Heidy ho! Green Turtle Bay Marina was our home for the week, so for this week’s epistle, no traveling took place between Tuesday and Saturday! What did we do instead? Stayed warm--the weather has been the biggest conversation topic around here. Not NY temperatures, but clearly not ‘southern’ weather!
I was waiting in vain for a warm day to spruce up YOUNG AMERICA’s outsides. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get when all it does is pass through water. Well, ok, it sits at a dock or an anchorage also, but YA needed a shower. By Friday, I decided there would be no warm day before Saturday, so I put on mittens and did some scrubbing. Very rewarding work, I must say.
Our mail arrived and with it came many hours of paperwork for Fred. While he worked on that, I baked bread, read, went to the Post Office in the courtesy van provided by the marina, read, and played with the Mac laptop that has come to live with us. Will be learning a lot about it in the future, for now I’m just playing. And isn’t it amazing how many hours can be gobbled up by checking out the things on the internet?
Here at GTB we have a wifi connection--not available at every marina--so internet access is very good. When there is no wi-fi, we rely on our Verizon aircard--actually a third line on our cell phone service, but it offers broadband connectinons, not dial-up. Has worked well and as long as Verizon (or it’s cooperating partners) has towers around, we’re set!
One project we completed this week was the hanging of blinds on the 3 windshield windows. Dealing with curtains, rods, brackets, etc. makes my teeth itch, so I’m very happy that Fred was willing to do the necessary climbing, measuring, drilling and clipping into place. I do a fine job of handing up the necessary tool--not unlike OR nursing--‘drill’ or ‘screwdriver’--says he, and I slap it into the palm. What a team! The result is good, and we tested it out by watching a movie in our newly darken-able ‘theater’. Great success!
Friday evening we joined Pat and Diane of SHARPIE’S DREAM for dinner at the yacht club’s dining room in the Marina. Had a great meal and good company. We’ll miss them as they head off for the TN river while we explore the Cumberland.
Another pleasant visit we enjoyed was with Fred and Joan Myers. They’ve traversed the rivers of this area--the Tennessee, Tombigbee, and Cumberland--many, many times and have generously compiled informative guide books. Great for us cruisers to use as we navigate these inland waterways. Joan and I chatted away while the two Freds spent nearly an hour reviewing the many important things there are to talk about in YA’s engine room. That place is like a man-magnet!
Saturday morning we topped off the fuel tanks (still $2.74/gal. for diesel) and headed up the Cumberland. I learned that no matter what compass direction we are travelling---and this river has gone all four directions--sometimes in the same hour-- we are considered to be Northbound on the Cumbie (we’re on a very familiar basis now) because our nose is pointing into the current The river empties into the Ohio--behind us--so we are heading for it’s origins, against the current, and therefore when we hail another vessel, we are the Northbound pleasure craft....Our destination is Nashville, TN, which most definitely is NOT north of Paducah, KY, but we’re the Northbound vessel. Who’d a thunk it.
The current may have been against us, but the wind was pushing us, and that combination made for some very choppy water. We rode along through 1-2‘ waves with white caps topping them almost all day.
The current may have been against us, but the wind was pushing us, and that combination made for some very choppy water. We rode along through 1-2‘ waves with white caps topping them almost all day.
Along the shore we passed the KY State Penitentiary (the Castle on the Cumberland) whick holds the dubious honor of performing the most legal executions (seven) in the United States in a single day--Friday, July 13, 1928.
Our ‘home’ for the evening was at Bumpus Mills, TN. The couple who own the marina had just settled down for dinner when we arrived around 4:30, but they came out to help us tie up, and soon we, too were having an early meal and early to bed.
Fishing boats greeted us in the morning---a steady stream of them launching off the ramp on our port side. The fog was so thick the boats disappeared in a heartbeat. Don’t know if it was just the normal weather conditions or the escaping [delicious] odors from my very onion and even more garlic omelet that burned away the fog, but by 9:40 we could see the opposite shore, and so were off. Saw very little wildlife as we passed through the Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge. We also passed the site of Fort Donalson, where Gen. U.S. Grant scored the first major Union victory in the Civil War. 13,000 Confederate troops surrendered to Grant, although Grant’s Union fleet on the Cumberland was badly damaged.
Clarksville, TN was our next destination. Several years ago Fred was father of the groom here when Geoff and his wife Amy were wed. Amy and Geoff were in the Army, stationed at nearby Ft. Campbell. On that trip, Fred says he stood by the river and thought that someday he’d like to come into Clarksville on his own boat. Done.
We arrived and tied up at the municipal wall right after a fleet of C-Dorry boats--tough looking tugboat-like motorboats. Nine crewmembers from the four nearly identical boats met up in Clarksville, and after a tour of YA, they invited us to have dinner with them at O’Charley’s. A fun evening. In the morning they all agreed that they were happy we were the most upstream boat. The amount of debris that tucked in next to YA’s bow was disgusting! Logs, boards, a soccer ball, smaller ball and more empty bottles, cups and yes other unmentionable types of garbage--all piled up between our bow and the wall. After much deliberation about how to escpe without dragging the stuff along the side of the boat, Fred realized that the bow thruster was the answer! Two whooshes from that puppy and YA was far enough from shore for the gunk to slide on by.
We slid on, as well, through beautiful countryside--sometimes rocky bluffs, other times gentle rolling hills or green lawns. . At the end of Barkley Lake, we rejoined the C-Dorries in the 29’ high lock, and we all entered Cheatham Lake.
Forty two, slogging into the wind miles later (top speed 6.2 kn--often 5.6 or so) we began the progression of bridges that mark Nashville’s downtown. It is truly amazing that the tugboat pilots can safely move barges through this stretch. The river makes an S curve and 6 bridges cross it within a mile and a half. At the fourth, at 6:45 p.m. and pretty much in the dark, we tied up at the Municipal Pier. Shortly thereafter, fellow Mirage boater Mike Borum, a Nashville native, picked us up and whisked us off to the Station Inn where we were treated to pizza and to country music by the Time Jumpers. The group was amazing, and has been nominated for Emmy and Grammy awards. In addition to their own compositions, they ‘jump back in time’ for numbers like “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter”, “All of me” and “You don’t know me”. Loved it!
So here we are, and it won’t be long before Monday rolls around again. Maybe this time, I’ll be able to post the blog in a timely fashion!
Till then, be well and keep smiling!
Fred and Linda
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