Day 164: Pearl Harbor

This morning Bicki said, "We're at 602 and have to get to 477 plus change by Tuesday."  I had to laugh, a month ago this would have been Greek.   Today it's our normal language.  Latitude and longitude have been replaced by the river's mile markers.  Knoxville is at 648, Lenoir, last night's anchorage is at 602 and tonight's anchorage, Pearl Harbor, is at 542.  What Bicki was saying is that we have three days to go 125 miles; an easy pace by any metric.

A Lake House with Low Maintenance and Low Taxes

Does the movement for restoring the Everglades to its natural state have a broader appeal, say to those on and around the Tennessee River?  When I pose the question the universal response is a quizzical look which morphs into a look of concern for my mental health.  Clearly this topic is not within Tennessee's Overton Window.

Emergency Pin Release

Our practice had been to never cleat Nellie off to a lock's floating bollard (aka pin).  This is because a cascade of really bad things happen when pins jam.  The first is that the dock line gets too tight to release.   The second, depending on if you're locking up or down, is that the boat gets pulled underwater or suspended above it.  Both are good things to avoid.   But, holding the line by hand, especially when a wind is blowing, is near impossible.  At the bottom of the picture above is the solution to the problem.  A while back we saw this emergency release tool employed while locking down.  The boat infront of us was literally suspended in the air when the knife was employed.  The sounds of the line parting and the boat scraping against the wall as it fell were frightening.  By having the knife close at hand we hope to avoid any drama.

Tonight's Anchorage in Pearl Harbor

Great Sun Angle in Pearl Harbor

At anchor in the very scenic Pearl Harbor, Tennessee, MM542 after a relaxing 54 mile run.  Total mileage for the journey is now 2265.  DBH

Day 163: Heading Down

A New View--Looking Down the Tennessee

The current is going with us now.  It's nice to see the knot log consistently over 8 mph.  Going upstream I dreaded the higher current in the run-up to the locks.  Now I savor it.

A Beautiful Home with a Nordhaven Out Back

"Red left port, Red left port", is the new mantra heard aboard Nellie.  We don't want to mess this up; keep the red nuns to port and the green cans to starboard.  Going aground is at best embarrassing and, at worst, costly.

Rocky Bluffs

Today's anchorage was not selected for its wind and wave protection, natural beauty, solitude, or even its good holding.  In fact it's a lousy anchorage but, with one, over arching, redeeming quality, it's close to a great rib joint. 

The Knoxville Power Squadron Anchoring Out

While dinghing to the restaurant we passed some rafted boats; the folks aboard waved us over.  A nice chat turned into an invitation aboard, then cocktails, boat tours, dinner, desert, and a piano recital.  Yup, Sundancer has a piano aboard.  We never did make it to the rib joint, however, I now know that conviviality also trumps a good anchorage.

At Anchor off Lenoir City Park, Tennessee. 

43 miles today and 2211 miles into the journey.  DBH

Day 162: Knoxville Two

Knoxville's Graffiti is Very Nice...

Fancy Daisy in World's Fair Park

Bicki Bumming a Ride

Looking South on Gay St.

Old Town Flower Box

I'm sucker for marble and Knoxville quarries supplied it for many well known projects.  I remember reading in David Cannadine's, Mellon, An American Life, how particular Mellon was about the marble used in the National Gallery of Art.  Upon the building's completion in 1941 it was the largest marble structure in the World.  Now I know the rest of the story, the marble can from Knoxville.  So too did the stone used in the iconic lions in front of New York's Public Library.

Patience and Fortitude, New York Public Library (Photo: The-consortium/Flickr CC)

The Vol Navy (photo: 2pznappod)

Tailgating parties are taken to a whole new level when Tennessee has a home game--river level.  On game days the Vol Navy forms. 

Lonely Nellie

Only Nellie at the Vol Navy dock near Neyland Stadium in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.  No miles today and holding at 2169 miles for the Journey.  DBH

Day 61: Knoxville Ho!

Fort Loudoun Lake the Hamptons of the Tennessee River (Zillow Photo)

We're worried.  The 50 miles from Fort Loudoun Dam to Knoxville is lined with beautiful homes and thousands of boats.  Thus far we've had every anchorage and the entire waterway to ourselves.  Yesterday we saw the season's first water-skier.  A bad omen for sure.  A quick check of the solitude barometer shows it in free fall.  A storm is coming.  A downpour of river revelers is predicted for Memorial Day.  We're worried.

