A Little Loopy

Bay Springs Anchorage to Whitten Lock: 3.5 mph; 1185 yds; 0:11 hours Whitten Lock to Montgomery Lock: 8.5 mph; 5.1 miles; 0:45 hours Montgomery Lock to Rankin Lock: 9.0 mph; 8.1 miles; 1:02hours Rankin Lock to anchorage to check transmission: 5.5 mph; 3.0 miles; 0:33 hours Transmission Check to Midway Marina: 4.3 mph; 1.2 miles; 0:18 hours Everything was going so well … LOCK: Jamie Whitten Lock: DOWN 84’ Floating Bollards LOCK: GV Montgomery Lock: DOWN 30’ Floating Bollards LOCK: John Rankin Lock: DOWN 30’ Floating Bollard; Heard a loud noise from under the boat; Lost starboard transmission in Lock. What was that awful sound? Quick Anchorage to Check Transmission While in the lock Jim has to use the engines to keep us steady on the wall - we don’t have thrusters. While doing this, we heard something hit, and hit hard. We were the last to enter and last to leave the lock. When leaving the lock, we realized we had lost transmission from the starboard engine. We pulled out of the lock usi...

OCTOBER 17th! Happy Birthday to my Sweet Sara.  This is the first time in 27 years I haven’t seen her face  and squeezed her on her birthday. I’m not ok with that. Goat Island to Bay Springs Anchorage: 8.8 mph; 34.8 miles; 4:06 hours I am pushing for shorter travel time in order to gain more exploring time. We are way ahead of the pack so we have time to pace ourselves and see the fall colors. Bay Springs Lake mm 412.2: Anchorage This was a perfect little cove behind the Visitor Center’s peninsula before the Whitten Lock. Easy and calm with lots of paddle room for the board and kayak. The Visitor Center has a small museum that was closed due to Covid but we hear it’s nice.  The cove we anchored in has a rickety old boat house with a rickety old dock and government signs warning against trespassing. We paddled over, tied onto the dock below the sign, and walked up the steep hill to the back of the visitor center. This place is really beautiful. During our hike, we noticed ...

Aqua Yacht to the waterfall: 6.7 mph; 5.0 miles; 0:45 hours Grand Harbor Marina (fuel stop): 6.1 mph; 2.9 miles; 0:29 hours Waterfall to Goat Island: 6.2 mph; 3.1 miles; 0:30 hours This was a really short day so we could explore some of the area.  We needed to finish laundry and boat chores and left the marina mid-day. Tons of Loopers are docked in either Grand Harbor or Aqua Yacht marinas waiting to travel to the Joe Wheeler Fall Rendezvous. On their route, one of the Lock’s walls has fallen and the Lock Master will only grant passage to PCs at 5:30 AM. That should be a show with so many boaters on route.  We ran into Side Piece; really like those two folks. After topping off our fuel at Grand Harbor Marina, I think I would have liked to have stayed here instead of Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina. The internet worked, they offered 3 courtesy cars, and the staff seemed a little more not he ball and welcoming. The waterfall: Leaving the marina - heading to Pickwick Lake - hang a ...

Kelly’s Island to the Pickwick Lock: 7.6 mph; 61.1 miles; 7:59 hours Pickwick Lock to Zippy's Branch Cove: 7.0 mph; 8.9 miles; 1:16 hours Zippy’s Cove to Safe Harbor Aqua Yacht Marina: 4.5 mph; 1.7 miles; 0:23 hours LOCK: Pickwick Lock & Dam: UP 55’ Floating Bollards. We needed to tie to a boat on our port side. The Captain was a hired professional transporting the boat, and its owner, to Alabama. Great people to tie with. Love seeing that "New Boat Look" on the owner's face.   DECISION TIME: Joe Wheeler or Mobile Alabama? We could continue on to Mobile or go Joe Wheeler for the AGLCA Rendezvous? Pickwick Marina: The Pickwick Lock empties into Pickwick Lake and the first marina you pass is the Pickwick Landing State Park Marina along the RDB. It’s about $1.10/ft and a pretty nice looking place where you can rent paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks to explore. It also has a restaurant, golf course, and venues. Seems like a pretty happening place. Traveling past the f...

Green Turtle Bay to middle of lake for some quick skiing: 3.4 mph; 1087 yds; 0:12 hr Skiing to Ginger Cove: 7.7 mph; 29.5 miles; 3:57 hours Ginger Cove to Pebble Isle Marina: 7.5 mph; 43.3 miles; 5:53 hours Pebble Isle Marina to Kelly’s Island: 7.8 mph; 47.2 miles; 6:04 hours October 11, 2021: The leaves are beginning to change. We really wanted to see this. Land Between the Lakes: Ginger Cove: ANCHORAGE Watch your charts coming into this cove. Once you're inside, it is peaceful, quiet and has great holding! The boat didn’t budge an inch! Jimmy took the kayak to fish and tour the area. There is NO CELL COVERAGE - like at all - nothing. Time to inflate the paddle board. We stayed an extra day due to high winds on the lake - been there - done that - don’t need to repeat. Pebble Isle Marina TN: $1.35 ft: electric/water; showers/bathroom; courtesy car. Pebble Isle Marina is located in Waverly, TN. The town just experienced a devastating catastrophe three weeks ago where 22 souls were l...

On the map, we are about directly across from the Creek House Paducah to Barkley Lock & Dam: 7.0 mph; 42.6 miles; 6:08 hours Barkley Lock to Green Turtle Bay: 4.3 mph; 1.7 miles; 0:23 hours This is a long, quiet trip. The only thing changing are your thoughts and spotty podcasts. Barkley Lock & Dam: UP 57’ Floating Bollards; the electric fence for carp is inside this lock - lots of dead and flopping carp and debris. Green Turtle Bay Marina and Resort: WOW $1.35/ft: electric/water; showers/bathrooms; coin-operated laundry; courtesy car; shuttle to and from town, spa, pool, full service marina, restaurants, spa. This is what every marina wishes it could be. The grounds are manicured, American Flags dot the white picket fences, AGLCA flags everywhere - spectacular. I made a spa appointment a week ago - can’t wait. Thirsty Turtle: The perfect sized menu not too much - not too little and hits the highlights of what people generally order. They also have cornhole sets, a giant checke...

After 2 hours of resting  Just Above Dogtooth Island to the Olmsted Lock & Dam: 9.4 mph; 43 miles; 4:36 hours Olmsted: 4.2 mph; 1.2 miles; 0:16 hours Olmsted to Paducah: 10.1 mph; 31.6 miles; 3:08 hours Paducah to Abandoned Barge: 5.4 mph; 2.3 miles; 0:23 hours Abandoned Barge to Paducah Municipal Dock: 5.4 mph; 2.2 miles; 0:23 hours Olmsted Lock and Dam: UP (height varies) Floating Bollards Abandoned barge - tied and safe We arrived in Paducah a day early and called the marina to alter the reservations. He told us we could tie up to a boat that was coming in behind us. I asked the boat's name - it was boat from last night! We decided their captain needed a good night's rest; so, we moved along to tie up to a sketchy abandoned barge, marked as an anchorage. Someone is in charge of this barge’s care because there were gas-fueled pumps on the deck to pump water out or into the barge. I was secure, I was tired, I tried to sleep - NOT. Later that night, a barge came into the ch...