Last Leg to Iuka

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have been in our homeport now for several weeks, but I still need to update our adventure and bring everyone up to date.

When I last wrote, we had finally left the Columbus Marina enroute to our anchorage. Originally I had planned on staying on the hook the first night then docking at the Smithville Marina the second night. There we planned to join up with some friends for the final two legs to Iuka.

Since we didn’t get away from Columbus as early as I had wanted, I wasn’t positive when at the end of the day, where our anchorage was going to be. Fortunately as we progressed further to the north we had several options and as we ticked the miles off, it became apparent we could make my first choice which was an anchorage on the West side of the river in a much protected area.

We arrived “onsite” just before the sunset and the location provided all that was hoped for. We were anchored in a “cut” that was at one time the river channel, but after many years, Mother Nature decided to redirect the flow of her river! Thanks Mom!

The “cut” was probably wide enough for us to swing on one anchor, but being the over controlling rookie, I decided it was best to put out a stern anchor to prevent a possible swing into shallow waters.

I don’t have the talent or vocabulary to express the awesome beauty that is constantly displayed by our God. That evening Kris and I enjoyed the sounds of wildlife ending a crisp cool autumn day as the sun began to slowly slip behind the trees. The concert of frogs, crickets, cranes and other animals began to serenade us as we grilled on the aft deck. We are truly blessed!

The next morning we got underway at a decent hour (8:00am) and planned on getting to Smithville Marina in time to make the last required replenishment of our food stock. The plan was to spend the night there and join up with some friends the next day and finish our great adventure. Since we had several locks to transit, I wasn’t sure how far we could make it that day and chose Smithville as our initial destination. Fortunately we experienced no delays as we locked through three different locks and I decided then to proceed to Midway Marina for our overnight.

That evening we used the courtesy car to travel to the local Super Wal Mart for our final reprovisioning. The next morning I got to use the laundry facilities at the marina, and as far as these go, they were pretty nice. One thing I have noticed with the local amenities at each different marina and it’s correlation between the cleanliness and newness of the public use facilities. The more live-aboard tenants at a particular marina, the nicer the facilities are.
Jim and Cheryl Haas arrived right on schedule where we unloaded their car and got them settled in. We cast off our lines at 12:08 which was right on time and our destination was now Bay Springs Lake!

Once again the weather was a perfect Fall day for cruising. Keep in mind, Kris and I started this trip at the end of August and due to unforeseen delays, we are finishing at the end of October. As we moved our boat northward, we moved into cooler temperatures along with the changing colors of the trees. Kris even made the comment, we have traveled “into fall” and its accompanying colors. As we enjoyed are first guests aboard Blissfull we drove from the upper bridge while we watched the river slide by. We transited three more locks before anchoring in the clear waters of Bay Springs.

The very last lock on the TennTom waterway was the Whitten Lock which has about an 84 foot lift. It is the 9th largest lift on the inland waterways and can be somewhat intimidating as you sit at the bottom of its canyon like walls. Since Jim and Cheryl had experienced two other locks today, they were now ready to try their hand at locking through.

All went well, and once on the main body of water, we began looking for a place to anchor for the night. We initially began to look for a spot known as the “five fingers” located on the eastern edge of Bay Springs, but after some discussion we opted for the western shore near the Corp of Engineers camp grounds. This location was familiar to Jim and Cheryl; just past a special cove with a name that can’t be repeated in good company but it sounded like a place that required lots of privacy. This also was near an area they would bring their family during their summer water skiing outings.

After securing the anchor and a special evening visiting with long time friends; we shared a good meal and then retired for the evening only to awake during the night to the sound of our anchor alarm!!! Once the excitement was over and realizing the “operator” (me) incorrectly set the alarm we returned to bed.

The next morning, we started the last leg in a rainy, gray and dreary environment. Certainly not the first choice for the last leg of this epic trip; but we were ready to get our Defever to her new surroundings. The remaining miles clicked off uneventfully as we began the end of our trip.

When we turned the corner to entrance of Yellow Creek, Jim was at the helm bringing us in. Both Kris and I were on the bridge with him and the emotions I was experiencing were running all over the place. I could barely contain the euphoria of completing this trip but I was also experiencing the sadness of the trip ending. It is hard to explain to those that have never experienced this type of travel or lifestyle, but it is a feeling that is incomparable to any other.

When we left Boca Raton on that September day, I wasn’t sure what we would experience. I only knew I was now in possession of a Defever 44 and needed to get her home. We experienced everything from picture perfect sun rises and sun sets to screaming winds creating miserable conditions on deck. The boat performed flawlessly and the only hiccups or challenges were self induced.

Let me talk about the name “Blissfull”, I must admit the idea of this name was not my own, but from my younger brother Chip. He has owned several live aboard size boats and he thought this would be an ideal name for a boat belonging to a Bliss. Of course our thoughts would be we would keep the boat full of Bliss descendants and hence the name BlissFULL. But as Kris and I continued on our trek, we began to realize this name wasn’t the name that truly represented this boat or of our feelings for this boat. Yes, we want to keep the boat “chocked full of Bliss’s”, but what we experienced was something entirely different than a boat full of kinfolk. We experienced true bliss; peacefulness…, calmness…. I could go on describing the feelings, but they would always come back to plain and simple bliss. What’s in a name? Well, Bliss tells it all! Our Defever 44 formerly known as SeaQuinn will be christened “Bliss”. ….. It doesn’t get any better!!!

Thanks for following us on our trip. I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed doing it and writing about it. As you probably have noticed, I am not the writer in the family (thank goodness for spell checker). I was fortunate to have the time off to undertake this journey, but it is now time to return to the salt mine. I have regained my FAA First Class medical certificate after a battle with cancer but now cancer free. I have requalified in my position as a 747-400 Captain flying for Northwest Airlines (soon to be Delta) and will begin crossing oceans once again. As I fly between those Asian cities and the U.S. mainland I will look down across that vast expanse of blue Pacific Ocean and smile with envious joy of those cruisers making their special passage.

Thanks to all that made this trip possible, especially the woman that lets me dream. She has always been there to support me even in my wildest ideas.

God Bless

Rusty

Demopolis to Columbus

Demopolis Northward to Columbus

Sorry for the lengthy delay between updates. We are now actually in our home port, but I will continue to update the blog as if we were moving daily.

Our layover in Demopolis was very nice. We arrived at a decent hour (3pm) and after checking in at the fuel dock, we were assigned our overnight slip. Once in the slip we noticed there were but only two 30amp power receptacles in the connection box and no 50amp receptacle. I do have an adapter that will allow us to connect to the two 30amp receptacles and provide a single 50amp power source, but either because of operator error or a failure of the equipment; I wasn’t able to get power on the boat. My only solution was either to connect two 50 foot power cords so as to reach the only 50amp receptacle or move the boat to another slip. I explained my dilemma to the Harbor Master and they had an easy solution! They would put in a 50amp power source at my current slip and would do it ASAP! Wow!!! Talk about customer service! Within thirty minutes an electrician was at the slip and replaced one 30amp service with a 50amp service. Presto… power to run everything!

Since we had been “on the hook” the last five days, our provisions needed restocking and as with many marinas, a courtesy car was available for doing such errands. We had the car reserved for the hours between 6pm and 8pm, but Wayne (the night watchman) told us to keep it as long as we wanted and if there was a request for the car he would call me on my cell phone. We then embarked on our mini tour of Demopolis and the re-provisioning of BlissFull.

The homes in Demopolis were absolutely beautiful! In my opinion there is no better example of Southern Elegance as there is from a well taken care of antebellum home. And the streets were lined with them up one side and the other! As the night began to fall, you could see the “haunting decorations” of the upcoming Halloween evening! We finished our mandatory stop at Wal-Mart then found a local restaurant that promised a good seafood and steak menu!