21 MPH Winds, A Long Fetch, But Calm Seas--Ahh...

Knoxville Ho!

At MM647 we reach Knoxville, the eastern terminus of our cruise up the Tennessee River.

"Here [Knoxville] the river suddenly ceases its wild leaping down the mountains and, like a maiden about to be married, pauses to dream upon the alliance it is speedily to form with a mightier stream...  The hills sit here like dethroned kings, met for consultation: they would be very garrulous, surely, but the exquisite peace of the pastoral scene below them has stilled their life; they have forgotten the ancient anarchy which brought them forth; they dream and dream away..." Sidney Lanier, poet, describing a scene on the Tennessee River in 1860.

Above Nellie's Dock is the Atlanta to Louisville Railway Bridge (circa 1906)

University of Tennessee--Go Vols!

Knoxville, Site of the 1982 World's Fair


A Snail's Route for Our Snail's Pace

At the free dock in downtown Knoxville.  45 miles today and 2169 miles for the journey.  DBH

Day 160: Bucolic Settings

Rolling Hills full of hardwoods, Grassy Meadows, and Rocky Outcroppings

We're floating through the kind of bucolic settings favored by seventeenth-century Dutch masters.   Yes, it's that pretty.

An Acrophobic Osprey's Nest

At the northern terminus of Watts Bar Lake, and about one mile apart, are the Fort Loudoun and Tellico dams.  Here is where the Tennessee and Little Tennessee Rivers meet.

Up 74' in the Ft Loudoun Lock

The Infamous Tellico Dam of Snail Darter Fame

Little Tennessee River Anchorage

Tonight's anchorage, Jumping Cliff,  is named for the Bluff at the inlet's entrance.  As we approached the cliff there was a young woman summoning the courage to jump.  Already in the water, some 40' below, 3 friends egged her on.  The jumper didn't look happy nor, truth be told, inclined to jump.

Thirty miles along and 74' up today.  Nellie's now 812' above sea level and 2124 miles into her journey. 

Hmm, if Nellie were an airplane, at her current rate of climb, she'd have to circle the world four times to reach a 35,000' cruising altitude.  Good thing Nellie's not an airplane ;-)  DBH

Day 159: The San Juans of Tennessee

Nice to be in a Pilothouse on a Rainy Morning

Up 61 Feet at Watt's Bar Lock

The pattern becomes familiar: pass through a lock; enter a lake; upstream the river constricts; the current increases; arrive at the next lock.  The pattern is broken only by the increasing beauty of the upriver lakes. Watt's Bar Lake is no exception but differentiates itself by having many, many islands.  For a moment I thought we were in the San Juans and only by tasting the water could I be sure we weren't.

Up the Watt's Bar Section of the Tennessee

Garmin Charts with Much Better Depth Contours

In an earlier post I'd complained that Garmin's charts lacked the necessary depth information.  Fortunately someone wiser than me knew that the deficiency was easily corrected with a Garmin SD chip containing the data for the Inland Rivers and Lakes--thanks Terry!  Unfortunately I've now lost my 'bad charts' excuse for going aground--thanks Terry!

In the Little Paint Rock Creek anchorage, MM576.  67 miles today 2095 total.  DBH

Day 158: "You Gotta Go Upriver!"

TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Plant on Chickamauga Lake

Just about everyone, at every port, has encouraged us to continue exploring upriver.  "It only gets better.", is the constant refrain.  But, when do we stop going upriver, when a local says, "You've arrived."?  It's the human condition to believe that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.   Perhaps "You gotta go upriver." is just the cruising corollary.  I take solace in the fact that when we do reach the headwaters of the Tennessee there won't be someone there encouraging us to continue upriver.  What I do fear is they'll say, "You think this was good, you gotta go up the [1800 mile long] Ohio River."

East on the Hiawassee River

There's a constant debate as to what cruising boat is best for the Great Loop.  Should it be fast, slow, big, small, etc.  In my opinion, the best boat for the Loop is one you know how to fix ;-)

All Alone in the Hiawassee Anchorage

At anchor near MM2.5 on the Hiawassee River (a tributary off the Tennessee River at MM500).  27 miles today and 2028 miles for the trip.  DBH