Still on the way to Chattanooga.

The trip up the Tennessee River has been a long one.  It is just over 400 miles from Green Turtle Bay to Chattanooga.  The Tennessee is one of the rare rivers that flow north, so our trip south has been against the current.  Depending on our proximity to a lock, the current can range from 1-2 knots.  Our normal speed on the river is eight knots, so we are down to six knots when the current is strong.  On a positive note, the river and its surroundings are beautiful.  There are small marinas and protected anchorages everywhere, and not near the debris as in the Mississippi.    We traveled the length of Tennessee State from Paducah to Pickwick Lake where we entered Alabama, and for a short time Mississippi.  Due to the serpentine course of the river, we will not be back into the State of Tennessee until shortly before Chattanooga.  We have now been in all 17 states scheduled for our Loop (we missed Wisconsin because Lake Michigan would not let us across!). 

The Tennessee River is and was a major supply route.  Before the Tennessee Valley Authority, the river was shallow, and at low water impassable at the Muscle Shoals area.  After the TVA and FDR’s New Deal, the river is now a system of lakes separated by locks and dams, and is navigable to Knoxville. From Green Turtle to Chattanooga there are five locks to traverse, with some raising us 60 feet.   The locks are not as busy as the Mississippi and Ohio River locks, but if you hit one at the same time as a tow with lots of barges, it is a four hour wait.   The tow cannot fit with all its barges, so has to “trip” through the lock by breaking its barges into two groups.  Most of the time the lockmaster will let us tie to a lock wall to wait, but on a few occasions, there is no place to tie, and I have to “jockey” the boat for four hours, a truly exasperating experience. 

Our plan is to get to Chattanooga as fast as we can (at least three more days), and then slowly work our way back.  We passed through Decatur and Guntersville, AL but kept on going, and will hit them on the way back (going with the current!).  Also, the TVA and the states have created very nice state parks along the way, with marinas to explore.

We have been travelling 10-12 hours a day to only go 50 miles due to lock delays, so reaching Chattanooga will be cause for celebration.  The last four nights we have been at anchor in some beautiful anchorages.  The stars and wildlife have been magnificent.  While approaching an anchorage late one evening my AIS indicated a boat I had marked as a “buddy” was already at anchor.  It turned out to be Monica and Warren aboard Untied.  Remember, they are the Kiwis we met in Norfolk and with whom we stared down the US Navy!  Meeting, and then re-meeting fellow Loopers has been one of the more enjoyable aspects of the trip. 

Also, the river is the site of major civil war battles.  There are many parks and cemeteries along the river commemorating the battles.  Grant and Sherman had many engagements here with their Confederate counterparts, with much loss of life.  A truly tragic time in American history.  When we stop, we plan to rent a car and explore some of them, so stay tuned. 

The sun rises as we get underway.  

Wheeler Lake.

One of my chores is to wash down the boat each morning (it is usually covered with bugs).  In fresh water I can use the raw water pump, with no concerns about using up our potable water (ecstasy to us neat freaks).  These green gooey things covered the boat one morning, as well as other boats by us.  Is it the attack of the Blob?  

Dragon boat races at Florence, AL.  

More locks.  

A long way up!

The water boils as the Lockmaster sends us on the way up.  

This lock put us through at sunset, as we had to wait on a tow.  

By the time we locked through, it was pitch black.  Our radar and spot light came in handy for the nighttime anchoring.  

We have seen many weddings on the Loop, but this was our first Baptism!  

Our nemesis the J. Vessco.  It is the tow we had to wait for at the last lock.  Well we passed it the next day, only to have the next lock tell us we had to wait till it locked through, as tows have priority.  

Moondance at anchor.