Blue Heron Adventure

Thurs, Oct 27 thru Sun, Oct 30, 2011 – Vinoy Basin, St. Petersburg, GIWW mile 106

2011-11-02T09:40:00.000-05:00

By 10:30 am both Blue Heron and Zephyr were on their way. The sky was mostly sunny, the temperature was 75 degrees and the wind was calm. Shortly after 1 pm, we pulled up to the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina fuel dock and filled the fuel and water tanks, left off the trash and got the lay of the land. From there, we headed over to the Vinoy Basin, just on the other side of the Pier and anchored.

Gale and Maureen splashed the dinghy and did a little reconnaissance work. We checked out the docks at the Pier, picked up the Trolley schedule and determined where a coin op laundry was located. We also got the schedule for the Salvador Dali Museum and picked up some $2 discount coupons to be used against the museum entrance fee.

It rained some overnight and into the morning hours on Friday. The skies were very gray and the temperature was cooler but we went ahead with our plan to pick up Roger and Dita in our big boat and motor over to the courtesy dock at the city marina. It seemed like a good day to do laundry in the morning and to visit the museum in the afternoon.

The Trolley stop was about a block from the dock, so we hauled our laundry bags up the street and hopped on the bus. Roger and Gale helped Dita and Maureen to get started at the laundry mat and then the men went out to look for a hardware store and/or a discount store. Roger even found time to get his hair cut. The ladies had their chore done by noon when we all took the bus back to the boat and dropped off the laundry. After a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we hopped on another bus to take us to the museum.

We arrived at the Salvador Dali Museum in time to join the 2:30 pm guided tour. It was very interesting to see the progression of Dali’s style over the years and to marvel at how his mind worked. The art was stunning in many ways; it was sometimes puzzling, sometimes grotesque, sometimes simple, but always beautiful and thought provoking.

By the time we had finished at the museum, we were all ready to get back to our homes and relax for the night. We delivered Roger and Dita to Zephyr and then reanchored near the Vinoy Hotel. We had just experienced one of the very few days the area has without the sun peeking out at least for a short time. St. Petersburg boasts that it averages 361 days of sunshine each year.

The wind began to pick up overnight but we were still able to sleep. In the Vinoy Basin, if there is any sort of eastern component to the wind direction, it gets very rough. We were content to stay on the boat all day Saturday and simply watched the world go by.

Saturday night was not fun at all. We had east northeast winds that rocked and rolled the boat all night long. Earlier in the evening around sunset, we noticed a new sailboat coming into the anchorage. We were glad he anchored downwind of us since we are always concerned about other sailors’ anchoring skills in a blow. Sure enough, when Gale got up after midnight to check on things, he noticed the sailboat had slipped and they were attempting to re-anchor. About 2 am, he must have slipped again because we saw him actually leaving the anchorage. We hoped he had local knowledge since it is pretty risky trying to get around in bad weather in the middle of the night. At 5:30 am, Maureen heard some shouting outside and then a call to the Coast Guard was made on the marine radio. Apparently, someone had fallen into the water off the seawall at the Vinoy Park and was shouting for help. In a few minutes, the man was rescued and the paramedics were on scene. It was quite a night, indeed!

By morning, we decided we were going to find a quieter place to anchor – especially since the wind was forecasted to continue to be from the northeast and at 15 to 20 knots. We spent Sunday morning enjoying the sunshine and all the activity going on around us. The Susan G Kromen Benefit for breast cancer awareness was going on and it was a very big deal. It looked like everyone in the area had shown up for the festivities. After lunch, we brought up our anchor and motored over to the courtesy dock to see what was going on. Imagine thousands of folks dressed in pink and celebrating life. The big event was a 60-mile walk which took place over three days. Many had participated and many completed the entire walk. Wow!

At 4:30 pm, we decided we had better move on and find our spot for the night. We headed to Coffeepot Bayou, a small protected cove just about a half mile on the other side of the Vinoy. It was mid-tide, and we proceeded very slowly through the marked channel. At one point, we had only 3 feet of water under the keel. Our reward was great, however, and we rested very peacefully that night surrounded by beautiful waterfront homes and an island in the center of the cove that was home to hundreds of pelicans, seagulls, cormorants and ibises. (It was important to be upwind from the island, though!)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 – Boca Ciega Bay / St. Pete Beach, GIWW mile 115.4

2011-10-31T09:52:00.001-05:00

At 11 am Blue Heron and Zephyr left the anchorage in Clearwater and headed for St. Pete Beach. The trip was less than 25 miles and just before 3:30 in the afternoon we had found a protected anchorage in Boca Ciega Bay. As we were getting settled, we received an email from a lady living in the waterfront townhomes we had anchored in front of welcoming us to the neighborhood and letting us know that if we needed anything, she and her husband would love to help out. They are wannabe “Loopers” and after seeing our AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruising Assoc) flag were able to find our email on the Great Loop members’ site. Gale gave her a call and she told us a little about the area and about their cruising dreams.

Roger and Dita stayed aboard their vessel while Gale and Maureen splashed the dinghy and went to shore. The local excursion boat operators were very accommodating and encouraged us to tie up to their dock while we checked things out. We took a walk on beautiful St Pete Beach and stopped at the Publix grocery store to pick up a few items before returning to Blue Heron for a nice evening.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – Clearwater, Mandaley Channel, GIWW mile 137.5

2011-10-30T18:09:00.000-05:00

We were up about 6:30 am and noticed that Zephyr was high and dry. Checking the tide tables, we saw that the morning low tide was about a foot lower than normal. At least, it didn’t look like the boat was listing to one side or the other – in fact, they didn’t even know they were aground. Zephyr drafts about 5 feet compared to Blue Heron’s 2-foot draft so we were floating quite nicely.

We had agreed to leave at 10 am and head for Clearwater. Maureen had a bit of difficulty getting the anchor up and discovered that we were hooked on an old crab trap. No wonder our holding was so good. Gale came up to the bow and helped to free the anchor from the trap. Unfortunately, we dropped it right back in the water so another unsuspecting cruiser will probably hook it again someday. Zephyr encountered similar problems only they were snagged on the line of a crab trap rather than the wire cage which was a little easier to disengage.

We were soon on our way enjoying a beautiful 70 degree, calm and sunny morning. Once we were out of the river and out into the main channel, we experienced NNE winds from 3 to 15 knots. We put up the headsail and took advantage of the breezes.

At 2 pm, we tied up to the dock at Frenchy’s Saltwater Café near Clearwater Beach. We had been here once before when we made our first crossing from Carabelle in 2009. At that time, we tried the grouper reuben at Frenchy’s, a sandwich we still talk about. This time, however, we had already had lunch so we ordered drinks and then went for a walk on the beach.

As evening approached, it was time to leave the dock and anchor. We rested for the night in a very peaceful and quiet place.

Sun, Oct 23 thru Mon, Oct 24 – Tarpon Springs, GIWW mile 150.7

2011-10-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

In the heading for this entry, the mile mark is shown on the GIWW which stands for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The waterway runs from Brownsville, TX to Flamingo, FL with an open water gap between Carabelle (near Apalachicola) on the Florida panhandle and Tarpon Springs.

Sunday morning, we spent some time with a few chores aboard the boat. Gale decided to bait up a line and his first cast brought in a beautiful flounder. He caught a few small ladyfish for fun and then put the pole away.

After lunch on Sunday, we picked up Roger and Dita in our dinghy and motored over to Spring Bayou to explore old Tarpon Springs. We were especially interested in touring St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. As luck would have it, a baptism was about to begin and the priest invited us to stay for the ceremony. A 25-year old man was being baptized that day and his sponsor was his fiancée. The ceremony was very moving and the priest did a nice job of explaining the traditions.

After our time at the Cathedral, we walked around town a bit and visited the Chamber of Commerce office. We pulled into an area back in a canal that had been the site of a new condo development but was abandoned when the economy fell. We were able to get on shore by climbing aboard a small barge and putting a plank up to the dock. Not the safest and we were, technically, trespassing, but sometimes you need to be a little creative get your shopping done. We left Dita with the dinghy and Roger, Gale and Maureen walked across the street to Winn Dixie to pick up a few needed groceries.

Sunday evening we shared a very tasty crab-stuffed flounder with Roger and Dita aboard Blue Heron. It was late by the time dinner was prepared and enjoyed but we declared the day to have been one of the best.

Monday was a day for relaxation. In the afternoon, Gale and Maureen decided to take a dinghy ride and went into the City Dock to pick up a few more sponges. We stepped into a few of the shops and then found ourselves at Mama’s Greek Cuisine restaurant where we shared an entrée of wonderful Greek chicken on pasta. Opa!!

Fri, Oct 21 to Sat, Oct 22, 2011 – Crossing the Gulf – Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs

2011-10-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

The first item of business for the morning was to confirm that the weather for the next two days was going to be good for our Gulf crossing. The Captain said we were “Good to Go” so at 8 am we hauled up the anchor and set our course for Tarpon Springs. S/V Zephyr was ready to go as well, but m/v Dual Dreams held tight. Sailboats can handle the wind and waves much better than most trawlers. Dual Dreams planned to wait it out for a forecast of calmer seas and less wind.

We began our trip with a temperature of 47 degrees, sunny skies and no wind. As the day progressed, the temperature rose towards 70 degrees and the wind steadily increased out of the northeast. We had both sails up and the motor running much of the time to be able to maintain a speed of 6 or 7 knots. The forecast was for the wind to keep up and increase even more overnight.

We trolled for fish as we sailed along. Captain Gale had three lines going at once. Our first fish hit at 1:30 pm and he was a ferocious fighter! It took several minutes to boat him and it turned out to be a Little Tunny, aka Blue Bonito, False Albacore or Little Tuna. The food value is not high, but the sport was worth the battle. After a photo, he was released and the line was baited up for the next one. It wasn’t long before we caught a small mahi mahi. We took a picture of that one and let him go, too, in hopes of catching a bigger one. The third strike was a Spanish Mackerel and he put up a good fight. In fact, he kept fighting all the way to the fillet table. Before the first cut, he slipped away and jumped back in the water!! Dang it!! At sunset we brought in all the lines and did not put them back in again for the rest of the trip.

About 3 pm, the wind and waves came up enough to make the ride a bit bumpy. We didn’t mind, though, since the wind was in our favor and we were moving along quite nicely. During the night, winds blew from 15 to 25 knots and for awhile, we even turned the motor off since we didn’t need it and we didn’t want to arrive at our destination before light. We were glad that we could sail and lift the lower unit out of the water as we were getting closer to shallow water and the possibility of crab pots being present. Sure enough, as the sun began to rise, we could see there were crab pots all around us.

At 11:30 am Saturday morning, after 27-1/2 hours and 181 statute miles, we pulled into a slip at the Tarpon Springs City Marina and went to shore for the afternoon. The Captain and the Admiral both agreed that we had just completed our most comfortable “big water” crossing to date. The wind was to our advantage and the waves were “ok” even though they were on our beam. Neither the Captain nor the Admiral got seasick at any point.

The Tarpon Springs Marina allows vessels to tie up during the day for a small ($10) fee as long as the boat is not there overnight. You can even use the water, electricity, showers, etc. Blue Heron and Zephyr both took a slip and we went for a walk. We found a charming waterfront community filled with little shops selling sponges, antiques, excursion boat operators handing out flyers, and Greek restaurants and bakeries galore. We were enchanted with the place and couldn’t believe we had passed by this way twice before without coming in to discover the town.

Tarpon Springs is hailed as the “Sponge Capital of the World” and is the oldest town in Pinellas County. It is located five miles up the Anclote River where it intersects with the Gulf of Mexico. In 1905 six Greek men started a prosperous sponge diving business there. Word of their success spread to Greece quickly and the migration of Greek people to Tarpon Springs continues to this day.

On our walk, it didn’t take Roger long to find a cigar store and select his favorite indulgence for the day. We checked out a few sponge shops, tasted some Greek wine and then chose The Parthenonas Restaurant for lunch. Gale and Maureen shared an appetizer of Spanakopita, a blend of spinach, onions and feta cheese baked in a flaky phyllo dough, that was, to put it mildly, Fabulouso! Our entrée was also “to die for” – homemade Greek spaghetti topped with lamb shank and served with Greek style potatoes and fresh bread. There were no regrets at the table whatsoever.

The four of us strolled back to the boats and made our way to an anchorage a local sailor had told us about. The anchorage was not mentioned in any of our guidebooks and we were happy to learn that we didn’t have to travel all the way out to the power plant (4 or 5 miles back down the river) and could anchor closer to the action. We settled in and watched the evening activity on the water.

Thursday, October 20, 2011 – Apalachicola, mile 351.3

2011-10-20T18:06:00.001-05:00

It felt like a typical fall morning – cool and dry air, leaves dry, turning and falling from the trees and a sunny sky. We met a couple of the locals who come out to fish on the pier or bring their fishing boats and launch them there on a regular basis. One lady pulled in a nice flounder and said she catches them all the time.

At 11 am, we untied the dock lines and headed east toward Apalachicola. The winds were out of the north northwest from 10-20 mph so we used our headsail to help us along. We followed Zephyr and let them set the pace. In the middle of Lake Wimico, we saw Dual Dreams coming up behind us. As we exited the lake and entered the canal, Dual Dreams passed and went on to the anchorage at Apalachicola.

At 3 pm, we were anchored and secure just before the Gorrie Memorial Bridge and planning for a crossing in the morning. Gale took the dinghy over and picked up Roger and Dita and went into town. Maureen opted to stay aboard the boat and work on the blog while Gale went in search of some extra fishing line.

When Gale returned, he had fresh shrimp and scallops with him. We combined that with the bass that was thawed and grilled a feast for our dinner.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 – White City free dock, mile 329.5

2011-10-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

The wind came up during the night as forecast and was blowing 25 to 30 knots out of the northwest. We had paid for a week at the marina and it was now over. We were eager to move on and the plan was to join Roger and Dita at the White City dock for the night – just a few miles away.

We spent the morning with our last minute chores including another stop at the hardware, sporting goods, liquor and grocery stores. Gale also had Roger’s boat propane tank filled for him. A special treat was a pancake breakfast at McDonald’s before going back to the boat.

The wind was blowing a steady 30 mph when we left the dock at 11:15 am. The waves were 3 to 4 feet in the bay and it was a crazy one mile ride to the safety of the canal. In retrospect, we said we wouldn’t do it again because the risk of finding ourselves aground or up on the rocks was too great. Fortunately, we didn’t have any mishaps. Once we were in the canal, it was a slow ride. We weren’t fighting the wind and waves anymore, but the tide was against us and we had a 2-1/2 to 3 knot current to contend with. It took us two hours to travel the seven miles to the free dock.

At 1:15 pm, we were tucked on the inside of the fixed docks at White City. The canal had been quite wavy with a few white caps when we turned the corner to travel east on the ICW, but the inside dock was very well protected and we had no wave or wind action whatsoever. The sun was shining and it was a lovely afternoon with temps in the upper 60’s.

Dita and Roger invited us to dinner on their boat. During the afternoon, Dita baked a fresh loaf of bread and shared a piece with us. The evening meal was absolutely wonderful and very much appreciated. We enjoyed pork roast, baby red potatoes, fresh cole slaw and giant sliced tomatoes. Roger made Bloody Marys and served some fabulous French red wine with our meal. What a lovely evening with friends.

Thurs, Oct 13 thru Tues, Oct 18, 2011 - Port St Joe Marina

2011-10-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

Since we had dropped off our car in Port St Joe before leaving Florence, Alabama, we decided to take a drive along the main highway to Mexico Beach on Thursday. We did not try to tackle much in the way of boat projects that day and simply enjoyed the wonderfully warm fall weather. In the afternoon, Mike and Harriet arrived on m/v Dual Dreams and took a side tie along the north dock. Late afternoon we walked over to the Haughty Heron which is a bar, a liquor store and a cigar store. Lucky us! Happy Hour was just about to begin so we had a cocktail before going back to our boat for a light fish supper.

Friday was another lovely day. The marina was sponsoring a gathering for the local Humane Society and provided hot dogs, chips, drinks and a place to bring a few of the animals from their facility. We had been thinking about getting another dog for the last few months but the representatives hadn’t brought any small ones. No problem, we found out where the Humane Society was located and drove out to see what we could see. They had a lot of big dogs and one really cute rat terrier / blue heeler puppy they called ‘Finch.’ Finch’s previous owner’s last name was Finch and the name seemed to fit him well. If Finch had been a female, ‘she’ might have gone home with us that day. That evening, we met Mike and Harriet for happy hour up by the marina building before walking over to the Haughty Heron. After we’d had enough, we made a quick stroll to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and picked up some freshly steamed shrimp to share for our dinner.

On Saturday morning, Maureen and Harriet loaded up the laundry and headed over to the local coin operated laundromat. As our clothes were washing, we walked across the street to check out the Farmers Market. Neither of us bought anything since the only cash we had on us were the quarters we needed for the machines. It was just as well – Maureen was drawn to the sweets and we had been doing such a good job of avoiding them lately.

We learned there was a Wine and Art Festival taking place in Mexico Beach. It sounded like a good time, so at 3 pm, with Mike and Harriet, we piled in the car and drove to the Driftwood Inn where the festival was taking place. There was a $5 entrance fee and if you wanted a commemorative wine glass, that was another $5. Oh, and if you wanted wine, it was another $5 for about a 5 oz serving. Thankfully, we didn’t buy any glasses. The wine that was being served was not very good and there were only a few artists displaying their wares. Our first clue that we might be disappointed was from the guy who walked out about the time we were coming in and plopped his commemorative glass on the ticket table telling them to resell it. He said, “It was a complete waste!”

Not to be deterred, we decided to try out some other places. Toucan’s was a fun sports bar / tiki bar on the beach; we stopped at the Windmark property between Port St Joe and Mexico Beach and were pleasantly surprised by the happy hour prices. From there it was on to the Haughty Heron for the Songwriters’ Festival that had started the night before and various artists were singing at different venues in the area. The singing began at 7 pm and we stayed for a little over an hour. We were all getting hungry and planned on going to the Mexican Restaurant, Peppers, because we had heard it was very good. However, Gale got hung up trying to purchase CDs and asking questions about some of the songs. Mike and Harriet decided they were ready to go home and make something quick for dinner. We soon followed suit and went home ourselves.

Sunday morning was spent on chores and picking up a few groceries. At 3:30 pm, the two of us took a dinghy ride out into the bay and a short distance up the Gulf Canal. Gale threw in his fishing line and it wasn’t long before something hit.

