Upper Tennessee River, October 2024

colbysmith

colbysmith

Active member
Not setting this up to be an official cruise, however I am planning on cruising the Upper Tennessee River from Guntersville, AL to Knoxville, TN and a few miles farther to the head waters of the Tennessee River. Any one that would like to join for the cruise or just part of it, would be welcome to tag along. I'll share more info later, but for now, this is some of the planning info.

Dates, October 2nd-23rd, 2024.
Launch and retrieve at Harrison Bay State Park near Chattanooga, TN. Head down stream first to Guntersville, then back up stream past Harrison Bay to the head waters, and finally back to Harrison Bay. Harrison Bay has a nice ramp, and it's likely we could keep our rigs parked there for the three weeks we are on the water. However, I will need to speak with the Ranger again, and their concern was with how many rigs would be parking. So if you are considering joining us, please let me know your intentions of parking. I will only share with the rangers those I definitely know want to park there, otherwise you will be on your own to make parking arrangements. The price is free. The other option would be to launch and park at Guntersville Marina, but there would be a fee there. I prefer to do round trips on the water, as opposed to cruising one way, then land travel back to pick up the rigs and return for the boats. So launching and retrieving in the middle works just as well.

We'd travel at 5-6 mph, doing about 30 miles a day. 8am central time departures. The total round trip distance is 600 miles, so plan to be on the water 20 days. I plan to launch the afternoon of October 2nd, anchor or dock in the vicinity, and then head out at 8am on the 3rd to start the cruise. Of course this is all flexible, but living in Wisconsin, it's best I plan to have the boat ready for winter preparation by the end of October. Fall colors seem to be best in October as well. And recreational traffic has died down. If you are considering joining in on this cruise, I'd recommend Jerry Hay's Tennessee River Guidebook. Colby
 
Hi Colby, Are you still thinking about doing the Tenn. River?? We might me interested in doing part of the trip. (Jim & Sandy with Pandy Girl)
 
Pandy Girl":ukb7wnx3 said:
Hi Colby, Are you still thinking about doing the Tenn. River?? We might me interested in doing part of the trip. (Jim & Sandy with Pandy Girl)
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Yep. Still looking at arriving at Harrison State Park on October 2nd, launch and probably stay in the area then head out the next morning (Oct 3). My plans are to head downstream to Guntersville, turn around there and then head back up stream past Harrison to the end near Knoxville. Then turn around again to return to Harrison. I don't really have exact timing plans other than to say we'll probably average about 30 miles a day. But that may mean some days as many as 50 miles and some days maybe only 20 miles. Everything is pretty flexible. Including depending upon weather and any other factors, we could end up going upstream first...The only thing for certain is arrival on the 2nd, pretty sure we'll use Harrison SP (but even that could change if we have problems with parking there.) And living in Wisconsin, I really need to be back by the end of October to get C-Traveler winterized and put away for the winter. But I'm thinking with a total distance of 600 miles and averaging 30mi/day, that's 20 days, so done around the 23rd, plus or minus a few days. Colby P.s. BTW, barring any personal emergencies or issues with the River, the trip is pretty much set in stone on my calendar. :)
 
Just to throw a little more out there about the cruise. Bill on Mystery Girl is planning to join me on this trip, but we welcome any one else that would like to join us. We both travel at about 5 kts, and enjoy anchoring out. I'll have my kayak along, and hope to use it some of the afternoons after we stop for the day. We'll have to take on fuel at least once somewhere. (I have a 100 g tank, Bill has an 80 g. We both average around 4 or 5 mpg depending on current). I don't expect much current on the Tennessee. But that really depends on the Locks and Dams. My wife, Rosanne, is planning to come along with me on this trip. Our feelings aren't hurt if you want to run faster and decide to run on your own. It's all about just enjoying the river and scenery, and comradery with others. I'm hoping to keep our morning departures to around 8am central time, and we tend to stop anywhere between 2p - 4p. (Bill may leave a little earlier and run a bit slower. 8) ) If you do the math, average 6 hour days, approx 20 days, 120 hours. I'll run up to 200 hours when away from home before I worry about an oil change. But if you are more apt to stick with 100 hours, plan accordingly. Anyway, hope this information is useful for anybody thinking about joining us. Colby
 
