Friday, October 16, 2009

Last night when we came into the anchorage, we noticed a small white cross on the bank with the name “David.” We don’t know the story, but it was nice to have “David” watching over us all night. It was a very comfortable place to anchor and since we were out of the main channel, we had no problems from debris washing downriver on top of us during the night.

As the sun was rising and trying to peek through the clouds and fog, we pulled anchor and continued upriver. Early in the morning we came by Lady Finger Bluff, a prominent landmark formed when the river carved a path out of the limestone found in abundance in this area. The river narrows here appreciably causing a noticeable increase in the current. With a light northwest wind behind us, we let the headsail out and received a little “boost” whenever we were traveling with the wind. Because the river was very winding, there were several times we had to either bring the sail in or live with the occasional backwinding.

The fall colors continued to “wow” us, although it was not yet peak leaf watching season yet. We were also beginning to see more homes along the river and definite possibilities for residential areas we’d like to check into more closely if we ever decided to purchase property and relocate.

We traveled 53 miles upstream and found a spot on the inside bend of the river at mile 181.85 where we were protected from the wind and the current and had a view of a few very nice homes across the way. Before setting the anchor, we turned on the computer and detected a couple of unsecured wireless signals. We maneuvered to get the strongest signal possible and dropped the hook in about 30 feet of water where we let out all of our 80 feet of chain and 100 feet of line for the night.

Maureen enjoyed borrowing the wireless signal and getting several entries posted to the blog. The signal was very strong and she had no difficulty uploading photos. We would not have been able to accomplish this without the booster antenna we had purchased and installed back in July.

The beef stroganoff we made in the oven for dinner tonight was fantastic!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

There were thunderstorms during the night with heavy rain, lightning and some wind. We woke to find the boat covered with splotches of a slimy clear gelatinous-like substance containing tiny black spots – eggs, we presumed. When Gale tried to clean it up, he likened it to trying to pick up a jellyfish. There were also green blobs of dead bug carcasses and smaller black spots - assumed to be bug waste matter. Even though the forecast called for a 100% chance of rain, Gale washed as much of the goo off as possible before pulling anchor at 8 am. Glad we didn’t have any bugs left inside the boat. What a mess!

We set off into a light patchy fog which later became an overcast sky with a few breaks in the clouds. We saw a peek or two of sunshine before the clouds filled in and closed up again to become completely overcast. At 11 am, we stopped for diesel fuel at Pebble Isle Marina. When we went inside to pay the bill, we found their nice ship’s store and the Grey Heron Restaurant. Maureen spied two cinnamon rolls at the counter and asked if they were spoken for yet. We were told the rolls were ours and on the house. Awesome! As it turned out, the marina serves complimentary fresh cinnamon rolls every weekday morning at 8:30 am for its transient boating guests. We talked to one of the gals at the marina who provided us with some good information about the area and gave us the weekly and monthly rates for our boat – quite reasonable at $119 per week or $187 per month.

At the marina, we met Roy and Elvie Short of Roy El’, a 44 foot Gulfstar motor vessel. Roy and Elvie are volunteer “Looper greeters.” They completed “The Loop” some time ago and enjoy meeting people as they come through the marina. They invited us aboard their boat and gave us a list of anchorages between Pebble Isle Marina and Mobile. Roy said if we stayed at the marina tonight, they would be hosting the cocktail hour later in the day. We were tempted to stay but went with our original plan to keep on moving. Pebble Isle Marina will be a definite return destination when we pass this way again!

As we continued upriver, we passed Pilot Knob park and the Cerro Gordo daymarker. Both of these names are familiar to us as local landmarks around our home in Clear Lake. Pilot Knob is a state park a few miles away from our residence in Cerro Gordo County. At 5:30 pm we dropped the anchor for the night at Lick Creek, mile marker 127.8, just outside the main channel and inside the creek entrance. Fortunately for us, the 100% chance of rain for the day must have been including the rain we had during the night and into the early morning hours since we did not see any more precipitation as we traveled. It was still chilly; however, and Maureen made up another batch of the tuna casserole at Gale’s request – to warm up the cabin, of course! As we were preparing dinner, a group came in on a nearby bank and set up two tents and a covered picnic area. We enjoyed their campfire from afar and could hear them talking and enjoying themselves until 2:30 in the morning.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

It was cold and damp when we awoke – but not actually raining. We walked up to the marina building and had a very filling pancake breakfast as well as a nice conversation with the owner. Maureen traded three novels at the marina’s book exchange and Gale picked up a couple of magazines for later enjoyment. After filling the water tanks, we left the slip at 10:15 am ready to find warmer weather!