Just one comment about the Demopolis Marina; in several resource documents, there has been negative comments made about this Marina and its staff. Yes, the docks are worn and could be very hazardous to splinter prone feet, the marina lounge has seen better days and the laundry facility needs to be updated, but all of that was overshadowed by the sincerity of the warm and friendly staff as well as the fellow cruisers staying there. So, if you are undecided whether to stop or continue… I recommend you stop and enjoy the sights, the people and of course that good ol’southern hospitality.

The next morning we were up and off as the sun began peeking over the horizon. The river was a little foggy and I was truly proud of my radar. Since we had three locks to transit today, I wasn’t sure what my progress would be. I had heard from several other cruisers of lengthy delays waiting as a commercial tow was transitioning the lock. As it should be, those of us using the waterways for pleasure should come behind those using the locks for business. Fortunately we were able to make good time and only experiencing one minor delay as a group of ten boats transited the lock. We had several choices of anchorages that night and we made 71 miles to the Cochran Cutoff for our overnight stay. Once again, the experience and beauty of spending the night on “the hook” was exceptional! I am starting to truly enjoy this anchoring thing!

The next day we departed our anchorage shortly after 8am since our journey today was going to be a relatively short segment.

Almost immediately after leaving our anchorage we came upon a dredging operation. Many of these dredging companies are contracted by the Corp of Engineers to maintain the integrity of the channel along the waterway and there are certain protocols and procedures as you approach these operations. We gave them a call on channel 16 to inquire about transiting their area. There are times they are actually dredging in the channel itself and you have to wait while they disconnect everything to allow you to pass, but today they were working on the edge and we had a clear passage through their area.

The further we moved northward, we began to see vast improvements in our speed over the ground (displayed as SOG on the GPS). We now were going almost 8mph!!! I even decided to turn my hat backwards for fear of losing it in the strong wind!!!

The weather was starting to improve in the temperature in the temperature arena and we are beginning to see more barge traffic as we go north.

We arrived at Columbus shortly after 4pm and were welcomed by “T” (harbor master) and Al and JoAnn Barr from the boat “My Turn”. Al Barr had been very helpful in providing guidance on overnight anchorages while Kris and I moved from Mobile to Demopolis, so it was important for me to see him first hand and thank him for his help!

Later that evening we were the guests of Al and JoAnn on their Defever 44 for cocktails and snacks. Kris and JoAnn immediately became good friends while Al and I swapped common interest stories of flying. While we were there, we were joined by another Defever 44 owner (Charlie Liffick from “Slow Flight”) and coincidentally was a retired commercial airline pilot.

It would be hard to put into words the gracious hospitality Al, JoAnn and Charlie showed to us while we were moored at the Columbus Marina. There seems to be a special bond between fellow aviators; Al is a combat wounded Marine helicopter pilot, while Charlie served our nation flying the Birddog in Vietnam. Al continued his service to our country in the FBI while Charlie continued his flying at a major airline. Kris and I decided to stay a second night at Columbus so we could continue the fellowship of our cruising friends.

The next night we gathered with several other cruisers in the “social area” of the marina before we walked over to “Woody’s” for a great supper. One of the attractions to the cruising lifestyle is the opportunity to meet wonderful people and this was no exception!

The boat moored next to us was completing their Great Loop aboard a Four Winns power boat. They had already completed a Circumnavigation of the WORLD aboard their sailboat. This in of itself is a herculean feat, but they passed around both “Horns”…. Located on the southern tips of Africa and South America! I tried to learn as much I could about their three year adventure in the short time we were moored next to them. Another truly interesting gentleman was a fellow traveling alone on the Great Loop aboard a 19 foot American Tug. I honestly believe we will read more about his interesting voyage in widely circulated magazine. I could fill this entire blog with the number of interesting people and I wouldn’t be able to describe the wonderful folks we have come in contact with.

Al and JoAnn left for their home in Texas on Friday and we originally had planned to leave Columbus that day as well, but like all good plans…..

I had a very important conference call set up for Saturday morning at 10am and it was imperative I have a solid cell signal to conduct this call. With the experience of the spotty reception along the waterway we decided to delay our departure until Saturday after the meeting. We struggled with the desire to get home after spending over three weeks on the road, but decided it was best to wait an extra day.

The conference call was completed and now it was time to get on the “river” again.

As I began the “preflight” process and starting the GENSET, everything was progressing normally. I then went to start the port engine and nothing….nada…zippola… I try the starboard engine….. ditto… nothing there either! Dang, must be dead batteries. But how could they be dead? We have been on shore power for 4 days and I do have a battery charger that is supplied by AC 110 volt power!!!

I look over at my electrical panel and notice the circuit breaker labeled “WASHER/ Battery Charger” is flipped to the OFF position. Aha….There is my problem… but how did it get selected OFF???? I certainly don’t remember turning it off, but no problem, just flip it back on…let the batteries recharge and then on my way.

I let the batteries charge for a couple of hours and make another attempt to restart the engines. The port side starts almost immediately while the starboard would barely turn over. I decide the best thing to do is let the batteries charge for a few more hours longer and try again. It was getting late and I had already made the decision to stay another night and try again tomorrow, so we weren’t going anywhere.

As I was making the second attempt to start the engines, there happened to be a couple of diesel mechanics by the boat who diagnosed my situation as a “dragging starter” and not a battery issue. I was a little suspicious with the coincidence of multi failures in separate systems, but hey… they were the professionals. Their theory was starting to look like the real thing after I had swapped the battery from the “good side” to the side that wouldn’t start and the symptoms stayed. What I thought was the bad battery started the port engine without any trouble. If it truly was a battery problem, then logically the problem “should” follow the battery, but it didn’t!

I knew there was a place in Columbus where I could have my starter checked, so I take the starter off and find a ride to town to have the starter analyzed. I find the store, we hook it and “spin the motor”. The “young man” tells me in “his opinion” my starter is bad and I should immediately purchase a new one from his store. In my “opinion” the starter is fine and works as advertised. I return to the marina and along with Charlie Liffick’s help I put a new “loaner” starter on the engine. Just a side note, Charlie’s boat (another Defever 44) had been set up for long range, independent cruising and had many many spare parts, one which was a starter! Now if the problem was truly the starter, and once I replace it, then it should start without a problem…. Right?????

Yes, you guessed it! Same symptom! A lethargic rotation of the engine with no start! Dang…. Is it something other than the starter or battery? Could it be a problem with the engine? A hydraulic lock somewhere? My mind was racing…..this was turning into something serious. It was late and Charlie and I decide to call it a night and start fresh in the morning.

That night I dreamed about engines… I dreamed about solutions…. I dreamed about single engine cruising!!!! To say the night was restless was an understatement.

There was something I hadn’t tried the day before and that was to “bypass” the cables from the battery going to the starter. This was something I was going to do first thing in the morning when I get up. However before the sun was up I hear this knocking on the door and it is Charlie. He also was thinking about my problem through the night and had come to the same solution. In his opinion it had to be the cables from the battery to the starter; after all this is a 20 year old boat and cables do deteriorate. We bypass the cables and cross our fingers for a good rotation….. ugghhhhh, still the same thing. A slow lethargic rotation of the engine.

I have one more idea and that is to put both batteries in parallel and see if that will improve the rotational speed of the starter. Both engine batteries are less than one year old and are considered to have relatively larger cranking amperage, but keep in mind they were drained DEAD! I hook up the port battery to the starboard battery and press the start button!!!! SUCCESS!!!! The engine starts.

Now I have located the problem and it is after all the batteries! It appears the boat needs a little more battery for starting and sustaining “house power” while without shore power. I now need to add more battery power, especially for the starboard side which also supplies the majority of the “house power”. The solution is easy so I decide to purchase a battery from the local marina and then hook them up in parallel to begin our trip northward!

What happened next is what cruising friends are all about and that is the extreme hospitality shown to basically a stranger passing through. I won’t go into the boring details, but the management of the Columbus Marina is second to NONE! They provided me with the additional battery capacity I needed and saw to it we were safely on our way. Thanks Mr. T.!!!

