Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park

Downriver

The trip back down river to Joe Wheeler State Park Marina was uneventful for the most part. We passed through the locks and drove under the bridges and powerlines we had encountered going upriver, but this time without drama or setbacks. The current was two to three knots faster due to the release of water from the dams upriver, so we were able to travel between 7 and 9.5 knots at times, compared to our usual 5 - 6 knots. There was not as much debris as we had expected, but we did have to dodge the occasional branch or log. The weather was the biggest change. It was in the 50’s at night and mid 70’s, pushing 80 during the day, which made for enjoyable traveling and sleeping. There were fewer bugs, except for a few remaining ants and the sudden appearance of gnats in the galley. (We had purchased a “gnat trap” that was supposed to attract and trap them, but it wasn’t very effective. My “home brew” of vinegar, water, soap and honey did the trick within a few days.) As the days went on however, the temps during the day were in the 60’s or lower 70’s and for a few consecutive nights, the temperature dropped to 36-37 degrees. We were prepared with layers of blankets, although it was very hard to get up in the morning. The propane heater in the galley was a welcome addition at those times. It reminded me of gathering around the stove on cold winter mornings as a kid, as the coal/coke furnace had not yet kicked in.

On the way down river, there were some unforgettable sights – birds, sunsets, misty mornings, a full moon and changing leaves, making this segment of the journey delightful.

There were still things that needed to be done on the boat, a few repairs, some painting, reorganization and cleaning, both inside and out, before we felt ready for the Rendezvous. So, we anchored out just beyond the Joe Wheeler Marina for two nights at a lovely spot where we observed flocks of Wood Storks that had been on the Endangered Species list and may soon be delisted due to “successful conservation and recovery effort over the last four decades.” (www.wate.com Feb. 19, 2023)

We had signed up for the Fall Rendezvous of the America’s Great Loop Cruiser’s Association (AGLCA) while we were in Houston over the summer. Members of this group have completed, or are in the process of completing the Great Loop. Others attend the Rendezvous because they are considering the possibility. The Loop begins wherever you want to start it. For us, it would begin and end at Mobile Bay, Alabama. So we had done a portion of the Loop after leaving Clearwater, TX along the ICW (Inter-coastal Waterway) to Mobile Bay and traveling up the Ten-Tom River.

Many boaters travel along the ICW to Florida, cross over to the Atlantic, go up to the northern

states, through the Erie Canal, then to the Great Lakes, Chicago, down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, back to Mobile Bay, or wherever they started from. Many at the Rendezvous have completed at least one loop, some have completed as many as three or four. Each loop can take a year, depending on the speed of travel per day, the number of stops, days spent sight-seeing or anchoring out or at marinas. Many begin in October, overwinter in the Bahamas, make their way up the Atlantic and across the norther segment in the summer and early fall and head south by the end of October when the northern locks close. Most boats travel at faster speeds than the Petite Fleur.

We arrived at Joe Wheeler Marina on Thursday afternoon and settled into our slip. We were dwarfed by a Great Harbor 47 - it's portholes at our eye level when inside our boat. On the otherside was a Nordic Tug 37, which to my way of thinking was a perfect size, with plenty of room on the inside. (Sigh).

Nordic Tug David and Goliath

We had planned to spend the next day organizing the boat and cleaning as Adrian had signed us up for the Boat Crawl on the following Tuesday afternoon. This is an event where boaters open their boats for a couple of hours, similar to an open house. Unfortunately, that morning we had a mishap and caused a diesel spill into our slip which quickly oozed over to surrounding slips. We spent the next two hours attempting to sop up the diesel with pads designed to absorb fuel and not water. Using pick hooks that are standard equipment on a boat, we pulled out the diesel-soaked pads and put them in a large bucket. A dozen or more people from the AGLCA joined us and were able to capture a couple of large trash bags of fuel-soaked pads which we took to the

Team Work

marina fueling area to be disposed of properly. We were afraid we had made our neighbors angry, but to the contrary, they pitched in and made shorter work of what would have taken the two of us the rest of the day. Not the best way to introduce yourself to the group, but the overriding attitude was that “shit happens” and it’s just one of the many challenges we all encounter when boating.

