Sunday, October 4, 2009

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

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

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

Saturday, October 3, 2009

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

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

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

Friday, October 2, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, October 1, 2009

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

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

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

Wednesday, September 30. 2009

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

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

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

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

Monday, September 28, 2009

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

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

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