The Nashville Skyline Cumberland & Tennessee Rivers Crui

Yesterday at 10 AM, I checked the Notice to Mariners and Chickamauna maintenance was "complete" I called the lock master and asked if they could lock us thru in an hour. Affirmative. We locked thru. Got a Lyft to our trucks and were out by 1 PM. We got home today at noon.

More on my thoughts about a fantastic cruise as I recover...from the shock of land travel and unload the truck and boat.

We stayed at the Chatanooga docks for no fee. We had some rough water as we neared the dam. No issues in the lock or above the dam. Good ramp. Nice Marina allowed us to tie up while we retrieved our rigs.
 
Kath and I are finally safely back home. It took us 7.5 days of driving to get back to Sacramento from Chattanooga.

For our entire 5,000-mile round trip boat towing experience, I only had to fix one trailer tire, which I did in a Walmart parking lot coming home. Also, on the way out I had a Missouri Chevy Dealer fix a diesel engine problem for me. Both issues were relatively minor given the scope of our land travels.

We dedicated the entire month of September to this Nashville Cruise. We wish to thank the five other vessels who joined us for most of this 750-mile cruise: Thataway, Far C’r, Cat O’ Mine, Firefly, and Cat Claw. Thankfully, all six motor vessels worked flawlessly on the journey.

The trip was more enjoyable having this great group of C-Dory people involved. All ten persons on this cruise made important and meaningful contributions to the group at large at some time or another, and in some way or another. Each person had some talent that the other did not.

For me and Kath, this trip really opened our eyes to the great Inland Waterways of our country and their importance to commerce, agriculture, and recreation. Towards the end of the trip we started to run into more and more other boaters who were either on their way to Florida or were on a Great Loop experience.

We believe the trip we took, 300 miles down the Cumberland River and 450 miles up the Tennessee River, navigating through 8 different locks and dams that were part of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was “the heart of the water mellon”.

This body of water many be one of the more interesting and pretty potential parts of a great loop trip. We started about 50 miles up stream of Nashville. Arriving at the Music City by water was a once in a life time experience. Ending at the great City of Chattanooga also was fitting.

It is truly amazing where a C-Dory can take a person and the experiences that it can awaken. We may not have taken our vessels to the Arctic, like Paul Souders took his C-Dory, but for us this was a journey of a lifetime. We really got a wonderful taste of the South on this trip and we saw it by water.

Your C-Dory is a tool in your tool box of adventure. Others should consider this wonderful cruise in the future.

Jim & Kath
 
A big Thanks to both Jim and Kathy who organized the trip and to Floyd who sorted out all of the most interesting items along the way and was an inspiration for the trip to start with.

The trip went smoothly and everyone had a great time.

Although I have been on the Tennessee River a number of times, I did not realize the extent of the manufacturing and commerce which is near Huntsville, Alabama. We saw a different side of Nashville. Amazing to me the number of musicians playing in the numerous honky Tonk bars at 10 AM. Kris Kristofferson has been a friend for many years--and I am sure that the another great country music star s was playing in one of those honky tonk bars just trying to be noticed and get a record recorded,

Also we all noticed that soul of America lives in the heartland, These are still hard working farmers, truck drivers, laborers in the factory and grain elevators we saw along the banks. They are the skippers and deck hands on the river tugs and the marina personal who were so gracious to all of us. There is true heartfelt feeling for their fellow man amongst these gems we met. Many have little, but they shared with us a trip to WalMart, or a car to drive around their town,.

My personal thanks went to a Lady Orthopedic specialist who worked me into her busy schedule in the Alton area, and then, not only referred me to a hand surgeon at Vanderbilt medical center in Nashville, but made sure that he had contacted me in person at 7 AM Monday morning and worked me into his busy schedule. I have followed up in Pensacola and unfortunately there us no healing of the fracture yet.

If our medical issues allow us, Marie is as enthusiast as I am about doing the upper Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers next Sept. We think that there will be different and exciting adventures up river from both out point of origin and point of haul out of this trip. We will probably move at a much slower pace and probably anchor out more. We will make it a point to be in Granville on Saturday Night for the supper and show!

For us this was a shake down cruise--the first trip in this 25. Marie and I both wanted to keep on going. We only had a couple of items on our "fix it" list. We purchased a 50 amp 110/220V to 30 amp 110 V power adaptor. (We only found that type of 50 amp plug, and needed that adaptor twice. Fortunately in both cases someone loaned one to us. Many of the docks were set up for the larger house boats....which required as much power as....your home! Some use 100 amps 220!

The Dometic/Waeco freezer continued to cool and freeze, (but without good temperature regulation due to the failed thermistor) but it has been replaced by an ARB 63 quart unit which I hope will be a better fit for our needs. We are going to move a fan and the sirius receiver and put a 110 V waterproof plug in the cockpit. That was the list! Thanks to previous owners of the boat who had outfitted it so well.

Finally, I took very few photos--there was just too much to see and do. Plus there was a professional photographer who takes far better photos than I: Floyd! Thanks~to all who made the trip such a success!
 
All adventures must end as each setting sun seems to march inevitably on toward the end of the journey. One could say the sun takes you forward to the next great adventure, but I miss and remember holding on to every sunrise and sunset listening to the wildlife and soaking in the moment that I was in.

