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The Boat
1994 C Dory 22 Angler
Twin 1994 Honda 45's
Yes...we love it!
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We've added a few things to the boat since last year. We now have a hinged frame above
the cooler that has a removable cutting board, perforated stainless condiment rack, and a tray to hold our cookstove.
Today, I finished building a set of brackets to mount a rooftop carrier above the
cabin. This will be a place to store our folding chairs, cockpit canvas enclosure, a folding dog crate, ect.
I placed a post in the C-Brats group, asking for any information about the area that we'll be traveling.
As usual, the members there have provided us with LOTS of information! (what a great group!)
I'll be printing out a set of cards with mile marker numbers for a quick reference while on the
river.
12 days and counting! Still quite a bit to do...install a new AM/FM CD player, compile a menu, get
a doggy life vest for Cain, find a large duffle for the canvas to be stored in...ect...ect.
Update!....July 12 2008
We've completed the trip!...and what a wonderful trip it was!
The dogs were great, well mannered, and content to cruise with us, walk with us, or stay
on board alone when we needed them to...real troopers they are!
We arrived at the launch site, B&B Marina, on the Hiwassee River, friday morning. The
launch ramp was strange, starting at a gentle slope, then dropping off sharply a few feet from the water's edge. Our trailer
seemed to be one of the few that didn't scrape the concrete where the angle changed.
The Hiwassee River was quite scenic, and we soon reached Hiwassee Island, and the Tennessee River.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR TRIP PHOTO ALBUM
The Hiwassee was nice and calm, and so was the Tennessee, 13 miles down river.
We arrived at Chattanooga at 2:45pm friday. The waterfront docks were marked "by reservation only" and asked
that the aquarium be contacted on channel 16 for reservations. We were unable to raise anyone via radio, so we decided to
head 30 miles downstream to Nackajack Resort (Old Hales Bar Marina) for a slip for the night, and tour the TN Aquarium on
our return trip.
We hit brief, heavy rain, just as we arrived at the resort, and secured a covered slip for the night.
Jo, Kia, and Cain retired to the v-berth early, but I stayed up a bit. Good thing too!...I was treated to
the most fantastic fireworks show I've ever seen! It must have lasted at least an hour and a half. Kudos to Nickajack Resort
for a fine show!
We slept great, but Cain woke up during the night and tossed his dinner...seasickness maybe? At least he
made it out of the berth.
"The Gorge" below Chattanooga was beautiful, but not what we'd expected. Perhaps we had built it up too
much in our imagination.
We arrive at Nickajack dam at 10:30am, and quickly lock-thru to Guntersville Lake.
We here a radio call from C Dory "Sea Eagle" at 3:50pm...and make several attempts to return the call, but
apparently we're out of range.
We reach our anchorage for saturday night at Short Creek at 6pm. There are several boats in the cove, but
only 2 remain at nightfall.
There's some traffic noise from the road to the state park at the rear of the cove, but not too bad. We
easily cover the noise with the CD playing a custom mix of music from my friend in NYC that he had titled "14 Female Artists
you need to know"...it was the perfect music for our first anchorage!
We decided to put up the canvas top over cockpit area before we retired, and the rain hit again only moments
after the task was accomplished. Distant thunder, and light rain, as if the weather decided to dance to the music....wonderful!
We woke early (5:30am) on sunday, to find that two other boats had anchored during the night. We idle just
out of Short Creek Cove to a beach area where the dogs have breakfast and a chance to run around a bit.
We arrive at Guntersville dam at 9:07am, and idle into the lock with no wait...and it's just us! Kinda makes
ya feel special when the lock seems to be there just for you!
Just before the dam we drift by beautiful rock bluffs, and a partially submerged cave at mile marker 349.
We exit the lock at 9:45, and a hlf mile down river we're treated to the site of a huge cliff to starboard.
We beach the boat 600 yards above the cliff, and I climb the 15' bank for a picture. There I find a huge valley of corn with
the mountain as a backdrop. I get bee-stung at the edge of the field, and quickly return to the boat for some benadryl. My
right arm still swells from the elbow to the wrist, and stays that way for 3 days.
We arrive at Ditto Landing for fuel, and a chance to walk the dogs. We meet two very nice young folks who
walk with us, Beth and CJ, cousins if I remember correctly. They offered delightful, intellegent conversation, and CJ
told us that he plans to get a dog and a live aboard boat when he gets older...I advised the young man to NEVER loose track
of that dream! He promised.
We continue downstream, and check out Wheeler Resort. Very nice, but the layout was terrible. The showers
were very far from the transient slips, so we opt to use the quiet anchorage across the river. Again...we slept great!
Mile marker 285.0...we head up the Elk River for a few miles, and get blue-lighted by lake Police! They
were serious, but not unfriendly. They stopped us because the didn't see a registration sticker on our port side (NC only
requires one...on starboard). They checked our registration papers, lifejackets, and fire exstinguisher, handed back our registration,
and said..."have a great trip...sweet home Alabama!" I wish I'd taken a picture!
07-07-08 Arrived at Wheeler dam at 6:15am...out at 6:35...yep...just us again!
Skies are clear, light breeze, smooth water.
Arrived at Wilson dam at 8:26am...out at 8:50...alone again!...and a really fast drop!
We fuel up at East Point Marina in Luka, Mississippi on Pickwick Lake.
We arrive at the mouth of the Tenn-Tom Waterway at 2:25pm...wow! We're way ahead of schedule! This was the
goal...the Tenn-Tom!...so we boat on down to the Pickwick dam after a short trip down the Tenn-Tom.
We decide to overnight at the Pickwick State Park, and arrive at 3:14pm. The dockmaster says they are under
construction, and technically do not have any transient slips, but he offers us an empty slip amoung the sailboats for .70
per foot.
We shower, and simply sit on the boat to relax.
I walk the docks, and notice that 3 out of 22 sailboats have a current registration...the rest are at least
3 years out of date!
Late afternoon stroms blow by, wind, rain, and serious lightening surround us, but spare us. the storm only
lasts about an hour, Jo naps, and the water is like glass.
More later!
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Cain says..."welcome aboard!"
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The Boat
2007
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