After a few minutes’ fight, he brought a small (30-inch) shark up to the dinghy. He didn’t want to get close to those teeth, so he cut the line and let it go with his hook. The next hit was a large lizard fish – Yuk! Then something REALLY big snapped his line after swallowing the lure and an 18-inch steel leader. These three hits were all out in the bay. While in the canal, he hooked a big catfish. It was time to quit and call it a day. About 6 pm, one of the charter fishing boats came in after 12 hours and unloaded its catch at the fuel dock. There were about six guys that had been out all day and each of them must have had at least five large fish. Most of the catch was red grouper, amberjack and mackerel.

Monday was a day dedicated to relaxation. Gale went shopping – he stopped at all the “guy places;” i.e., hardware store, automotive store and sporting goods store. Maureen got to read most of the afternoon. In the evening, we went out with Mike and Harriet to the Haughty Heron for a happy hour drink and then to Pepper’s Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, we walked into the Port St Joe Bar for a game of pool but didn’t stay long – it was definitely a bar for the locals.

It started raining around 4 am Tuesday morning and rained hard until the middle of the afternoon. Early in the afternoon, Gale drove over to White City to check out the free city dock. We knew Roger and Dita, s/v Zephyr, were about four hours away and were interested in tying up there if it were suitable. Gale let them know that it was a nice place to stop and offered to pick them up once they had settled in and bring them back to Port St Joe for a shower and to grab some dinner. At 4:30 pm, we drove out to the White City dock thinking that their cell phones might not work there – we were correct. We loaded them up and drove back to the marina where they took some nice hot showers. From there, it was back to Peppers for a great meal and home to our respective vessels for the night.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 – Port St Joe Marina, five miles south of ICW mile 327.5

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

The moon setting over the anchorage in the morning was a spectacular sight. After Maureen took a few photos using the flash and brought the “night lights” in, she heard someone hailing “the catamaran anchored in East Bay.” It turned out to be the captain in the houseboat tied at a nearby dock. He said he saw a strobe flashing and wondered if we were having any problems. She assured him that there was no difficulty but thanked him for his concern. He also offered to pick us up in his little runabout if we were interested in coming ashore for a walk but she declined the offer saying that we would soon be lifting the anchor and heading out. It's good to know we have friends wherever we go.

At 7 am, we motored back out to the channel and continued our eastward journey. It was a hazy morning, 70 degrees, mostly cloudy with a light northeasterly breeze. We saw a couple of small oyster boats out doing their thing, a few dolphins playing in the canal and many pelicans out fishing. It was a very enjoyable morning cruising along the eastern section of St. Andrews Bay, particularly Wetappo Creek. Neither of us remembered much about this section from our previous trip through and we wondered why because it was quite beautiful and very remote.

After twenty miles of river, we entered the Gulf County Canal, a five-mile cut from the ICW to the protected waters of St. Joseph Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We saw several small fishing boats out with two or three fishermen on board and most of them seemed to have at least one fish on as we passed by. Gale started getting the itch to get out there and see what he could catch.

We also noticed a couple of abandoned docks with several boats that hadn’t been attended to in a long time. We later learned that the locals called the dock “the pirate dock” because the company that owned it had gone bankrupt, nobody claims it and if you tie a boat there for a time and leave it, it will soon be picked clean of anything worth removing.

We passed under the Port St. Joe Bridge (Hwy 98) and entered beautiful St. Joseph Bay. It almost felt like “coming home” since we’ve enjoyed Port St. Joe so much on previous visits. We were at the fuel dock at noon (Central Time) but moved our clocks ahead one hour as we had crossed over into the Eastern Time Zone. It was a lovely 80 degrees and the clouds were beginning to thin out.

After fueling up, we settled into our slip at the end of the south dock and enjoyed our bay view. That evening, we treated ourselves to dinner at the Dockside Café and shared the blackened bay scallops entrée. Maureen was a little surprised to discover that scallops could be so small – they were only slightly bigger than a pencil eraser. We later learned that was typical for bay scallops – it’s the sea scallops that are the big ones.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 – Allanton East Bay of St. Andrews Bay, mile 306.5

2011-10-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

We were up before sunrise and away from the dock at 6:30 am. The sky was cloudy, temperature was 70 degrees and the wind was blowing from the NNE at 8 to 18 knots. Dual Dreams pulled out of the anchorage moments before us and we followed them into Choctawhatchee Bay. With the wind, we were able to travel at 7.5 knots and had a great 20-mile sail across the bay. When we entered the canal that connects Choctawhatchee Bay and St. Andrews Bay, we lost our wind and slowed to about 5.5 knots.

By mid afternoon, we exited the canal into St. Andrews Bay and picked up a light westerly breeze. It wasn’t much, but we kept the mainsail up and used whatever wind we could catch. The original plan was to anchor in Smack Bayou near Panama City but since it was only 3:30 pm, we decided to go another five miles to Pearl Bayou where Dual Dreams had said they would likely anchor for the night.

As we neared the entrance to Pearl Bayou, we found the smell from the paper mill to be overwhelming. When we anchored in Smack Bayou two years ago, the wind had been out of the east and drove the smell right into our boat. It was physically sickening to both of us. With a west wind blowing, we would have been fine in Smack Bayou on this occasion but we did not want to backtrack. We kept on going past Pearl Bayou to get some distance from the mill and the smell.

Ten miles and two hours later, we found a nice little anchorage in the East Bay at Allanton. It was not noted as an anchorage in any of our guides, but in fair weather, it turned out to be very peaceful and safe. Even though we had traveled from sunrise to sunset, we had enjoyed the day and were excited for tomorrow when we would cover the last few miles to Port St. Joe.

Monday, October 10, 2011 – Joe’s Bayou, mile 229.5, Destin

2011-10-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

There was still a stiff northeast breeze blowing but we were ready to pull up anchor and move on. We hoped that we could get just enough angle on the wind that we could “pinch” into it and get a boost with our sails. At 8:30 am, we pulled out of Ft McRae and into Pensacola Pass with a sunny sky, a temperature of 68 degrees and a 12 knot northeast wind. We were soon hailed by a large ship that was getting ready to enter the pass. He asked us to hold up as he came through and made the turn and we were happy to oblige.

As the morning progressed, the wind increased and started to come a little bit more out of the north. The clouds also moved in until there was no blue sky left to be seen. We made good time as we traveled along between 6.5 and 7.5 knots.

It was only about 3:30 pm when we arrived at Ft Walton Beach. We checked out the free municipal dock since we had already called ahead for permission to tie up overnight. There was a grocery store a couple of blocks from the dock and we thought it would be a good place to stay since it was on the north side of the channel and somewhat protected from the winds. The dock was just before the low 49 foot clearance fixed bridge at Ft Walton Beach. After considering the fact that the tide was low in the afternoon and it would be high in the morning, we thought it best to clear the bridge and keep on going to Joe’s Bayou, another five miles up the waterway.

On our way to Joe’s Bayou, we sent a message to our friends Jack and Candis Wilson who have a beautiful home there on the water. We met the Wilsons last winter at the Vinoy Marina in St Petersburg and stayed on their dock when we came through in April. Jack was home and invited us to come on in and tie up in the big slip since his boat was not there tonight.

As we arrived at the mouth of the bayou, we saw our friends’ boat, Dual Dreams, anchored there. We said hello as we passed by and went on in to the dock. It was nice to have such a safe harbor for the night.

We stopped up at the house and joined Jack for a glass of wine. He said he was going out somewhere to grab a bite and we were welcome to join him. We enjoyed a great Mexican dinner at Pepito’s. Thanks, Jack!

Sat, Oct 8 to Sun, Oct 9, 2011 – Ft McRae, mile 178.4, near Pensacola

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Captain Gale's Quote for the Day:

Bein’ on the hook when the weather’s good, you can’t beat. Bein’ on the hook when the weather’s not, you can’t sleep.

Words spoken after a wild night at anchor. Around 1 am, the wind came up and started blowing us around pretty good. It wasn’t nearly as bad for us, though, as it was for the folks camped out on the beach. At 3 am, we could no longer see the three tents that had been set up near the water’s edge. We weren’t sure if the people were trying to sleep on their boats or if they were just up walking around. There was a lot of unsettledness around the campsite and it had to be pretty chilly for them.

The sunrise revealed the tents had been torn down and reset up in the sand dunes. Hopefully, the campers had been able to get a little bit of sleep.

The wind continued to blow all morning and by 11 am, they had packed up their little runabouts and taken off. We soon had the anchor up and motored one mile over to the Ft McRae anchorage for a little more protection. Not to mention the fact that Gale would be closer to his fishing hole.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, the wind began to die down just as it had the last couple of days and Gale took the dinghy out to catch more redfish. And catch he did – another four redfish and a nice flounder in about an hour’s time. He released all but the flounder since we had no room in the freezer for more big fish.

On Saturday and Sunday we shared the anchorage with a few local boaters – especially during the daylight hours.

Gale took some time on Sunday afternoon to make some new lines. We especially needed to replace the line that broke on the fortress anchor when we were at Sumter Recreation Area back on the river in Alabama. He also made a new snub line that we use to take some of the weight off the anchor chain when it is in use or to secure the anchor when it’s up on deck in the windlass.

The wind calmed for a short time on Sunday afternoon and we used that time to set a second anchor. We knew we would both sleep better with two anchors. It wasn’t long before the wind kicked up again but since it was early, we hoped that maybe it wouldn’t blow all night long.

Friday, October 7, 2011 – Big Lagoon, ICW mile 177.0 near Pensacola

2011-10-14T09:47:00.000-05:00

It was 6:45 am when we left Ingrams Bayou with a sunny sky and a northeast wind. The inland waterway was a little choppy and the wind increased from 6 knots to 19 knots over the 13-mile trip. By 10:00 am we had chosen our anchoring spot in Big Lagoon and settled ourselves in about 25 yards out from the beach. We were able to tuck in close enough to gain some protection from the wind and waves.

Perdido Key is one of our favorite beaches with the white sand and beautiful dunes. After taking care of a few chores on the boat, Gale threw a line in while Maureen put some lunch together. The lizard fish he pulled up wasn’t too appealing.

After lunch, we took the dinghy to shore and started walking. We could see two ships towing a large piece of heavy equipment into and through the inlet at Pensacola Pass. Neither of us knew what it was to be used for, but it was certainly impressive to watch it come in off the ocean and down the waterway.

We continued walking all the way to the inlet on the Gulf side of Perdido Key and then around the corner to the inside where there is a favorite anchorage at the old Ft. McRae site. We watched some fishermen pulling in huge redfish with every cast and when we quizzed them about it, they told us the fish had just come in and they were running like crazy! Enough said – we continued our walk with Gale thinking about getting back to Blue Heron to pick up his fishing pole and tackle.

We had walked at least two miles already and had to go back the way we came, so it was after 4 pm before Gale headed out to the pass to see if he could get in on some of the action. When he arrived, the redfish were still running and he had an exciting time of casting, hitting and reeling them in. In fact, he caught five redfish and one large flounder within an hour’s time. Since there is a possession limit of one on the redfish, he had to release four of them.

Our dinner of fresh flounder was delicious! We cleaned the redfish and froze those fillets for another day. One redfish was enough to feed at least four people.

Just before sunset, three small pleasure boats came zooming in towards us and pulled up to the beach. Soon there were three families with their kids unloading camping gear and getting set up. It wasn’t long before the tents were up and the campfire was going. The evening was lovely, there was a light breeze and the water was calm.

Wed, Oct 5 to Thurs, Oct 6, 2011 – Ingrams Bayou in Alabama – mile 164.0 ICW

2011-10-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

We were out of the Bon Secour River anchorage by 9 am and clear of Mobile Bay shortly thereafter. Traveling east on the ICW, we enjoyed a sunny morning with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s and a very light northerly breeze. Our destination was Ingrams Bayou, only 15 miles away, where we had stayed once before back in the fall of 2009. We knew Dual Dreams had anchored there last night and was staying at least another day.

When we were about three miles from Ingrams Bayou, we received an email from Harriet and Mike on Dual Dreams saying that they were splashing the dinghy and going to do a little exploring before they stopped at Pirate’s Cove Marina for some lunch. We agreed to meet them at the restaurant as soon as we secured the boat and could get over there in our dinghy.

We were both looking forward to sharing a juicy hamburger since we’d been eating so much fish lately. Mike and Harriet were already at the restaurant and in the middle of their own lunch when we arrived. The battery on Harriet’s iPhone had died right after they sent us the earlier email so they didn’t know we were on our way. We had a couple of drinks with them and ordered a hamburger that didn’t disappoint.

During the afternoon, we relaxed on Blue Heron; Gale threw in a line or two and we simply enjoyed the day. For our evening meal, we grilled up the trout that had been given to us by the fisherman at Bon Secour.

Thursday was more of the same; fishing, reading and relaxing. Mike and Harriet pulled out of Ingrams Bayou in the late morning and headed to the anchorage at Ft McRae near Pensacola while we remained for another night, sharing the second night at anchor there with three other sailboats that arrived in the late afternoon.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 - Bon Secour River in Mobile Bay, just off ICW at mile 150.5

2011-10-09T13:51:00.005-05:00

After doing our laundry and cleaning chores, we left the marina at 12:30 and headed out into Mobile Bay. It was the nicest crossing we’d ever experienced on this body of water with sunny skies, easy north breezes, temps in the high 70’s and a light chop on the water. Mobile Bay is large, but it is also very shallow so it is important to know where you are. If you choose to leave the channel and take a “shortcut,” you need to watch the depth closely and be alert.

It took a little over four hours to cross the bay from northwest to southeast and get to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) channel at mile 150.5. There we entered the side channel which took us back north a half mile or so into the Bon Secour River where we anchored for the night at 5:30 pm. The spot we chose was also popular for the local fishermen as we were right on top of an oyster bed.

As the last fisherman was leaving the vicinity, he stopped by and asked us if we were interested in any of his catch. He said we looked “indigent” and might enjoy some fresh fish for dinner. We heartily accepted his offer and he gave us several small white bass along with some bait shrimp for Gale to use later. Since we already had dinner going, Gale cleaned them up and stuck them in the refrigerator for tomorrow.

We felt like we were officially back in Florida (even though we weren’t quite yet) when we saw the dolphins feeding in our anchorage – a momma and a baby plus one loner.

After a gorgeous sunset, we watched the shrimp boats head out for a night of fishing.

Monday, October 3, 2011 – Dog River Marina, Mobile, Alabama

2011-10-09T13:51:00.004-05:00

We wanted to take full advantage of our time at the marina in Dog River so we were on our way at 7 am.

Coming into Mobile was a bit of a shock to the system seeing all the industry and all the “bustling about” after being so long on the river. The last real metro area for us would have been Chattanooga back in early August.

As we left the river and entered Mobile Bay, we began to see signs of being back in the saltwater; such as, seagulls and pelicans. We kept our eyes open for dolphin, but saw none.

Just before noon, we were at Dog River Marina fueling up and securing ourselves in our slip. The marina was pretty quiet yet as the bulk of cruisers wouldn’t be coming down to the Gulf until November 1st. After a little lunch, we borrowed the courtesy car and went to Walmart for groceries. Back on the boat, we put our purchases away, gathered up a couple of drinks, lowered the dinghy and traveled the few hundred feet across the bay to Grand Mariner Marina where we met our friends, Bill and Dorothy, for happy hour. We first met Bill and Dorothy at Snook Bight Marina in Ft Myers Beach last winter. They keep their boat, m/v Full Circle, at the Grand Mariner Marina all summer.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 – Okatuppa Creek, mile 123.2 on the Tombigbee

2011-10-09T13:50:00.015-05:00

Can't figure out why this posting won't land chronogically where it's supposed to. Oh well, it's not that far out of order.

Overnight, there was no cloud cover and the stars were brilliant in the night sky. Along with the stars, we could see a lightning show north of our location that went on nonstop for hours. About 4:30 am, the clouds and the lightning finally arrived along with a good rain.

It remained overcast all morning but we didn’t experience any more rain. About 10 am, Gale set out to find the bass. After 45 minutes, he was back with four nice sized bass. Of course, the one that got away, was the biggest bass he’d ever had on the line.

During the afternoon the sun tried to peek out but it was soon overwhelmed by the cloud cover.

We enjoyed a nice sunset as Gale prepared another wonderful fresh fish feast for dinner.

Sunday, October 2, 2011 – Tensas Cut Off, mile 12.2 on the Tombigbee / Mobile River

2011-10-09T13:50:00.013-05:00

We left the anchorage at 8 am on a cool (53 degrees) but sunny morning. By mid afternoon, the temperature was 78 degrees and made for a lovely day of traveling. We sighted three large alligators during the trip, all of them sunning themselves along the banks of the river.

After sixty miles and nine hours, we were safely anchored up Big Briar Creek, a great hurricane hole off the Tensas River Cutoff at mile 12.2 of the Mobile River. We anchored near the railroad bridge, even though it wasn’t necessary to go in that far, but the train traffic was surprisingly quiet. In fact, it was a peaceful night on the hook.

Gale tried fishing for bass but didn’t come away with much. He talked to a couple of guys in a fishing boat who said they hadn’t been able to get the fish to bite all afternoon.

Saturday, October 1, 2011 – Three Rivers Lake, mile 63.8 on the Tombigbee

2011-10-09T13:50:00.012-05:00

It was another beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper 70’s and very light breezes. Since there were so many bass boats zipping past us going back into the little lakes and sloughs, we guessed that there was a bass fishing tournament going on. After a couple of hours of fishing in the morning, Gale brought back about half dozen small bass which we cooked up for lunch. Nope – We’re not tired of the fresh fish yet!!

We talked to our friends on Life’s 2 Short and learned that another cruising friend, Dave, on the trawler Moonstruck lost his boat on the river the day before. He was meeting a northbound barge as he was southbound near the Tom Bevill Lock at Aliceville, Alabama. From what we understood, the vessels passed each other, Moonstruck turned into the wake (like we all do in tight spots) and the boat began to list to the side. There were four people on the fly bridge and the boat just slowly toppled over and turned completely upside down. Fortunately, they were towing the dinghy behind the boat and were able to cut that free to rescue themselves. Only the very bottom of the boat was visible after it sank. What a sad day for Dave.

About 2:30 pm, the bass boats left en masse which supported our theory about a local bass tournament with a 3 pm weigh-in. Gale put his fishing poles away and took Maureen out for a dinghy ride where we toured the lake we were anchored in and explored the sandbar on the main river.

Note the pictures of the tree that we had put a piece of duct tape on to mark the high water line when we anchored in the same spot back during the April/May flood. It looked to us to be about 15 feet above the current level of the lake.

On the sandbar, we found a few artifacts of old steamships – the iron bolts used to secure the wooden planks, old screws, etc. We also saw where an alligator had come up on the beach, gone back into the shade of the trees and then left along the same path. Glad we didn’t meet up with him in person!

While walking along the sandbar, we noticed m/v Dual Dreams with our friends Mike and Harriet coming around the bend in the river. We shared the anchorage for the night and enjoyed happy hour together on their boat. As the sun went down, we returned to Blue Heron for another wonderful meal of fresh fish and potatoes.