What a amazing group of people to travel with and share this experience, thank you Pounder, Thataway, Firefly, Cat o Mine, and Cat Claw for helping me realize this teenage dream that I had back 47 years ago to float down the Tennesse River on a raft. If it is even possible, Tennessee was even more beautiful than I remembered it being and the people in it still have that remarkable sense of hospitality to strangers that I remember even in these troubled political times.

Jim says it best “Your C-Dory is a tool in your tool box of Adventure” I’m going to take that and make a poster for my wall. Without Jim and Kathy, as I have said before, this dream would have stayed a dream and now I am sleeping with the memories of it. Thank you thank you Pounder.

I took a lot of video and photographs as it is my aspiration to document these videos for myself and for all of you to view. Some of you have asked and I would appreciate any photos or videos that you would like to share with me you can do so by following this link.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

This should open up my Google Drive to the Photos Folder. In this folder you should place any material that you would like to share and possibly give me permission to use in my video in the folder with your Boat Name. That way I will know what pictures are from who. If you have any problems let me know and we can work it out.

I feel honored that Dr. Bob thinks be a “Professional” photographer!
 
I appreciated the chance to follow along during your adventure.

How did you find the docks in Nashville? Looking for some recent info, as a note on Active Captain from earlier this year indicated they weren't in great shape.

Kel and I are planning to cruise the upper Cumberland (Granville to Clarksville) late this month and would like to spend an evening in Nashville if it's practical.
 
The transient docks in Nashville were fine. These are the ones on the port side of the river, going downstream. Apparently there were some other transient docks on the starboard side of the river going downstream that were damaged and are no longer functional.

Had to make reservations in advance and pay by credit card over the phone. Sometimes there are other boats on the dock that can occupy some of the limited space. With one boat you should be fine.

Nothing finer than going to the Music City by water and staying at the transient dock. Can walk right downtown from here and enjoy a beer and excellent honkey tonk music.

Do have to watch out for occasional barges that go by and throw a wake, but it was really not too bad.
 
Sorry I missed all of this. But, as the world turns and a health issue or two kicks in it looks that my water time will be increasing again. Bought a C-Dtory 22 Angler that SENSEI (Roger Johnson) found....a few months after finding him one. Our boats are 3 serial numbers apart and built in the same month.
Roger (Johnson) and I will be departing the Puget Sound/Stanwood/Mt. Vernon area around 25th-26th Oct....heading back to my home waters of the Cumberland River. Hope to make a small cruise with some others at some point in November....ish. Bob..Id love to be part of the travels but I have found the need to avoid high heat days....hence, I now travel to WA state April thru the potato harvest, end of Oct. Then, I travel back to TN...and my winter travels from there...
Hope to see some of my C-Brats more frequently....as Im back on the waters again....this week!!!!
 
Floyd.

Kath and I watched every minute of this trip video. We saw many things we did not originally experience.

This presentation was truly a labor of love! Thanks Floyd for all your photocraphy efforts. You must have spent hundreds of hours of editing here. You must also have thrown away as much material as you used.

We loved all your animation pieces. This was very creative and technical workmanship. You exhibited lots of good humor.

The music was great. Loved your selection for Bumpas Mills. Very appropriate.

Your mapping segements were very clever and instructive. Finally, the weather map at the end was off the top. Clearly an above and beyond trip documentation effort.

This was a trip of a lifetime for me and Kath. Don't know if we will ever find another C-Dory cruise as special as this one.

For those that did not go, check this out. You might want to plan your own Cumberland and Tennessee River cruises. We have the perfect vessel to do so.
 
Floyd, I had to stop all that I was doing and watch the video. Well done sir! You captured the essence of the heart of the watermelon.

Thank you! Certainly a work of art and love.

If our health remains good, and all other things in our lives remain constant, we are planing to do the upper part of the Cumberland--and the Tennessee--with perhaps some further exploration of the area between Huntsville AL and Chattanooga, TN this Sept. We would welcome others. Our itinerary would be loose, and at a slower pace. Time for fishing and walking the streets of the little towns....maybe no floods?

We met some wonderful people along the way this year, and we are certain that we will find even more next year.

Thanks again to Jim and Kath for putting this trip together!
 
Only previewed part of the videos, but from past experience, there is no doubt in my mind that they will all be worth watching.

If our health remains good, and all other things in our lives remain constant, we are planing to do the upper part of the Cumberland--and the Tennessee--with perhaps some further exploration of the area between Huntsville AL and Chattanooga, TN this Sept. We would welcome others. Our itinerary would be loose, and at a slower pace.
Click to expand...

Bob, when the time gets closer, perhaps you would open up a new thread regarding your trip. I'm still planning on the Inside Passage this spring/summer of Alaska, but no other real plans for later summer, other than probably Meet in the Middle. Colby
 
Floyd... awesome man I truly appreciate you showing my home waters of the real Cumberland, up river of Nashville. Many make it to Nashville…. then back to the TN...and some on the great loop run up to Nashville. Several yeas back several made an upper Cumberland run with Bill and El of Halcon providing geological narative on the cliffs and rock formations. that was great too.

i cant make September as mid Sep thru about 10th of Oct is the Skagit Valley potato Harvest. late Oct thru March is doable.


See some of you in FL and others in CA
 
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