AquaFennatic Great Loop Blog: Green Turtle Bay KY & Chattanooga side trip plus Need to be Hauled out

Sept 29^th – It was a cool and sunny day. We travelled from Nashville TN to Chattanooga TN by rental car and plan to stay in a hotel for 1 or 2 days before we return back to the boat. The hotel room is extremely nice and it will be difficult getting Maria to leave our luxurious room to go back and live on the boat. We obtained info from one of the Loopers that lived in Chattanooga as well as an informative person at the concierge desk to get some input on what we should do in town. We visited the Tennessee Aquarium which is rated as one of the best Aquariums housing aquatic life from around the world. Afterwards we went to a craft brewery for happy hour and then headed to Tony’s which is an excellent Italian restaurant for dinner.

Sept 30^th – It was a sunny and warm day. We decided to stay another night in Chattanooga since we’re having so much fun. Today we went to Point Park Battlefield which is a National Military Park located on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga which is the site of the Civil War battle commonly referred to as "The Battle Above the Clouds" that occurred in 1863. Afterwards we went to a place called Rock City which is an enchanted, 4,100-foot walking trail showcasing soaring rock formations, caves, and lush gardens which has amazing paths through large boulders, incredible lookouts over 7 states and a mixture of trees and vegetation from around the country. Once we arrived back at the hotel we went for a walk to get to happy hour and then continued our walk for a while until we stopped for pizza which we ate in the park overlooking the Tennessee river. On our walk back to the hotel we stopped off at the 3 Sisters Bluegrass festival and listened to some great foot stomping music. Finally we arrived back at the hotel and sat by the fire pit and relaxed. It was a very action packed day.

Oct 1^st – It was a sunny and warm day. We are heading back to the boat today, however we decided to first drive from Chattanooga to Rogersville Alabama to pick up the replacement GPS chartplotter that was sent there by Lowrance plus it gave us an opportunity to check out the AGLCA Rendezvous marina. After we picked up the chartplotter we drove to a Walmart to obtain provisions for the boat and then arrived back at Green Turtle Bay marina. We were in the car for about 6 hours today and Brian and Judy travelled with us the whole way … we had a great time with them as well as Tom and Cathy and their friends. After we arrived back I installed the new chartplotter and it still isn’t picking up the AIS targets using the NEMA 0183 interface. I’ll have to try the NEMA 2000 interface, however I blew a 3 amp fuse when I was testing the interface on a call with Lowrance support a while back and I’m having a problem finding a replacement fuse. In the evening ten of us went to Patti’s for dinner to have their 2” pork chops and they were amazing. Patti’s does not serve booze thus you bring your own (since this is a dry county) … it seems like a lost opportunity for the restaurants to make additional revenue in this area and I don’t understand why dry counties exist since people just drive to the next county to buy their booze plus no one stops you from drinking your own booze in a dry county. Strange??

Oct 2^nd – Another sunny and warm day. We returned the rental cars this morning and stopped by Walmart to get a few things before we returned to the boats. I was able to find a 3 amp fuse at an Auto Zone store thus I was able to install my NEMA 2000 interface from my chartplotter to my VHF and voila … the AIS targets have appeared! The new chartplotter has fixed my issue … yea! We left Green Turtle Bay and travelled 38 miles to Dry Fork Creek KY anchorage on the Tennessee river. It’s a beautiful anchorage with lots of wild life (bald eagles, blue heron, etc) and it's very protected from wind and waves and somewhat reminds me of Georgian Bay. We had docktails on Valentine as it was getting dark … I can’t believe that it’s October and we’re wearing shorts and a t-shirt at night! Later we went to our boat to have dinner and play “Right, Left, Centre” as well as the Golf card game.

Oct 3^rd – It started out cloudy this morning and transitioned into a hot and sunny day. We decided to stay in the Dry Fork Creek anchorage to do some kayaking and swimming. While I was swimming I checked my props more closely since the water was a little clearer and there was no current. I believe that my Port prop is damaged thus I called my insurance company to discuss the issue and they said we should get our boat hauled to evaluate the damage and get a quote on the repair. We made a reservation at Green Turtle Bay for tomorrow and they believe that they’ll be able to haul our boat out to have a look. After all of our arrangements were made Maria and I went Kayaking with Brian and Judy. Maria caught on really quick and enjoyed kayaking … we saw a couple bald eagles, blue herons and 2 deer. We found a snake in the cockpit of our boat today … it was harmless, however I looked around quick to see if one of our boating friends from Georgian Bay, Steve from Overdoo, was around since he’s a snake magnet. Afterwards we had a community dinner and then we were all star gazing. I saw 2 shooting stars and was amazed that a couple of people within the group have never seen one before.

Oct 4^th – It was an extremely hot and sunny day. We had to return 38 miles to Green Turtle Bay to determine the extent of the damage that was caused to the prop as a result of hitting the submerged object. It was sad to leave Brian, Judy, Tom & Cathy this morning, however we’ll catch up with them again as we head south after any necessary repairs are completed. A mechanic came aboard our boat and discovered a broken motor mount that needs to be replaced. He took a picture of it and obtained the serial number of the engine to source a replacement part. We’re still waiting to get hauled out to determine the extent of any other damage. Maria and I have been playing the waiting game most of the day on the boat which is boring … Hopefully we’ll get hauled out tomorrow and get some good news regarding the turnaround time for the repairs.