Along the way, we passed Adele aboard Rosebud. There wasn’t very much wind this morning so we were motorsailing with the headsail. Adele was determined to sail all day. She said that she hadn’t made much progress yet; in fact, she was even falling backwards for awhile. She was hoping to make it to Paris Landing by 8 pm. We took a few photos of her piloting her vessel (notice the pink decks) and promised to email the photos to her when we had an internet connection. Several other “Loopers” passed us along the way – it seemed as though everyone was trying to get out of the cold and wet.

We noticed the current was becoming stronger. Our friends, Don and Ally, from Ally’s Cat, had called the other day to let us know that they were at Pickwick Lake and warned us of the increasing current. Don gave Gale a couple of marina locations to make sure we had plenty of fuel on board to fight our way upstream.

Late in the afternoon we passed a couple of interesting landmarks. At mile 78.2 was the Louisville and Nashville RR Bridge with a couple of spans removed. It looked like a bridge to nowhere. Even spookier, was the abandoned dock at mile 78.5. Back in the 1940’s, the Tennessee Valley Authority purchased many acres of land in preparation of forming Kentucky Lake. In 1944 the dam on the Tennessee River was completed to create Kentucky Lake. The area was flooded and towns disappeared. Lake Barkley was created in the early 1960’s when a dam was constructed on the Cumberland River, only a couple of miles from Kentucky Dam. When the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers were impounded to create the two lakes, an inland peninsula was formed. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy designated the peninsula as Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area. The Land Between the Lakes region has 215,000 acres of water, 300 miles of undeveloped shoreline and 170,000 acres of public land.

Just before 6 pm we dropped our anchor at mile 83.8, Little Crooked Creek, in 10 feet of water. We had some difficulty finding the spot mentioned in our guide and determined later that one of the buoys we were using as a reference was now in the wrong place. We avoided any trouble, but did pass over an area that showed a depth of less than 3 feet on our gauge.

After settling in, we used the oven for the first time and made tuna casserole. Not only was our dinner wonderful, the oven helped to heat up the cabin. As we were eating, we noticed large flying insects that looked a lot like huge mosquitoes or sand flies invading the cockpit area and trying to get inside the cabin. We chased most of them out and killed a few more inside before going to bed.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

We pulled up the anchor at 9:06 am and set sail for Ken Lake State Park at a very leisurely 2-3 knots. We were expecting Gale’s nephew, Tony, and sons later on this afternoon for another family barbeque so we wanted a spot that was convenient for them to meet us and spend a few hours. Tony and his family live in Cadiz, KY, which is east of Ken Lake State Park about 15 or 20 miles.

We arrived at Ken Lake State Park at 12:15 pm and secured a slip alongside a very nice new 890-foot transient dock. There were a few sprinkles in the air and the forecast was for rain all afternoon and evening. We were hoping to be able to pick up a few items for our meal tonight and inquired about a courtesy vehicle and a grocery store. The vehicle was in use; however, the guy at the marina said the store was only about a ½ mile walk from here. We decided to haul out our wheeled cart and walk to the store before doing anything else and, hopefully, before the rain really hit. As we were leaving the park, we ran into a young couple who gave us alternative directions to the store that they thought were a little better than the direction we were heading. We made it out of the park and to the main road and couldn’t see a store in either direction. Maureen expressed some doubts and we made a decision about which way to go from there. The showers were beginning to turn into rain and things weren’t looking so good. We saw a stop sign up the road and thought we might get someone to pull over and give us additional directions. After two or three unsuccessful attempts to wave somebody down, a young couple stopped to offer assistance. They said that if we continued in the direction we were walking, it would be another 12 miles or so before we found a grocery. They offered to take us to the store – even with Lucy and our wire cart – and we jumped at the chance to ride! Gale stayed in the vehicle with Lucy and visited with the driver while Maureen and Diana, the young woman, went inside. The grocery store was a very small ‘Ma and Pa’ type, but it had the hamburger, buns and other miscellaneous items we needed most. After making our purchases, Diana and her husband (we didn’t get his name) gave us a ride back to the park.