We got underway that morning at 1030!

Oh, did I mention how the battery charger got turned OFF?? The admiral of my boat has made it very clear she was NOT going to wash clothes on the boat. You see, the washing machine/dryer is located just past the engines which require a little agility and balance to get to, and it was made clear to me that THAT wasn’t going to happen!!! When we left Indiantown Marina three weeks before, she noticed the circuit breaker labeled WASHER in larger font, but didn’t notice the small font reading “battery charger”. Since the WASHER wasn’t going to be used, there was no sense in having this breaker closed, so she opened it thinking it would save power usage. Because we were on the move constantly the batteries were being charged from the daily use of the alternators from the engines, but since we were on shore power with the battery charger OFF the 12 volt side of the system was being constantly drained, hence a dead battery.

Oh…. Did I mention forgiveness is the key to a good marriage????

Tell the next time.

Rusty and Kris

Mobile to Demopolis

Kris and I begin our trip northward without another crewmember. It is just her and I now crewing our boat.

We knew the trip going up river was going to be a challenge for many reasons. One of the main reasons was the lack of convenient facilities for the first 200 miles. There is only ONE marina and that is Bobby’s Fish Camp which is over a hundred miles north of Mobile Bay. The other reason was the extremely strong current going against us due to the recent heavy rains. The rivers that empty out into Mobile Bay come from all over the Southeast and lately, they have had their share of rain. The river we were to be navigating was the Tombigbee/Lower Black Warrior River which collects water from many states before emptying out into Mobile Bay. When your boat travels at 7.7 knots full speed and you have a 3 to 4 knot current against you…. Well let’s just say it adds time to the trip!

We started our trip driving from the upper helm, but as we entered the Mobile Channel, it began a heavy rain. So…., down below we go and began driving from the lower helm. When we first began shopping for a boat, we were unsure of the advantages of having a lower helm to drive from. Many so called “experts” would tell us it wasn’t needed, their thoughts were if the weather was bad enough to drive from there, then maybe you should be staying in port. What they failed to think about or share was what happens if you “get caught” out in the rain. Of course they were selling boats without a lower station.

Fortunately the weather begins to clear up and we return to the upper helm. The water is almost glass like smooth as we begin our trip into the extra busy Mobile Harbor.

As I am heading north in this “highway on the sea”, I begin to see a low object on the horizon. At first it seemed to be stationary and possibly could be on shore. Soon it became obvious it was on the water and beginning to get larger as it got nearer. I still couldn’t make out the shape, but all I could determine it was “gray”.

The closer it got, the easier it became to identify as a navy vessel, but what kind of vessel? Not knowing how fast, how much room does it need and what kind of wake will it put out, I do what is obvious to me. I call him on the radio….. Now in the past, big Coast Guard ships have answered me when I called them, but this weird looking navy guy won’t respond at all.

As we get closer, I see the navy ship is being escorted by several smaller boats and one Coast Guard boat. We soon realize this is a very different ship and obviously has a special mission in the Navy. I begin to question whether or not we should be here? Did I miss some special Notice to Seamen that restricted movement in the area?

One of the small boats escorting this Navy vessel rushes ahead and pulls along side of us as I slow down to see what he wants. He tells us it is okay to continue but he makes sure he is between us and the Navy vessel as it passes.

On the Navy vessel we expected to see personnel attired in the usual Navy garb, however there were nothing but people dressed in civilian clothes. It was my guess this boat had either been built or worked on in the Mobile Shipyard and this was some type of “sea trial”.

As you can see, the shape is strange and it looks as if it was straight out of the movies.

We continued on up the river and as we entered the central harbor, a large Coast Guard boat falls in behind me. He is on his way to replace a couple of dislodged buoys and tells me to keep on “trucking”.

As you would expect, the harbor was teaming with activity. We made every attempt to stay out of other ships way and once I got north of the zone of confusion, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That relief was short lived as we truly entered the river. My speed, which had been a pretty consistent 7.7 knots was now is the lower 6 knot range. The river was now a true obstacle course with logs and other junk in the river. The last thing I wanted was to run over a submerged tree and damage my propeller or worse yet, bend the shaft to the propeller.

Our goal today was make it to Mile Marker 52.8 and anchor out in the “Alabama Cut”. This was a small anchorage that had good wind protection on all sides except from the Northwest. As we entered the anchorage, I soon realized this was going to be a challenge. The “Cut” was narrower and the current stronger than I had expected. I went in far enough to escape the turbulence of passing traffic on the river but not too far to jeopardize my ability to return if the river level changes during the night. We dropped our bow anchor and I let the current push be back to a spot I felt comfortable dropping the stern anchor. Once the stern was out, then I began to “take in the rode” on the bow anchor so as to set the stern anchor securely in the channel. Because the anchorage was very narrow, I had both anchors set on the front and the back to prevent us from swinging into the bank should the wind change.

As forecast, the weather was to turn nasty that night with some severe thunderstorms and damaging winds from the Northwest. Great…. The only area not truly protected was my stern which was facing the Northwest.

Because we are a great distance from any type of civilization, I had limited connectivity on my cell phone. I could intermittently send and receive text messages, but voice communication was non-existent.

Chip was at home and we continued to keep in touch discussing the severe weather bounding toward our position. He kept me informed of the tornado watches and the moving line of thunderstorms. That night we were treated to a spectacular lightning show and the winds were strong however for only a brief time during the storms.

Before retiring for the night, I set the “anchor alarm” and track on my Chartplotter. These are neat little tools that will track your movement and alert you if you have exceeded a specified distance. Everything worked as advertised and we had a safe night.

You have heard people say “what a difference a day can may”. Well, it certainly was the case today regarding the weather. Yesterday, Kris and I were wearing shorts and flip-flops; today there weren’t enough clothes on the boat to keep us warm! The wind was a steady 15 to 20 miles per hour from the Northwest and the temperature was in the lower 50’s. Brrrrrrr.

Because of the trash in the river, it was necessary to drive from the upper helm. Down below you couldn’t really see the stuff hiding just below the waterline. I am once again reminded what a mistake it was I didn’t get an upper bridge with some type of enclosure to protect us from the elements. But this can be remedied when we get to Pickwick.

The river current was starting to get stronger as we got farther north. I am now questioning how far I can travel in a day. Will I make the anchorages I had hoped too? Because of the very limited availability of anchorages and marinas from Mobile to Demopolis, I needed to pay careful attention to this.

The next night we stayed at an anchorage called “Old Lock # 1. This was neat little place that offered a lot more room than the previous night. The entrance was a little narrow but it opened up to a very comfortable spot with lots of swing room. As we entered we noticed we would not be without company for the night. There were already 3 other boats on the hook, so we took our spot behind them and set up for the night.

The next morning we would once again be battling the strong current and trash, but at least the sun was out but certainly not very warm. Also, this was going to be the first day Kris and I will lock thru a “big lock”. The locks on the Okeechobee Waterway are basically for smaller craft, but these locks on the Tombigbee are the “Real McCoy”. They are 110 feet wide and 600 feet long which can accommodate most commercial tow boats going up and down the river.

We arrive at the Coffeeville Lock and Dam where we are locked thru almost immediately. Because the water was so high our “lift” was only about 10 feet versus the normal lift of 34 feet. After locking thru, we now begin to look for our next night’s lodging which was Bashi Creek at Mile Marker 145.

I had been forewarned to lower my antennas as I entered the creek because it was so narrow and they were correct….. It was narrow! There was barely enough room to turn around a 44 foot boat, but we made it work. We once again set out a bow and stern anchor and when we were confident we were secure it was time for an adult beverage!! The peacefulness and quiet was amazing. We grilled out on the aft deck that night and went to bed early because we knew tomorrow we had a very early wake up.

Our plan was to leave Bashi Creek with just enough daylight to see obstacles in the water. We needed to get to Demopolis, Alabama which was about 60 river miles. Normally this would not be a problem since we usually cruise around 7 knots, but because of the strong current and a lock to go thru, we knew this was going to be a challenge to accomplish.

