We got off to yet again a slow/late start but were able to make it to our destination just as the sun was going down. We woke up early but I got delayed downloading the second set of the Navionics charts necessary for the Alabama section of the TN River. So, we weren't about to leave the dock until around 10:15 a.m.- not exactly leaving at the break of dawn! :)
The day started off with a gentle and short run down to Nickajack lock. The water was smooth as glass and still as could until just before getting to the lock (of course!). It started blowing pretty good and it really kept that up the entire rest of the day basically nonstop. Happily, locking through Nickajack lock proved to be even easier than going through Chickamauga lock. We were able to radio ahead and the lockmaster had the lock open and waiting for us when we arrived. Thus, we just pulled right in and tied off- easy as pie. The winds actually worked just fine- it was a cross wind and I just put the boat in the lock opposite the bollard I wanted and let the wind just move us on over.
Again today, we barely saw but a few bass fisherman here and there but by and large, we had the river all to ourselves for the entire day. Very peaceful. We were having to deal with a very strong wind hitting us directly on the nose all day long. It slowed our progress down by at least a knot which is a good bit when you are only already going 7-8 knots to begin with. Combining that with our late departure resulted in us not getting here until right at sunset. It felt like a long day today due to fighting the wind and squinting into the very bright sun late in the afternoon until just tying off at the dock. Oh to have some sunglasses!!! :)
The boat ran great again today. No issues at all and just really handles great. I have been extremely impressed with the single screw handling in close quarters. Thus far I see no reason as to why I would go to the expense of adding a bow thruster. It would be nice I am sure but definitely not necessary, at least not at this point.
Today, as I sat at the lower helm watching the ridges and woods go by, the seagulls flying around, geese, ducks, etc., I could not help but be reminded of my time in my younger years doing my two complete thru-hikes on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. All those many, many months afoot gave such a serenity to me and I feel much the same way it seems while cruising on our "new" trawler. While we have no immediate plans of taking off to distant horizons, there is something great about knowing we have a boat that can cruise pretty much anywhere time and money would allow and that this boat is meant for such traveling. I wanted to call my wife today and tell her to meet us tomorrow with our daughter and dog "Daisy" and we'll just keep going down to FL. It really has been just wonderful to make this little trip in our trawler and I really look forward to hopefully doing lots of cruising for a long time to come aboard this little happy vessel. The feeling I get underway on the water like this reminds me so very much of thru hiking it is uncanny. I think it is the (admittedly mild in this weekend's case) sense of "voyaging" that a trip like this seems to give. The rich teak interior, the old fashioned wheel at the helm, the gentle rocking of the boat, new waters and new territory, etc...well, it all combines to create a special sense of "adventure." I put that in quotes because, well, a little 125-130 mile run down the Tennessee River certainly does not compare to circumnavigating the world or something but I think you know what I mean. I guess I just love traveling and I love boats and you put the two together and it's hard to beat. Only thing that could make it better was if my wife and daughter were here with us!!!
Anyway- enough rambling- here are a bunch of pictures from today for you to enjoy.
Smooth as silk for the first few minutes this morning!
Keeping with the belief that a busy crew is a happy crew, I put my dad to work cleaning windows:
Coming to Nichajack Lock:
A note about tying off inside a lock! A fellow boating enthusiast (and knowledgeable trawler/great looper) emailed me after my picture of us tied off in the lock yesterday. I had stepped away from the line @ the bollard to go get the second boat hook and tied off the line while I did that. What you could not see in the picture was that the water had not begun lowering and the gates to the lock were not even closed yet. For safety's sake though, you should not fully tie off to the lock bollard! Occasionally the bollard can get hung up on something and if you are tied tight it can create a big problem to say the least. Here is how I do it (looped around the clean for leverage with end of the line in my hand for quick release).
More lock:
Very pretty all day and remote:
Traveling makes even the mightiest of pirates sleepy after a while:
Some interesting waterside "houses" today:
My wonderful and trusty lower helm wheel:
Do NOT venture out of the channel in some locations!
We've all seen the stereotypical picture of the 1 palm tree deserted island in the tropics, right? I think this is the TN River version!
Quiet horizons of cruising bliss:
Are we THERE yet?! Actually, Caleb has been nothing short of great on this trip! Extremely well behaved, hasn't gotten bored, always helping, always with a smile...just perfect. We both miss Tarne and Sarah Grace but we know they are having fun at home doing girl things!
I took this as a sunset picture but all I see in it is how much I need to clean the windows!!
After a long day....
And just in case you have NOT gotten enough pictures for today, how about a brief video?! :)
Just a quick sample of our day running the river together:
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