Unfreezing

A call over the VHF hailed us:  “The boat with the blue hull…..would you mind giving us a pull?”  Velsignet inched its way out of the narrow channel leading to its intended anchorage and back in the Tennessee River to help the nearby run-aground sailboat.  The short of it is this:  Newlyweds Ivy and Rudy (both teachers) are “restarting” their lives in their 32-foot sailboat (SV “Sidecar”) with their labradoodle “Jasper.” Hailing from Bayfield, WI, they are bound for a rest from stressful jobs, soul-refreshing adventure and new perspectives in the warmth and sunshine of the Bahamas.  We feel fortunate that providence brought the four of us together (a longer story for another time) because Ivy and Rudy are a delightful young couple!

We continue to cruise south on the Tennessee River and tonight we will anchor out near Clifton, TN.  Despite the frost warnings at night and morning fog (when at anchor, our generator lets us keep the boat cozy-warm; while we sleep, the residual warmth of the boat engine and temp of the water—60 degrees—keeps the boat warmer than the outside expected low temps), the blue sky and sunshine burn off the rolling haze and after pulling our anchors, we can spend our cruising hours in the flybridge (the sun comfortably heats the Eisenglass enclosure even with temps in the 30s and 40s).  Today and tomorrow will be our last two days of boating on new and unfamiliar waters.  These are the last days for us before closing the gap in “America’s Great Loop.” 

Mike enjoying his morning cup of coffee on the bow of Velsignet.  He's been lamenting that he's had to wear pants (vs. shorts) during these cooler days!

With the sun shining, the colors of autumn are beautiful along the Tennessee River!

Meet Ivy, Rudy and their dog, Jasper.
When we arrived at Birdsong Marina, we felt we had enough daylight to go to an anchorage farther up the river.
As we neared our intended anchorage, we were beside SV Sidecar and witnessed them go aground.
After giving them a tug out of the situation, we proceeded to our anchorage beyond the Cuban Landing Marina.  However, because a tornado had ripped through this area earlier this year, repair equipment blocked our entrance to our anchorage.  Damage to the marina was extensive and shut the marina down for transient boaters.  Despite all of this, we found enough room to anchor in between the covered dock areas and invited Sidecar to join us, which they did.

Many of the covered docks were damaged and debris was evident in the water.  We saw repair workers on site.

This is Velsignet and Sidecar this morning in the fog.  Because we invited Ivy and Rudy to join us on board for a happy hour, we also invited them to "raft" onto Velsignet.  After Velsignet was securely anchored, Sidecar mosied up along side and we tied the boats snuggly together.  It makes for easy off and on between the boats and reduces the space needed for multiple boats to anchor.

The fog was enough to delay our departure.  Regardless, it was a beautiful way to start the day.

As you can see, we had a calm day of cruising on the Tennessee River.  We saw this along the way....a barge with machinery one would see at a gravel pit.

If you look closely, you'll notice these homes and sheds on stilts--signs that this is a flood plain.

As we travel south on the Tennessee River, the landscape is getting hillier with banks of rock.