When we entered the river once again, it became apparent we weren’t going to make Demopolis that day. The current was the strongest we had encountered to date. There were times I was making 3.8 knots over the ground…… ugghhh, which meant I was going into a current almost 4 knots! How long will this last? Where was I going to spend tonight? Was I going to travel at night to our destination?

As with anything, I have always planned an “option B” and sometimes a “C” and so forth. We did have our “bailout” point and that was going to be Chickasaw Bogue located at Mile Marker 188. We were trying to get to Mile Marker 216 and the decision was made if I can’t be by MM 188 by 1pm, then we would spend the night there and retry the next morning. The only problem was we didn’t know anything about the anchorage at Chickasaw Bogue and what if there was someone else already there?

As we approached Chickasaw Bogue, the river was swirling violently near the entrance and it was a narrow entrance. We decided it was best to give this anchorage a try rather than take the chance of traveling at night. This was a good decision because this anchorage was probably one of the nicest we had been in.

The next morning we were delayed for about an hour waiting for the fog to lift. I do have the equipment with my radar and Chartplotter to navigate in this type of weather, but I don’t have the confidence in doing so. It would be similar to a brand new instrument rated pilot with 200 hours of flying experience flying into Chicago O’Hare during peak rush hour with barely landing minimums broadcast on the ATIS. Someday we will do this… but not today.

The weather is finally starting to warm up and we are not nearly as uncomfortable on the bridge as in the past. We arrive at the Demopolis Marina where I put on a couple hundred gallons of diesel before moving to my slip for the night.

The Demopolis Marina was an Oasis in the Desert! There was a courtesy car available, laundry on site and a great restaurant attached to the marina. The people there were friendly, courtesy and certainly accommodating. My slip was supposed to have a 50 amp service but unfortunately it had only two 30 amp receptacles. This normally isn’t a problem if you have the right adapters which I did but unfortunately they didn’t work. I had some options available which was to move to another slip for power or I could run my genset all night (not very courteous) or I could plug into a neighbors power. The marina’s solution was they would install a 50 amp service. Now that is paying attention to customer service. Within an hour, the electrician was onsite and replaced one of the 30 amp plugs with a 50 amp and we were “online”.

As you may have noticed, I have referred a couple times to some type of resource for this segment on the river. I did purchase the book “Nitty Gritty of the Tombigbee”, but also I used a website called ActiveCaptain which provides updates from boaters who have actually been there. But the best resource is the fellow cruiser who goes up and down this river frequently. Since I am a member of the Defever Cruiser’s Forum, I put a simple request online for information pertaining to this voyage. What I got back was responses from several cruisers providing accurate and timely tips. This was an invaluable resource and I can’t say enough positive things about them, specifically Al and JoAnn Barr of “My Turn”. They have been there for every question and I appreciate their support.

Tomorrow we begin the second half of our trip on the river.

Till then….

Rusty and Kris

Shalimar to Dog River Marina

After staying at Homeport Marina a couple of days we were ready to get underway for Dog River Marina located in Mobile Bay, Mobile Alabama. There Chip was scheduled to leave us since he needed to return to that pesky thing called work. He was being pulled from both ways since he truly enjoyed being on the trip but he also wanted to complete his scheduled trip to Africa. As a Delta Airlines pilot he flies to some pretty neat destinations and one of his favorite is the African Continent.

The trip to Dog River was an uneventful one, which is the kind I prefer. We got in shortly before 4pm and immediately signed up for the courtesy car. Speaking of courtesy cars… this was by far the best one we had ever had the opportunity to use, a late model Grand Marquis with all the bells and whistles working!

While we were tying up our lines, the radio crackles and we hear a boat announcing their arrival to Dog River Marina. They also inform the marina staff they were "crossing their wake"; meaning this is were they began their trip and now they were finishing it. They had began the "Great Loop" three years ago on this 24 foot boat and now finally they are finished. It was fun to meet this couple and hear some of their amazing tales. Their plan now was to spend a few days organizing their things and then trailer their boat back to Savanna, Georgia. This is their picture coming up to the dock.

We did our necessary errands restocking up on the basic food staples and even replacing the book “Nitty Gritty of the Tombigbee” by Fred Myers. Chip had purchased this book the last time he and I came through Dog River but we wanted an up to date version. It has TONS of good information regarding marinas, anchorages and special sites to see along the Tombigbee.

Because of the weather Kris and I decided it was best to stay one extra day in Dog River before making our trek northward. Since we were now available, the marina allowed us to use the courtesy car to take Chip to the airport the next morning. Thanks Chip for your help!!

Later, Kris and I spent the remainder of the day doing odd jobs on the boat and generally taking it easy. We knew the next several days of going up the Tombigbee were going to be a challenge because of the torrential rains “up river” and I thought it was best to take advantage of this opportunity to hangout for awhile.

That’s it for now... short and sweet.

Till then…

Rusty and Kris

Shalimar to Gulf Shores

We left Shalimar early in the morning with a scheduled destination of Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This segment was going to be a relative short one and hopefully an enjoyable one. Since it was a Sunday, we expected to see lots of boat traffic on the water and we weren’t disappointed.

Because of the numerous “no wake zones”, we took our time as we idled by some beautiful homes located on the Intercoastal Waterway. We finally transited Pensacola Bay and re-entered the Waterway near Perdido Key Pass. Here the water turned to a much clearer quality due to the tide coming in. That was the positive aspect of the tide, but the negative was the confusing current as we passed by the narrow inlet to the bay.

As we re-entered the ICW, we passed by the Oyster House Bar and Grill located on Perdido Key which was a favorite dining experience for us when we would stay at our condominium. However, in 2004, Hurricane Ivan had other plans regarding our long term use of this condo. It was completely destroyed by the hurricane and we are still in the process of either rebuilding or selling the beachfront property.

We had our reservations at Homeport Marina which is attached to “Lulu’s”. Those of us that frequent the “Redneck Riviera” are familiar with this establishment since it is owned and operated by Lulu Buffett. You may have heard of her brother, he plays a guitar and sings songs about Margaritaville! What was truly impressive, we actually saw her on the property tending to the landscaping. You can really appreciate an owner who is involved in the everyday things of operating a business.

The approach to the Marina was somewhat challenging since I had a very strong following current. I made a quick 180 degree turn as I approached the marina and cozied up to the dock. It was important I didn’t “screw this one up” since the Marina had a web cam overlooking the dock. I certainly didn’t want to be the next “You Tube” phenomena.

Once there we paid our overnight fee and were given directions to our slip. The marina is a relatively new facility and has some very nice attributes; the main thing being the facilities are very clean and well maintained. Unfortunately our slip location wasn’t the best, since we were moored up next to a boat that was operating their generator. Shore power was available and connected to his boat, but he still insisted on using the generator and because of this we were the recipient of the noxious fumes of his exhaust. The solution was to move our boat to another slip or slide it up several feet to escape the potentially deadly gas. Of course we took the easy way out and moved up enough to clear the fumes. All is well!

After getting secure for the night, we all went to Lulu’s for some needed refreshments and supper. I promise not to write about the food on this trip but the atmosphere certainly made up for any short comings in the tastiness of the food! We actually enjoyed the marina, Lulus and staff so much, we spent and extra night there. This is one place I would recommend staying during the winter season.

Tomorrow our plan is to get to Dog River Marina and re-provision.

Till then,

Rusty and Kris

The Ditch to Shalimar

The Florida Ditch to Shalimar

We left Scipios right on schedule and re-entered the Gulf Intercoastal WaterWay (GIWW) right at the Scipios Marina. Although the water is a murky brown the view from the Bridge was outstanding. We cut through some low lying areas with age old cypress trees covered in Spanish Moss. Just a little fun fact, I learned today that Spanish Moss isn’t moss after all, but a distant relative to the Pineapple plant which gets it moisture from the humidity in the air.