Friday, September 30, 2011 – Three Rivers Lake, mile 63.8 on the Tombigbee

2011-10-09T13:50:00.011-05:00

After breakfast we took the dinghy through the old lock and talked about what it must have been like bringing the paddle wheelers up and down the river a hundred years ago. Lock One is one of the older federal navigation projects in the United States. Congress authorized improvements to the Black Warrior – Tombigbee River System and 17 locks were constructed, each numbered consecutively, south to north. Work began on Lock One in 1893 and ended in 1909. Lock operations continued until November 1960 when a new channel bypassed it, cutting off four miles of river traffic. The lock upriver at Coffeeville replaced Lock One.

After snapping a few pictures, we beached the boat at the ramp and walked up the incline to explore the park. Here we met Don Johnson, the park host, who hails from North Dakota. He had been traveling in his converted camper van for the last eight years and was invited to be the campground host for the winter. He’d just arrived six weeks ago after spending several weeks hiking the Appalachian Trail. Don has done lots of adventuresome things over the years including canoeing down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers from Bismark, ND to New Orleans, LA and on another trip traveling up the Hudson River into Canada, again beginning his journey in North Dakota.

At 10 am, we brought up the hook and left the anchorage on our way to Three Rivers Lake. We had spent several days at Three Rivers in late April / early May when the devastating tornadoes ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama and vicinity.

It was a great traveling day with sunny skies, a nice breeze from the north and temperatures from 75 to 85 degrees over the course of our trip. There were no alligator sightings even though we were always on the lookout. The traffic from the commercial barges and the big cruisers so anxious to go south seemed to have resolved itself now that a few days had passed since the locks further north opened up. We did not meet a single barge going north on Friday and the only cruiser that passed us was the trawler, Tropical Breeze, home port Cape Coral, Florida. Captain Gale and the captain of Tropical Breeze visited quite a while on the marine radio about traveling the loop and getting back to Florida.

We noted the water level was, of course, much lower than it had been when we’d come through in May during the spring flooding. When we arrived at Three Rivers around 4 pm, we discovered a few sandbars that had not been visible on our previous visit. We found a great place to anchor but not without going in just a bit too far and stirring up the mud in a very shallow area.

Gale was anxious to find out if he could still catch bass after coming through the last lock. He wasn’t sure if the possible brackishness of the water and the minor tide would make any difference. Within minutes of lowering the dinghy and finding a fishing spot, he had his biggest “boated” bass on the line. Another one, just as big, shook off the hook. He encountered two more night herons in the channel and went back to get Maureen to show her the birds. There was an immature black crowned night heron on a branch on one side of the narrow channel and an adult on the other side. We thought they might have been related.

The evening was cool with a good northerly breeze and the temperature dipped down into the upper 40’s overnight – perfect cuddling weather.

Thursday, September 29, 2011 – Old Lock One, mile 100.0 on the Tombigbee

2011-10-09T13:50:00.010-05:00

By 7:30 am Gale was in the dinghy and out looking for the big fish that got away the day before. Two hours later, he was home with one large bass and several smaller ones.

While he was out, he made friends with an immature black crowned night heron that did not seem to have any fear of him. When a Great Blue Heron tried to fish nearby, however, the night heron puffed himself up, squawked loudly and the blue heron flew off to find another spot.

Maureen joined Gale in the dinghy and went back to where he had been fishing earlier to take some pictures and try to catch another fish. While there, we noticed an alligator swimming across the little lake a few hundred feet away.

Back on the big boat we cleaned the fish, had some lunch, took care of some insurance business and called marinas in Tampa for information. Shortly after 1 pm we picked up the anchor and left Okatuppa with a destination in mind at mile 100.0 called Old Lock One. We had never stayed in this spot but had talked to other cruisers who had said it was a good place to drop the hook.

At 2 pm, we stopped at Bobby’s Fish Camp to top off our fresh water tanks and enjoy a frosty mug of ice cold beer. There was no waiting at Coffeeville Lock, our last lock on the river, so we kept on going and cleared the lock at 3:15 pm.

At 4:45 pm, near mile 107 on the right declining bank, we sighted the biggest alligator we’d seen yet – it looked like it might be 12 feet long. He was a granddaddy but camera shy and was quick to slide into the water before we could get the lens focused.

We anchored at Old Lock One at 6 pm just past the public boat ramp but out of the way of the small fishing boats that might want to go through the lock chamber. It was a lovely setting for a lovely evening.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - Okatuppa Creek, mile 123.2 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

We arose at 6:30 am to a foggy morning. There were thunderstorm warnings in the area and we could tell that places a little north and west of us were getting some rain. Along about 8 am, we felt the front come through from the north and experienced a few sprinkles. About an hour later, we had our own thunderstorm with heavy rain and a little lightning and thunder. By 10 am, the rain quit and the sky was beginning to brighten so we hauled in the anchor, washed off the mud and set out. The spider web picture was taken just as we got underway.

The barge traffic going north was very heavy again. The first one came by as we were enjoying our morning cup of coffee, the second as we were leaving the anchoring spot and the third just a few minutes later. In the afternoon, there were three more northbound tows before we anchored. In addition to the working barges, we were passed by no less than eight southbound cruising trawlers all in a hurry to get off the river. We thought that they were probably trying to make Bobby’s Fish Camp, mile 118.9, before dinner time. It would have been fun to see all of those big boats rafted up to the little dock at Bobby’s which can only accommodate two cruisers.

Our initial plan was to anchor at mile 134.7, Whites Bluff, where Todd and Brenda of m/v Life’s 2 Short said we could find a nice sand beach. Indeed, it was nice – and that was where we saw two alligators. The one in the picture below wasn’t the least bit afraid of us and stayed put the entire time we were there checking out the anchorage.

Since it was only 3:30 pm when we were at White Cliffs taking pictures, we decided to go the extra 20-plus miles to Okatuppa Creek and stay in a bit more protected spot. Gale thought the fishing might be better there, too. At 5:10 pm, we were in the entrance of the creek with our bow anchor set. We lowered the dinghy and the Captain also took out and set a stern anchor to keep us out of the trees if the wind came up.

As soon as the anchoring task was complete, Gale went fishing for dinner. Within moments, he was back with one fish and invited Maureen to go for a ride up the creek before the sun set. It was a beautiful place with many little lakes off the main creek. We were pretty sure we could take Blue Heron way into Okatuppa and anchor in one of these lakes, however, since we were getting a nice 3G signal at the entrance to the creek, we decided to leave the big boat where she was and use the dinghy to get into the backwaters.

The mosquitoes were beginning to come out in force as the sun was going down, so we zoomed back to Blue Heron and brought the dinghy up. Gale made a cast from the stern and brought in another bass for our supper.

Monday, September 26, 2011 – Baron’s Landing, mile 168.6 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-27T11:21:00.000-05:00

NOTE: Be sure to double click on the photos for a better look. Especially the picture of the alligator sunning on the bank!

We were up at 5:30 am and anxious to get moving. Gale checked with the guard about 5:45 am to see if he could borrow the courtesy car for a run to the grocery store, but it was already out! The folks who’d come in last evening on four cigarette boats and sport fishers had taken the vehicle to pick up breakfast at McDonalds. These boats had come down from Pickwick Lake yesterday morning and were headed for the Keys.

It wasn’t long before the car was back and Gale made the trip to town to pick up the case of beer and few bottles of wine we couldn’t buy yesterday. As we were getting things ready for our cruise, we heard the pleasure boats conversing on the VHF radio in the lock. They mentioned that the lockmaster had said there were eight barges between Demopolis and Coffeeville (a 100-mile stretch between the locks) all coming north. We didn’t want to get held up waiting for barges all day, so at 7:30 am after confirming with the Demopolis lockmaster that it looked clear for now, we left our slip. The lock gates were open and waiting for us and we were locked through by 8:30 am. As we exited the lock, the lockmaster urged us to be very careful and alert for all the barges on the river.

It was interesting to see the rapids and the cliffs that were all underwater when we came up the river in late April / early May. There was a lot of erosion and it was very easy to see the high water mark several feet up the cliffs. As we cruised downriver, we saw large sand beaches that were nowhere in sight during our spring travels.

The northbound barge traffic did turn out to be very heavy. We assumed this was due to the two locks that had been closed for 2-1/2 weeks north of us and had just reopened the day before. Five tows passed us as we were underway – all going north.

Around noon or so, we came to mile 187.5, Chickasaw Bogue. When we stopped there the first time in October 2009, we found a nice little cove just off the river with a large clean sandy beach. In May 2011, everything was submerged but it was still a well-protected stop. This time, the entrance appeared to be shoaled in and we could see snags that would be difficult to avoid. We passed it by and continued south.

At mile 172.5, Gale spotted an alligator sunning itself along the shore. At about 8 feet, it was the biggest one we had seen outside of Indiantown, Florida, on the Okeechobee Waterway. We were lucky to get a picture of him before he swam away.

Baron’s Landing, mile 168.6, an indentation in the riverbank where old Lock No. 2 used to be, turned out to be our stop for the night. We were far enough out of the channel not to be of much concern to any passing barges and we were actually able to nose up on a nice sandy bottom and bring our anchor ashore. At 3:30 pm, we were all cozied in as we began to hear a few rumbles of thunder in the distance. It didn’t take long before Gale was in the dinghy and out looking for bass. About 4:30 pm, it clouded over and we received a short, light shower. Gale caught two nice bass for dinner which we combined with some leftover rotisserie chicken and added a side of instant mashed potatoes. Voila – a feast!

The towboats continued to power northbound throughout the day and night. We noticed three after we anchored and before we went to bed and another three during the night. Only one was going south.

During the night, the sky was clear, the stars bright and plentiful and there was a very light fog just above the water. We enjoyed quite a pleasant experience at Baron’s Landing.

Wed, Sept 21 to Sun, Sept 25, 2011 – Demopolis Yacht Basin

2011-09-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

Hooray! The part we ordered on Monday arrived at 10:30 Wednesday morning. Maureen went for her walk while Gale got things ready for the installation. He had a little bit of trouble attaching the yoke to the outdrive, but with some help from our friend Mike Lewis, m/v Dual Dreams, and the tool shed, or “man cave,” they were able to put things together.

Maureen assisted Gale with the repair work. There was a lot of heavy lifting and pulling trying to line things up but we were able to get it done without a hitch. Gale even had time to do a little fishing afterwards.

The test run on Thursday morning went just as we hoped it would. Everything sounded good, looked good and felt right. We were quite confident that the repair was a success. We’ll know for sure when we finally take off and leave Demopolis.

Roger had asked Gale to give him a lesson on fishing for bass. He was unfamiliar with freshwater fishing and was interested in learning about the gear needed and the different techniques to be used. Gale took Roger to his “honey hole” and they found the bass. That evening, Gale cut up the fish in small pieces and grilled hors d’oeuvres at “The Wall” for everyone that was gathered there. The fish was served with the rye bread that Roger had made the previous day and actually made for a nice dinner for most of us.

Friday morning we were up early and the guys (Gale and Roger) were out fishing by 7 am. They returned a few hours later with two keepers. After lunch, they did a little more fishing and picked up another nice one.

When we walked up to the showers late in the afternoon, a few of the folks were already gathered at The Wall for happy hour. Mike, m/v Dual Dreams, had been inspired to write a poem about “Fred’s Triangle.” Fred runs the Demopolis Yacht Basin and there is an ongoing joke that cruisers come to stay for a night, a week, or a month but end up never leaving. Here is Mike’s poem. Just insert the appropriate boat name:

BACK IN A SLIP AND ALL TIED DOWN
LOOKS LIKE BLUE HERON’S GONNA STICK AROUND
STUCK IN FRED’S TRIANGLE CANNOT LEAVE
OH!! THE HORROR – IT MAKES ME GRIEVE
THEY REALLY THOUGHT THEY COULD GO ON DOWN
DOWN TO THE GULF TO PLAY AROUND
ONE MORE TIME DOWN COMES THE DEMO HAMMER
NOW BLUE HERON IS STUCK IN ALABAMER

Thanks, Mike! You gotta laugh, right?

That evening we were invited over to Roger and Dita’s boat, s/vZephyr. We enjoyed a few drinks, cheese, olives, crackers and a special dish Dita made called “ceviche.” Ceviche (also spelled cebiche or seviche) is a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America. The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chili peppers. Additional seasonings such as onion, salt and pepper may also be added. As the dish is not cooked with heat, it must be prepared fresh to avoid the potential for food poisoning.

Saturday morning we took on a few small projects around the boat and felt pretty good about what we accomplished. Just before the noon hour, we walked uptown and checked out some of the old historical buildings. One of those buildings housed the theatre and the Marengo Café’. We stopped in and found a quaint little café with a few tables and nice menu. Maureen ordered a small pasta salad and Gale tried the chili with a lettuce salad side. The food was very fresh and our unplanned luncheon was delightful.

Saturday afternoon, was quite relaxing even as we continued with our little boat projects. Roger stopped by and asked Gale if he could hoist him up the mast so he could change out the anchor light on the top of the mast with an LED bulb. Roger had a bosun’s chair so Gale winched him up on one line while Maureen tended the safety line. At The Wall that evening, our friends Robby and Brenda, m/v Crazzy Nuff, from Mobile, provided Cajun cornbread and beans for everyone to enjoy. It was spicy and tasty!

Sunday was spent doing all the last minute things we do as we prepare to cruise; i.e., laundry, blog work, errands, etc. We ran to the grocery store but because it was Sunday, they wouldn’t sell us any wine or beer. It looked like we would be making another run early tomorrow morning. At least, the store will open at 6 am. Tonight’s happy hour at The Wall included hors d’oeuvres made by three of the ladies: Harriet, Dita and Joy. Joy made a sausage, and egg quiche; Harriet cooked up a chicken and avocado dip baked in a small loaf of bread, and Dita’s contribution was jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon. There was also cheese, crackers and fruit and everything was delicious. Our original plan had been to go out to a Mexican restaurant with Roger and Dita for our last night at the marina, but with all the food provided, everyone agreed that we’d already had enough to eat. Roger and Dita invited us over to Zephyr for another cocktail and we laughed and visited for awhile before going home for the night.

Thurs, Sept 15 to Tues, Sept 20, 2011 - Demopolis Yacht Basin, mile 216.2 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-25T16:08:00.001-05:00

Motu was anxious to get to the marina so she hauled up her anchor and set out shortly after 8 am. We weren’t long after and when we did arrive at Demopolis Yacht Basin, the folks there already knew we were on our way.

Our first stop was for fuel – yes, we did make it all the way on what was in our fuel tanks when we stopped at Pirate’s Cove a couple of days ago and even had a few gallons to spare. After fueling up, we secured ourselves in the slip and headed to Walmart in the courtesy car. The next day, Friday, we took care of laundry and all the other chores before joining the folks at “The Wall” for happy hour. We were all set to leave in the morning.

The original plan, or should we say “intention,” was to stop at the marina in Demopolis for one or two nights in order to buy supplies, do laundry and take care of any other chores that came up. And we seemed to be right on target when we left the marina on Saturday afternoon. It was a nice day and we hoped to spend a few hours relaxing and fishing at the Foscue Creek anchorage two miles south of the marina and just above the Demopolis Lock. We would be in good position to lock through right away in the morning.

As we entered Foscue Creek, we admired the Coast Guard Cutter, Wedge, and noted that it was used for setting and repairing navigation aids in the river. Following the instructions for anchoring given in our guidebook, we let down the anchor and about sixty foot of chain. The Captain put her in reverse and was slowly backing down when there was a loud “BAM.” Not good. We hit a submerged snag and broke the yoke that supports the lower unit. Big bummer. We were lucky, however, to be able to limp back to the marina and tie ourselves up once again at the dock to assess the damage.

Since it was Saturday, we knew we wouldn’t be able to order any parts until Monday. We weren’t sure if we were going to have to get the part from England or if we could have one shipped from Annapolis.

On Sunday, Gale was able to remove the drive leg without a hitch. Step One: Great.

Monday, Step Two: The part needed was available to be shipped overnight from Annapolis. We were informed that it was the only one they had in the shop. Lucky Day!

Since we were caught up on a lot of things when we left the marina on Saturday, we took a nice walk to the cemetery we had seen from the river. It was appropriately called, Riverside Cemetery, and we found headstones dating back to the 1840’s along with a mausoleum just as old. Nowadays it seems odd to see a cemetery on such prime real estate, but the occupants had a great view of the daily comings and goings along the river.

It began raining Monday evening and continued on into Tuesday morning until about 9 am. When checking the UPS status of our shipment, we learned that the part had been returned to the shipper. Not so great! The UPS rep told us there was no problem with the ‘ship to’ address or the credit card used. It seems that our supplier packed the part in a box labeled “Flammable.” UPS would not transport this box by air freight. Even though we were told that we got the last available yoke yesterday, “Amanda” said she would tear the shop apart in search of another. Happy Day! She found one and took it to UPS immediately. Would it arrive tomorrow morning??

Tuesday evening, we invited Roger and Dita, s/v Zephyr, over for a fresh fish dinner. Roger is a native of Switzerland and Dita has dual heritage in that her father was German and her mother was from El Salvador. Her father’s job took them to several Central American countries as she was growing up. Roger and Dita have lived in the United States for the past 25 years; 10 years in Miami and the last 15 in Mississippi.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 – Rattlesnake Bend, mile 224 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

We were only about 50 miles from Demopolis and the plan was to stop about seven miles above the marina and anchor at Rattlesnake Bend for the night. Blue Heron and Motu left Sumter Landing just before 9 am and pointed their bows south into light breezes and sunny skies. The morning temperature was 75 degrees with a forecasted high in the mid-90’s.

We motored past several miles of beautiful white cliffs along the waterway. The going was easy and by 4 pm, we were anchored and enjoying a light breeze. One husband and wife came by in their small fishing boat to visit. They were staying at the little campground up and around the bend and were out setting their trot lines.

The three of us got together for dinner aboard Blue Heron. Of course, the menu included fresh bass.

Sun, Sept 11 to Tues, Sept 13, 2011 – Sumter Recreation Area at mile 269.9 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

We weren’t planning on traveling too hard for the day, so we enjoyed our coffee, straightened up the boat and pulled anchor about 10 am. There was a slight southerly breeze, it was partly sunny and the temperature was 72 degrees to start out.

We navigated the thirty miles to Sumter Recreation Area, an anchorage that both Life’s 2 Short and Motu highly recommended as a place to linger. As we entered the cove just before 5 o’clock, we could see the trawler Tarquin had arrived and picked her spot already. We waved to Tarquin as they passed us early this morning when we were enjoying coffee on the bow.