As I think I mentioned somewhere earlier, in speaking with a park ranger at Harrison State Park, they would like to know how many rigs will be left parked there for the extended time in relation to this cruise. If you are going, and plan to launch and park at Harrison, please let me know. You can send me a private email if you'd like. My plan is to call the ranger again the first week of September, so would like to have an idea by then. I always find it a good idea to let the park know when I'm parking somewhere for more than a few days. First, that allows me to find out that it is indeed allowed, and second, it lets the rangers know of rigs that will be parked there for a while. I've found they appreciate the heads up, and hopefully pay a little more attention to security around our rigs. When I spoke with the ranger earlier, she indicated they haven't had any issues with vehicles parked in their lot, but as usual, it's best not to leave valuables out in plain sight! Colby
 
Hi Colby and Rosanne,

I’m planning on joining y’all from Guntersville to Knoxville. Still working out logistics of parking and crew. Liz will be along for part of the trip and possibly changing out with my brother at some point.

I’m so ready for a break from our oppressive heat and humidity… it’s actually been at dangerous index levels for weeks… we call it “Thermal Lockdown”.
I will tighten up with y’all as we get closer to launch.

My cell phone number is on my boat card. If you don’t have it, please let me know.

I’m cool with slow boating…. I really embraced it last year on the Columbine.
Looking forward to fall

Best
Dale
 
multimediasmith":1x0x6uq0 said:
Hi Colby and Rosanne,

I’m planning on joining y’all from Guntersville to Knoxville. Still working out logistics of parking and crew. Liz will be along for part of the trip and possibly changing out with my brother at some point.

I’m so ready for a break from our oppressive heat and humidity… it’s actually been at dangerous index levels for weeks… we call it “Thermal Lockdown”.
I will tighten up with y’all as we get closer to launch.

My cell phone number is on my boat card. If you don’t have it, please let me know.

I’m cool with slow boating…. I really embraced it last year on the Columbine.
Looking forward to fall

Best
Dale
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Hi Dale,
Glad to hear you will be joining us. I was waiting to reply until I checked my card file, which is on the boat. I keep forgetting to check, so thought I'd reply anyway. (If you gave it to me, I should have it... lol) Colby
 
Colby,
I have been trying to make arrangements to be able to do at least part of this trip, but my crew mate fell through on me. What's your opinion on the advisability of doing it single handed? Locking thru at the dams seems like it could be a problem, as well as unloading and loading my boat.

John Buss
Volant
 
I load and unload my boat single handed. Not a problem as long as there is a dock nearby (to secure the boat while going back to move the rig off the ramp).
 
Volant":1g6dtnq7 said:
Colby,
I have been trying to make arrangements to be able to do at least part of this trip, but my crew mate fell through on me. What's your opinion on the advisability of doing it single handed? Locking thru at the dams seems like it could be a problem, as well as unloading and loading my boat.

John Buss
Volant
Click to expand...

I’ve single handled my 22 thru a lot of various locks. Same with my 25 but the 25 has a cockpit helm. Loading and unloading is easy as well. But if you have not done solo before, you may want to try or practice first. We will be going thru several locks. If you can dock solo you should be ok locking solo, but it is more like precise docking. Rare to be affected by currents or much wind.
 