The “ditch” as it is known to the locals was narrow in some spots and we kept a vigilant eye out for the sun bathing alligators but unfortunately didn’t see any. As we were driving down the ditch, we could hear a lot of noise coming from some type of military jet. After searching the sky, we did find several fighter style jets in some sort of “dog fight”. You could see them doing all sorts of maneuvers trying to get the better of their opponent.

As we entered East Bay we come under the final approach to Tyndall Air Force Base. There we did see several fighter jets making their final approach. There was one antique F-4 Phantom that was obvious in the traffic pattern making touch and goes. I thought the Phantom was already phased out of the military and now in a museum or on a metal pole at the entrance of base.

As we neared our destination we would encounter fisherman actually digging for oysters. They would drop into the water what appeared to be giant rakes and work them as if they were working a “post hole” digger. Then they would lift their catch of oysters and place them in a pile. There was another person culling the recent catch and obviously throwing back the smaller ones. Since they were in small flat bottom boats we would reduce our speed so as not to “wake” them.

Finally we arrive at Sun Harbor Marina. The wind was really blowing hard from the South and Chip did a marvelous job of getting BlissFull in the slip. Just as we were finishing getting things secured, Gary and Hollis showed up from Crawfordville, Florida.

Dad had to leave us in Panama City due to commitments at home. It was a lot of fun to see him enjoy himself like he did and he was a great help. There is talk he may be able to rejoin us at some point but we are not sure, either way he will be missed as we continue our journey.

We get under way about 0900 with one less crewmember and arrive at the Shalimar Yacht Basin in Shalimar, Florida near 1700. The trip was fun and lots of reminiscing was done on this segment. You see, this is the Florida were I would spend my summers growing up. We crossed under the bridge (Highway 331) that would bring us to our Emerald Beach paradise and we even passed by the Ft. Benning Recreation Center where I had a job as a life guard and part time deck hand on the Follow Me fishing boat.

Since we get to Shalimar in time to use the “courtesy car” we spend that time re-provisioning the boat for the next several days. Each marina has a different policy regarding the use of their courtesy car but I don’t think any type of policy was attached to this automobile. This car was a moving accident waiting to occur but it was fun to drive. The brakes needed several applications before getting any type of gripe on the discs. The seats were soaked from a previous night’s storm and the Air Conditioner was in bad need of Freon. Since the VW Rabbit was a convertible, we solved the problem of A/C by disconnecting the two forward latches and “popped” the ragtop a few inches to get some circulation going!

Tomorrow our destination is Homeport Marina, home of Lulu’s!

Until then….

Rusty and Kris

Kris and I got to Marker One Marina in Dunedin, Florida without any hitches. As we arrive, my Dad is already on the dock waiting to assist us with the lines to secure SeaQuinn for the night.

Dad had flown in from Harrisburg, PA earlier that day and he was here to help crew our boat for the 24 hour crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, sometimes referred to as the "Big Bend". Chip was also coming in to help as well but his flight wasn’t scheduled in until later that afternoon. The plan would be for us to pick him up as we travel to my youngest brother’s (Skip) house.

As I mentioned the other day, Skip works in the Tampa area and recently purchased his first home. Kris and my Mother had gone down to help him decorate his new abode, but I hadn’t had the chance to see it, so this was important for me.

Dad had rented a car at the Tampa airport knowing we would be needing transportation to re-provision and run simple errands. Being on a boat can limit your ability to move around once you come into port, however many marinas will supply you with a “courtesy car” to accomplish these tasks.

The visit with Skip was great, his house is wonderful and certainly a beautiful place. I am very proud of him and his accomplishments!! We went out to eat later that evening and enjoyed some wonderful Italian food.

The next day we were scheduled to make the crossing from Dunedin to Apalachicola which is about a 24 hour leg, but the seas were forecast to be a little more than what I wanted to undertake. The boat has the capability to perform safely in much worse seas than were forecasted, but the crew knew their limitations and made the decision to wait for a better day.

While I was in Dunedin, I wanted to pick up some computer chips for the two Chartplotters I have on SeaQuinn. There is a West Marine that stocked the Central US chip which would cover my route from Tarpon Springs, up the Black Warrior/Tombigbee and even covers Canada. After purchasing the data chips, I attempted to install them in my Chartplotter only to be unsuccessful. Apparently the software on my plotter needed to be updated and there are several ways to accomplish this. One is to order the update from the maker of my plotter (Raymarine), the other is to download the update onto a flashcard and then update the plotter with that.

Since I consider myself being on the bottom of the “food chain of computer knowledge”, I knew this was going to be a daunting task because I didn’t have a “card reader/writer” built into my laptop and certainly didn’t have a spare flashcard.

Fuzzy Zeller once said you can buy anything for your golf game at Wal-Mart except a swing….. Well, that goes for simple computer support items also. Unfortunately we were not able to get the upgrade completed before leaving and decided to have Raymarine send us the upgrade at our next stop.

We were all excited about our crossing and to be honest a little apprehensive. No particular reason for the apprehension, just the fact we would be a long way from help if needed. We knew the boat could take much more challenging seas than we could, so the boat was not the issue but it was just the “unknown” that got our attention!

I didn’t want to enter the Carrabelle Pass during the dark, so the plan was to depart Dunedin around 1100 and hit the Dog Island buoy shortly after daylight. We thought our speed over the ground would be a little less than the normal cruise of 7.7 knots because of the forecast seas but in reality we did exactly that.

As we were leaving the West Coast of Florida, we had to navigate around several HUNDRED crab pots. They were everywhere! Since the water was moderately shallow, the fisherman that set out the pots would have extra line attached to the respective pot. This line would float along side of the small buoyant marker identifying the location of each pot. Sometimes the line was almost 20 to 30 feet lying on top of the water attached to the buoy. When you thought you were giving the buoy ample space, you actually could catch the line that is attached to the trap itself.

Both Chip and I were down on the aft deck enjoying the ride while Kris and Dad were on the bridge navigating around the crab pot mine field. Then almost at the same time, Chip and I see what appears to be something following behind us about 30 yards and just below the surface of the water. If you remember the Jaws movie and the scene where the shark is coming towards the boat, well this is what it looked like. Something just below the surface moving towards us! We soon realized the cause of this was not some huge Great White shark, but a crab pot attached to our boat.

We both head for the bridge while Dad immediately idles down and put both engines in neutral. The crab pot disconnects itself and gently floats to the bottom. Not knowing where or how the crab pot attached itself to our boat, we prudently decide to investigate further. I carry two sets of masks and snorkels, so Chip and I dawn them and jump into the water to view the running gear and stabilizers. He checks the port side while I check the starboard. He finds nothing on his side, but I find a small ½ inch line wrapped around the propeller shaft. After a few tries, we free the line from the shaft and present it to the helmsperson for a souvenir.

We continue on and the ride was very pleasant as the seas were the forecast 1 to 2 feet. The forecast also called for the winds to start from the West at 10 knots and then as the evening went on; they would change to the South and be less than 5 knots. Unfortunately the winds didn’t subside but increased slightly and provided a quartering headwind the entire way. The waves never calmed down and we had a moderately choppy ride most the night.

Once out of sight of land, you don’t have any competing light to obscure the stars. It is not often you can actually see the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy, but tonight it was crystal clear to all of us. We could even see satellites as they passed overhead. Being out there certainly made you feel small.

During the night we saw some flares going off to the West of our position. Initially we saw a single flare and then a salvo of three flares. Could this be a boat in distress? Could it be some fisherman disregarding normal safety considerations and playing around? Either way it was our responsibility to take this seriously and investigate it further.

Our first action was to call the Coast Guard and inquire if they have received a distress message from any vessels. We were pleasantly reassured when they answered almost immediately even though we were several miles off shore. They proceeded to ask a number of questions regarding our position, wind speed, sea state, and estimated distance from our boat. They even wanted my cell phone number.

