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| Chattanooga Yacht Club |
From September 22, 2017 until October 5, 2017, we continue to enjoy our visit to the Chattanooga Yacht Club and spending time with the Vicks. Our time is filled with lots of activity: my birthday dinner, an excellent Sunday brunch and visit to the farmer's market in Chattanooga, lots of dinners with the Vicks...Champy's, Taconooga, as well as at their lovely home, a port flush at Parkridge Medical Center and lunch at Clyde's with Todd, a visit to the amazing Tennessee Aquarium and a viewing of "Hurricanes" at the I-Max Theater, as well as haircuts, trips to the laundromat and re-provisioning for continuing our trip.
The Tennessee Aquarium
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| Penguins |
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| Lemurs |
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| Sharks |
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| Feeding the Fish |
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| Gator, oh my! |
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| Enjoying the Exhibits |
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| Ready for the I-Max movie |
The Jellyfish Exhibit is awesome!
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| Upside-down Jellyfish! |
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| Jellyfish.....looks just like a lava lamp! |
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| More jellyfish.... |
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| An Exceptional Aquarium |
We have so much fun with Todd, Meg and Emma. Emma "adopts" us as her surrogate aunt and uncle and she spends a few nights with us on "At Last" where I am "treated" to many viewings of "Captain Underpants" and "Boss Baby".
Enjoying time with the Vicks
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| A delicious turkey dinner prepared in the Green Egg! |
Brunch at the Flying Squirrel in downtown Chattanooga.
Best Bloody Marys Ever and Great Music!
On Thursday, October 5th, we decide to leave CYC a couple of days early. The remnants of Hurricane Maria are headed our way and we need to be at Ditto Landing in Huntsville, AL by the 10th. Nathan is being sworn into the Alabama bar on the 12th and we are renting a car and driving to Montgomery with him for the ceremony. We leave the yacht club in early afternoon and take a slip at Erwin Marine on the riverfront. Todd picks us up after he finishes work and we have a final dinner with him, Emma and Meg at CYC. Then it's back to the riverfront for an early morning departure. We have been so lucky to spend almost a month in a beautiful facility with great friends!
Meg made wine bags for Dave and me. What a great idea!
We leave from the riverfront at 7:15 a.m. and travel downriver towards Ditto Landing. It is a beautiful morning with pockets of fog hanging over us. About two hours after our departure, the fog closes in around us. It is absolutely beautiful. We have one lock today, the Nickajack Lock and we do not have to wait. Our entire lock through only takes about 20 minutes. We travel 73 miles and stay at Goose Pond Marina for the night.
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| "At Last's" last day at the CYC dock |
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| Sunrise at Goose Pond Marina Fog along the way. It is quite beautiful. |
In the Nickajack Lock
We leave Goose Pond Marina at 7:15 a.m. on October 7th. Again, our luck holds and we do not have to wait at Guntersville Lock. We arrive at the lock at 10:00 a.m. and exit it by 10:25 a.m. We arrive at Ditto Landing Marina by noon and make arrangements to stay for a week. For the next three days, we organize the boat, do some cleaning in preparation for our rendezvous at Joe Wheeler and just relax. Dave discovers an excellent hiking trail and for the next few days we get some exercise and enjoy the nice scenery.
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| Sunrise at Goose Pond |
"At Last" at Ditto Landing
Hiking at Ditto Landing
On Wednesday, October 11th, we rent a car from Enterprise, pack our overnight bag, and head to Birmingham to pick up Nathan. By 6:30 p.m., we are headed to Montgomery, AL for tomorrow's ceremony. We stop for a quick bite to eat and arrive at our hotel around 9:00 p.m. We must be at the convention center by 8:30 a.m so we turn in early. On Thursday, after breakfast, we walk to the swearing in ceremony. The program begins around 10:00 a.m. It is very impressive with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Alabama presiding. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals are also present. After several introductions and remarks, the Oath of Office is administered. We are so proud of everything Nathan has accomplished!
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| The Courts....a sea of black! |
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| Proud Dad! |
October 14, 2017-October 22, 2017
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| The Great Loop |
On Saturday, the 14th, after returning our rental car, we leave Ditto Landing. We are attending the annual AGLCA Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, AL. We have been looking forward to this gathering since May. We will have the opportunity to attend seminars, meet fellow Loopers and visit their boats, interact with several sponsors, purchase merchandise from the ship's store, enjoy docktails and participate in other fun activities such as the dinghy and kayak races. We arrive at about 4:00 p.m. We are directed to our slip and soon discover that our dock neighbor is the boat "Thistle" with Reenie and Greg aboard. We met this couple in 2015 at Mackinaw Island during the first leg of the Great Loop. After checking in, we enjoy a quiet evening on the bow of "At Last" enjoying docktails with the crew of Thistle. We also meet several other Loopers who are on our dock! Let the Rendezvous begin! On Sunday, we walk through the park and along the other docks to meet more people. Joe Wheeler is a nice state park, but signage is lacking and the map of the hiking trails is difficult to follow.
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| During our walk we encounter several deer |
Later in the morning, we are pleasantly surprised when "High Spirits", with friends Bill and Barb, docks in the slip on the other side of us. We met this couple in Bear Drop in Canada in 2015 and have stayed in touch with them. We were not sure they were attending the conference as they have been "looping" for the past 10 years and we didn't know if they were going to head back to Florida or not. After they settle in and we do some more cleaning in preparation for the Loopers Crawl (it's like an open house where you allow other loopers to visit your boat), we join Bill and Barb for a late brunch. After docktails with our fellow loopers, Dave and I spend a quiet evening and turn in early in preparation for the next few days which will surely be busy.