The young couple that was so kind to give us a ride was preparing to move to northern North Dakota. He was an engineer and had been offered a job that he was very excited about. Even their teenage daughter was up for the adventure. We hoped the coming winter wouldn’t dampen their enthusiasm too much!

Note for Maureen for the future: Never doubt Gale’s sense of direction – especially since she is “directionally challenged.”

There were no shower facilities at the marina, so we took our showers on the boat and got ready for Tony, Eli and Buddy’s visit. We enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, grilled burgers, shared a nice meal, and played some Yahtzee while the rain continued to come down. The Kubiks left a little after 8 pm. It rained off and on all night.

Monday, October 12, 2009

We stayed at anchor all day. Gale changed the lower unit oil and the antifreeze coolant. Maureen straightened up some closets, cut up vegetables for salad and tidied things up around the cabin. The afternoon was sunny and warm with temperatures around 60 degrees and the evening was very pleasant.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

We left Green Turtle Bay and our mooring ball at 1:15 pm and headed through the canal between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. We put the sail up as soon as we hit Kentucky Lake, even though there wasn’t very much wind, and enjoyed a very leisurely 2-knot pace to Duncan Bay where we dropped our anchor for the night. During the afternoon, the sun came out and began warming things back up, making a very nice ending for the day. The anchorage was lovely; we let the dinghy down and walked along the beach where we found thousands of unbroken snail shells and breathtakingly beautiful fall foliage. A mature bald eagle watched us from his perch in a dead tree along the beach while we hunted for shells. The sunset was spectacular!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

It was cold and overcast when we awoke. After a quick breakfast, we left Lucy on board and dinghied into shore before 9 am to drive to Paducah. We stopped at a couple of different shops and picked up a few more items before finally returning the rental car at 11 am. The agent from Enterprise gave us a ride back to the marina along with Adele and her Portuguese Waterdog. Adele single-hands Rosebud, a 22-foot Westsail sailboat. She mentioned that she used to pilot the excursion boat Windy out of Chicago Harbor but decided to leave that behind and take off on her own boat as soon as she became eligible for Social Security.

We had originally thought that we would walk into town today to take part in the Harvest Festival, but it was cold and we were still tired from our Iowa trip so we changed our minds and spent the rest of the afternoon resting, putting things away and updating the blog.

Tonight was the University of Iowa’s Homecoming and they were scheduled to play Michigan. Gale had checked in at the Yacht Club’s restaurant earlier in the day and they said we could watch the game in their bar on one of the two available televisions. We brought our box o’wine, shared an entrée of stuffed orange roughy, and watched Iowa squeak out a win, 30 to 27.

Friday, October 9, 2009

We were up at 4:30 am and left quietly as soon as everything was gathered together. Around 7:30 am we received a text message from Jess saying that Baby Jake had slept through the night all the way until 7 am! She was elated! Thank You, Modern Medicine!

The drive was relaxing and uneventful - the only stops we made on the way back were for gas and snacks, and we arrived in Paducah at 3:30 pm where we picked up some groceries and stopped at the liquor store. When we got to the marina at 5:30 pm we began loading up the dinghy with our traveling gear and our purchases. Just as we had about half of our items in the dinghy, the wind came up and the rain came down – hard!! We were told that it had been raining pretty much the whole time we were gone. We waited out the worst of the storm, finished loading things up and motored out to the boat. Gale made one more trip back to the main dock for another load while Maureen started putting things away. At 7 pm, everything was on board and most of it had been tucked into its place, so we sat down for a couple of glasses of wine and went to bed!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Oh, Happy Day! Baby Jake slept through the night! Jess was so excited when she got up this morning and told us that Jake slept all the way from 10 pm to 5 am! Until last night, Jake had been waking up about every 2 or 3 hours needing comforting. Hopefully, the trend will continue.

