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84' Lock, note the 55' boat
inside |
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The back "wall" is the miter sill. We are lifted to
the top, then the gates open. |
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Adesso in the lock behind
us. |
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Holiday VII, across the lock from
us. |
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Lock is to the far right, we anchor on the "top" of
the chart. |
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Along side of our slip at Midway
Marina |
June 25, 2011
Up again early, we transited three more locks before
stopping at Midway Marina. Manager Pat was still there. We'd not
been on land in nearly a week, and it was time to go ashore for a walk. We
needed to top off the water tank, get rid of trash, do laundry, move
around. We'd stay overnight and try to get a few chores done on the boat,
too. We'd wash her, do some recaulking, maybe apply some wax to the
bow. There's always something needing doing if we want her to look
this good. We worked the first day, washing the boat, cleaning and drying
the windows., and scrubbing the "river mustache" off the bow. Trees
falling into the river brew a sort of "tea" that stains fiberglass, especially
the bow where we cut through the water. A mild acid solution, even lemon
juice, removes the stain, then a light coat of wax prevents its
recurrence. But, we were not finished, so extended our stay another
day. Thunderstorms threatened anyway. We turned the boat around to
reach the port side, and began our work again. Washing, scrubbing,
waxing. Where minor stains remained, we used wax to remove the
stain. We put away the cleaning supplies and took a good walk around the
marina grounds. Who knows when we'd get another chance to walk? Both of us
were very hot and tired from the two days hard labor. Finally we had to
leave. Another power boat passed the marina, and we had to move to catch
up. If the other boat got ahead of us and went through the Rankin Lock
without us, we'd face delays at every lock that day. It was already 90
degrees at noon, and the sun beat down on us. We went through 3 locks
together before stopping for the day. Whitten Lock, the last of
the locks we'd go through on the Tenn-Tom is a 84' lift. The fourth
highest in the USA, it feels like entering a big hole. Besides
getting us higher, it leads to Bay Springs. Bay Springs is a
miraculous place. You can see in the photo of the chart, it is a maze of
little fingers and coves. We anchor abouyt half way up on the right
side. Spring fed, the water is clean and clear. There is no
development there except on marina and one RV park. Otherwise, the lake is
lined with thick forest. We always plan to spend a day or two there,
resting, working, and swimming. Phil and Becky, from
60' Bayliner, Weekend Away were anchored in their favorite
spot on the lake. We have never been here in the summertime that we did
not find them here. Their daughter Christie was with them. We
met them here 10 years ago, and they also cruise to Ft. Loudon
Marina, our homeport, every September. After a visit and swim with them at
their boat, we went to see Marla and David, aboard Adesso.
Yes, they found us again, and we finally met after numerous locks together and
even anchoring together. Since neither had a dinghy down before, we could
never shake hands. Earlier in the day, Valt and I swam maybe 300
yards to their boat and back to say hi. The water was so refreshing.
Marla was cooking burgers for us and we enjoyed a wonderful evening
with them. One of her specialties is homemade "lemoncello", a lemon
cordial. Very tasty. They left the next morning, schedules called,
but we decided to stay another day. The water was the best we'd see for a
while. We were sad to see them go. Adesso is a Chinese
built boat. Designed by a Taiwanese boat builder and an American designer,
it was a beautiful boat. The woodworking was especially nice with inlaid
doors throughout, as well as fine cabinetry and floors. She had many
decorator features like mirrored ceilings, Japanese window treatments in the
master suite, and granite countertops throughout. Built in 2007, it was
equipped with many electronic gismos. After a nice dinghy ride of the
area, we jumped into the lake for a dip. Swimming around the boat we
noticed the lower rub rail and water line needed some attention.
So we got a bottle of cleaner, brushes, and a suction cup hand hold and
began working. The beauty of this plan was that we were in the water, so
it felt cool. We were moving muscles, and Amber Isle was getting
a little bath. The work was interrupted when a squall came up, complete
with thunder and lightening, high wind and rain. We quickly removed the
sunscreen from the windshield just in case we had to start the engines and
move. High winds can break loose the anchor set and let us drag.
Amber Isle got yet another free boat wash. The rest of the day we napped,
read, ate, and even watched a movie, "Bridge Over the River Kwai". Yes, an
oldie for sure, but still entertaining. While at Midway Marina we
exchanged some books, DVDs, even a couple VCRs. (Yes we still have a
machine that plays these dinosaurs.) We lifted the dinghy, so tomorrow
morning we'd be back on the river.
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