After trying several times to set the Delta anchor, we decided the grassy bottom was not going to allow it. Our anchor simply drug. Even though we weren’t expecting any weather, we wanted good holding in case we stayed more than one night.

We finally hauled up the Delta and threw out our small lightweight Fortress anchor. She held fast and as we backed down on it, the line broke! Good thing we had a third anchor, our Danforth. The Danforth is similar in design to the Fortress anchor and we were able to get great holding the first try. By now it was almost 6 o’clock and Gale was eager to do some fishing. We left the lost anchor for retrieval on another day.

Gale visited with Eddie and Sandi Bartels, m/v Tarquin, and learned they had almost completed the Great Loop and they were on their way home to Cortez, Florida. Perhaps we will look them up someday when we are in their area. Tarquin hauled up her anchor Monday morning and motored away.

We dinghied to shore and took a walk through the small recreation area. The boat ramp looked like it was used on a regular basis, but the campsites probably not so much. It was a primitive campground, meaning there was no electricity available, but the sites were clean, level and some had very nice views of the water or the woods. On our walk down the local road, we could tell that some animal had been digging up the ditches. Gale found evidence of feral pig tracks and we surmised that the pigs were looking for roots.

Mo and Honey, m/v Motu, arrived at the anchorage on Monday afternoon. We had her over for dinner and drinks and we all enjoyed the fresh bass that Gale had caught.

On Tuesday, we walked through the park again, this time with Mo and Honey, and met the Park Hosts, Bill and Dorothy. Bill told us that the wild pigs had become a real problem and that what we saw was, indeed, the result of rooting by feral pigs.

Gale spent about 20 minutes dragging for the anchor during the afternoon and was very happy to find it after a few tries. We tied it to the stern and found it was set so well, it would take moving the big boat to pull it up. We left that chore for the morning when we pulled up the main anchor.

Tuesday evening, Mo had us over for garlic chicken with roasted potatoes and onions. It was a fabulous meal and we enjoyed her company very much. We told her we planned to leave in the morning and she said she’d like to travel with us to Demopolis.

Saturday, September 10, 2011 – mile 304.4 on the Tenn-Tom, below Tom Bevill Lock at Aliceville, AL

2011-09-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

It was another sunny morning with cool fall temperatures and dry air – a great day for a walk up to the Farmers’ Market. We picked up a few treasures including sweet potatoes, tomatoes, roasted peanuts and pink-eyed purple-hull “peas.” The vendor with the peas assured us that we would love these beans (and when we cooked them up later, we found out he was right). After the market, Maureen went on her walk along the river while Gale took the bicycle to Walmart to pick up a few items before going back to the boat.

Just before 11 am, we bid Motu goodbye and motored out of the anchorage heading south. Our plan was to stop at the Visitors Center at the Tom Bevill Lock, take on fuel at Pirates Cove Marina near there and find an anchorage above the lock for the evening.

As we passed by Pickensville Recreation Area just before the lock, we decided to check out the anchorage before going over to the Visitors Center. It was a pretty spot; however, we weren’t able to find anything under 30 feet deep to anchor. We preferred to look for a shallower, better protected place for the night and since it was already getting close to 3 pm, we decided to go straight to the Visitors Center and take a look around before it closed for the day. We knew the Center was not open on Sunday.

We first toured the U.S. Snagboat Montgomery, the last steam-powered sternwheeler to ply the inland waterways of the South. For nearly six decades, the Montgomery labored to keep seven of the South’s major rivers navigable. Built in 1926 in Charleston, SC, the Montgomery is 178 feet long and 34 feet wide. Retired in 1982, she is on display at the Visitors Center with interpretive exhibits providing visitors a return to the days when sternwheelers worked the rivers.

After exploring the snagboat, we toured the Visitors Center, an authentic reproduction of an antebellum style mansion. In addition to the impressive architecture of the building, it also contains displays and relics that relate to both the history of the area and the development of the Waterway.

It was nearly 5 pm when we finished looking around the mansion so we headed back to the dock where a Corps of Engineers official was waiting for us to return. He said with the heightened security concerns for the ten-year anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy, he just wanted to make sure we weren’t terrorists. (Actually, he didn’t say anything about terrorists – just that he was checking the boat out and looking for the captain.) Evidently, we looked harmless enough and he and Gale struck up a conversation about their careers as enforcement officers. The ranger said it would be fine for us to anchor above the lock for the night if we found a spot to our liking.

We still wanted to get fuel before the evening was over. Gale had called Pirate’s Cove Marina yesterday to make sure that they had diesel fuel and to find out what time they closed. The marina was located about a half mile from the Visitors Center so we motored back into the marina and found a nice protected setting but the docks were not well maintained. As we approached the fuel dock, the attendant hailed us on the radio to ask why we were coming in. Their radio didn’t receive our return transmission, so we just continued to go to the dock. The man who grabbed our lines, Dave, indicated that they did not have diesel fuel. In fact, he was rather rude about the whole thing. As it turned out, a boat had come in yesterday and bought all the diesel they had on hand. We thought we could probably make it to Demopolis on what was in our tanks, but Dave offered to take Gale to the gas station with a five-gallon jug to buy some extra fuel. When we asked about water, Dave indicated that we probably shouldn’t use the water at the dock, but they had a spigot in the yard if we had a jug to haul it.

By the time we left Pirate’s Cove, Dave was much friendlier toward us than he was when we arrived. Even so, we likely will not stop again or recommend this marina to anyone else.

We still needed to find a spot to anchor for the night. In looking at the guidebook, we saw that there was an anchorage just below the dam. The lock was open so we decided to go on through and anchor on the other side. We were held up in the lock for about a half hour due to some trouble closing the gates behind us. No worries, though, by 7 pm we had locked through, chosen a spot to anchor and settled in for the night.

Wed, Sept 7 to Fri, Sept 9, 2011 – Columbus, MS, anchorage at mile 331.3 on Tenn-Tom

2011-09-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

We had a much shorter day in mind with less than thirty miles to travel and only two locks. We enjoyed the morning and lingered until 9:30 am when we hauled up the hook and left Blue Bluff. It was mostly sunny, with a north wind around 10 mph and 62°F. The air felt wonderfully dry and crisp as we set out.

It was another day of having the river mostly to ourselves. Again, there was no waiting for lockages. Before 4 pm, we had chosen a nice spot to anchor near Riverside Park in Columbus, Mississippi, but before throwing the anchor in, we decided to tie up to the little pier at the park and walk into town. “Town” was up the ridge in the park and across the street.

We walked around the area and browsed a couple of the retail shops before they closed. There was a liquor store that stayed open until 10 pm so we made a note and continued our walk. Before returning to the park, we picked up a bottle of wine and rum at the little liquor store.

The bridge in the picture opened in the 1820’s and was the only direct route from Jackson, MS to Columbus, MS, for many years. It was now a pedestrian bridge only.

After our walk, we moved the boat out to anchor a few hundred yards from the pier. It was nice to leave the noise from the cars on the bridge and have a little more privacy away from the little pier.

Late Wednesday afternoon we learned that Maureen’s dear Uncle Jake passed away from a heart attack while driving in his car. Fortunately, he was in town and able to maneuver the car into and through a parking lot before he died and he and the vehicle came to rest without damaging any property or hurting anyone along the way. He will be sadly missed indeed.

On Thursday, we walked up to the Farmers’ Market and found only one vendor left. He had some plants for sale which we were not interested in, but he told us to come back again on Saturday morning for lots of variety.

Maureen tried the new river walk – a wide concrete sidewalk through the park and along the river that runs for 2.2 miles. It was exactly long enough for a one hour brisk walk in the shade of the trees. Gale got out his bicycle and rode the few miles to Walmart to pick up a few items.

Thursday afternoon we looked out and saw Motu coming into our anchorage. We had talked to Mo yesterday and discovered she was at the marina in Columbus. We let her get settled and spent a couple more hours on our boat finishing up with what we had started before taking the dinghy over to Motu and sharing Happy Hour with Mo and her dog, Honey. We met Mo at Waterfall Cove in the fall of 2009 and then saw her again at the same spot in May of this year.

Friday was another wonderful fall day – sunny, cool (in the upper 70’s) and dry air. We took advantage of the weather and did another great walk about.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 – Blue Bluff Recreation Area, Aberdeen, MS, Tenn-Tom mile 358.2

2011-09-24T13:57:00.000-05:00

The morning was a cool 58 degrees and the skies were mostly cloudy – but it wasn’t raining. We had fifty-five miles and six locks to travel through this day so we needed an early start. Shortly after 7 am, we were on our way and in the lock at Bay Springs. In an earlier entry we mentioned that there were two scheduled lock closures beginning on Thursday, September 8th, through Saturday, September 24th. These locks were at mile 376.3 and mile 371.1 and we wanted to make sure we were south of them before they were closed.

As you can see by the photos, the sky appeared rather threatening behind us. However, as we looked toward the south, we were greeted with blue sky and some white fluffy clouds. We were glad to be on our way – there didn’t seem to be any other boats about, so traveling was very peaceful and there was no waiting at any of the locks.

We settled into our anchorage at Blue Bluff Recreation Area at 6:30 pm – in time for a glass of wine out on the bow as we watched the sunset. A very nice day overall.

Monday, September 5, 2011 – Bay Springs Lake, Five Fingers Cove, mile 414 on the Tenn-Tom

2011-09-24T09:50:00.000-05:00

It rained all night long and was still raining when we got up so we loaded up the laundry and supplies in plastic garbage bags and hauled things over to the laundry room. While Maureen did the clothes, Gale performed his normal maintenance checks getting ready to cruise. Since it was the Labor Day holiday, the marina restaurant was open for business and blueberry pancakes sounded like a good idea. The restaurant was busy when we finally took a table at about 10:15 am, but we didn’t mind waiting. In fact, while Maureen sat at the table and ordered coffee, Gale was able to get his shower in and come back before the waitress even made it back to take our breakfast order. The blueberry pancakes, omelet, hash browns and toast we shared were fantastic and since it was after 11 am when we left the diner, we were good to go for the rest of the afternoon.

The rain continued as we threw off the dock lines just before noon and made our way towards Bay Springs Lake. The temperature was in the lower 60’s which was a welcome change even if we had to put on long pants, raingear and real shoes. It seemed very unusual to be the only boat out on what should have been a very busy holiday on the water. The rain did begin to let up a bit in the afternoon, although it didn’t stop completely until sometime Monday night. All in all, we received between 6 and 9 inches of rain in about 36 hours. Places further south had more like 12 to 15 inches. Fortunately, the water levels were not affected much where we were and we did not have to worry about our mast hitting the 52-foot fixed clearance bridges.

Just before 6 pm, we nosed the bow up on a little sand beach and tied the bow anchor around a tree. We were very protected from the wind and rested easily all night.

Sunday, September 4, 2011 – Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina, Iuka, MS

2011-09-23T17:51:00.000-05:00

We woke to the first cloudy morning we’d seen in weeks. Gale and Maureen took off early in the dinghy to try to catch a few more bass for the freezer. We dinghied over to a nearby cove where Gale had been having good luck finding bass. The “honey hole” wasn’t producing that morning, so after an hour or so, we headed back to the boat just in time to watch the three big houseboats pull out.

We spent some time cleaning up around the boat and doing some routine maintenance. At 11:45 am, we backed out of our spot, said goodbye to our friends and motored back to Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina. It was a cool 78 degrees, the winds were out of the south at 7 mph and we were experiencing a few sprinkles.

Maureen’s original plan for the afternoon was to walk over to the laundry room and run a few loads through the machines. That plan changed when some serious rain started. She thought she would wait until it let up, but it only rained harder. Instead of laundry, she grabbed the keys for the courtesy van and made a grocery run.

And it continued to rain and rain and rain! We’re not used to nonstop rain being from the upper Midwest. What we were experiencing was the outer edge of tropical storm Lee that had been building in the Gulf.

Tues, Aug 30 to Sat, Sept 3, 2011 – Waterfall Cove aka Cooper Hollow

2011-09-23T17:50:00.001-05:00

At 5 pm on Tuesday, we left AYHM and motored the five miles to Waterfall Cove arriving just after Life’s 2 Short had settled into their spot on the beach. It had been a very hot several days and this one was no different with temperatures approaching the 100 degree mark.

Bud or “Iceman” as he is fondly nicknamed, stopped by on his pontoon our first evening at the falls. He offered to bring the pontoon back in another day or so to use it as “the patio” between boats over the weekend, Another friend of ours, Dave Harris, of m/v Moonstruck, arrived at the anchorage on Wednesday afternoon. We had met Dave the last time we were in Demopolis. He anchored his boat right behind Life’s 2 Short When Bud brought his pontoon out on Friday, we rafted together which made it possible to travel from our boat to the pontoon and over to L2S and Moonstruck. Other smaller boats rafted up with us during the days and, at times, we had as many as six or seven boats in our little flotilla.

Most mornings were spent relaxing and keeping cool inside our boats. The afternoons were dedicated to relaxing and keeping cool – mostly in the water. We watched boats come and go; cheered for those jumping off the waterfall; visited with many new friends and helped spill a little beer and wine with the best of them. The evenings found us on the beach around some very large and impressive campfires.

On Friday evening, Todd, Brenda, Dave, Gale and Maureen used Bud’s pontoon to take him home and then return to the anchorage so we could continue to use his boat as our patio. It was a lovely night and a nice ride on the moonlit water. After arriving at Bud’s boat house, his neighbor came up to him saying she was very worried about her husband, J.C., who had left the house a few hours earlier to check on a boat. She had fallen asleep and realized that he had been gone all of this time and was concerned that something had happened to him. As it turned out, we found JC floating face down in the water near the boat in the canal. We never learned the official cause of death, but we were going on the assumption that it was a stroke or heart attack.

On Friday and Saturday nights, we shared the beach with three 50-foot houseboats. We even watched a little Saturday evening football on their “big screen” projection TV. The screen was mounted outside on the pilot house and it was a treat to sit by the fire and watch the game.

During our days at the beach, Gale honed his bass fishing skills and brought home some fabulous fresh fish to share. Once he got the hang of it, there was no stopping him!

Wed, Aug 24 to Mon, Aug 29, 2011 – Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina, Iuka, MS

2011-09-23T17:50:00.000-05:00

We ended up staying several more days at AYHM just so Gale could rest and recover. Maureen enjoyed the time by taking long walks around the property, running errands with the courtesy van and doing the usual chores around the boat.

By the time Tuesday came around, Gale was feeling pretty good and said he was ready to leave the marina and go back to the waterfall anchorage for a few days. Todd and Brenda on Life’s 2 Short were planning to arrive at the waterfall on Tuesday afternoon and we were looking forward to spending some time with them.

As proud parents,we wanted to include this picture of our son, Kelle, receiving his white coat as he began his first year of medical school at the University of Rochester Medical School in Rochester, New York.

Tues, Aug 23 to Wed Aug 24, 2011 - 215.3, Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina, Iuka, MS

2011-08-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

We had decided that it was time to come in for groceries, so we pulled anchor at 7 am and made our way to Aqua Yacht Harbor Marina in Iuka, Mississippi, which was less than five miles away. Both Heron and Blue Heron tied up at the transient dock and settled in.

After getting organized, Bob, Susie and Maureen took the courtesy van to Savannah, TN, for groceries while Gale stayed back at the marina. In the previous paragraph, it was noted that we were actually in Mississippi. Well, that's hard to say -- the marina's mailing address is Counce, TN, but the physical location is in Mississippi. If you look at the map, find the spot on the Tennessee River where Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee meet and you'll know where we were.

Gale had to be extra careful to stay out of the sun during this period. Several days ago, he began a treatment on his head, neck and shoulders using a topical ointment that is a chemotherapy agent for skin cancer. The directions say to apply the cream twice a day for three weeks and then wait several more weeks for things to heal up. He remarked that his skin felt like it started on fire and somebody tried to put it out with a baseball bat.
Hmmm . . . . .

On Wednesday, Bob and Susie decided to take a slip for a month over at Grand Harbor Marina while Gale and Maureen spent another night at Aqua Yacht. Gale had just experienced his worst day of his recovery from the skin cancer treatment and was not up to doing much of anything.

Wed, Aug 17 to Mon, Aug 22, 2011 – mile 217.3, Tennessee River at Waterfall Cove near Iuka, MS

2011-08-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

We were very excited to leave Florence – especially since we were planning to hook up with our good friends Bob and Susie Schaut aboard their 25-foot Pacific Seacraft, Heron. Gale and Bob have been friends for more than 30 years and met during their careers as park rangers for the State of Iowa. Bob retired on April 29th of this year (coincidentally on the same date that Gale retired in 2009) and he and Susie began cruising aboard their boat in May. We have been keeping in touch with them over the last few months as they’ve made their way down the Mississippi River from Lake Pepin, Wisconsin, to the Tennessee River and have been looking forward to the time when our paths would come together for awhile.

We were on our way at 7:30 am and traveled the 40 miles to Waterfall Cove in six hours. By the time Blue Heron was beached on the sandbar, we noticed Bob and Susie’s Heron coming across from the other side of the river. They anchored in the center of the pool between the waterfall and the sandbar then jumped in their dinghy and came ashore to greet us. It was so good to see them!

We spent the next six days watching boats come and go out of the cove as well as doing a little fishing and swimming ourselves. The weekend was especially busy with a constant parade of boats coming in, staying for awhile and leaving again to make room for the next batch. Except for Friday night when a family arrived in their little boat about sunset, pitched a tent on the beach, made a campfire and stayed through the next morning, we were always alone in the anchorage by the time night fell.

Wed, Aug 10 to Tues, Aug 16, 2011 – mile 256, Florence Harbor Marina, Florence, AL

2011-08-25T08:45:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful sunny morning and at 9 am we were already at the state park fuel dock getting ready to check out the facilities. The marina manager was very friendly and encouraged us to take our time and look around the place. The marina building included showers and a washer and dryer as well as a store where one could buy snacks, very basic groceries and a few marine items. The 75-room lodge was lovely and the restaurant was supposed to be quite good. There were many boats slipped here including both power boats and sailboats and it looked like the permanent slips were full. There was lots of room at the transient dock which was located in front of the lodge and next to the swimming pool. The park had an 18-hole golf course, 27 cabins for rent and miles of walking trails. If we had checked this spot out earlier, we probably would have chosen to slip the boat here rather than in Florence.

For the next hour and a half we enjoyed walking around the park and then decided we’d better get moving if we wanted to make it through the locks at both ends of Wilson Lake. We lucked out and didn’t have to wait for either lock as we made our way to Florence Harbor arriving at 2 pm. We took the time to fuel up before motoring to our slip and we were very happy to finally plug into shore power and get the air conditioning going as the temperature approached 100 degrees. It seemed that Florence was always hotter than anywhere else in the area.