Gale’s doctor appointment was at 1:30 so he spent the morning conducting some business and doing some research on the internet. Jess took Maureen with her for moral support as she went on a few sales calls. Maureen actually just waited for her in the car while Jess went in to see her customers. Jess said it helped just having her mom with her as she tried to get back into the work routine this week after being home on maternity leave for the past two months. Jess and Maureen enjoyed a terrific lunch at an Asian restaurant where you build your own stir fry. They also did a little shopping between sales calls but made it back home in time to pick up the little boys from daycare at 5 pm. Gale came home about the same time – Joe was a little later. Maureen made stroganoff for dinner which was a big hit for everyone. JT even had seconds! After a couple glasses of wine, everyone was in bed again by 10 pm.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

We were up at 4 am to finish packing and to make sure the boat was secure in every way before leaving for Des Moines. We were on the road shortly before 6 am and had an enjoyable, albeit long, drive to Iowa. After a quick stop in Iowa City to see Kelle we arrived at Jess, Joe, JT and Jake Spalding’s house in Urbandale (Des Moines) just before 7:30 pm. We had stopped and picked up Asian food at a Tsing Tsao restaurant and were pleased to see that both JT and Jake, our youngest grandsons, were still up.

Joe was working the late shift at his restaurant, so Jess, JT, Gale and Maureen enjoyed our takeout meal before it was time for the kids’ baths. Jake had been to see the doctor today and was diagnosed with “baby reflux.” Everyone was hoping the new medication would help settle his stomach and allow him and his mom and dad to rest better at night, too. Everyone but Joe was in bed by 10 pm – he came in about an hour later and said there wasn’t a sound to be heard anywhere in the house.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

There was a strong, steady rain during the night; however, when we got up, the rain had stopped – for the moment, anyway. We grabbed our shower supplies as well as the laundry, and walked up the hill to the facilities leaving Lucy behind. Maureen took a few moments to start a load of laundry and before she could get into the shower, she heard a dog barking that sounded very much like Lucy. Dexter from Hard Hat, a Hatteras trawler, was attempting to get into a golf cart while Lucy was barking at him from a few feet away and sounding very aggressive. Fortunately, Dexter had owned several pit bulls and knew that these dogs generally do not attack people. Maureen accepted a ride back to the boat in the cart and put Lucy back inside – this time shutting the door. It had begun to thunder in the distance and Lucy was a little frightened.

By now it had started to rain again. Maureen was able to work her shower and primping in between loads of laundry and just decided to stay where she was until the chores were completed. It rained buckets for about 3 hours!! By 12:30 pm, the rain let up, the laundry was done and we left the slip at Kentucky Dam Village Marina for Green Turtle Bay Marina where we had reserved a mooring ball for the next few days while we traveled back to Iowa. We arrived at GTB at 2:30 pm; secured the boat to the mooring ball; let the dinghy down and took it to shore where the car rental agency out of Paducah picked Gale up at 3 pm. Maureen stayed aboard the boat to make beds, put laundry away and straighten things up a bit. Lucy “pined away” at the back step of the boat until Gale returned at 5 pm with a DVD he had picked up at the marina office. We watched “Out of Time,” starring Denzel Washington, on the laptop as we enjoyed some wine, hors d’oeuvres and the movie.

Monday, October 5, 2009

We slept in until 8 this morning. It was feeling rather cold and damp with the nice rain we had last night and temperatures in the 50’s. After breakfast, Gale and the boys took Lucy out for a walk and then came back to play a few rounds of Blokus. Finally around 11 am they deemed it warm enough to go out fishing in the dinghy. After about an hour with no bites, they were back on the boat and looking for some lunch. We scrounged what we could from the refrigerator and came up with enough to satisfy two growing boys and two adults. We had planned to rent a car and drive back for an appointment in Des Moines on Wednesday, so the food supply on board was down to a minimum.

Tony arrived about 2:30 pm while Gale had the boys out in the dinghy catching small pan fish. They were within a few yards from the boat and the boys hollered at their dad that they were having some good luck fishing. When everyone was back on the boat, we visited for a few minutes before walking our company back up to their vehicle. We said our goodbyes and made plans for one more possible get together before we left the Kentucky Lakes area.

It was now time to figure out how we were going to watch tonight's Monday Night Football game -- a highly anticipated matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. If you are a football fan, you would know that Brett Favre was the star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for 17 years but was traded to the Vikings last year. Maureen spent some time on the internet trying to figure out how to get the game on the computer without having to subscribe to a service for a year or more. When Gale went to the marina office to pay for another night in the slip, he asked the manager if there was a sports bar nearby that we could walk to. Evidently the nearest sports bar was in Paducah, 25 miles away. We kept forgetting that we were in a “dry county” surrounded by other “dry counties” so there were no bars close to our location. The manager then mentioned that if we’d like to, we could use Houseboat #10 – he would leave it open and the television tuned to ESPN.

