TN River cruising

Cruisers headed down river on Wilson Lake to the Ditch after conclusion of Great Loop Association meeting at Joe Wheeler Lodge. Beautiful day of cruising !

Very nice!

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We'll be heading that way from Wheeler on Wednesday. Trying to let the herd thin out a bit. This is a beautiful area, looking forward to seeing more as we head south. Keep your eyes open for us "loopers" along the way!

We plan to anchor a few days along Pickwick before hitting the Ten-Tom. Let us know if you have any favorite anchorages along the way.

Turn up the river and enjoy the trip to Chattanooga, the trip through the canyon is the prettiest part of the river. It is a week well spent, stop at Goose Pond Marina and fill-up with the cheapest diesel on the river. Enjoy some great anchorages or stay in one of several marinas along the way.


Ray, aboard the PatsyRay

Spike, check out the Active Captain notes. Several good suggestions on river coves, and just about anywhere when turn toward Ditch from main channel till first lock. Several reasonable marinas there with good food, but your leaving Wheeler and probably ready for the hook. Good idea to run up river to let the herd get through the Ditch locks, which are smaller and have more barge traffic, so slow. Very beautiful up river this time of year.

Plan your anchorages below Demopolis carefully, not many choices with low or high water. Have attended Rendezvous several times, and many seminar recommendations are affected by water release. And we've had very dry Fall. Be aware of Corp release data.

Don't miss Bobby's for best catfish and last fuel to Mobile. Have fun !

First stealth photo of Tony B's Serenity docked on the Chattanooga waterfront.

I had a feeling you would post a picture but had no clue it would be so prompt.

Moonstruck said:

First stealth photo of Tony B's Serenity docked on the Chattanooga waterfront.

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Nice view from the Walnut St. Bridge, Don. I'd almost forgotten they'd sized those piling a for a 100-year+ flood. Kinda thought the current against the transom would be annoying pointed thataway.

For those that have not had a change to see the Tennessee River beauty, I took the photo near South Pittsburg.

angus99 said:

Nice view from the Walnut St. Bridge, Don. I'd almost forgotten they'd sized those piling a for a 100-year+ flood. Kinda thought the current against the transom would be annoying pointed thataway.

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The voice of experience. Ian, I mentioned that to Tony. He said the wind was blowing so hard from downstream, that it was the determining factor in controlling the docking.

By the way, Tony B is a great "young man". I say young because I have a few years on him. Talk about open water boating experience, ask him about running the offshore crew boats to the oil rigs. They ran in most all kinds of weather and seas. Breakfast with him was most interesting.

Sailor of Fortune said:

Very nice!

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Capt. Jack, the drop in the lock at Wilson Dam is about 100'. At the bottom it is a long way up to daylight.

It was a pleasure meeting Don on Moonstruck.
We had a nice long walk and talk both before and after breakfast. I think boating might have been mentioned once or twice.
It's always great to meet people from this forum in real life. You would think boating would dominate the conversations but not necessarily so. Its like when 2 old friends get together, you discuss just about everything under the sun. And so, a friendship is formed on more than one common interest. I look forward to returning again some day. If not by boat, then by car.

Oh, BTW, as for the boat pointing the wrong way.... When we came in the other day, the wind was running upstream at about 21 MPH + and it was much easier to to dock into the wind. The Admiral caught the dock cleat first try. No one was more surprised than her. LOL. But you didnt hear that from me.

Even today the wind today has been mostly around 14 MPH plus gusts - Upriver. The little wavelets and the trash are all floating upstream. The few boats pointed upstream are having problems docking with the wind behind them.
I was told this is highly unusual. Someone said that this might have something to do with the low amount of rain and the pools filling up and so very little flow through the dam.

Finally made it back to Joe Wheeler State Park.
It feels nice to be back and looks like we will stay here for a while. Travel plans for this year got all messed up. Anyplace worth seeing, we wont have time to really "see it" this year so we will settle down again. This past year there was a lot of exploring on water and on land in the Appalachian Mtns and Smoky Mtns area. It was great.

