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Ship's Log Monday 10-26-09

There was heavy fog early but it quickly burned off.

0935 Raised anchor

For some reason the anchor held so well that I could not pull it up by hand. I had to tie a rope to it using a clove hitch...

... and lead it back to the winch and winch it up while Debbbie worked the motor.

A ketch that was headed down river stopped to take pictures. We were quite tickled.

We passed Widows Creek Steam Plant

1005 Mile 407.7

1117 Mile 412.5

As we approached the CSX Railroad Bridge I radioed ahead to request a raise. The operator came back and said "ok I'll talk to one boat a time." I heard him talk to someone else to say that he'll wait for both boats to get to the bridge before he raises it. Obviously there was another boat up past the bridge that I could not hear. I told him I'd do the same. As I got close he said "ok boat on the south side keep going as you are." I think this minimized the time of waiting for the other boat as well as any train close enough to think about crossing the bridge. Well done!

He timed the bridge raise for me to proceed under it without having to slow down.

1145 Passed under CSX Railroad Bridge

Here is the said boat which is another ketch headed down river.

1155 Mile 414.9

1203 Mile 415.5

Ferry at Bridgeport Island

1225 Mile 416.9

1228 Private jet flew over at low altitude headed up river.

We passed under the Rt 156 Bridge

1325 Mile 421.0

1345 Mile 422.0

As we approached the Nickajack Locks we spotted a towboat in the distance behind us. I was afraid that the lockmaster would give him precedence. I radioed for an upbound lock through. He said that he'd need about 20 minutes to get it ready. I motored in lazy circles as I waited. Finally the gates opened and we proceeded in. I felt very lucky to not have wound up behind him and wait for two hours.

We motored in and got hooked up. The lockmaster was closing the gate and raising the waters even before I got the engine stopped. There was a bit of turbulence but we easily managed it by fending off with boathooks fore and aft. As the gates opened at the top the horn sounded. I started the motor. We had difficulty getting the line off the bit. As I helped with that the stern banged into the wall of the lock. Fortunately it was a light hit and there was no damage. We proceeded out. The horn blew nearby and was quite loud.

The dinghy floats free while we float up in the lock.

1425 Exited Nickajack Lock and Dam

Lake Nickajack apparently has long thin shoals at the channel boundary.

1500 Mile 425.8

1540 Passed under I-24 Bridge

1545 Passed under Marion Memorial Bridge

1550 I passed by the Coca-Cola stage. At some point this could be a great trip in the Elver.

We approach Hales Bar Marina.

There still was enough daylight and we needed to make distance to get to Chattanooga in the daylight. So we skipped it.

The Fall foliage is starting.

A quarry has scarred the side of the mountain. I suppose they will eventually dig the entire mountain away.

1630 Mile 433.5

1655 Mile 435

As the day drew to a close we debated where to anchor. We passed Mullins Cove which looked nice on the chart. I thought we could get a bit further and anchor in Ellis Cove. When we got there I tried to set the hook but it appeared to drag. Also the bottom banked steeply and we seemed to be sticking out in the main channel. We gave up on this and headed back to Mullins Cove. I carefully picked my way past shoals and dropped the hook.

Later I attempted to clear the knot meter by running the scrub brush over the paddlewheel for about 15 minutes.

1700 Anchored in Mullins Cove

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