After a quick dinner, we walked down the dock to Houseboat #10 and entered a luxurious yacht with a living / dining / galley area that could accommodate more than a dozen people. There were six staterooms – each with a queen-sized bed and vanity with sink. There were also two full baths. All of this was part of the main living space. Then, on top of the boat, not only was there a place to pilot the yacht, but also a wet bar, a huge hot tub and a large open area big enough to hold a dance! We certainly enjoyed watching Minnesota beat Green Bay aboard this beautiful boat.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

After breakfast, we took the dinghy over to the park dock landing so we could shower and give Lucy a little walk. At 10:15 we pulled the anchor and set out for Kentucky Dam Village State Park where we were going to rent a slip for the night and meet up with Gale’s nephew, Tony, and boys, Buddy and Eli, for the afternoon. After arrival at the park, we tucked into our slip, grabbed the keys to the courtesy van, and made a run into town for a few groceries. We were back at the slip at 1:30 pm and had just enough time to dig out and install the isinglass (translucent plastic) to enclose the cockpit before Tony, et al, arrived at 2 o’clock.

We met the Kubik men in the parking lot and Eli took Lucy on the leash into the grass. Suddenly, both Eli and Lucy were jumping around and trying to get away from buzzing and biting insects. They had walked through a hornets’ nest on the ground and stirred things up! Eli was stung once on the thumb and Lucy was stung numerous times. The hornets had attached themselves to her body, including the softer skin on her belly. Gale had to actually pull the bugs off. Poor Thing!

On the boat we gave everyone a quick tour and spent some time visiting before leaving the dock for a little ride aboard Blue Heron. We cruised across Kentucky Lake, traveled through the canal and stuck our bow into Lake Barkley, just so the kids could say they’d been on both lakes. Back at the dock, we grilled burgers and hot dogs and enjoyed a nice meal together. Eli and Buddy were excited when we asked if they’d like to spend the night on the boat. After making sure it was okay with both Tony and Pam, Tony left the boys with us and drove home alone. Gale, Eli and Buddy played a few games of Blokus, a board game using plastic pieces of different rectangular shapes. Everyone was in bed by 10 o’clock.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

The wind was still coming out of the SW at 15-20 mph with even higher gusts. So it looked like we were probably going to stay put another day. With the dry cool air and breezes, it seemed like a very good day to do some more “glue patrol” and begin waxing the inside of the boat. We finished the head and the charting area by 1 o’clock. After lunch, we both relaxed in the salon with some reading materials.

Late in the afternoon, Gale decided to take the dinghy over to our neighbor’s boat, Whiskers, and talk to Don and Linda about anchorages in Florida. They live in South Pasadena, FL, and are quite familiar with the area. They invited us to stay at their “guest dock” when we come through later this year.

It was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon. After dinner we played one round of Cribbage and then read for awhile before turning the lights out. The night was cool, the winds had died, the sky was clear and the moon was full. Beautiful!

Friday, October 2, 2009

We slept in until 7:30 am and awoke to clear skies, a nice breeze and a temperature of 55 degrees. Gale changed the transmission fluid this morning and performed a few other boat tasks. Just before noon, we lowered the dinghy for a ride over to Green Turtle Bay marina (GTB) and a walk into town. Our first stop was Patti’s 1880’s Settlement. We wanted a small lunch so we each ordered the cup of soup and half club sandwich to leave a little room for dessert. The half sandwich was bigger than any whole sandwich we were accustomed to! After the pot of bread, the soup and some of our sandwich, we were both too full for the sawdust pie we were so eager to try. We decided that sometime we would simply have to come for dessert!

After lunch, we walked around Patti’s complex and checked out the chapel, petting zoo, boat ramp, banquet facilities and little shops. Next to Patti’s there was a little antique shop where they sold pocket knives. Gale’s knife must have fallen out of his pocket sometime in the last week or so and he’d been a bit lost without it. We found a very large assortment of knives and picked one out for each of us. After leaving the antique shop, we walked across the street to the Post Office to mail a letter and then next door to the Tourist Information Center. From here it was a couple of doors down to the grocery. It’s nice to be in a small town where everything you need is usually within walking distance!

