One More Season in the Books

Well, I am summering in Dog River at the Grand Mariner Marina. My adventure this season started at Goose Pond on the Tennessee River. I left there on 11/ 01/2013 and headed south. This adventure covered 2036 miles of every kind of weather, endurance challenge, mechanical and electric problem that I could take.

You know you’re alive when your out of the sight of land and having a little panic attack at every vibration or noise waiting for your boat to stop in 5 foot seas. I will be here for awhile to do maintenance and repairs. I will also head up north to see some friends and visit my sister.

During this trip I had 45 mph winds, 9 degree temps, 5 foot waves , a fried computer, a ripped wet suit,a ripped dinghy, three dead batteries, overheating engine, 2 inches of ice on the boat, and as I got into Mobile Bay an alternator that crapped out at the sight of land. I’ve got a barnacle covered rudder and a pilot house carpet that looks like a food fight arena. Blah Blah Blah! So forth and so on.

So there is plenty of stuff to bring this old tub up to non seat of my pants condition for my next sojourn. I am thinking New Orleans.

For the next months I am going to write about getting ready on the cheap.

Here’s a few final photos and videos

Fort Morgan

Invasion of the paddle boards

Dr  Brad standing by on 16

 

I am Somewhere and Just Have Two Locks to Go

11/25/13

I am anchored at Rattlesnake Bend at mile marker 223. 225 is exactly half way between the Tennessee river and Mobile Alabama. I have dodged the rain so far so I pushed for 48 miles today. Got thru Heflin lock quickly and pumped the engine to 2200 RPM and here I am.  Here is the Day in pictures.

Sunrise at Sumter

selfie

There was a sofa at the top of this 100 foot cliff. The proverbial catbird seat.

The white bluffs

My gosh there every where

Make them stop that

Well there you go.That’s today. I am going to have a Canadian and water. Remember I am only drinking things that start with w. The rain just started. Great timing.

Dr Brad standing by on 16.

Slow Boat to Mobile

11/15/2013

The lesson today kids is that if you have 250 dollars until December third you anchor out a lot. After I left Florence I took three days to go 50 miles. I had a doctors appointment in Corinth which meant two days in a marina and a few gallons of fuel.

I stopped and spent a night at Bear Creek.

Sunrise at Bear Creek

I spent two night at Wetstone

I left Grand harbor for the last look at the Ohio River watershed on 11/12. I hit Bay Springs Lake 38 miles down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. I am 412 miles from Mobile Alabama.

I am still here at Bay Springs and it is a beautiful place to spend a few days. This a pretty place but alas no cell service in most of the anchorages. What a great opportunity to learn some important things about yourself.

My anchor got hung up when I had to reset it and as usual there was 30 minutes of  @#$%#@%&% and then relief. After three years on the water I decided to make a trip line. This is a line tied to the front of the anchor and attached to a float so that if the anchor gets hung up you can grab it with a boat hook pull it up and use the line to pull the anchor out backwards.

The last few days have also been record low temperatures. Got the long handles out known up north as long under wear or long johns. Ran the the old Honda and the electric heater but it has to go off at night so carbon monoxide doesn’t get you. Temps went down to 22 degrees and the cabin to 38 degrees. This was like old times coming down the river. The condensation freezes on the inside of the windows. God I love it so. The challenge, the risk, the chance to look at yourself face to face under crappy conditions.

I decided to spend yesterday looking for a Wi-Fi Hot Spot. I found one at an anchorage I used two years ago. The lake and the anchorage have that Michigan look with sand and hardwood.

I spotted a Common Loon probably migrating from the Great Lakes to the coast. They will get there a few days ahead of me.

Not bad huh….

Front comes in tomorrow and rain is following. Midway Marina with great hot showers is 20 miles and three locks down. Winds will come up 15 mph out of the south so a decision will be made early in the A.M.

That’s the skinny. Now for a late breakfast.

This is Dr Brad standing by on 16.

This blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.