We spent the next few days doing the usual boat chores. On Friday, we rented a vehicle from Enterprise so we could shuttle our car down to Port St Joe, Florida. We took off early Saturday with Maureen driving our Toyota and Gale driving the rental car. It was an easy and enjoyable trip that took about 8 hours and we arrived at the marina in PSJ before Lisa, the manager, had left for the day. Through an earlier conversation, Lisa had told us it would be fine to park the car in their lot until we could get there with the boat. She told us where we could park and let us know that when we do come back, she expected us to stay for awhile since we only spent one night there on our way through in April. Gale would really like to come back before September 25th when the scallop season closes. We saw some of the scallops that people were bringing in and they were huge!!

The drive back to Florence on Sunday was even nicer since we were able to share the driving task in one car. Before returning the vehicle on Monday, we made a grocery run to Walmart to get ready for the next week of traveling downriver.

On Tuesday evening before leaving Florence, Bruce Cherry, whom we had met on the dock the previous week, brought over to our boat a roast pork dinner that he had prepared along with a wonderful mixture of roasted vegetables to accompany the meal. He had invited his friends, Goodlow and Susan Pride, to join us and we had a lovely evening visiting with these folks, going for a pontoon ride and then later enjoying the very tasty pork, vegetables and wine. Goodlow shared with us a few stories and a lot of knowledge about this portion of the Tennessee River.

Tuesday, Aug 9, 2011 – mile 277, Tennessee River, Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville, AL

2011-08-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

We planned another long travel day so we were up early and on the phone to the lockmaster at 6 am. He said he was unaware of any other traffic in the area and encouraged us to come right away. We were at the Guntersville Lock arrival point within 30 minutes and had a green light. As we entered the lock, a thunderstorm with lots of lightning and loud thunder threatened and we thought for sure we were going to be in the middle of a deluge before we exited. Surprisingly, the storm skirted the area and we received only a couple drops of rain.

We finished locking through and were on our way at 6:50 am – a great start to a great day. We traveled all the way across Wheeler Lake, approximately 75 miles and made our way back into First Creek where we found a beautiful spot to anchor near the Joe Wheeler State Park Marina. It was already 5:30 pm when we stopped to anchor so instead of doing any exploring then, we decided to relax, enjoy the sunset on the boat and wait until morning to check out the marina and the park.

Monday, Aug 8, 2011 – mile 349.5 on Tennessee River above Guntersville Dam

2011-08-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

The storms went around us last night and it was still feeling rather hot and sultry in the morning. When we left the anchorage at 8 am, the temperature had already climbed to 84 degrees. Fortunately, the partly cloudy sky became cloudy and kept the temperature moderate. By the time we anchored at 12:30 pm it was “only” 88 degrees. We were familiar with the anchorage as we had stayed here two nights on the way upriver and observed the nightly ritual at the bat sanctuary. We were only a half-mile from the lock so that put us in good position for the morning lock through.

After lunch, we relaxed with some reading and watched the sky as a thunderstorm approached. Before long, we could see the rain coming across the lake and quickly dropped the hatches to wait for the storm. We could tell there was some pretty strong wind on the main lake, but we didn’t notice it quite so much in our protected anchorage. During the storm we enjoyed a wonderful cool down that lasted the rest of the day.

Sunday, Aug 7, 2011 – mile 379 on Tennessee River near Scottsboro, AL

2011-08-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

It is a long traveling day when you pull anchor at 7 am and don’t drop it again until 7:30 pm. We were quite comfortable with it, though, since we had some cloud cover and a bit of a breeze making it feel a little less hot than usual. Besides, we were ready for a good long cruise.

At 10 am, we stopped at Nickajack Marina for some diesel fuel and picked up a few bottles of diet pop. We had a lock and a railroad bridge to pass through but, fortunately, there was no waiting for either opening. We traveled 70 miles (62 nautical miles) and entered the anchorage at mile 379 in a place where we had stayed on the way upriver.

Upon entering the anchorage, we discovered a houseboat had arrived before us and anchored in the spot we had previously used. We made several attempts at anchoring some yards away from the other boat but were unable to get a good “set” due to the hydrilla and water milfoil clogging the anchor. The sky was looking a bit threatening and we wanted to be sure we would hold in case of a storm. Our only alternative was to tie to one of the three sets of pilings that were present in this Second Class harbor. We felt secure as the lightning lit up the not too distant sky. After dark, the houseboat pulled anchor and left – we weren’t sure if it was because of the weather or if they had only intended to stay for the day.

Saturday, Aug 6, 2011 – sandbar at mile 447.8 on the Tennessee River

2011-08-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

Gale made a great scrambled egg and toast breakfast for everyone to start the day. Dan and Julie packed up the van and the kids and they were on the road back to Chicago before 9:00 am with the hope of making it all the way home in one day.

We spent most of the rest of the morning doing general cleaning chores. After lunch, Maureen grabbed the utility cart and walked across the bridge to the north side of town where there was a Whole Foods grocery store. While in the produce section, one of the back wheels gave up and fell off the cart. Maureen called Gale to come to her rescue and while he made the walk to the grocery store, she finished up the shopping and met him outside in the parking lot. He had brought a wire and a pair of pliers to fasten the wheel back on. We were able to haul our groceries back without further incident.

At 3:45 pm, we were ready to leave Chattanooga for good and begin our westerly tour back down the Tennessee River. Since it was already so late in the day, we couldn’t go too far, so at 6:30 pm we dropped the anchor one more time at “the Beach.” There were still several boats full of kids hanging around so we anchored away from the action and enjoyed our time making dinner and watching the sun go down.

Friday, Aug 5, 2011 – Chattanooga, TN

2011-08-25T08:28:00.000-05:00

We awoke to another lovely summer morning. Dan was able to snap a couple of great pictures of the sun coming up over the mountain and the anchorage. By 9:30 am we were on our way back to Chattanooga but we took our time returning to the dock. Along the way we stopped to swim, Dan took some fabulous Blue Heron photos and we enjoyed a nice lunch on the boat. At 1:30 pm we were in Chattanooga getting cooled off and cleaned up for an afternoon of more fun.

Everyone was excited to tour the Tennessee Aquarium which included one building for saltwater ocean creatures and another building for freshwater river life. We began with the Ocean Journey and marveled at the stingrays, sharks, turtles and jellyfish. There was also an exhibit for penguins, a special butterfly room and a petting tank. The River Journey was also interesting especially when we were able to see the fish native to the Tennessee River. It made us wonder about jumping into the water again not knowing what might be lurking there!

By the time we finished touring the aquarium exhibits it was nearly 5 pm and everyone was hungry. We walked back to the boat and grilled up some hamburgers for dinner – but the evening wasn’t over yet! We still had tickets to the I-Max and a promise of ice cream later. The movie we saw was about two women in different parts of the world who had dedicated their lives to rescuing orphaned elephants and chimpanzees. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to large scoops at the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Thursday, Aug 4, 2011 – sandbar at mile 447.8 on the Tennessee River

2011-08-24T20:54:00.005-05:00

The morning was partly cloudy and helped to keep it cooler than recent days. We walked across the pedestrian bridge which is about a half-mile long and checked out Coolidge Park on the north side. Justin really got into playing in the fountain for awhile and after he was sufficiently dried off, we took a walk down to where the Delta Queen was docked. It was fun to tour the inside of the boat and imagine what it must have been like to take such a luxurious cruise so many years ago. Before leaving the park, we all took a ride on the merry-go-round.

At 12:30 pm, we left the dock and headed towards “The Beach.” We were grateful for the cloud cover as it would have been a very hot day without it. On the way downriver, we stopped to swim. Dan and the boys thought it might be fun to ride in the kayak behind the boat as we towed it down the river so they got to do the last mile or so in the little boat.

By 3:30 pm we were securely anchored and ready for a swim. The first thing everyone wanted to do was get across the river and play on the rope swings. Julie and Kevin opted to swim their way over while the rest of us rode in the dinghy and towed the kayak behind. The more daring of the bunch actually climbed up the tree to grab the rope and swing out over the water!

The rest of the afternoon and evening continued to be cooler and everyone seemed to be enjoying the river.

Wednesday, Aug 3, 2011 – Chattanooga, TN

2011-08-24T20:28:00.003-05:00

We had our breakfast and spent some time in the water before pulling anchor at 11 am and heading upriver towards Chattanooga. It was already 88 degrees and on its way to the century mark. The cruise was a leisurely one – stopping along the way two or three times to jump in the water and cool down.

At 3 pm, we were back at the dock and ready to plug into shore power. Everyone had a nice shower on the boat, changed into clean clothes and enjoyed the air conditioning. Dan and Julie gave us a call late in the afternoon and said we should expect them around 6 pm. When they arrived, we walked uptown to a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a nice meal, heard about the wonderful few days they spent up in the mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and told them about our own experiences since we left them at Mammoth Cave on Saturday.

Mon, Aug 1 and Tues, Aug 2, 2011 – sandbar at mile 447.8 on the Tennessee River

2011-08-24T20:26:00.000-05:00

The morning was devoted to running errands, returning the rental car and a few final preparations before leaving the dock at Chattanooga. Shortly after lunch, we were on our way. The sky was partly cloudy and the temperature was already 90 degrees. Our destination was “The Beach” where we planned to spend a couple of days with Kevin and Justin just fishing, swimming, playing in the sand and relaxing.

About a half hour or so into the cruise, the boys were anxious to go for a swim. The temperature was climbing into the mid-90’s and it was HOT! Because there was so little boat traffic on the river, we simply turned off the engine and drifted while Grandpa Gale and the two boys jumped in and cooled off. After a nice swim, we continued on our way and arrived at the anchorage around 3:30 pm.

The kids jumped off the boat while Gale and Maureen continued to secure things. Justin found a spot on shore where a dozen or so yellow swallowtail butterflies had gathered on the ground and seemed to be enjoying the shade. He called it “the butterfly house.”

Soon Grandmo and Grandpa Gale were in the water enjoying a swim with the kids. By 5 pm it was time for the guys to go fishing and see what they could bring home for dinner. Grandmo was very surprised when they returned a little over an hour later with a wonderful stringer of fresh fish including a large bass and some nice bluegills – more than enough to feed the four of us that evening.

Tuesday morning we took the dinghy across the river to check out another sandbar where we’d noticed a rope swing. The boys wanted to swim across the river and gave it their best effort but soon found that fighting the current wasn’t easy. Kevin made it most of the way without an assist from us. We told him that crossing back to the boat from the other side would be a lot easier since he would be going with the current.

We played on the rope swing for awhile – Grandpa Gale helped to push and got every one of us swinging out so we could let go of the rope and drop into the deeper water. Fun!

The sun was beginning to get pretty hot, so we headed back to the boat. This time Kevin swam all the way across and Justin gave it a good try before asking for a “tow.”

A nice lunch, a little rest and we were back in the water. Late in the afternoon, the guys took off in the dinghy in search of more fish. The catch wasn’t quite as abundant as the day before, but they brought back a few small bluegills that we enjoyed with our hamburgers for supper.

The evening was rather hot and there wasn’t much of a breeze. We were all a bit restless during the night and were glad that our plan was to head back to Chattanooga in the morning since the forecast was for an even hotter day on Wednesday.

Sat, July 30 and Sun, July 31, 2011 – Mammoth Cave, KY

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We were on the road before 8 am and headed to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, where we were meeting our son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Julie, and their two boys, Kevin (age 10) and Justin (age 8). Dan and Julie were celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary by taking a family vacation to meet us and then allowing themselves a few days on their own while we had the boys with us on the boat.

After a four-hour drive, we arrived in Cave City, Kentucky, about the same time as Dan, Julie and the boys. Since it was too early to check into the hotel, we drove to the nearest Walmart where we picked up a few blow-up water toys for the week, grabbed some lunch at Subway and stopped at a couple of other discount stores before returning to the Super 8 Motel for a quick check-in and then on to Mammoth Cave for our 4 pm cave tour.

We opted for the Historic Tour which took us into the main cave entrance and along an interesting path. It was fun to rediscover the same areas that excited the earliest explorers and cave visitors. There wasn’t much in the way of columns, stalactites or stalagmites in this section, so we decided to get up early tomorrow and take the 9 o’clock Frozen Niagara tour which guides you through a more decorative part of the cave and begins at an entrance that was created in 1924.

After exploring the cave, we headed to “town” for a nice dinner at the family steakhouse and then up to our adjacent rooms to relax for the evening. Both rooms were so cold when we opened the doors, that we spent some time outside waiting for them to warm up again.

On Sunday morning, we met at the hotel’s breakfast nook shortly before 8 am and arrived at the park in plenty of time for our tour. It turned out to be a completely different experience from yesterday. We were taken by bus to the “new” cave entrance and then proceeded quickly down into the earth where we were awed by the sights.

A quick lunch at Wendy’s and we bid goodbye to Dan & Julie as they took off for a few days of “couple time.” Kevin and Justin came with us and we headed to Chattanooga. Upon arriving in the city, we stopped for a few grocery items and continued on to the dock where Blue Heron was waiting.

We got the air conditioning running, had an easy supper and put on our swimsuits to walk over to the aquarium fountain for some splashing around. After cooling off, we sat on the bow and visited with Kevin and Justin as we enjoyed the lights of the city.

Friday, July 29, 2011 – Chattanooga, TN

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After an hour of early yoga on the expanse of lawn next to our boat, we moved the short distance to the dock in front of the aquarium where we would have electric, water and a nice place to leave the boat unattended. We did some cleaning chores to get ready for our company before Gale picked up the rental car for the weekend. Having a vehicle certainly made it a lot easier to do our laundry and take care of some errands.

Thursday, July 28, 2011 – Chattanooga’s public dock

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We left the anchorage just before noon and tied up at the public dock in Chattanooga at 3 pm. Since we were going to be renting a car on Friday and our kids were going to be visiting in a few days with their vehicle, we did a little reconnaissance work related to overnight parking. With that task completed, we continued our walk about town and enjoyed a drink at the Easy Bistro and dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant before returning to the boat for the evening.

Sat, July 23 to Wed, July 27, 2011 – sandbar at mile 447.8 on the Tennessee River

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We spent the morning touring the city beginning with the double decker bus which gave us a little history of the area. After the hour-long bus ride, we boarded the free shuttle that took us around the main part of town and to the Chattanooga Choo Choo depot. The depot is now a hotel which includes old passenger train cars for accommodations as well as modern hotel buildings. After a little lunch and a look around, we hopped the free shuttle back to the Visitors Center and returned to the boat.

After 5 pm, we left the dock at Chattanooga and motored back to ‘The Beach’ anchorage where we arrived at 7:30 pm. There were still a few boats and a lot of young people around – most of whom had had more than enough to drink – so we anchored far enough away to give them some space. Shortly after sunset, we were once again alone in our quiet spot.

Sunday at ‘The Beach’ was full of activity but since we were anchored away from the action, we didn’t seem to interfere with anyone’s enjoyment of the place. The next three days were much quieter with just a couple of boats coming and going each day.

Friday, July 22, 2011 – mile 465, Chattanooga, TN

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Thursday found us relaxing at “The Beach.” During the afternoon, the skies clouded up and we experienced a few light showers that really cooled things down. After a high temperature of 98 degrees yesterday, we welcomed the respite. Shortly after 7 pm, we were enjoying our dinner out on the bow as the nightly riverboat cruise came by. The Tennessee Aquarium has a large power cat they use for the River Gorge tour which originates from the dock in downtown Chattanooga, comes past our beach and then turns around and heads back upriver. It is about a two-hour tour.

We spent Friday morning at the anchorage and then decided to check out Chattanooga. It was only about a fifteen-mile trip, so we waited until 11:30 am to pull up the anchor and make our way up the river. Our tour included more lovely scenery and great views of Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain.

Just before 3 pm, we tied up to the floating dock below the Aquarium. We found out that the dock was managed by Marine Max so there would be a fee to stay overnight but we were more than ready for some air conditioning and gladly plugged in.

A short walk to the Visitors Center helped us to orient ourselves and learn about some of the tours and attractions available. We took the free shuttle across the river, walked around a bit and strolled back across the river on the pedestrian bridge. After cooling down on the boat for a few minutes, we decided to walk back uptown and find a nice restaurant where we could enjoy a couple of drinks and a nice dinner. The Easy Bistro Bar and Grill was just the ticket. We shared the lamb entrée on the outside patio and watched the people pass by.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – mile 447.8, volleyball net sandbar on Tennessee River

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Please be sure to click on each photo to enlarge.

By 9:30 am we knew it was going to be another very hot day. It was already 85 degrees and no breeze so we hauled up the anchor and moved on. After passing under the highway bridges for US 41 and I-24, we could see the Hales Bar hydroelectric plant in the distance. This facility was completed in 1913 and was the second largest hydroelectric generating plant at that time. Only Niagara was bigger. The plant was dedicated with much fanfare, however, almost from the beginning there was a serious problem of water leaking through rock strata under the dam. The dam was removed and replaced with Nickajack Dam and the old power plant stands silent today.

We stopped at the Nickajack Marina for fuel and admired the beautiful scenery around us. We thought the floating cabins looked like they would be a lot of fun to rent for a family gathering.

After leaving Nickajack Marina, we arrived at the stretch of river known as the “Grand Canyon of the Tennessee” which runs all the way to Chattanooga, a distance of 32 miles. Twisting through the mountains, we could see the slopes were rich with foliage. In fact, more than 300 kinds of trees and 900 varieties of wildflowers grow in the Chattanooga area. According to our guidebook, only central China has as wide a range of plant life.

Our travels took us through the parts of the river called “The Pan,” “The Skillet,” “The Pot” and “The Suck,” so named by early boatmen because they thought the boiling and swirling water reminded them of food being cooked. In “The Pot” we searched for a sandbar that our cruising friends, Todd and Brenda of Life’s 2 Short, had told us about where they thought we should be able to beach the boat. They said to look for the volleyball net and check out the sandbar across the river from it. As it turned out, we decided to anchor next to the volleyball net for the night and see what it was like.

After securing Blue Heron, we swam into shore and enjoyed the large smooth sand beach. We learned later that the locals actually call this spot “The Beach.”

Gale thought he would see if he could catch some fish for dinner and within five minutes, he had reeled in a beautiful large-mouth bass. There were no more that followed, but that one bass yielded two great filets for our evening meal.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – mile 425.5, Tennessee River, Shellmound Recreation Area

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We left the anchorage shortly after 8 am with a plan to travel all the way through Guntersville Lake, through Nickajack Lock and anchor above the lock at the Shellmound Recreation Area. It was a good day of traveling with a morning temperature of 80 degrees and ending the day at 97 degrees. At least there was a haze all day that helped keep the sun from being so brutal, but it was still hot.

We dropped the anchor at 5:30 pm near the Shellmound Recreation Area and bathed in the fresh water off the back of the boat before drying off and grilling our dinner. It was a nice spot and very open to the winds. Too bad we couldn’t find a breeze!

