Thursday, Oct. 4
Hello from Green Turtle Bay, KY! (Yes, we’re still here)
We arrived at Green Turtle Bay on Sept. 7 on one engine due to dead transmission on the port engine. Finally, after evaluation, then locating the same new transmissions in England, our new transmissions touched down in the US in Boston on Friday 9/21! They made it through customs and to the dealer on Mon, 9/24. Shipped with new damper plates to GTB the next day, they arrived last Friday, 9/28, while we were at home in Mundelein for our niece’s wedding on Saturday. (Beautiful wedding, beautiful bride, handsome groom and his three adorable daughters, great to see everyone on the Ramsey side of the family!)
We drove back Monday, 10/1, hoping to see signs of progress on the boat when we arrived. Our hopes were dashed as we learned we need to wait our turn for the transmission guy, Jeff. Tuesday, 10/2, no progress but giving a Happy Birthday shout out to our daughter, Alyssa! Finally, Wednesday morning, Jeff arrived! He was welcomed with open arms and much excitement… well actually it was the opened floor of the salon and a barking dog (who was excited). As we wait for project completion – it could be several days - we’ll tell you a little about life here in GTB.
Water Levels
Living near and boating on Lake Michigan means we don’t closely watch the lake and river levels unless there is a particularly heavy storm. The lake and river levels do fluctuate a bit with occasional local flooding, but in general it’s the trends that are tracked. For instance, Lake Michigan was at its lowest levels in a hundred years during the 1960s, whereas the 1980s brought some of the highest levels over the same time period. (https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/missions/great-lakes-information/great-lakes-water-levels/water-level-forecast/monthly-bulletin-of-great-lakes-water-levels/ …scroll down to Lakes Michigan-Huron)
Since we arrived in GTB, the water level in the marina has fallen and risen. This is controlled by the TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority:
…a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter on May 18, 1933, to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected by the Great Depression…
TVA's service area covers most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small slices of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. It was the first large regional planning agency of the federal government and remains the largest.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority)
We had heard that the TVA lowers the lakes (Kentucky on the Tennessee River and Barkley on the Cumberland River) by about five feet in the fall to allow for the rise in water levels with the rains during the winter flood season. The two dams control the release of the rain water to prevent the flooding that would otherwise occur. During the summer months, they raise the lakes’ levels by about 5 feet to promote lake recreation. After Labor Day, lake drawdowns occur throughout the month to drop the lakes to the winter pool level. (A pool is the section of water between two dams.)
http://www.kentuckylake.com/lake-conditions.aspx
https://www.tva.gov/Environment/Managing-the-River/Understanding-the-Drawdown
When we arrived, we could see the higher water level mark along the shores of the marina. Over the next couple of weeks, the levels dropped more as we started to see a pile of rocks showing near the shore by our dock. However, one of our dock neighbors told us that a “gulley-washer” was on its way! And so there was! There were no thunderstorms but lots and lots of rain, from hard downpours to light sprinkles… just lots and lots and lots of rain for a few days. Wouldn’t you know it, after several days the rock pile was completely submerged, but it’s slowly becoming visible again.
Houseboats, and more houseboats!
Houseboats are something we don’t see on Lake Michigan but they are everywhere here! They are long and wide and have multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. The upper decks are partially covered and often outfitted like an impressive backyard deck with full-sized grill, plus outdoor table and chairs, possibly a bar area, and room to relax or play in the sun. (Note in the pictures - slides on some upper decks for a fun way to get in the water!)
Visitors
We had surprise visitors one evening. There were several people from Kenosha, WI, wandering the docks looking at boats - that’s one form of entertainment for boat people! One of our dock neighbors mentioned that we were here from Kenosha, so they knocked on our door! Who would have guessed we’d see our own “locals” here at GTB! We chatted for a while and learned they are on a different dock from ours at Southport Marina in Kenosha and one of the women was the Kenosha County Clerk. What a small world!
Survival skills
Some of you may be aware that when we are home and neither Sue nor Brian feels like cooking (a minimum of once a week), we often frequent a nearby establishment that we can easily walk to, and we have become regulars there: Emil’s Sports Bar & Pizza. Though they have to wait for Brian to choose a beer when we arrive, Sue’s drink is usually ready before we get to the table. They have great pizza, salads, sandwiches, etc. So you may be wondering how we cope while at the lovely GTB for so long without Emil’s. Well, we’ve found an “Emil’s away from Emil’s” called the Thirsty Turtle Tavern. Over the month we have become regulars, or possibly the bartender has a fantastic memory. She not only remembers Sue’s drink, but Brian’s preferred beer and our pizza order. It is a longer walk (.8 mi) than at home (.3 mi), but we figure it’s good for us to have a long walk before and after dinner. Plus, it makes us feel at home here, even when we are far away. :-)
Just a reminder… if you’d like to receive an email notice when we update the blog, just send us a message. Hopefully, the next update will be from a new location!
P.S. There are MANY turtles here at Green Turtle Bay but they are very shy. As soon as they see or hear anyone, they are underwater again in an instant. Therefore, no pictures. If we get a picture, we'll add it to the photos.