After several exchanges on the radio, it became known to the Coast Guard the flares were from a military operation in the Gulf of Mexico. We were all relieved that nobody was in distress and proceeded to our next waypoint.

Since the Gulf was a confused chop, none of were able to catch must sleep. We spent most of our time on the bridge talking about life in general. Fortunately we solved all the world’s problems that night but forgot to implement them once back on shore.

We hit the Dog Island buoy right on schedule at 0700 with a magnificent sunrise to welcome us. As we entered the sound, the waters became “glass like” smooth and we continued on to Scipios Marina (pronounced “cipios”, the S is silent). After getting all the lines secure and feeling comfortable with our position on the dock, I shut down the Ford Lehman’s at exactly 1105! Twenty four hours to the mark since we departed Dunedin!

After getting cleaned up we decided to celebrate by treating ourselves to lunch at the local Marina restaurant and we certainly weren’t disappointed! Since we were just a few short blocks from historical downtown Apalachicola, we put on our walking shoes and toured the city. There are many quaint shops selling everything from antiques to modern art. We did spend some time at the Veterans Memorial as well as a couple of museums. Who says we Tennesseans don’t have no class!!!

Tomorrow we begin our trip to Panama City.

Tell then….

Rusty and Kris.

Tampa Bound

We had a lazy morning with opportunities to do some exercising and see the local sights. We finally get underway at 1100 and expect to cruise a short 4 hours to our anchorage along the Sunshine Causeway in Tampa.

We have company once again as we cruise the inland waterway. Many times during our travels, we are accompanied by porpoises (dolphins). They will swim either along your beam or directly off your bow. It is fun to watch them perform for you as they jump out of the water and they appear to enjoy the attention. They will often roll on their side to get a better look at their audience.

As I mentioned earlier, we intend to anchor out this evening in the Tampa Bay area. We selected a protected area with other boats anchored there. The weather was great; clear skies, light winds and calm seas. We decided to get our dingy down for the first time and even do some swimming. The water wasn't as clear as we hoped, but it was pleasant enough. The dingy was a little challenging since the davit is basically a one way davit. It will only "hoist" the dingy back to the storage spot atop the cover for the aft deck. You have to adjust the "drag" to slowly deploy the dingy to the water. I was glad I didn't sever a finger in the cable while doing this.... it just looked a little daunting.

Late that evening we enjoyed watching the sun set as the full moon rose. I am hoping for a more comfortable rest compared to a previous anchorage.

As we close down for the night, I do one last check of the anchor, recheck the alarm and make sure everything is secure on deck. Positive everything is "ship shape" and I head off to bed.

As any responsible boater would do, we should be considerate of the wake we create. Especially larger boats with significant wakes that potentially can cause damage to other boaters. I try to be aware of our smaller brothers/sisters on the water and slow down when passing them, especially if they are anchored while fishing. Well, sometime during the night the boat begins to rock more than usual. I get up to see who the inconsiderate boater is and let him/her know this is not appreciated. Once I get on the aft deck, I see what the problem is.... The wind has picked up to almost 15 knots and the waves are slapping against our hull. Certainly not what I had expected, but nonetheless we were prepared with ample rode on our anchor. I did spend the remaining night watching the weather. Whoops... there I go again, borrowing trouble.

The next day we are hoping to get to Marker One Marina to meet up with Chip and Dad. Also my youngest brother Skip lives in the Tampa area and we are planning on getting together with him. He recently purchased a home in Tampa and I haven't had the chance to see it, so it was important for all of us to visit him.

More tomorrow about the visit and the trip.

Till then....

Rusty and Kris

Kris and I are slowly beginning to feel a little more comfortable in our home on the water. Since this will be our home for the year long adventure of the Great Loop, we are learning to share responsibilities equally. It is important she know how to perform basic maneuvers with the boat, especially if I become incapacitated in some shape or form. She wants me to learn how to use the oven and the washing machine…. I tell her I am already checked out on that equipment and will accomplish those tasks when she becomes incapacitated! She didn’t see the humor!!!

Our first night on the hook wasn’t as restful as I had hoped. Most of the apprehension was self inflicted by my lack of confidence in setting the anchor. The weather was perfect, the depth was reasonable (15 feet) and the seas were calm, so what am I to worry about? Kris sometimes accuses me of “borrowing trouble”, but I call it preparing for the worst case scenario. Either way, I put out the required rode, set the anchor and arm my anchor alarm on the GPS Chartplotter. Only then do I head to bed but awake a few hours later at 3am. After several years of flying in the Asian theater, my circadian rhythm is pretty much dysfunctional, so getting up at odd hours is not uncommon, but I stay up entertaining myself with reading material awaiting the rising sun!

We depart our anchorage at 0830 for the trip to Marina Jack in Sarasota. The trip was uneventful except for the abundance of weekend traffic! As we crossed Charlotte Bay we watched Open Ocean racing boats go screaming by. When I say screaming…. I truly mean SCREAMING! These boats are huge and reach unimaginable speeds on the water. They were fun to watch, but certainly not our style of water sport.

We docked at Marina Jack right on schedule and they put us in a slip near the restaurant and lounge. As we backed in to our slip we immediately knew we were in foreign surroundings for us West Tennesseans. The boats on either side of me were the big bright shiny “seven figure” boats! But our extra special Defever brought out several residents to compliment her lines! I was proud of her and the way she looked!

That evening we dined on hotdogs grilled on the aft deck with baked beans and potato salad! Kris made the comment, “food tastes better on the water” and I tend to agree. Later we enjoyed the music of the live band performing in the open air lounge while sitting on the aft deck.

The next morning I got the opportunity to take a nice jog and Kris walks in the park. The night before as we walked in the park near the Marina, we watched as a young man on bended knee proposes to his girlfriend! She must have said yes because when we saw them again she was in his arms!

On that note, I shall close this update. Tomorrow we are going to the Tampa Bay area and will anchor along the Sunshine Causeway.

Stay tuned.

Rusty and Kris

The Trek Continues

Kris and I had a wonderful time back in Tennessee. Our oldest daughter has married the man of her dreams (ours too, he is a pretty special guy) and our youngest daughter announces she and her husband are expecting a baby! WOW, what a special time at home; I have a new son in law and we are going to be Grandparents!!!! Life is great, but we are anxious to return to our boat and restart the Trek Northward.

We fly back down to Fort Lauderdale and begin the re-provisioning of our home for the next several weeks as we begin the trip again. The repainting of the bottom was accomplished as promised and appears to be an excellent job by experienced personnel.

We spent the first night back in Indiantown at a very unique hotel, The Seminole Inn (seminoleinn.com) which was a very pleasant and friendly experience. The rooms are neatly decorated in what I refer to as “country charm”.

It was time to put SeaQuinn back in the water and begin to transfer the groceries. As before, the crew that drives the large lift did their job without a single hiccup and gently placed her back in her realm. Before she is completely released we needed to make sure she is still “water tight” and there are no leaks. Upon entering the engine room I discover a steady stream of water entering from the coupling surrounding the port shaft that is connected to the propeller. Fortunately the marina had a mechanic standing by if there are any complications and he immediately fixed our minor problem.

We are now back in the water and I move the boat over to a slip that is convenient for us to unload the groceries as the re-provision shuttle begins.

October 1st,

We get underway at a decent hour since we are only going as far as La Belle, Florida where there is a new marina with transient accommodations. When I look for a place to spend the night my criteria is pretty simple… lots of water (depth), an uncomplicated approach, clean and safe facilities. River Forest Marina met all those guidelines and we arrived about 4pm that afternoon. Our first trip with just Kris and me onboard is now complete and most important of all, with no surprises. If you are ever in the area, drop by this marina, they have been open for only a year now and I recommend it highly.

October 2nd,

Today should be a short day since our goal is to refuel in the Ft. Myers area and spend our first night “on the hook” only a few miles away. After looking at several resource documents such as ActiveCaptain, Dozier’s Waterway Guide and of course our resourceful friends who have cruised this area many times we determined the best place is going to be on the Southern tip of Pine Island. So off we go to our first night on the hook!