Monday, July 18, 2011 – mile 378, Tennessee River

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We spent all of Sunday and that night at the “bat cave” anchorage. It was a very nice summer day – not too hot. Gale did some fishing (no catching) and he even looked for bullfrogs after the sun went down. The tree frogs, bullfrogs and cicadas graced us with a very loud concert for another night.

We hung out at the anchorage all Monday morning and then hauled up the anchor just before 1 pm. The sky was mostly sunny, wind calm and it was shaping up to be a very hot day with the temperature to rise to 95 degrees.

There was stunning scenery along the way all afternoon. At 5:30 pm we dropped anchor at mile 378 with a fine view of Sand Mountain and a spectacular sunset.

Saturday, July 16, 2011 – mile 349.5, Tennessee River, just above Guntersville Lock & Dam

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Because of limited anchoring opportunities, we needed to cover 65 miles and make it through one lock on this day. We had the anchor hauled up and were on our way at 6 am accompanied by cloudy skies and a morning temperature of 75 degrees.

Early on we passed the TVA’s Browns Ferry nuclear plant which when it was built in 1974 was the world’s largest nuclear generating plant. The stack, part of the plant’s cooling system, is 660 feet high.

Beautiful scenery along the way included not only vistas of the mountains and the winding river but also lovely homesteads nestled along the hillsides. The day was very comfortable with a high of only 87 degrees and the cloudy skies were welcomed.

The Guntersville Lock was open and waiting for us when we arrived at 5 pm. Within the hour, we had cleared the lock and dropped our anchor for the night in a lovely spot.

After dinner, we took a short dinghy ride around the bend into the river to witness the grey bat population make their nightly exit from their cave at sundown.

Friday, July 15, 2011 – mile 285.1, Tennessee River, Goldsfield Branch embayment

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It was time for us to get moving on the river again. The skies were cloudy and the temperature was 76 degrees as we left our slip at 8:30 am. Before departing, however, we gave the lockmaster a call and received the “All Clear” to come ahead towards the lock. Just as we were leaving the harbor, a barge was passing in front of us heading towards the lock. Of course, we had to wait for the barge and we didn’t clear Wilson Lock until 11:15 am. Oh well, we had a nice place to tie up and listen to the rushing water from a nearby outlet.

Wilson Lock, at mile 259.4, is the oldest on the river having been completed in 1925. At that time it was heralded as the world’s largest. The original still remains even though it has been rebuilt and is used only in emergencies today. The new lock was built in 1950 and was once the world’s highest single lift lock at 93 feet. It now ranks sixth in the U.S. behind five higher locks on the Columbia River and Snake River in the Pacific Northwest.

Wilson Lake with a length of only 15 miles, is the shortest of all the lakes on the Tennessee. It’s also one of the deepest with water depths as great as 125 feet. We soon arrived at Wheeler Lock and Dam, and were locked through to enter Wheeler Lake at 2:15 pm. We continued on for about four more hours and anchored in a nice open anchorage with gently sloping wooded banks. It was great to have the cloudy skies with us all day. It felt almost “cool” even with a high temperature of 92 degrees.

Friday, July 8, 2011 – Florence, Alabama

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We spent over five weeks off the boat visiting family and friends back in the Midwest. On our way to Clear Lake on Memorial Day weekend, we stopped overnight in Aurora, Illinois, (Chicago suburb) and visited our eldest son and his family. We enjoyed going for a walk in their neighborhood and then later playing with the three rats that have become part of their family.

The next day, we stopped in Guttenberg, Iowa, about the time our friends, Bob and Susie, were to come through Lock 10 on the Mississippi River. After locking down, we helped them secure their 25-foot sailboat, Heron, at the dock and walked uptown to visit with them as we enjoyed some lunch. We plan to hook up with them on Pickwick Lake later this summer and do a bit of cruising together.

We arrived in Clear Lake on the evening of Tuesday, May 31, just in time to join Gale’s mom, dad and brother outside as they grilled their dinner. Early on June 2nd, Maureen headed north to Minneapolis to spend four days at a yoga teachers’ training conference learning about restorative yoga and pranayama (breath work). Mid-June we were able to spend some extra time with our two youngest grandsons when we brought them up to Clear Lake from Des Moines for a few days.

Much of our time over the next few weeks was taken up tending to small maintenance-type jobs around the cottage and enjoying the Lake. The Fourth of July is always a big deal in our hometown with lots of people around for the six-day carnival and the huge fireworks display. This year was no exception.

Early on July 8th, we loaded up the car and headed south. We were in Iowa City by 10 am and stopped there for a few minutes to visit our son, Kelle, who just graduated from the University of Iowa in May. He is getting ready to pack up and leave Iowa for Rochester, New York, where he will begin medical school in August.

The drive to Florence was an easy one and we arrived at the dock around 8 pm. After unloading the vehicle and starting the air conditioning on the boat, we walked over to the marina’s grill for some pizza and beer. What a great end to a nice trip!

Fri, May 27 thru Mon, May 30, 2011 - Florence, Alabama

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Note: This post is mostly about pictures, and they are small, so don't forget to double click on the photo to enlarge it.

It was 9:15 am when we pulled up anchor Friday morning and began our easterly journey on the Tennessee River toward Florence. The morning was cloudy and there was a light wind from the north keeping the temperatures cooler and in the lower 60’s. Before going very far, we crossed the river to check out the anchorage at Panther Creek. Our new Tennessee River guide (Fred Meyers) indicated that Panther Creek was one of the best anchorages on Pickwick Lake and we couldn’t imagine anything nicer than anchoring at the waterfall. In fact, our anchoring spot for the last three nights was not even mentioned in the guide. Panther Creek was ok, but there was nothing special about it and the only situation we could think of where we might choose it over the waterfall on the other side of the river would be if the waterfall area was too crowded.

Along the way we passed J.P. Coleman State Park which appeared to be a very nice recreation area. We also saw the remnants of the old Riverton lock, part of what once was a canal and lock system built more than 100 years ago. The canal extended upstream for about five miles so boats could bypass rapids and shoals. It was covered with water when Pickwick Dam was closed.

At mile 233.0 we could see the mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway bridge. It was completed in 1965 and at the time was one of the most graceful bridges spanning the Tennessee. Today, many bridges share the same design. At mile 245.0 was the TVA’s Colbert power plant which is one of several coal burning plants producing electricity and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Muscle Shoals area begins around mile 251. It consists of four cities and is the third largest urban area through which the Tennessee River passes. Only Chattanooga and Knoxville are larger. Florence, on the north side of the river, is the largest of the four cities. The other three cities, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, are all on the south side of the river. The four cities have a combined population of 75,000. We hope to visit the homes of W.C. Handy, “Father of the Blues,” and Helen Keller while here.

We pulled into the Florence Harbor Marina about 3:15 pm and spent the next 45 minutes maneuvering in and out of a slip that was just a bit too small for the boat. We finally made it work by backing in and securing ourselves with lines to keep us from damaging Blue Heron.

After showering, we tried out the marina’s restaurant, The Barge Inn, and enjoyed a fantastic meal. Maureen ordered the baked spaghetti and a margarita while Gale tried the chicken and broccoli pizza. Maureen gave the margarita a 9.5 rating on a scale of ten and said she would have to come back for another before we left. We both agreed that the pizza was the best we’d ever eaten.

On Saturday, we took a drive around Florence (we brought the car down from Iowa on our last pass through to Demopolis) and found the town easy to get around. In the afternoon, we went over to McFarland park which is next to the marina and Maureen witnessed her first fishing tournament weigh-in. It was a bass tournament and there about sixty boats entered in the contest. The winning boat had over 20 pounds of bass for the day.

Sunday and Monday were used to get caught up on the blog, clean up the boat, and pack for another trip back to the Midwest. Maureen plans to attend a yoga teacher’s conference in Minneapolis on June 2nd through 5th and then we will stay in Clear Lake through the Fourth of July holiday week

Tues, May 24 thru Thurs, May 26, 2011 - Waterfall Cove, Pickwick Lake

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It was nearly 8 am before we pulled up the anchor and made our way back to the channel. The temperature was already 74°F but the cloudy sky helped to keep things cool. For awhile that morning Maureen even wore a jacket while she steered the boat. This section of the Tenn-Tom north of Bay Springs is called “The Ditch” because it was cut out of the surrounding bluffs in a straight path from Yellow Creek to Bay Springs. The traveling was easy and before we knew it, we were through the chute and coming into Grand Harbor Marina for fuel. We lingered there for an hour or so as we took a walk up to the grounds and checked out the pool and fitness center.

We still had about five miles to go to find our favorite anchorage, mile 217.3 on the Tennessee River’s Pickwick Lake, and what we call Waterfall Cove. We were surprised to see our old friend, Mo, of m/v Motu, already pulled up on the sandbar. There were also a few other pontoons on the beach which we knew would be gone by the end of the day. We met Don, a self-proclaimed River Rat, and his Pomeranian, Precious, who had come by jet ski. We also met Frank who invited us up on his pontoon where Don, Precious, Mo and her friend, Joe, were already visiting.

There was some stormy weather forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday. Mo, m/v Motu, was a little spooked from the April tornadoes and decided to take a slip at Grand Harbor marina instead of staying at the anchorage. We felt we were very protected where we were and opted to stay. We did, however, put out a stern anchor which combined with already being nosed up on the beach and held tight with the bow anchor we felt we were quite secure.

We did experience quite a storm on Wednesday night and could see a lot of lightning a few miles away. The wind blew and the rain came but we held fast and weathered things quite comfortably.

Thursday morning brought us cooler temperatures and cloudy skies. We decided to stay one more night but would then leave Friday morning before the anchorage became crazy with all the Memorial Weekend traffic. Besides, we wanted to get to Florence so we could settle in there for a couple of days before leaving for Iowa again.

Sat, May 21 through Mon, May 23, 2011 - Trip up the Tenn-Tom Waterway

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(These pics are pretty small. Remember that you can click on any of them to make them bigger and get a better look.)

It was time to get moving again. The temperature at 6:45 am Saturday morning was a mild 66°F, there was no wind and the sky was mostly cloudy. In fact, after only a few minutes out on the waterway, the morning fog crept in and stayed with us for an hour or so.

This leg of the trip covered the 230 miles of the Tenn-Tom Waterway from Demopolis to Pickwick Lake. Our river experience over the three days was completely different from the earlier section between Mobile and Demopolis. There was no more flooding, the water levels were back to normal pool and the swift currents had receded. We didn’t feel like we were fighting our way up the river.

We had three good days of traveling and averaged about 70 miles on each one. The temperatures were well into the mid-90’s but the evenings cooled off enough to be able to get some sleep.

We traveled easily on Saturday and had only one lock at Gainesville. That night, we dropped the anchor at mile 287.3, Cochrane Cutoff, around 6:30 pm. This turned out to be a wonderful stop where we could catch whatever breeze there might be and still be out of the way of the barge traffic. It was a very quiet place – we didn’t even see any local boats about.

Day Two began at 6:20 am with similar weather conditions as the one before. We hoped to get through three locks and travel 70 miles – a very ambitious, but do-able, goal for the day. We arrived at Tom Bevill Lock at 9:15 am and the lockmaster informed us there was a southbound tow in the chamber. The barge was out and we were in and secure to the lock wall at 10 am. The lift in this lock was about 30 feet and half-way up, the lockmaster informed us we were going back down to pick up another northbound pleasure craft. Huh?? We’d been known to have to wait for other vessels before we could enter a lock but never had we been part way through a lockage and then had to reverse the process because another boat showed up!! Weird! So, it was nearly 11 am before we were released and on our way.

There was no waiting at the next two locks at Columbus and Aberdeen so we were able to cover the miles we had hoped to and were safe in our lovely anchorage at Blue Bluff near Aberdeen, Mississippi, by 7 pm.

We didn’t have as many miles to go on Day Three, however, there were six locks: Amory, Wilkins, Fulton, Rankin, Montgomery and the Jamie Whitten Lock. The first five locks averaged about a 30 foot lift each and the sixth lock, Jamie Whitten, had an 85 foot lift, the 9th highest in the United States. Our total gain in altitude for the day was 224 feet.

Twelve hours, six locks and about 60 miles after beginning our run for the day, we arrived at Bay Springs Lake where we dropped anchor and enjoyed the peacefulness of our surroundings. After taking showers off the back of the boat, we relaxed on the bow and watched as four large hounds hunted a doe they had chased into the water. We’re pretty sure the dogs never caught up with her.

Wed, May 18 thru Fri, May 20, 2011 - Back in Demopolis

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To avoid being charged for an additional day, we needed to get the rental car back to Meridian by 9:30 Wednesday morning. Tom and Louise McGuire, Maureen’s cousins, were good enough to meet us at the car rental office in Meridian and give us a lift back to Demopolis. As they dropped us off at the marina, Louise gave us a loaf of zucchini bread. Since we hadn’t had time for breakfast that morning, we couldn’t wait to give it a try. Thanks, Lu! The bread was great!

We spent the three days in Demopolis relaxing and preparing the boat for the trip upriver. Thursday, May 19th, we joined several of the cruisers from the marina at a local Mexican restaurant to help Mike Lewis celebrate his birthday. Afterwards, we took a tour around Demopolis, stopped in a nice wine shop and had some ice cream.

Mon, May 9 thru Tues, May 17, 2011 - Trip to Iowa

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On Monday morning, May 9th, we piled our luggage into Dave’s truck and took off for Meridian, Mississippi, before 8 am. At 9:45 am, we were on the road to Iowa. That night we stopped around 7 pm in Wentzville, Missouri, just north of St. Louis, where we found an inexpensive motel and went looking for a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The one we found wasn’t the greatest but, at least, it filled the empty spaces in our stomachs.

Back on the road again by 6:30 am Tuesday morning, we plotted a route to take us through Iowa City so we could deliver a car to our youngest son, Kelle. The car had been sitting at our friend Jim Hansen’s home in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, for awhile and Kelle was ready to use it again now that he was graduating from college. Jim greeted us as we pulled into his driveway and since it was lunchtime, we offered to take him out to eat. Because Jim knew that we wanted to have the car serviced before we left it with Kelle, he suggested that we take it to the Ford garage there in town and we could go to lunch from there. Good idea! And what was even a better idea was the place Jim directed us to for lunch – the Lincoln Café. Jim’s long time girlfriend, Diana, met us at the café. If you ever have the chance to eat at this establishment in Mt. Vernon, don’t pass up the opportunity. It was a fabulous dining experience and completely unexpected! Thank you, Jim and Diana!

After lunch, we picked up Kelle’s car and dropped it off in Iowa City. The next stop for the day was Des Moines. We arrived in time to accompany our daughter as she picked up the two little boys at daycare. We made a quick trip back to their home for a sandwich and then piled into two vehicles for the trip to the ball field for JT’s T-ball game. It was such fun and who would’ve predicted that the temperature that afternoon would reach 100°F! It was hot – a good old fashioned day at the ballpark.

After the ball game, we continued north to Gale’s parents’ cottage in Clear Lake where we arrived at 10 pm and went straight to bed. It was a good day.

The next three days were spent working around the cottage, visiting our parents and running errands. The biggest project was to see that our vehicle, a Toyota Solara, was running and ready to go. It wasn’t - - - so, after having it towed to the Toyota dealer and learning all the things that were wrong with it, we wished we would have sold it two years ago before we left on the boat. Evidently, vehicles that sit too long without being used, don’t fare well. The dealer thought they might be able to have all of the work done by Monday.

On a cold and rainy Saturday morning, May 14th, we left for Iowa City at 6:15 am. It was quite early, but we wanted to have enough time to make the drive, stop for coffee, and have a few minutes with Kelle before he had to join the lineup for his 11 am graduation ceremony. After a couple of stops, we arrived at the Marriott in Coralville, Iowa, at 9:45 am where we hooked up with Kelle, took a few pictures and waited for the event. Afterwards, we spent some time trouble shooting a problem with Kelle’s car and then relaxed and enjoyed a nice late lunch with the new graduate before driving back to Clear Lake.

Our original plan had been to leave for Demopolis straight from Iowa City instead of going back to Clear Lake; however, because we wanted to take our personal vehicle with us, we had to wait for it to get out of the shop. At 3 pm Monday, the Toyota had been repaired. The bill was $3,800 with the largest item being a new “computer” for the car, as well as four new tires, a new battery, new spark plugs, transmission flush, etc. About the only thing that car didn’t get was new brakes and those will have to be replaced when we decide to drive it on a regular basis again. Maureen was anxious to hit the road, so as soon as we picked up the car at Toyota, we started driving south.

We were able to get as far as Hannibal, Missouri, before stopping Monday night. The next morning, Tuesday, May 17th, we traveled all the way back to Demopolis with a side trip to Florence, Alabama, to check out the Florence Harbor Marina where we planned to leave our boat for a month as we travel back to Iowa again in June. We were happy with what we saw in Florence and arrive home to Blue Heron about 8 pm Tuesday night.

Sunday, May 8, 2011 - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

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Sunday, May 8, 2011 – Demopolis, Alabama

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We relaxed in Demopolis for several days taking care of the usual chores but not tackling any major projects. Tuesday, our first full day here, was a rainy one so we stayed on the boat most of the day reading and catching up on bills, correspondence, etc. After Tuesday, we enjoyed cooler than normal temperatures (70’s to low 80’s) and sunny skies which made for very pleasant spring days.

On Thursday, Maureen’s cousins, Tom and Louise McGuire, along with their friends, Rick and Beverly, rode over from Meridian, Mississippi, on their Harleys to see Blue Heron and visit for awhile. Meridian is a little less than an hour from Demopolis. After a tour of the boat, we walked over to the marina restaurant for a bite and then bid the cyclists “Adieu” for the night. We hope to get together again with Tom and Louise before we leave the area.

On Saturday, we were invited to join a few of the boaters for a trip over to Kora’s Restaurant for lunch. Kora sure knows how to cook! Gale had ribs, Maureen had baked chicken and we shared sides of baked beans, pinto beans, cheesy/rice/broccoli casserole, cornbread and homemade peach cobbler. It was fabulous!

Sunday, Mother’s Day, was spent doing a little laundry and getting packed for our trip to Iowa to see our youngest son, Kelle, graduate from college in Iowa City. Dave, a fellow boater living aboard Moonstruck, a 43-foot DeFever, had generously offered to give us a ride into Meridian Monday morning to pick up our rental car and we plan to take off from there.

Monday, May 2, 2011 – Demopolis, Alabama, mile 216 on the BWTB

2011-05-07T15:39:00.002-05:00

We were on our way before 7 am. The sky was partly cloudy, temperature 68°F and there was a very light southerly breeze. We made good time and arrived at the Demopolis Lock and Dam shortly before noon. There was a barge in the lock ahead of us but the lockmaster said he would have him locked through very soon.