Sounds like an awesome trip! Doubtful I’ll have a C-Dory by the time this trip takes place but I do have a vacant covered wet slip at Alred Marina on Lake Guntersville and would love to stay tuned to this thread and come meet the group when you are on Guntersville. If you someone needed to get shelter, power, or water at my slip, I’d be fine with it. I recently sold my tri-toon and am actively looking for a C-Dory just not a 22 or 23. I’ve got an 1860 flat bottom and would love to ride by your anchorage and say hi. I can also recommend a few great anchorages along the lake from the dam up past Goose Pond.
 
tbone85":2wtxw7w6 said:
Sounds like an awesome trip! Doubtful I’ll have a C-Dory by the time this trip takes place but I do have a vacant covered wet slip at Alred Marina on Lake Guntersville and would love to stay tuned to this thread and come meet the group when you are on Guntersville. If you someone needed to get shelter, power, or water at my slip, I’d be fine with it. I recently sold my tri-toon and am actively looking for a C-Dory just not a 22 or 23. I’ve got an 1860 flat bottom and would love to ride by your anchorage and say hi. I can also recommend a few great anchorages along the lake from the dam up past Goose Pond.
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Thanks. I'll keep that in mind when we get to Guntersville. Feel free to mention any good anchorages up river for us to consider. And you'd be more than welcome to come join us. I can't promise I'll be posting on this thread every day, but will certainly try. (Depends a lot upon cell signal and available data.) I'll also open a thread up on Find Penquin blogging site, and will put a link to that here. And while thinking about it, I'm up at Mackinac Island now, and blogging on Find Penquins here: https://findpenguins.com/77ono0cdqci52/trip/st-ignace-and-mackinac-island.
 
Colby, Rosanne, Bill and others,

I am planning to join you on this cruise. I will plan to launch from Harrison State Park on October 2nd. I will be doing this trip solo. I do not yet know if I will do the entire 20 day trip. This will be a fun departure from my usual cruising style. Typically, my wife and I (and the dogs) cruise mostly at 17 to 20 mph and always stay overnight at marinas. Even when I have done solo trips in the past, I have stayed at marinas. I will add some battery capacity and bring a solar shower to facilitate anchoring overnight.

Looking forward to it.
-Jeff-
 
CPlay":2c4bu07t said:
Colby, Rosanne, Bill and others,

I am planning to join you on this cruise. I will plan to launch from Harrison State Park on October 2nd. I will be doing this trip solo. I do not yet know if I will do the entire 20 day trip. This will be a fun departure from my usual cruising style. Typically, my wife and I (and the dogs) cruise mostly at 17 to 20 mph and always stay overnight at marinas. Even when I have done solo trips in the past, I have stayed at marinas. I will add some battery capacity and bring a solar shower to facilitate anchoring overnight.

Looking forward to it.
-Jeff-
Click to expand...

It'll be good to see you Jeff. At 5 kts, you'll go a lot farther on a tank of fuel. lol. And likely see more. While we have the head and shower, I still use solar shower bags to conserve our potable water. And Bill and I always find somewhere nice and quiet to anchor. Sometimes we've tied to old lock walls, which can be interesting if they are 10 feet above us, but we've made it work with line posts usually embedded in the sides. If slow gets to boring for you, you are always welcome to peal off and cruise at your own speed. And of course, if there are marinas near by that you prefer, you are welcome to do that to. We try to have an idea where we are going to stop as the day gets going, but many times, it just depends on where we are at the time. Not really a formal gathering or cruise of sorts, but anyone is always welcome to join for as long as they would like. For now, I know of four rigs that will want to park at Harrison to let the rangers know about. You, me, Bill and Steve on SeaSpray. If I missed someone, please let me know. Colby
 
Colby,
We previously planned a one-way cruise from nearby Ditto Landing State Park Marina Oct 2 to Lake Tellico and Knoxville over about 2 weeks, followed by cruising the Tenn Tom one-way to our home marina on base over the next two weeks. We’ll run 23-25 MPH as usual and get to the next marina before lunch. The logistics are very complex, and the boat’s in the shop again to replace $20 parts in the vertical shift linkage, which unfortunately requires $2,000 in labor to remove and replace the powerhead to get to those parts. This was the cause of the stiff noisy shifting that caused us to abort our last Loop Segment last month in Norfolk. But we’re glad we brought her back to the Yamaha Master tech we trust for that kind of work. So maybe we’ll run in to you (hopefully not at 25 MPH). Cat O' Mine transmits AIS and NEBO.

