Tuesday Oct. 9 – Thursday Oct. 11
Yay! We are finally able to move the boat with our new transmissions! Although we loved GTB and the people there were super nice, a month and a day was plenty of time visiting the marina and that area.
Transmission testing completed around 12:30 and we were on our way about 1:45, after waiting our turn at the gas dock for a pump-out and fuel. We arrived at Paris Landing Marina around 6pm. Not only did we leave GTB, but we left Kentucky and are now in Buchanan, Tennessee. The wind and river were against us (about a 2-foot chop in Kentucky Lake) but it is a beautiful area! Although the lake is wide, further south it becomes very shallow on the western shore so it’s really important to follow the navigation channel!
Terminology for the non-boating folks:
Cleats are the metal pieces attached to the dock that are used to tie the boat's lines to.
Fingers are the extensions off the main part of the dock that create slips to pull the boat into. (Some docks don’t have fingers so you just tie up along-side the dock.)
Slips can be single or double. Single slips have a finger on each side of the boat. Double slips have 2 boats in one slip and each boat has a finger on only one side, the other boat is on the other side.
Tying up at Paris Landing Marina was a bit of a trick because the big electric boxes (not the smaller power hook-up) are on every other finger – and the fingers are narrow to begin with.
The single slips were helpful, but there was very little room to get past the big electric box. We tied up on our starboard side as usual only to realize that the lines and power cords for our boat and the boat next to us made for a dangerous narrow walkway. So we loosened the lines and pulled the boat to a port tie up. Next problem – the docks are low, making it a nearly impossible leap for Bo, plus the narrow dock gave him little space for his landing when getting off, and no room to gather speed to jump on. ARGH!
Fortunately, part of Brian’s elegant solution to get Bo down to the fish cockpit (for dinghy rides) includes a rubber-mat topped large cooler - which we actually use for storing extra lines and power cords. The rubber matting gives Bo something to grip so he won’t slip. We've learned that if he slips anywhere, he won’t try it again unless tempted by cheese or a strong push. Anyway, Brian emptied the cooler and put it along-side the boat which worked wonders for getting Bo on & off the boat. It worked so well that we used it too! Problem solved!
We stayed an extra night at Paris Landing since we arrived so late on our first day of traveling again, plus Sue had developed a chest cold and felt like cr@p. The most excitement of the 2nd day was meeting a 63 year-old septic system mogul, Brent, at the marina restaurant for dinner. We listened to Brent reliving many interesting stories. One of the best was a picture from a friend that showed a septic tank truck with an amazing paint job. Brent said if it was his truck, he’d have his own face painted into one of the windows. (See photos)
Thursday, Oct. 11
We moved further onward south in the morning under a cloudy sky and the coolest weather we’ve had so far. The area has been breaking high temp records with the upper 80s to mid-90s in October. But just overnight, the temp dropped to a more normal temp in the low 60s – it was freezing this morning! We actually wore long pants instead of shorts for the first time in ages! With the wind behind us, the ride was fairly smooth most of the way to Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. The sun broke through the clouds about 20 minutes before we reached our destination about 1pm. It was still cool and windy but the sun felt magnificent while it was shining! We used the marina’s courtesy van (no questions, no license, just handed us the key) to pick up essentials (and cough medicine) at the nearest Walmart about 15 minutes away. We’ll probably stay here for a second night hoping that Sue’s cough/cold will be on its way out.
Honorable mentions for GTB:
Dave, Sue’s brother from TX, dropped by on our last Friday at GTB. He was driving from Charlotte to Chicago and we were thrilled to have company! We shared a “Dave’s Special” pizza at the Thirsty Turtle, then hung out on the boat Saturday morning before he left on his journey north.
While on a dinghy ride around the marina, we spotted a houseboat named “Janet Lee” which is Sue’s sister’s first and middle name!
Sue bought a Thirsty Turtle Tavern t-shirt – required after many a Jack & Diets plus pizzas over the last month.
We finally got some pictures of turtles – YAY! (see the photos)