Just as we were preparing to enter the lock, another northbound barge showed up so the lockmaster had us standby as he put the second barge through. While we were passing the time circling around, the second pleasure craft we’d seen during this whole week arrived at the lock. Pete and Linda aboard Carina, a 37-foot Carver trawler, hailed us on the radio and said they’d been keeping an eye out for us since they left Mobile early Saturday. They’d heard through mutual friends (people we haven’t even actually met yet – we’ve just conversed by phone) that we were out on the river somewhere between Mobile and Demopolis.

Before the second barge was locked through, the lockmaster informed us that there was now a southbound barge above the lock and he would be putting him through next. Finally, after a 2-1/2 hour wait, we had our turn. Barges and commercial traffic always have priority over pleasure craft so we weren’t totally surprised we had to wait. It was a good thing that we had all afternoon to make the transit.

We pulled into the Demopolis Yacht Basin at 3:30 pm where we fueled up the boat and took a slip. After getting settled in, we walked up to “The Wall” to meet several of the boaters and enjoy a few drinks. “The Wall” is where the daily gathering takes place in the late afternoons and all are invited. After a couple of drinks, we met Pete and Linda for dinner at the marina’s restaurant. The folks at “The Wall” had recommended we try the “Mo Mac” burger and they did not steer us wrong. We were just glad that we shared one sandwich instead of ordering two!

Sunday, May 1, 2011 – Chickasaw Bogue, mile 187.5 on the BWTB

2011-05-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

Before leaving the anchorage on this sunny pleasant morning, Gale decided to change the oil. He thought Blue Heron needed a little TLC since she’d been working so hard getting us up the river the past few days. We pulled anchor at 7 am and headed upriver. The current was strong and the debris stream was still there but we were able to maneuver around the logs without much difficulty.

Along the way we could see where recent high winds or tornados had caused a great deal of damage to trees. We gave thanks, once again, that we were in a safe place when the storms came through a few days ago.

We were going along fine when suddenly there was a terrible crunch and grinding noise. Shifting into neutral and looking behind us, we saw a green navigation buoy pop up that wasn’t there before. At least, Maureen hadn’t seen it as she was piloting the boat. We stopped for a moment to inspect the damage and found a good-sized hunk taken out of the propeller. Big bummer – especially when we were trying to be so careful.

A little bit further up the waterway, we witnessed the disappearing buoy phenomenon for ourselves. We could see a buoy up ahead but in a matter of moments, it was gone from sight. As we neared the spot where we thought the buoy had been, it resurfaced long enough for us to confirm that it, indeed, had been there and then was pulled under once again by the fast water and currents – lurking just below the surface for the next boat to come by and get too close.

We found the anchorage just before 4 pm and it didn’t look anything like it did when we were here in late October 2009. In fact, we had noted in the blog at that time that it was one of our favorite anchorages along the Great Circle Route to date because of the lovely sandbar we were able to beach Blue Heron on. That sandbar was at least ten feet underwater this time around and we ended up throwing out an anchor and tying the stern to a small tree to keep us out of the channel. We’re hoping that on the return trip we’ll be able to enjoy the sandbar.

We replaced the damaged prop with our spare and spent the evening sitting out on the bow watching the barges go by. We tried making a couple of phone calls home – our grandson, Kevin, was having his tenth birthday – but the connections were poor and we could only talk for a few frustrating minutes.

Saturday, April 30, 2011 – Bashi Creek, mile 145 on the BWTB

2011-05-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

We planned to travel only about 25 miles for the day so we lingered around Bobby's Fish Camp for a few hours in the morning. It was another foggy sunrise – even thicker than the day before. Blaine Stevens, 9 years old, came down to the dock, introduced himself and said he was there with his family in a camper trailer. He told us he liked boats and that he had been on most of the cruising boats that stayed at the dock at Bobby's. He had a lot of questions about how things ran so Gale invited him aboard and showed him around. He thought cruising would be a great way to live.

Shortly after 9 am, we motored away from the dock and made our way to the anchorage at Bashi Creek where we anchored near the public access ramp about 3:30 pm. Because of the high waters, the ramp was not being used but that did not keep the locals from gathering to enjoy a Saturday night of fishing from the bank and drinking beer. We were told that the closest town was about 20 miles away.

Friday, April 29, 2011 – Bobby’s Fish Camp, mile 119

2011-05-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

We were off and running at 6 am. It was cool, with a morning temperature of 53°F but the wind was calm and we saw very little debris coming down the river. Only ten minutes into the trip, the fog rolled in and for the next hour, we had difficulty seeing where we were going. Maureen stood out on the bow and kept a lookout to help Gale maneuver around any obstacles. We announced our position on the radio a couple of times in case there were any barges in the area and they could watch for us.

After the fog lifted, we enjoyed a great day of cruising. The current was somewhat stronger – more like 2-1/2 to 3 knots instead of 2 to 2-1/2 knots. We met one southbound sailboat, Clarity, just before we encountered our first “low” high-rise bridge. Chuck from Clarity gave us an update on the river conditions south of Demopolis. He indicated that we should not have any problems clearing the 52-foot high bridges.

It was a good traveling day. The railroad lift bridge was open when we arrived so there was no waiting. We cleared three 52-foot bridges and a low telephone wire with feet to spare. The debris stream was fairly easy to avoid and there was no waiting at our first lock of the trip at Coffeeville either. We motored up to the dock at Bobby’s Fish Camp at 5:30 pm and tied up for the night.

After fueling up, we ordered a couple of cold beers up at Bobby’s Fish Camp. We skipped the catfish dinner this time and, instead, enjoyed the meal we had smelled cooking in the crock pot all day.

Wednesday and Thursday, April 27 and 28, 2011 – Three Rivers Lake

2011-05-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday morning, the skies were overcast and we could tell by the tops of the trees that the wind was blowing stronger than yesterday. It rained off and on all day but there wasn’t a lot of lightning and thunder. We were very glad to have found this spot to spend a stormy day.

Wednesday night the weather front came through and the wind switched from south to north. We were awakened by the strong gusts and dropping temperatures. The Captain did not sleep well – he was up several times to make sure the anchor was holding and we were safe. The next morning we learned of the tragic storms and tornados that had killed over 200 people in Alabama only about 100 miles north and east of where we had spent the night.

We decided to stay put another day to let the river calm down a bit. We weren’t sure what we were going to encounter along the way, but with all the lives lost overnight, we didn’t feel good about leaving just yet. The day was a gorgeous one - so typical after a day of bad storms. All day long we watched the Coast Guard jets and other military transports fly overhead, presumably from Mobile to the tornado stricken areas. We offered up our thoughts and prayers for those families affected by the storms.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 – Three Rivers Lake, mile 64 on the BWTB

2011-05-06T16:52:00.001-05:00

We were up early and on our way before 6:30 am. The forecast for the day was for increasing cloudiness, scattered thunderstorms and light southerly winds. We knew that the forecast for Wednesday was for severe weather and a warning of 25 mph sustained winds with gusts to 40 mph, so we wanted to be in a protected anchorage for at least 36 hours.

We set our sights on mile 64, Three Rivers Lake, an anchorage that was given very high ratings for holding, current and wind protection. We knew it would be a haul, since it was nearly fifty miles against a strong current, but there weren’t any locks or bridges to contend with on that stretch so we thought we should be able to make it before the sunset even if we could only chug along at 4 mph.

During the day we experienced one quick but very close thunderstorm and a couple of rain showers. We were able to avoid the debris in the river by staying on the inside bends and being extra vigilant. By 5 pm, we had arrived at the cutoff to Three Rivers Lake. The guidebook instructions about locating the anchorage were a bit confusing to us and, at first, we were not at all happy having to anchor in a narrow creek that was over 20 feet deep. Given the high ratings for the anchorage, however, we decided to venture up the creek a little further and were pleasantly surprised to find the creek open up into a lovely small lake with enough space for several boats to share the anchorage. Of course, the only other boats we’d seen since leaving Mobile the day before were commercial vessels and barges, so we were quite alone in this beautiful place.

Monday, April 25, 2011 – Big Bayou Canot, mile 16.6 on Black Warrior – Tombigbee (BWTB) Waterway

2011-05-06T16:48:00.000-05:00

We borrowed the marina’s courtesy vehicle to pick up groceries and run a few errands before heading out again. At 12:15 pm, we pulled away from the dock and began our trek up the river. It was a little bumpy passing through a few miles of Mobile Bay from the marina, but as we entered the mouth of the Mobile River, the waves calmed down and we enjoyed a wonderful sail northward even as we pushed against the current. We experienced SSE winds between 10 and 22 knots for the entire afternoon.

We encountered a bit of a hold up at the railroad swing bridge known as “14-mile Bridge.” Here we had to wait 1-1/2 hours to allow the workers to finish some bridge repairs and then for the train to pass over. As we waited, the engine was in neutral or at idle speed and the wind continued to push us upstream against a 2-knot current.

Finally after clearing the bridge, we traveled the remaining few miles to Big Bayou Canot where we found a nice anchorage for the night.

Sunday, April 24, 2011 – Dog River Marina, Mobile, Alabama

2011-05-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

Easter Sunday dawned somewhat on the cloudy side but the wind was calm and the temperature was pleasant – great conditions for crossing Mobile Bay. The south wind picked up as we moved along and by the time we arrived at Dog River at 12:30 pm, the breeze had stiffened to 15 knots.

The first order of business upon arrival at Dog River Marina was to fuel up. This marina offers “Loopers” one free night dockage if you fill your fuel tanks there. After fueling and getting settled into our slip, we showered and did a load of laundry. We met a few boaters who were planning to head up the river soon but were standing by to see what the weather and the river was going to do.

After finishing the chores, we lowered the dinghy and rode a few dozen yards across the river to meet our friends Bill and Dorothy at Grand Mariner Marina. We had first met Bill and Dorothy at Snook Bight Marina in November and it was nice to have a couple of hours to visit with them.

Saturday, April 23, 2011 – Bon Secour River, ICW mile 150.5, near G9 and R10 buoys

2011-05-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

We left the anchorage at Perdido Key at 8 am with a mostly sunny sky and winds from the SSE at 10 mph and a temperature in the mid-70’s. Just before noon, we docked at Lulu’s Restaurant near Orange Beach, Alabama, to have a couple of beers, share a sandwich and listen to some live music. Our evening anchorage was only five miles from Lulu’s and the singer was quite talented, so we decided to spend the entire afternoon relaxing here and enjoying the music.

By 5 pm, we thought we’d better head to our anchorage. Our guidebook indicated that we should travel a few miles up the river to get to the favored spot; however, since the night was calm and there wasn’t any weather predicted, we found a wide spot out of the channel and dropped the hook at 6:15 pm.

Friday, April 22, 2011 – Big Lagoon, Pensacola, FL

2011-04-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

Before leaving the dock Wednesday morning, we walked up to the house to say ‘Thank You’ and ‘Goodbye’ to Jack and Candis. They were on their way to South Carolina for a few days to visit family and attend a wedding. We untied the lines from the dock before 8:30 am and were on our way towards Pensacola via the ICW. The day was pleasant with temperatures in the mid-70’s, some clouds and a light southerly breeze.

We had two “low” high-rise bridges to pass under between Destin and Pensacola. The lowest one at Ft Walton Beach had a 49-foot clearance, however, since some work was being done on the bridge and it was covered with tarps, we barely squeaked through. Gale said he actually saw the antenna on the top of the mast catch and bend!! The other bridge at Navarre Beach had a 50-foot clearance so we slipped under with no problem.

We arrived at Perdido Key near Pensacola and anchored in Big Lagoon a little after 4 pm. This was one of our favorite anchorages. Perdido Key is part of the National Lakeshore and is undeveloped in this area. Just a quick walk across Perdido Key provides great Gulf side surf swimming on a pristine, deserted beach.

On both Thursday and Friday mornings, we were treated to an air show courtesy of the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The Blue Angels are based out of this facility and practice their maneuvers regularly. It was quite a thrill to watch these jets fly over Blue Heron.

We fished, walked the beach, explored an old fort and relaxed for a few days before making our final push towards Mobile Bay.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 – Joe’s Bayou, Destin, FL

2011-04-22T13:18:00.000-05:00

After taking Sunday and Monday to reprovision, do some laundry and run a few errands, we pulled out of Panama City just before 7 am on Tuesday morning. Our destination for the day was Joe’s Bayou in Destin, Florida, where some new friends, Jack and Candis Wilson, had invited us to stay at their dock whenever we came through the area. We had met Jack and Candis while at the Vinoy Marina in St. Pete and enjoyed a few cocktails with them one evening aboard their vessel, After Five, a 50-foot Marquis.

Instead of traveling on the ICW, we decided to take the outside route. We had hoped that the wind would stiffen up a bit in the afternoon, but it wasn’t enough to help the ride. The seas were about 2 to 3 feet, but very “rolly.” We did have some fun catching several frigate mackerel along the way – not good to eat, but great fighters. We caught and released four of these guys and a fifth (we presume it was of the same type) got away.

About 3 pm we sailed under the 50-foot bridge at the Destin inlet. There we saw After Five anchored near Crab Key, a popular local swimming spot. Jack hailed us on the VHF and said they would escort us to their dock. They patiently waited for us (their boat can travel 40 mph where we go along about 6 mph) and we followed them into Joe’s Bayou. Imagine our surprise as we came around the bend and realized that they had pulled into a dock in front of a gorgeous mansion! Yes, that was our home for the night.

Our hosts graciously invited us up to the house for some wine and hors d’oeuvres as soon as we were settled in. Candis had a meeting at 5 pm with some people that were going to supervise the staff at a charity event in their home later in the month. Maureen enjoyed following along and listening to the conversations about the table settings, appropriate glassware, decorations, serving the wine and the eight courses, etc. Before going back to our boat for the evening, Jack gave us a tour of their lovely home. It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful residence we had ever seen.

Monday, April 18, 2011 - Bay Point Marina, Panama City, FL

2011-04-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

On Thursday, March 31, 2011, our friends, Joel and Mary McChesney flew into Ft Myers and found their way to our boat at Snook Bight Marina. They were joining us for an adventure traveling up the west coast of Florida and across the Gulf of Mexico. Some of you may remember that they were with us for a time last winter as we explored Key West and the Dry Tortugas. We celebrated their arrival and Maureen’s birthday by sharing a five-star meal at the marina’s Bayfront Bistro. It was the first time Gale and Maureen had enjoyed anything more than drinks at this restaurant but, we declared, it wouldn’t be the last.

April 1st found us up early and making preparations to leave the marina. By 9:45 am we were on our way to Cabbage Key – a favorite spot to take guests for a beer or a bite to eat. Since our destination was more than 30 miles away, we enjoyed lunch on the boat as we traveled. Our anchorage for the night was suggested by our friends on Life’s 2 Short, Todd and Brenda, and turned out to be a wonderful hurricane hole near Pt. Blanco and Cayo Costa Island.
We felt so protected and secluded from the rest of the world. Our trip to Cabbage Key was fun, as always. We walked around the grounds a bit, climbed the wooden water tower and had a couple of beers before going back to Blue Heron for our dinner. The guys were very happy to have some time to fish beforehand and had no trouble at all catching enough sea trout to feed the four of us that evening.

On Saturday, April 2nd, Gale and Maureen had made an appointment to meet a realtor at noon at Gasparilla Marina near Englewood. Joanne, the realtor, took the four of us to several properties in the area where we checked out some of the waterfront condos available. At the end of the day, we had enough time to make it to our favorite anchorage near Englewood Beach where we spent two weeks in March with Mark and Marge.

On Sunday, April 3rd, we traveled 80 miles to Clearwater – much of it on Gulf waters instead of the protected ICW. Since it was such a nice evening and no bad weather or winds were forecast, we anchored in the Gulf as close to shore as possible. It was a pleasant night with a light breeze.

On Monday, April 4th, we set our sights on Crystal River. It woud be a long passage, but with good southeasterly winds ( 6 to 20 knots ), we did not expect any difficulty making the 90-mile trip since we were leaving at 7 am and we had at least 12 hours of daylight ahead of us. That is, if everything went well . . .

Before arriving in Tarpon Springs where we planned to get fuel that morning, we called our friends, Russ and Cindy in Tampa, and asked them about any anchorages between Tarpon Springs and Crystal River. We knew there was some thunderstorm activity forecast for after midnight and needed the information before we left. Russ advised us that there was no safe anchorage between those two places – if we couldn’t make it to Crystal River by nightfall, he strongly suggested that we stay in Tarpon Springs until the weather passed.

We decided to make the passage. With the stiff breeze and the motor, we easily averaged 7 knots and our GPS indicated that we would make it to our anchorage just before sunset. Things were going along fine until we snagged a crab pot on our lower unit early in the afternoon. Joel and Gale were able to unwrap the line but could not free it entirely as it was wedged in pretty good. We still had the wind with us, so we turned off the motor and chose to sail the rest of the way. Gale was concerned about having enough power to get up the river once we arrived at Crystal River so the guys took some time to mount the outboard motor from the dinghy on the motor mount Gale had recently installed on the back of Blue Heron for emergency purposes. Without going into a lot of detail, we had a mishap with the dinghy as the guys tried lowering it to work on the lower unit while under sail. The dinghy caught a wave and dumped most of its contents into the sea! Now, there was no motor on the dinghy so we couldn’t go back for the floating items by dinghy. The only option left was to fire up the engine and hope we wouldn’t cause any damage to the lower unit with the dangling line. Oh, yeah, and it was getting very late in the day, too.

As they say: “All’s Well That Ends Well.” The prop turned just fine and there was no entanglement. We were able to retrieve most of the items that were dumped overboard. The outboard motor worked well as our backup engine. The spotlight on board helped us to make our way up ten miles of Crystal River as we lit up the channel markers for our Captain. The predicted thunderstorms held off and at 10 pm we were anchored safely near several other boats. We were so exhausted, we didn’t even bother making dinner. We each had a drink and a few snacks before latching down the hatches and going to bed. The thunderstorm made its appearance early the next morning and we spent several hours waiting for the weather to clear. Later in the afternoon, we explored the area by dinghy and got the lay of the land for the next day.

On Wednesday, April 6th, with wet suits, masks, snorkels and fins, we set out to find the manatees and to snorkel at Three Sisters Spring. This time of year most of the manatees had already left for other places, but we were lucky to find about 30 or so feeding in a small cove. We did not get in the water with them there but, rather, just turned off the motor and drifted quietly in the area. Snorkeling at the spring was another highlight of the day. We will definitely come back another time, preferably in January or February, to swim with the manatees.

We returned Joel and Mary’s snorkel gear and wet suits to the dive shop around 4 pm. Roderick, the guy at the shop, was a very helpful fellow. He even offered to let us use his truck to pick up groceries since he thought it was too far to walk. We accepted his offer for the next morning, but for this afternoon, we were all ready for a sandwich and a beer at the bar and grill next door to the dive shop.