Walking back to GTB, we noted how quickly Fall was arriving. The leaves were really beginning to show their colors and the path we were walking was very crunchy with fallen leaves and pinecones. The air was dry and the temperature was a cool 70 degrees. We stopped into the Ship’s Store looking for spray paint to use on our anchor rode (chain). The markers we’d been using to indicate the length of chain we had out tended to break off and were often difficult to spot. We’re hoping that the hot orange fluorescent paint will be more permanent and easier to see!

We were back on the boat about 3:30 pm and relaxed with some reading until nearly 5 o’clock. We jumped into the dinghy once again but this time motored the short distance over to the boat ramp we were anchored near. The ramp is part of the Lake Barkley Canal Campground and is a US Army Corps of Engineers park. We brought Lucy along as well as our shower supplies and went ashore. We never thought of using the shower facilities at a public park until the couple from Whiskers mentioned yesterday that they did it all the time. What a great idea! We walked around the camping areas after our showers and talked to a few campers as well as the greeters at the Entrance Station.

Since we were still so full from our “small” lunch, we opted for lettuce salad for supper and split the remaining half of the “half sandwich” from Patti’s. After dinner, we thought we should play a game of Cribbage to keep the rules fresh in our minds. While the cards were being dealt, Maureen noticed that the diamond was missing from Gale’s wedding ring. We thought it was probably knocked out when Gale was out working on the sail rigging today. This is the second time the diamond has been lost – the jeweler that replaced and repaired the ring the last time said he “guaranteed” it wouldn’t fall out again! Wish we would have gotten that in writing. . . At least, we have it insured.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The skies were looking a little like rain which was exactly what the evening forecast was calling for. We did our usual work around the boat this morning. Maureen started on a project inside going after any marks or glue left on the fiberglass from the manufacturing process. Gale was eager to wax the inside of the boat, but Maureen wanted to make sure it was as clean as possible before the waxing.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, our friends from Ally’s Cat said they were going to town to pick up their mail and then moving on to another anchorage on Kentucky Lake called Pisgah Bay. We were planning to follow them in a little while and then hook up at 6:30 pm to play a board game aboard their boat. About the time we were thinking of leaving, the couple from Whiskers, a small motor catamaran that anchored in the same bay as we did last night, stopped by in their dinghy to say “Hello.” While we were visiting, Don called and said that we might want to consider staying where we were tonight as it was very choppy, rough and windy out on Kentucky Lake. The anchorage was a little less than five miles south of the canal, but it was going to take a lot of power to get there with winds out of the south southwest at over 20 knots. We pulled up the anchor and ventured over to the canal at 4:15 pm. From the canal we could see that Kentucky Lake was very choppy and when we entered the lake, it didn’t take us long to decide that we were going to turn around and go back to our quiet little cove. It just wasn’t worth all the stress on the boat to get to the new spot.

After dropping the anchor and settling in again, Gale grilled bacon and we had BLTs for dinner. Since we weren’t going to play the board game with Don and Ally tonight, we decided to pull out one of our own. Maureen taught Gale how to play Cribbage which he caught on to very quickly. While we were playing, the cold front came through and it began to rain. There was a little bit of thunder and lightning – but mostly wind with buckets of rain! We stayed warm, dry and comfortable inside and listened to the rain into the early morning hours. At 4:15 am we opened up the hatch in the stateroom to get some air circulating. We could see that the skies were clearing and the rain had passed.

Wednesday, September 30. 2009

It was chilly again this morning – in the mid 50’s – but it didn’t take too long for things to warm up. We spent the morning tuning the rigging, putting the sails up, and cleaning inside and out. About 2:30, Don asked if we were interested in walking downtown with them to get some ice cream. That sounded like the best offer we’d heard all day! We each chose our treat – Lucy even had a small bowl of soft serve. At 4:30 pm we left the dock to find our anchorage for the night and tucked into a nice little bay near a campground next to Green Turtle Bay Marina.