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| Barb and Bill |
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| Joe Wheeler Lodge |
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| The Pool |
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| Operating the Drone |
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On Wednesday, we continue to attend the seminars which will give us information about some parts of the journey we have yet to finish......Tarpon Springs to Jacksonville via the Okeechobee; Fort Myers to Stuart via the Keys, and Side Trip...Cruising the Bahamas. Again we listen carefully and take many notes. From 3:30-5:00, the Looper Crawl happens once again. This time we visit some other boats. It is so interesting to see the type of boats that people have chosen for their trip on the Great Loop. Each is different and "outfitted" to meet the needs and preferences of its owners. All the boats are unique in their own way. Dave and I are very happy that we have chosen "At Last". She has been the perfect boat for us. We also have a vessel safety check done and "At Last" passes with flying colors. This evening there is an optional off-site polo match, dinner, and concert. Dave and I are not attending. It is our anniversary and we enjoy a few hours on "High Spirits" with Bill and Barb.
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| Sunset on the stern of "At Last" |
Thursday is the last day of the rendezvous. Dave and I do not attend the morning conferences. After lunch, we sit in on Selling Your Boat after the Loop and Life After the Loop. At 2:30 there is a meeting for Loopers who are planning to leave Joe Wheeler on Friday. The Wilson Lock is closed each day from 6:00 a.m. until 5-5:30 p.m. for repairs. We are meeting to discuss a strategy for locking through with 20 plus boats. Ted, from "Slow Hand" has volunteered to organize the order we will all enter the lock and lock through. There is a lot of discussion and we are told we need to be at the lock to be ready to go through by 4:00 or 4:30. At the end of the meeting, Herb, from "Phantom" asks if anyone is interested in trying to get through the Wilson Lock before 6:00 a.m. This will entail leaving between 2:00-2:30 a.m. The Wheeler Lock is about a mile from the park and that lock will have to be completed before heading to Wilson which is about 16 miles from there. We talk with Herb and decide we will give it a try. We agree to leave Friday morning bright and early.....between 2-2:30. Cocktails are again at 6:00 p.m. with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Tonight's meal is an excellent buffet, featuring prime rib. We are seated with old friends as well as more loopers we are meeting for the first time. We have a great evening. Dave heads back to the boat after dinner, but I stay for the closing awards. The rendezvous has been a great time. We have reconnected with old friends and met many new ones.
The alarm wakes us at 1:45 a.m. The sky is filled with stars and there is lake fog on the water, but it is quite beautiful. Dave and Herb communicate and we head out about 2:30 a.m. with "At Last" in the lead. Unfortunately, when we contact the Wheeler Lock, we learn that a tow is going to be locking up. All tows have priority, so we will have to wait.......it is a large tow which will have to split its load. Our wait is over 3 hours. We are not able to enter the lock until 5:25 a.m. and we exit at 5:45 a.m. It is impossible to get to the Wilson Lock by 6:00 a.m.
Inside the Wheeler Lock
As soon as we exit the lock we are socked in by fog. Visibility is very poor. Dave proceeds along slowly using his spot lights and radar. We arrive at Wilson Lock at 7:00 a.m. just around sunrise. The fog has lifted somewhat and we anchor in a small inlet outside the lock to wait for the other 20 plus boaters who will arrive later this afternoon. As we are anchoring, the fog rolls back in, but eventually, it lifts and we enjoy a beautiful, sunny day. We have breakfast, take a short nap and enjoy our day at anchor. Dave even takes a swim, although he says it is a bit chilly.
Fog, Fog, Fog
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| Phantom, anchored, awaiting the opening of the Wilson Lock |
In the early afternoon, several other loopers begin to arrive. They are about 1-2 miles upriver from us. We are all monitoring channel 12 to receive information. Eventually, we learn that the lock will be reopening around 4 and we will be allowed to enter. Ted adjusts the order of the boats and reviews who will be rafted to whom. A couple of other boaters have joined us and Ted has fit them into the order of the lock with us. There is also a gentleman who is in a canoe, and he will also be locking through.
Around 4:15, the parade begins. Everyone does an excellent job assuming their positions and getting ready for the lock through. The process goes off without a hitch.
Rafted in Wilson Lock
As we exit the lock at about 5:35 p.m., we meet the American Queen, a southern style cruise ship, paddle wheel and all. Kudos to Ted. He did an awesome job!
Exiting the Lock
Most of the boats are headed to the Florence Harbor Marina. Kyle, the dock master, has established an order for docking and he calls us in and helps to get everyone into his slip. Again another awesome job! After docking, Dave and I have dinner and a well-deserved glass of wine at the marina's restaurant after a very long day.
Relaxing
Nathan is going to join us on the boat later this evening. We are glad we will be able to spend some time with him before he leaves for Colorado next month. Around 9:30 p.m., Nathan arrives. We visit a while and then head to bed.
Saturday we are up early. Nathan and Dave drop me at the laundromat. When the laundry is done, we do a quick re-provisioning and then it's back to the boat for a day of visiting. We have a good day with docktails on "At Last" and then dinner at the restaurant. After dinner, we return to the boat, visit a bit more and then head off to bed.
Sunday we spend a few more hours with Nathan, but then we leave the marina about 10:00 a.m. We do not have any locks today, but we will be entering the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Most of the trip is cloudy and overcast and after 41 miles, we arrive at Aqua Yacht Harbor in the pouring rain. We secure the boat, pay for our dockage and enjoy a nice dinner of beef stew and biscuits......you have to love that freezer! The rest of my day is getting the blog up to date while I have service. As soon as I finish, it will be off to bed! Our adventures on the Tenn-Tom as we journey towards Mobile will be presented in the next blog.