Tbone85, PM me if you want a TC255 tour while we’re there.

John
 
PS:
All US inland river and lakes charts and the guidebooks that list locations of marinas, locks, bridges, etc locations are listed by their Statute Mile locations (the USACE are not nautical folks). The only cartography app we've found that easily displays your SM location is AquaMaps Marine (https://www.aquamap.app/)

At walking speeds you can do without it, but for $50/yr (tablets, phones only) the other invaluable feature is showing No Wake Zones.

Happy cruising!

John
 
I spoke with Ranger Matthew Vawter at Harrison SP this morning. He is very supportive of our planned trip. He is asking that we provide him with a float plan, our names and cell phone numbers and rig information. He also suggested we might be better off parking in their campground overflow lot once we have all arrived. This main ramp parking lot is open 24 hours, whereas the overflow lot is closed at night. This is the information I provided him via email:

Oct 2, arrive and launch
Oct 3, depart down river towards Guntersville. Running around 5 kts, 6mph, average 30 miles a day. We'll stop and anchor in appropriate locations.
On or about Oct 6th, Guntersville. Turn around and head upstream
On or about Oct 10th, Chattanooga area.
On or about Oct 16, River's mouth/ Pickel Island
On or about Oct 22, Return Harrison Bay SP.

Again, these are just approximations. We may end up taking some side river trips that add a few days, or we may make better time and get back a day or two sooner. But a few days later is more likely. It looks like along with Bill and I, there may be four other boats. There will be several locks we go through. I still plan to head out each morning no earlier than 8am central time. This is a leisurely trip, so we might even make that 9am CT. :-) There is nothing definite about this list, but just for some idea I put together a list of possible anchorages about every 30 miles. I only share this for those that might try to join us along the way for a short while. Weather, current, better locations, all could change this:

Oct 2, arrive and launch
3 McNabb m443
4 Burns Island m420
5 Jones Creek m388
6 Guntersville
7 Bellefonte Island m392
8 Battery Hill m416
9 McNabb M443
10 Macllelan Island (near Harrison Bay) m 464
11 Sale Creek m495
12 Meigs County Park m530
13 Kingstone City m567
14 Carmichael Island Chute m594
15 George Creek m630
16 Pickel Island (Rivers mouth)
17 Poland Creek M620
18 Harrison Island m590
19 Caney Creek m562
20 Wattsbarres m530
21 Dayton m504
22 Harrison Bay SP

I doubt these will be exactly where we end up, but just a starting plan to go from.


This trip primarily started out between my cruising buddy Bill on Mystery Girl and I, but others are always welcome to join us. Everyone is responsible for their own safety, navigation, supplies, etc. Nights will be spent either on the hook (anchored) or possibly on old lock walls (if they exist) or free docks if they exist. (We have used city free docks and old lock walls on several rivers in the past, as well as finding safe anchorages.) There may be marinas near where we stop for the evening if anyone prefers to get a slip. There will be marinas for fuel, but again it's up to each individual to ascertain what's available and plan accordingly. I highly recommend the Tennessee River Guidebook by Jerry M Hay, Quimby's Cruising Guide is also a good source of information.

I think we can plan to use VHF ch 72 as a common amongst us. I will have my AIS transmitter on and it should show C-Traveler. My MMSI is: 338131849. If I remember to use NEBO each day, it'll show C-Traveler.

If you are definitely going to be joining us and parking at Harrison Bay SP, please pm me your name and phone number, boat name and rig information. Or contact Ranger Vawter directly at matthew.vawter@TN.gov or 1-423-208-4993.

Thanks. Colby
 
Hi Colby. C-Otter and Lake Effect launched a couple days ago from Harrison Bay marina. Great spot and staff. The ramp is very nice but there is no dock right next to it but there is one close by. We parked in the overflow lot. There is a water spigot by the fuel dock. Heading up towards Knoxville. Weather is great Warm enough for swimming and cool at night. Have a great time.
 
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