Don still needed to get to the top of his mast and put the wind instrument up. Even though it is generally recommended that you remove the wind gauge when you bring the mast down to avoid damaging it in transit or during the mast stepping process, we have never taken ours down. Neither one of us was too keen on climbing the mast to put it back up! Don, however, had followed the recommendation and asked Gale to hoist him up the mast to do the job. Don rigged up his bosun’s chair, attached it to the main halyard to winch him up and the spinnaker halyard as a safety line. Gale and Ally manned the lines and took Don slowly up the mast. The job was completed without any problems just as the sun was setting.

Back on Blue Heron, we enjoyed a little “anniversary” celebration. We were married two years and three months ago today! Gale had picked up a few items for the boat recently without Maureen’s knowledge and she was surprised with two wall hangings: one was a colorful painting of a sailboat on a small piece of slate that said “Set Sail” and fit nicely between the two windows on the bulkhead between the salon and the master stateroom; the other was a long piece that said “BEACH – Just Another Day in Paradise” and will hang in the guest cabin. Gale also presented Maureen with a pair of earrings he had picked up at the Arch gift shop in St. Louis that were in the shape of the Gateway Arch.

We enjoyed a quiet evening and the very pleasant smell of campfires all night long.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

We were up before the sun today – there were several things we wanted to accomplish before leaving this marina and heading over to the Lighthouse Landing Marina to have our mast stepped (put back up). Maureen borrowed a marina courtesy van and left for the grocery store about 8 am. We were able to fill a propane tank at the service station next to the grocery as well. Gale worked on preparing the boat for the mast stepping process while Maureen shopped. By 11:30 am, we were showered and on our way.

Ally’s Cat was also having her mast stepped today. She was scheduled to go first and had left for Lighthouse Landing about an hour before we did. As it turned out, Footprints, the third Gemini sailboat we had met in Alton, was still in the spot near the gin pole (crane) after having her mast set yesterday and the crew was busy putting her sails up. Footprints got out of the way as quickly as she could and Ally’s Cat took the spot at the gin pole to wait for the marina guys to return from lunch. We were being charged by the hour for the men and the crane, so we were all interested in having the job done as efficiently as possible. And, efficient they were! Both Ally’s Cat and Blue Heron were charged for 30 minutes of service, for a total bill to each of $90 – the least expensive mast stepping we’ve ever had!

We spent a couple of hours tightening things down and then got together with Don and Ally on their boat for happy hour. We had 6:45 dinner reservations at Patti’s 1880’s Settlement, a famous local restaurant with other attractions including shops, gardens, wedding chapel, miniature golf and a small zoo. Gale and Maureen shared the House Specialty: a 2” thick charbroiled pork chop! We each had a salad, shared the baked potato, and enjoyed the warm fresh bread baked in a pot to go along with the half pork chop. We were both as full as if we’d just had Thanksgiving dinner – even without dessert! As we were leaving the restaurant, we picked up a plaque for our home on the water that read: “There’s No Place Like Home.”

Monday, September 28, 2009

Another great night’s sleep! It cooled off considerably during the evening hours and a light breeze blew. In the morning we awoke to clear, sunny skies, a temperature of 64 degrees, and a NW breeze around 6 mph. Fall was in the air, but it felt terrific!

We wanted to explore the Green Turtle Bay campus a bit this morning. It is much more than just a marina. The marina itself offers 600 slips, laundry, an outdoor pool, wireless internet, showers and a courtesy van. There is also a Ship’s Store, a full service repair shop and yard, dry storage warehouses, and a grill serving breakfast and lunch. The Commonwealth Yacht Club is on site and includes a meeting room and fine dining establishment. The new fitness center opened in 2008 with exercise rooms, a heated indoor pool, tanning beds and saunas in each of the locker rooms. There are tennis courts, a beach, and fully-furnished vacation condominiums for rent. During our walkabout, we found “Tortuga Pond” which is home to hundreds of green turtles and many small fish. We saw crayfish mounds where crayfish burrow into the mud below the waterline. We also came across an old abandoned cemetery with headstones dating in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Most of the headstones were covered with brush and vines; many were unreadable. With such a tremendous fall day in progress, it was easy to imagine ourselves spending each May through October here.

Gale spent some time making arrangements to have our mast stepped tomorrow afternoon, ordering parts, taking the courtesy van into the auto parts store, etc. We took a break to have some lunch at the Dockside Grille and then kept on with our chores for the afternoon. We had a late dinner and it was almost 10 pm before we retired for the evening. Quite late for this crew!