As Charlie Daniels once said "Alabama could be heaven if the Lord was there"

Settle in and enjoy Tony, thanks for the check in

Tony B said:

Finally made it back to Joe Wheeler State Park.
It feels nice to be back and looks like we will stay here for a while. Travel plans for this year got all messed up. Anyplace worth seeing, we wont have time to really "see it" this year so we will settle down again. This past year there was a lot of exploring on water and on land in the Appalachian Mtns and Smoky Mtns area. It was great.

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Too bad you can't get to Chattanooga quickly and enjoy the Riverbend Festival. Did you do the fall color cruise last year? So much wonderful to see very close to you.

BandB said:

Too bad you can't get to Chattanooga quickly and enjoy the Riverbend Festival. Did you do the fall color cruise last year? So much wonderful to see very close to you.

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I was told that the downtown marinas were auctioning the slips on e-bay this year for the festival. Extra money will go to charities.
This past fall, we did the fall foliage cruise by car up in the Smokys, then by boat from Tellico Lake and headed downstream back toward Chattanooga and up to Tellico Lake again. We really enjoyed the area up there.

Tony B said:

I was told that the downtown marinas were auctioning the slips on e-bay this year for the festival. Extra money will go to charities.
This past fall, we did the fall foliage cruise by car up in the Smokys, then by boat from Tellico Lake and headed downstream back toward Chattanooga and up to Tellico Lake again. We really enjoyed the area up there.

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And if you haven't been the other way and then up the Cumberland to Nashville, a lot in that direction too. Long before we decided to move to Fort Lauderdale, the TN river was our dream for retirement. Coming from a moderately sized land locked inland lake to rivers with lake after lake to explore was an amazing thought to us. We were on the river one time years ago and never forgot the impression it made on us. Maybe our first real grasp that there was more than we were use to.

Man we want to make that trip to Chattanooga some day very soon .I think it would be a good trip for us and William . It's about 400 nm from Paris Landing . I would need a month off to do the trip right .Maybe the boss will let me off . I sell more lumber when I'm away from work and on the boat anyway.
Must be the atmosphere .

BandB said:

...... the TN river was our dream for retirement. .......

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You got the boat. Just go around the horn, head west and make a right at Mobile bay and another right at Pickwick lake. C'mon up, the coffee is hot and the beer is cold.

Pack Mule said:

Man we want to make that trip to Chattanooga some day very soon .I think it would be a good trip for us and William . It's about 400 nm from Paris Landing . I would need a month off to do the trip right .Maybe the boss will let me off . I sell more lumber when I'm away from work and on the boat anyway.
Must be the atmosphere .

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Come on over, Marty. William would add interest and class to our waterfront. I am more than a little biased, but I think Chattanooga is the most interesting stop on the Tennessee River. You could easily spend a week here. Who knows someone may offer to tour you around to see the things that interest you. Two old lumber salesmen could probably think of something.

Tony B said:

You got the boat. Just go around the horn, head west and make a right at Mobile bay and another right at Pickwick lake. C'mon up, the coffee is hot and the beer is cold.

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Actually we're taking a longer route there at the moment. So far we've made it to Toronto. Down the Mississippi to the Ohio to the TN to Pickwick in October. We'll keep it on Pickwick so we can cruise the inland rivers for two or three years, before doing it all again. 2017, we will definitely cruise the length of the Tennessee.

Tony good to hear you made it back to your home port. That should be a good area to make the Fortress trade.
We are presently hunker down on Cape Hatteras enjoying tropical storm Bonnie for our week at OBX.

Cape Hatteras huh? Great timing.
Was nice meeting you a few weeks back. Since then, I have re-injured my shoulder, arm and knee. Tripped walking across a "Handicapped Zone". Yeah, go figya.
Have fun down there and be safe.

We just turns the corner from The Tenn-Tom this morning at mm 215. So far 480 miles from home and headed to Telico until October or so. Plan on stopping at Wheeler for a few days to get off the boat.

There are no courtesy cars here at Wheeler, but I have my van and can take you shopping.

Tony B said:

There are no courtesy cars here at Wheeler, but I have my van and can take you shopping.

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Wifey B: Chauffeured Courtesy Van.

BandB said:

Wifey B: Chauffeured Courtesy Van.

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You Bet. This is a class act. LOL

Thanks Tony. We might make it today. Just cleared Wilson lock. Only three hours or so to go I hope!