homes and boathouses.  Rats!  We’ll look for more when we come back from Nashville.

We will stay until Wednesday, then leave the WE BE BLEST III here at the marina, rent a car from Enterprise and drive to Nashville for a land excursion to celebrate our eldest son’s 40^th birthday.  Our youngest son and his family will be coming from Wisconsin as well.  Lots of good Gramps and Grandma time coming.

1445 miles traveled thus far from home.

Day 63:  10.3 miles, Docked at Blue Springs Marina, Watts Bar Lake, mm 547.7 Tenn R,  (GPS N 35.73609, W 084.66863)   start 1350, stop 1535