After listening to the weather, we decided that we would cross the Gulf on Thursday and Friday, April 7th and 8th. Before pulling up anchor Thursday morning, we took the dinghy to the dive shop where Mary and Maureen grabbed the keys to Roderick’s truck and went to town for groceries. In the meantime, Joel and Gale headed over to Pete’s Pier to fuel up the dinghy and find some bait. Gale also came home with a very long fishing pole that was on sale for $20. By 11 am, we were all back on Blue Heron with our purchases and ready to pull up the hook to begin our crossing. It was interesting to see the river by daylight and a lot less stressful than coming in the other night in the dark. In fact, we were so relaxed and not paying too much attention to details, when we found ourselves outside the channel and stuck in the mud!! Gale tried getting in the water and pushing the boat off but the mud was so thick, he was just sucked down and could not get any footing. We lowered the dinghy and Gale was able to use it to nose Blue Heron out of the muck and back to the channel.

The actual crossing took 24 hours. There wasn’t much wind so we motored the entire way. The headsail helped us during the night for awhile but didn’t give us too much of a boost. Things did get a little “sloggy” and we were all very happy to get off the Gulf and into protected waters at Appalachicola around 11 am Friday morning. We continued westward along the ICW until we arrived at Port St. Joe Marina at 4:40 pm and settled into our slip for the night. Here we all enjoyed the “famous” Appalachicola oysters at the marina’s bar and grill.

Saturday morning we took some time to walk downtown and pick up a few items. Gale was anxious to replace the phone that quit working a couple of weeks ago when he went swimming with it while our grandsons were visiting. We happened to stop at Port St. Joe’s Verizon store on an “off day.” The only person who knew how to activate phones or help with problems called in sick that morning so the owner was there with another person who didn’t know much more than she did. After much frustration and a lot of time, Maureen walked out with the phone. Thankfully, it was working. After fueling up, we left Port St. Joe at 12:20 pm, and headed to Panama City where we took a slip at Bay Point Marina, the sister marina to Port St. Joe.

Joel and Mary were scheduled to fly out of Mobile on Tuesday morning, April 12th. Instead of continuing up the waterway, we decided to relax in Panama City, enjoy the pool and our time in the slip, do some laundry and get some fishing and beach time in. It was a very nice couple of days.

We were up very early Tuesday morning and on our way to Mobile in the rental car at 6 am. After dropping Joel and Mary off at the airport, we turned around and headed to Clearwater where we stayed with Craig and Dawn for a few days and looked at real estate in the areas of St. Pete, Englewood and Punta Gorda. We checked out quite a few properties and even came close to making an offer on a condo in Englewood, but in the end, decided the timing was not right for us. We enjoyed four wonderful evenings with Craig and Dawn then headed back to Panama City on Saturday, April 16th.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 -- Part 1 - Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

2011-04-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been more than four months since we’ve posted any activity on the blog. How appropriate it is to be back at Snook Bight Marina for the initial posting of 2011!

We spent a wonderful six weeks in Ft Myers Beach enjoying the beach, the river, new friends, old friends and life in a marina. With a Publix grocery store in our backyard and topnotch facilities at the marina for laundry and showers, our periodic off-boat chores were a pleasure.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with our dear friends from Iowa, Nick and Jane Ong and Gary and Marilyn Huffine, who live on Sanibel Island during the winter months. It was wonderful to share this very special time with them. We took about ten days in early December to fly back to the Midwest to visit our kids, grandkids and parents in Iowa and Illinois. Christmas Eve found us near the Pier at Ft Myers Beach for our second annual candlelight service on the beach.

The New Year brought our youngest son, Kelle, to Florida for a visit. After his arrival, we moved the boat to the dock at Nervous Nellie’s where we could easily walk to Times Square for the New Years Eve festivities. Instead of staying on the beach for the fireworks display this year, we opted to go back to the boat and watch from there.

On Sunday, January 2nd, we left Ft Myers Beach bound for St. Petersburg. After lunch at Cabbage Key, we continued on to Stump Pass near Englewood where we dropped the hook and anchored overnight. At sunrise the next morning, we were accompanied by no less than twenty dolphins that played in front, behind and all around the boat as we motored out of the anchorage, away from the inlet and back to the ICW. What a treat!

The second night of our passage was spent in a popular anchorage off Longboat Key. Gale and Kelle dinghied to shore and checked out the area by trolley. They found Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria Island to be quite interesting and worth exploring further. The next morning, we pulled up anchor and traveled the short distance to Bradenton Beach where we went into town and boarded the trolley. We stopped at the Holmes Beach Fitness Center and met some friendly snowbirds who were very excited about the area where they had chosen to buy property.

On Tuesday, January 4th, we arrived at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort Marina in downtown St. Petersburg and tied up in our assigned slip just before 5 pm. For two months, we enjoyed the wonderful facilities at the marina and the resort including a fitness center with all the latest equipment, dozens of group fitness classes and luxurious locker rooms. The hotel also had tennis courts, a golf course, large swimming pool and three restaurants. While in St. Pete, we did a lot of walking and became quite familiar with the downtown area. We also got to know Ron and Marie, aboard s/v Molly Bloom, who were preparing to cruise the Caribbean for the next several years. It will be interesting to monitor their progress and adventures.

In January, Gale boarded a plane for Seattle to visit our son, Casey, who is currently stationed there aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter, Melon. It was Gale’s first visit to Seattle and Casey showed him many of the sights. In February, Maureen met our daughter, Jessica, in San Francisco for a mother-daughter wine tasting tour of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Since Jess is in “the business” of selling wine, they were treated to some very special tastings and even spent one night in a little cabin up in the mountains that one winery reserved exclusively for its special guests. While Maureen was in San Francisco, Gale spent his days at a nearby boatyard where we had the boat hauled out of the water and the bottom painted, a chore that should be done every two years or so. Other highlights from January and February include the Superbowl party at Russ and Cindy Varney’s in Tampa where we watched the Packers beat the Bears. We were also able to spend time with Maureen’s brother and sister-in-law, Craig and Dawn Jacobson, who live in Clearwater. We enjoyed driving around some of the St. Pete neighborhoods one afternoon and even took in an open house in the section called “Old Northeast.” Another brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Marge Jacobson, stopped in on Valentine’s Day on their way to the beach house they had rented on Englewood Beach from February 15th to March 31st. They stayed with us on the boat that night and we had a great time laughing and telling stories.

On March 3rd, we left the Vinoy and headed to Anna Maria Island to meet our friends, John and Susan Spragg, for dinner.

We had a great time catching up with them. Our only disappointment was that we could not get them aboard Blue Heron to show off our home because the wind was too strong to tie up to the restaurant’s dock and it wouldn’t have been much fun for them making the short dinghy ride between the dock and the boat.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 -- Part 2 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

2011-04-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

After a night near Anna Maria Island, we made our way to Englewood Beach where we found a protected anchorage behind the island and stayed for two weeks. Maureen’s brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Marge, had a nice little cottage on the beach and during that time, their kids and grandkids visited. Craig and Dawn also made a couple of weekend trips down from Clearwater. On one of those visits, they brought along Paul and Cynthia Jacobson, our first cousin who is currently living in New Mexico. It was a “mini” family reunion!

On March 17th, we pulled up anchor in Englewood and began our trip to Ft Myers Beach. Our friends, John and Lisa DeGroot, aboard s/v Independence, were anchored near Useppa Island, one of our favorite anchorages and a good half-way point to stop for the night. We arrived around 2 pm and as soon as we were anchored, we hopped into the dinghy and followed John and Lisa in search of “The Tunnel of Love,” a tiny waterway crossing through Cayo Costa Island from the protected waterway side to the Gulf. It took us a while to find the tunnel entrance and when we did, there were places where we had to get out of the dinghy and pull it through the shallow water trail through the mangroves. The reward was great, however, when we emerged on the other side to find a beautiful, nearly deserted beach. The Tunnel of Love is not what it used to be – hurricanes in recent years were very hard on the mangroves and the tunnel.

We were on our way early the next morning and pulled into Moss Marine in Ft Myers Beach for fuel just before 11:30 am. Maureen’s sister, Sheila, and her son, Tyler, had been in FMB for the past week with friends and we had made arrangements to take them all out for a boat ride at 1 pm that afternoon. To our surprise, when we were ready to pull away from the fuel dock and meet our passengers, there was no forward or reverse! The transmission had completely given up.

Obviously, we could not give the promised ride and spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out the next moves. Since it was a Friday night, Moss Marine did not have any room for us there. Fortunately, Snook Bight Marina, where we had spent the latter half of November and all of December, had a spot available. We made arrangements with Boat US to tow us the few miles through the river from one marina to the other and settled in for whatever time it would take to repair or replace the transmission.

It turned out that the transmission had to be replaced. We ordered a new one directly from the manufacturer in England and had it shipped on a priority status. We saved quite a bit of money by taking this route rather than buying from a dealer in the US. The technician from the local dealership did the installation on Monday, March 28th, which went without a hitch.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 -- Part 3 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

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OK . . . it’s tough to think of a better place to have a breakdown or a better time of year to do it than late March. Our reason for coming back to Ft Myers Beach was that our oldest son and our daughter-in-law and two grandsons, Dan and Julie and

Kevin and Justin, were going to be visiting Julie’s parents who had rented a place for the winter in Estero. We had Kevin and Justin overnight on the boat and spent those two days packing in as much fishing, dinghy riding, beach time and pool time as we possibly could. The morning of fishing from the dock produced a bounty of snapper, flounder and gulf kingfish which we cooked up for our lunch.

On Tuesday, March 29th, Jim and Deb Faughn, our friends on s/v Freedom, who now own a home in Ft Myers, drove over so Jim and Gale could work together on bringing Gale up to speed for his Captain’s License upgrade to “Master” as well as the sailing and towing endorsements. At some point in the future, Gale may be teaching some captain’s classes for the company Jim works for.

On Wednesday, March 30th, the day before the kids had to fly back to Chicago, we took them along with Don, Cherie and Brian Swaninger, Julie’s parents and brother, out for an afternoon boat ride. The nine of us also celebrated Maureen’s April Fool birthday with pizza and cake before everyone left for the evening.

Thursday, November 18, 2010 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

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For Maureen, the day was devoted to blog work. Gale used this day to rest and try to get over his cold – no boat chores. We did take our yoga mats down to the beach just before lunch and had an easy re-introduction to our practice. Gale had been doing a better job of getting some yoga in over the last few months than Maureen, but we were both anxious to get to firm ground where we could work on our strength, flexibility and balance.

We did another nice walk on the beach between 4:30 and 5:30 pm – not quite as far as yesterday – but every bit as enjoyable.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

2010-11-18T09:46:00.012-06:00

We began the day with another glorious sunrise. We were only a mile or so from the Wilson Piggott Bridge, but just before the bridge we headed into the canal where our friends from the Gemini, Freedom, had made an offer on a home. They bought it sight unseen (except for photographs) and were in the process of trying to work out the details related to insurance before they could close on the deal. We talked to Jim on the phone as he directed us to the right property. Jim and Deb had been hung up in Myrtle Beach for the last two weeks as their engine was being rebuilt and were anxious to get on their way so they could see the house.

We traveled 35 miles to Fort Myers Beach, took on fuel at Moss Marine and then headed over to Snook Bight Marina where we had arranged for a slip for a month. We settled in and at 4 pm we went for a walk on the beach. The dock hand at the marina told us we were only about a mile from the Holiday Inn where the annual sandcastle building contest had taken place over the weekend. We were hoping to be able to see the sculptures before the wind and rain took care of them. And after a 2+ mile walk, we arrived and got a few photos before the sunset. Some of the pictures looked more like snow sculptures than sand and reminded us of the cold weather back in the Midwest.

Before hiking back to the marina, we stopped at the Holiday Inn’s Tiki Bar and enjoyed the happy hour there with a couple of drinks and the best chicken wings we’d ever tasted.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 – Okeechobee Waterway, mile 124.3

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We were off and running before 7 am with clear skies, calm winds and a temperature of 67°F. A few hundred yards down the canal, the engine sputtered and quit! The only time that had ever happened before was when we changed fuel tanks underway and there was a lag before the second fuel tank could kick in. This time, however, we weren’t doing any switching. Gale was able to get the engine going again; we motored for a short distance, and it died again. No motor power – no wind power. We were simply floating along in the middle of the canal. Not to worry, Gale determined that there was a broken wire between the solenoid and the fuel lift pump. He replaced the wire and we were moving down the waterway once again.

On the west side of Lake Okeechobee, we had three locks to pass through and three bridges that had to be opened for us before arriving at our anchorage in an oxbow at mile 124.3 of the Okeechobee Waterway. As the sun was setting, we lowered the dinghy and Gale took it into the marina nearby where he tied it up and walked a mile to a shopping center to buy some cold medicine. He came down with a cold over the weekend in Boca and it was really getting him down. He returned to the boat around 7 pm where Maureen fixed baked chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Monday, November 15, 2010 – Okeechobee Waterway, mile 65.2, Clewiston

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We waved goodbye to Stuart and were on our way at 7:20 am. It was another calm, warm day and there were a few clouds in the sky. Our trip through St. Lucie Lock was not nearly as harrowing as it was the first time we went through it last March. Since we were the only boat in the lock, the lockmaster had us take lines as far back from the upstream doors as possible. Last time we were closer to the doors and had to hang on for dear life as the water poured in. This time, we didn’t even feel any disturbance!

We saw two alligators after that first lock. The railroad bridge just west of Indiantown was being worked on but we didn’t have long to wait before the part was installed and we were allowed to pass. The second lock at Port Mayaca was at the entrance to Lake Okeechobee. As we entered the lock, hundreds of birds were sitting along the walls. Birds were waiting on the exit side as well and several of them followed us out into Lake Okeechobee for several miles. We weren’t sure what they were looking for, but they were persistent.

The 152-mile Okeechobee Waterway is like the Intracoastal Waterway in that it is an adaptation of existing waters – the St. Lucie River from Stuart to Lake Okeechobee, the lake itself, then the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf. The two rivers had always drained the lake and supported passage by small boats, but after the disastrous floods of the mid-20s and the diking of the lake, the natural system was overhauled by the Corps of Engineers and opened in 1937 as a first-rate commercial waterway – and a wonderful shortcut for cruising boaters to get from the Atlantic to the Gulf without rounding the Keys, a saving of 206 miles.

It took a few hours to cross the lake but we finished our transit just before sunset and tied up to the barge pilings (called dolphins) at Clewiston at 5:30 pm. The mosquitoes drove us inside but at least they didn’t bother us there.

Sunday, November 14, 2010 – Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL

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Aura fixed a nice, hot breakfast of omelets and toasted bagels for all before we headed back to Stuart. The day was lovely and our drive was pleasant.

Back aboard Blue Heron, we tidied up a bit, had some lunch and then returned the rental car to Enterprise. We could have waited until the morning to drop it off when they would have provided a ride back to the marina, but we were anxious to get an early start on Monday and were both in the mood for a nice, long walk.

On our way back from Enterprise, we were able to see some of the demonstrations in the air. We even paused for a few minutes at an Italian restaurant along the way where we sat outside, shared a drink and watched the jets.

Saturday, November 13, 2010 – Boca Raton, FL

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It was a terrific morning for Aaron’s soccer game at the YMCA grounds. His team won 4 to 1, and one of the goals was Aaron’s. After the match, Aaron chose the restaurant Sweet Tomatoes, for lunch. And what a fantastic lunch it was! The salad fixings were fresh, varied and endless. One could also choose from several soups, hot pasta dishes, fresh fruit and desserts – a wonderful buffet of good food.

After our meal, we went back to the house and relaxed. Gale took a walk with the dog, Dandy, but couldn’t get anyone else to go with him. At dinner time we were still all so full, we simply snacked on cheese and crackers. The five of us played a three-hour long round of “Drink While You Think” without the “drink” rule.

Friday, November 12, 2010 – Boca Raton, FL

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The day was spent on the usual chores when we come into a marina: laundry, provisioning, hardware store run, nice showers, etc. Helping us to complete our tasks was the rental car we picked up at Enterprise using the “weekend special” for $9.99 per day. At 5 pm, we drove to Boca Raton to visit John, Aura and Aaron at their home.

It was so good to see everyone! Aura had just brought Aaron home from soccer practice and he had a friend, Jonathon, with him. The six of us took two cars to the favorite neighborhood pizza place and enjoyed a nice meal together. Back at the house, we watched an old Sylvester Stallone movie, Victory, where he plays a prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda soccer game – Aaron loves the soccer game in the movie, particularly because of all the real life soccer stars recruited, including the great Pele’.

Thursday, November 11, 2010 – Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL

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There were a few clouds in the sky as we started our cruise at 7:30 am but the temperature was a comfortable 67°F and there was a very light breeze. The remaining 16-mile cruise into Stuart was lovely and we arrived at Sunset Bay Marina about 10:30 am. After topping off the fuel tanks and grabbing our assigned mooring ball, we took some time to relax, settle in and enjoy our lunch on the boat before going to shore to formally register at the marina.

That evening we stopped by the “Meet and Greet” at the marina and visited with the owners of two other Geminis, both from Canada. We had seen these boats up on the hard in Indiantown when we put Blue Heron back in the water in July. One was named Back Roads and the other, Chain Reaction. They plan to spend their winter in Stuart and go back to Canada in the spring.

After the “Meet and Greet” we walked over to the marina’s restaurant, Sailors’ Return, and ordered the lamb entrée. It wasn’t as good as we’d remembered, but we later determined that was because we didn’t get the lamb shank. Oh well, we certainly didn’t leave hungry.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 – Indian River near Hutchinson Island (ICW mile 977)

2010-11-18T09:39:00.001-06:00

We started at 6:30 am and ran for ten hours. The day was sunny and mild with a light breeze. Just before lunch, we stopped for fuel at the Vero Beach Municipal mooring field that we had heard so many good things about. There we met Bob and Deb Lacy aboard their Gemini, Ancient Mariner. Bob had been hurt riding the city bus the day before and had a couple of badly bruised ribs. Not to worry, his wife, Deb, a retired nurse, had plenty of pain medicine on board. Bob and Deb had owned their catamaran for a few years, but this was their first real voyage away from home and they were heading for the Bahamas for the winter.

We were impressed with the mooring field and could see why people enjoyed staying there. It was a little community within itself and very well protected from the wind and waves. We were told that the marina’s nickname was “Velcro Beach” since so many arrived with the intention of moving on, but stayed in the harbor instead.

When we left in the morning, we thought we might make it all the way to Stuart, however, at 4:30 pm we realized that was not going to happen and dropped the hook near Jensen Beach just off the ICW.