We arrived in Green Turtle Bay, a favourite stop on Lake Barkley just above the locks. This is one of the few marinas we have encountered that reserves the docks closest to the washroom, showers and laundry room for transient boaters. It is much appreciated as we had more than a week’s worth of laundry – which is just about everything we have on board. Plus, we needed some groceries. The marina also provides a courtesy car which can be booked for two hours. More than enough time to get to the small town, shop and get back.
We had been planning on spending a few days here to catch our breath and enjoy the pool. However, it turns out the neighbouring boat were in fact neighbours from home. Their port of call was Chelsea, Quebec. More over Danielle worked with a friend of John’s and apparently we spent the whole of last summer in the same marina near Gananoque. What a small world!
The folks on Breakaway were heading to Nashville where they had booked a slip for a month. This was one of the potential side trips we had discussed, so we decided to buddy boat with them. Some furious planning ensued to find and book marinas along the way. This turned out to be more difficult than anticipated.
Most of the marinas are filled with boaters who remain in the water all year. The demand for transient slips is low so few marinas reserve any space for transients. Nor are they aggressive about filling slips that are vacant while the lessor travels.
To give you an idea, Breakaway’s first reservation was at a place called Bumpus. When we called they had one slip left but it did not have power. Temperatures have been running in the mid-90s with 95% humidity so we would have to run our generator all night – for the dogs. That was quickly vetoed.
Plan B called for shorter runs. Using Quimby’s Cruising Guide, I plotted a route that would take us to Nashville in five days. Eddy Creek, Lake Barkley, Clarksville, Harpeth Shoals and finally to Nashville.
The trip is approximately 150 miles. The Lake Barkley section reminded us of the Kawarthas. A variety of cottages and summers home line the east side of the lake. The river section has less development on the shoreline until close to Nashville. We saw one 28 acre lot for sale without planning permission from the TVA the asking price was $1.3 million.
As we travelled along the Cumberland River it was readily apparent why limestone is the state rock of Tennessee. We saw limestone in a variety of colours from sand to gray, and layers varying in thickness from a few inches to metres. I have never seen layers this thick and found them fascinating as generally the thickness relates to the length of time of deposition.
The video is from a section of the Cumberland River above Barkley Lake but below Nashville. Kingfishers were the bird of the trip as they often flitted across our path; crossing the river to a perch on the adjacent bank.
Moon Dance IV 