As with any operation, preparation is the key to a safe and a smooth completion. After we secure our boat for the evening I begin the “post cruise” check. Enroute I usually make an engine room check at least once every hour, but when we shut down for the evening I spend a great deal of time in the “working area” of our boat. As with anything mechanical, things can breakdown but if you can prevent it with constant attention, then you are way ahead. The post cruise inspection usually takes about 30 minutes of checking fluids (oils, transmission levels, coolants, etc.), wiping down areas before I return from the self inflicted sauna sometimes called an engine room. The temperature gauge in the engine room usually reads about 115 degrees after about 2 hours of cruising, so if you want to sweat, this is the place!

One of the things I check is the level of fuel onboard and this is done by reading a simple “sight gage” located on the outside of the respective fuel tank. I had noticed since our departure from Boca Raton, it appeared our fuel consumption was better than I had ever expected. As each day went by I would look at the levels and the level seemed to move “oh so slightly”. I am now beginning to go from “what an economical engine” to “I think we have a problem”. This was such a concern to me, before leaving River Forest Marina; I placed Velcro tapes around the indicated level. This way, when we shut down that evening, I can determine exactly the fuel consumed. Only, I didn’t know there was a valve that is well hidden from a person’s view that needs to be opened in order to determine the actual fuel level. To view the valve, you need to twist your head completely around, roll over in the inverted position, place one hand on the hot exhaust manifold so you can hold yourself up while inverted!!! Can you tell it was difficult to find the valve let alone read it? You will understand why I am explaining this in the next paragraph!

As I was on the aft deck attending to personal needs, Kris was doing her part motoring down the Okeechobee Waterway. I hear the “low oil pressure” warning sound and the port (left) engine is shutting down. I immediately make my way to the bridge and almost immediately there, the starboard engine fails. Wow!! Double engine failure in the middle of a narrow channel!

In my profession when we encounter an emergency or abnormal, we are taught to “fly the airplane first” and this is just what I needed to do…. Fly this boat first! I ran down to the bow and dropped the anchor to prevent us from drifting into shore. Remember we are in a relatively narrow channel with an uninviting shoreline. The last thing I wanted was a 44,000 pound boat beached! Once I had the boat secure I needed to find out what caused this double engine failure. The first thing was to look for something common to both engines and it had to be fuel. I rechecked the level and it still showed 175 gallons in the port side and 125 gallons in the starboard. I then checked the Racor fuel filters and there appeared to be no clogging but they were strangely absent of fuel in the bowl surrounding the filter. Aha…. Obviously some type of fuel starvation, but I still showed ample fuel in the respective tanks. Things that make you go hmmmm??? Since I had started the day configured for the fuel to come from the tank with the “most” fuel, I needed to reconfigure the fuel distribution manifold. When it doubt, use all available fuel sources, so I open all valves to the distribution manifold. I then re-prime the fuel system and “start them up again”. Presto… it is amazing what fuel does to the successful operation of a motorized vessel!

Now with zero confidence in my fuel levels, I look for the first available fuel source. To make a long story short… we refuel at the Ft. Myers City Marina and I put 300 gallons in the port side (capacity is 300 gallons) and 125 gallons in the starboard side. Now with 600 gallons of fuel onboard, off we go looking for our anchorage! (The total fuel capacity of my boat is 900 gallons, but I am only using the two tanks located amidship and not the 300 gallon aft tank) I later learn from the previous owner about the hidden valves and now have the confidence needed to continue!

But the excitement doesn’t end with fuel issues. As we proceed westbound looking for the “miserable mile” which signifies the beginning of the Intercoastal Waterway we mis-read a day marker and make an early turn northbound. Both Kris and I are very uneasy about our direction and I began to slow down our speed. As I am watching the depth get shallower and shallower I am getting more uneasy. I am now at idle power just creeping along when I feel the keel begin to rise… utroh! We are on a sand bar!

As I bring both shift levers to neutral I look around and who do I see but Tow Boat US coming along side. He had been trying to catch me after seeing me make the wrong turn and since he had local knowledge of the water, he knew it was only a matter of time before we were stopped by low water. We chat for a second on the radio and he asked about my membership in BoatUS and I gladly tell him I am an “Unlimited Gold” member. I strongly encourage all boating enthusiasts to become a member!

Earlier I had shut both engines down since I didn’t want to ingest any foreign matter in my sea strainers and we attach a line to my port cleat. Then the “little boat that could” gently pulled us off the sand bar and towed us to safe water. Total time from our first contact with the sand bar to being released in deep water was less than an hour! Lesson learned…. If you feel the least bit uneasy; stop and reassess your position!

Finally we find the anchorage we are looking for. We set the anchor and enjoy our first night “on the hook”!

Until then…. Stay tuned!

Rusty and Kris

The Dream

THE DREAM

“Rusty, do you want to help me bring my newly bought boat to the Tennessee River from Florida?” This was the question posed to me by my younger brother several years ago. He had just recently bought his “live aboard” 52’ Harbor Master and was now enroute from Melbourne, Florida to Iuka, Mississippi. My brother, Chip had started the trip with one of our other brothers (Gary) who is the more experienced cruising Captain in our family. Gary was to leave Chip somewhere around Tarpon Springs, I was to join him in the Florida panhandle and finish the trip to Mississippi.

Immediately and eagerly I answered YES!!! Wow, a chance to experience the cruising life during the summer time, in the comfort of a secure and roomy boat, how great can this be!!! Then the tiny little voice in my mind began to question the “saneness” of this immediate and eager positive offer to assist. You see, although the “Bliss boys” are pretty close (our parents raised 4 boys and my mother would always claim she wouldn’t know what to do if she had a girl), I was going to be on a vessel 16’ wide and 52’ long, that reached the top speed of 8 knots. To top all this off it would be for the better part of two weeks. The voice of apprehension was now nagging at my brain.

We as a family were blessed with the opportunity to grow up and around water. We were never without some type of ski boat and spent many summers of our youth fishing the gulf waters near Destin, Florida. My brother Gary worked his way thru college as a charter boat Captain while one summer during my college break, I “filled in” as the first mate and deckhand on the Follow Me charter fishing boat. But the more I thought about this, the less I understood my eagerness. Only then I didn’t know how WRONG and misplaced my apprehension I was!

My first experience of cruising wouldn’t be considered a sought after cruising experience in today’s environment but is was for a teenager wanting to catch up with his peers on Spring Break in Panama City. During the 4 day break our father, my brother Gary and two of our high school buddies started down the Chattahoochee River in our 18’ Gibson ski boat from Columbus, Georgia to Panama City, Florida during the 4 day break. The nights were spent camping on the river bank and the days were spent screaming down the river at 30 mph. Wow! We spent less than 18 hours in Panama City before returning up the river to Columbus. I guess you can say that is where it all began.

I joined Chip in Bluewater Bay, Florida and we began our trek to Iuka. What a blast…. To put it mildly, I was hooked! I truly took to the leisurely pace of 8 knots as I marveled at the scenery we passed. The people we met along the way allowed me a small peek into the close knit family of “cruisers”. I knew immediately this was something I wanted to do.

Now many years later my wife Kris and I begin to seriously discuss the idea of doing the “Loop”. The “Loop”, the “Great Circle” or the “Great Loop” or whatever name you wish to call it, it is the navigation of mostly protected waters in the Eastern United States that encompasses thousands of miles, many different States including time spent is Canada. If you haven’t heard of it, the first place I would go is to the book “Honey, let’s get a boat” written by Ron Stob. There is even a very informative support organization that I find invaluable for their resources, the AGLCA. (http://www.greatloop.org/)

We needed to decide what kind of boat is best for this adventure but the more we learned the more we had questions. I paid my subscription to the AGLCA, the magazines Passage Maker and Yachting. I spent hours and hours surfing different boating web sites, looking at what is available and what is in our price range. I even followed many boaters via their blogs and lived vicariously thru their words. All good resources for gathering information about live aboard boating, but the best resource is the person either on the loop or having recently completed the loop. We fortunately had the pleasure of meeting current and former “loopers” as we doggedly picked their brain for any type of information that would help us. This behavior went on for several years.

We finally decided on the type of boat we wanted. Our criteria was simple, we wanted something a cruising couple can easily crew; room enough to live aboard continuously for a year without wanted to commit some sort of evil felony on your spouse and offered room enough for “short term” guests. Of course it had to be simple enough to complete minor mechanical repairs should you find yourself away from the dock and need to get back. But, whatever type of boat you choose, it will be the one that is right for you.

The boat we decided on was limited in its availability. Not because there weren’t many made, but because of their reliability, livability and general popularity many present owners just kept this type of boat! As I searched all the electronic boat markets, read every page of the advertised boats located in the back of the boating magazines, I soon knew of every Defever 44 that was for sale in the United States. Finally we found one that met all our criteria and I made the call.

The boat we were looking at was located in South Florida and belonged to an owner who purchased it from the original owner 14 years ago. This would make us owner number “3”! In my opinion I considered this a real plus. This boat was considered “family” by the present owner and it was maintained exactly as if it was. The owner had retired and his children and grandchildren were living on the West Coast which would draw any loving grandparents focus to. He would spend the summer months enjoying his grandchildren in the moderate climate of northern California while spending the warm winters at his home in South Florida. There just wasn’t time for the boat.

We were fortunate to find such a good boat and equally impressed with the assistance of the selling owner. Since his time was being spent with his grandchildren on the West Coast, most of our communication was accomplished via email and phone calls. Kris and I made our initial trip to see the boat 8 days after I underwent a radial robotic prostatectomy, so as you can imagine I was moving a little slow, but the need to see this boat was immediate.

Once on the boat, we both liked what we saw and now needed to move to the next step of obtaining a survey and sea trial. Those two issues can be an entire other essay, but they are similar to an appraisal, home inspection and test drive. We scheduled necessary appointments and arrangements were made for us to have the survey completed along with the sea trial using a professional captain. Great news, the survey was exactly what we expected, some minor items to be repaired and the sea trial went as planned.

If I said it before, I can’t say it enough; the previous owner was a delight to work with and provided much needed information to complete our transaction. There was also a host of others who provided their time and collective experience in guiding me along the way and many thanks to all. Now we had completed the sale and I am now the newest owner of a Defever 44.

FIRST NIGHT ABOARD

Kris and I made it to Fort Lauderdale and began the process of provisioning the boat for our trip home with a proposed departure on September 2nd, 2009. As with anything new, you want to make it “your own” and the way Kris does this is to clean it beyond all reason. The boat had been maintained exceptionally and truly very little cleaning needed to be done, but we cleaned anyway. During the cleaning process we would find little storage areas that contained special items needed to operate our Defever 44. It was almost like a treasure hunt when we opened a newly found storage area. There were spare parts, there were special tools and the list could go on, but to say the boat came well stocked in “extras” is a truism.

Once the boat had meet the criteria Kris required then the necessary food items for our multiple week trek needed to be purchased and boarded. By the third day everything was done and September 1st, my younger brother, (Chip) and my dad, (Don) joined us to begin the trip home.

Our plan was to leave on September 2nd at approximately 9am and arrive at our first dockage in Stuart, Florida somewhere in the vicinity of 5pm. This should be plenty of time to complete the tasks of putting the boat to bed and enjoying a cold adult beverage before getting some rest ourselves. Of course the best plans seem to always have some glitch and ours did not disappoint.

STARTING THE TREK

Don and Chip made it in to Ft. Lauderdale on schedule and I picked them up at the airport. We spent some time stopping for last minute supplies before delivering them to the boat. Since there are only two staterooms, father and son will be sharing the V berth in the bow of the boat for the trip. After getting them unpacked and settled in, we began to secure items for our departure the next morning.

Ready, set, wait…. Not yet! The day had come to start and there were just a “few” last minute items that needed attention. First we needed to return the rental car back to Enterprise which didn’t open until 9am and then we needed one more stop at West Marine for a grill. We thought both these things could be accomplished without much fuss and we set a departure time of 10am.

After accomplishing both these items we had just “one more” thing to do and that was clean out the “sea strainer” for the Air Conditioning system. The strainer had been running 24/7 for who knows how long and there were many “animals” growing on the inside which had the potential to reduce the cooling flow to the A/C units (we have three separate units for each area on the boat). Usually this job should take about 20 minutes to shut down the water, remove, clean and replace the entire strainer, however it took us almost two hours to get this done. The reasons are many, but the main driver for the leak was a distorted cap which should be replaced when we get to Pickwick. We finally departed the dock at 12pm for an eight hour trip to Stuart, Florida.

Because of the many bridges and no wake zones, we didn’t arrive to the Stuart City dock until 10pm and after securing the boat we all crashed for a short night before starting the Lake Okeechobee Water Way early the next morning. Whew… first night on the road complete...many more to go!

SEPTEMBER 2ND

One of the constraints we knew we were up against was the closing of the Coffeeville lock which was scheduled for September 11th to October 1st and the opening of the Moore Haven lock on September 3rd. The window was tight and we needed to clear the Moore Haven lock on the 3rd and travel hard to the Coffeeville lock on the Tombigbee. Before we left Stuart I called the Moore Haven lock to verify they would be open on schedule September 3rd and they reconfirmed they would be open on time!

We departed Stuart on schedule and anticipated spending the night in Clewiston, Florida at the Roland Martin Marina. Going thru the Okeechobee Waterway was interesting with the many types of wildlife from alligators to the different types of exotic birds.

As we began to lock thru Port Mayaca which is located on the Eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, the lockmaster inquires about our destination. When he hears us tell him we are heading to Tennessee he asks if we have “heard the news”? Of course the response was we hadn’t heard anything and then he proceeds to give us the bad news the Moore Haven lock opening has been delayed until September 14th! Ugh, there was no way we could retrace our path and go around the Southern tip of Florida and still make it to the Coffeeville lock before September 11th.

We go ahead and lock thru Port Mayaca and enter Lake Okeechobee making our way to Clewiston since we had made reservations at Roland Martin’s marina. Since it now looked like we needed to leave our boat in a secure marina for at least three weeks before returning we began to reaccess our plan to proceed to Clewiston. After traveling about an hour into the lake we decided to reverse course and return to a small protected marina on the waterway.

The next day Kris, Don and Chip catch flights from the West Palm airport back to their homes and I stay to make final arrangements to have SeaQuinn (BlissFull) pulled out of the water to have her bottom repainted.

That evening I spend several hours cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer of perishable food items ( I found a few full time marina residents who gladly accepted the foods and drinks). The next morning I over see the “hauling out” of our boat and putting her “on the hard”.

Watching the pros at Indiantown Marina place SeaQuinn into a set of canvas straps and gently lifting her 44,000 pounds is like watching a well orchestrated team of professionals. I don’t think I breathed a sigh of relief until she was set up on blocks and the giant lift was removed.

Since it had been quite some time since SeaQuinn had her bottom repainted and I was planning on having it done at Pickwick, I decided to have it done at Indiantown Marina while I awaited the reopening of Moore Haven lock. I discussed my options with Eric Bamberg who is the Yard Service Manager for Indiantown Marina and he quoted me a price and date the job would be finished. In the past, every quote I receive from a maintenance manager is usually taken with a bit of skepticism, but in this case Eric was spot on and even finished the job one day ahead of schedule. If anyone is looking for a good marina service yard, I highly recommend the guys at Indiantown Marina.

Well, I leave SeaQuinn to capable hands in Indiantown and I return to Tennessee to celebrate my oldest daughter's wedding. Until then.... stay tuned.

Rusty and Kris