We spent the following days meeting people, attending sessions and preparing to show off Petite Fleur on Tuesday. We were close to being ready, with only a few finishing touches the morning of the Boat Crawl. Adrian was in a session at the lodge, and I was on the boat when all of a sudden, I heard a pop and the sound of water gushing from under the sink. I had turned on the water heater so I could do dishes and apparently it caused a connection or a pipe to burst. I panicked! I knocked on our neighbor’s window and he came on board to investigate. The water coming out was very hot so he could not reach any valves to stop the flow. In my panic I completely forgot that I could turn the water off from the pressure pump switch on the control panel. Instead, still in my pj’s, I threw on a sweater and ran barefoot up to the lodge and had them call Adrian out of the session. I was amazed that he was so calm as I told him what had happened. When he got to the boat, he turned the pressure pump off, changed clothes, gathered his tools, removed the items from under the sink, cut some tubing and fixed the connection. It took more time to clean up the mess, than it did to fix it, but we determined that we’d still be able to show the boat that afternoon. By 3:30 she was in picture perfect shape, and we were ready to show her off. We had about 20 people walk through. Many were looking for small boats and most found Petite Fleur charming. One man said, “now this is a real boat!”

All spiffed up for the Looper Crawl

There were around 400 people at this Rendezvous, many did not have their boats at Joe Wheeler for various reasons, and many who were looking for boats suitable for making the Great Loop in, or who were considering making the Great Loop and wanted more information. We met many wonderful people who shared the love of boating and being on the water.

One evening we were getting ready to go to dinner at the lodge. Low and behold who should be stealthily sitting lookout just in front of our boat under the pier:

We had been talking about “what’s next” for several weeks. There were numerous options, including leaving the boat in Florence, AL and coming back to explore more of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers next year, or putting the boat on a trailer and hauling it to Canada to explore the Trent-Severn Waterway next summer. We definitely didn’t want to take it back to Texas. After being in this beautiful area, anchoring in the Galveston Bay no longer appealed to us. We even talked about selling the boat and getting a different one. The maintenance and repairs on Petite Fleur have been demanding. Yet, to upgrade to a newer boat would entail a mortgage and high monthly payments. An affordable, older boat would just be trading one set of problems for different ones. So, one morning, after considering the options, Adrian requested that I make a “For Sale” sign while we were still at the Rendezvous to see if there was any interest. We held a second open house that day with only a half dozen lookers.

Since there were several brokers at the conference, we asked one of them to look at Petite Fleur and give us an estimate of a selling price. While it was less than we’d hoped, Adrian determined that it was time to let go of her and to put her on the market. Since it can take months or years to sell a boat, we plan to continue to take her out when we can, until the day we turn over the keys to someone else. Given the number of birthday’s Adrian has had and the demands of the 40-year-old boat, it felt like it was time to "swallow the anchor" (a nautical term meaning to retire from sea life and settle down ashore). We still have adventures ahead of us, whether by boat, train, plane or automobile.

Signs of Fall at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina

After the Rendezvous, there were about 20 of us who were headed down-river toward Florence, AL which required going through two locks: The Wheeler Lock and the Wilson Lock. The main lock chamber of the Wilson Lock has been closed indefinitely for inspections and possible repairs requiring that the smaller, auxiliary lock be used. Barges and commercial traffic are given priority over pleasure boats. If there are several pleasure boats going through at a time, they are more likely to get in sooner. To facilitate this, groups of boaters arranged to leave the Rendezvous together in hopes of getting through Wilson Lock - which was a double lock - in a timely manner. We met with four other boat captains and their spouses, or in one case son, for "docktails" and

agreed on a plan to head out on Saturday together. The leaders of the group, Bryan and Terrie on "Makin' Hay" were in contact with the Wheeler Lock-master and the Dock-master at Florence Marina to coordinate our flotilla. There were communication problems with the Wilson Lock, so we had to depent on these locals, to let us know when and if we could get through. There was a backlog of barges on either side of the lock aready. Bryan made a schematic of how we were to go in each lock. Since the second lock only had bollards on the port side, we needed to raft (or tie up) together, three in front and two in back.

We were to depart early Saturday morning, after we'd gotten the go ahead from Wheeler Lock that we could get through. We pulled out around 6:15 and headed to the lock which was only about two miles down river. It was a misty, cool morning as the sun came up and I realized we were on our last leg of our trip. It was a bittersweet experience.

Early Morning Departure Petite Fleur in Wheeler Lock Locking Buddies

The four other boats got to the lock ahead of us but waited for us to catch up. Adrian pushed the boat to 6.2 knots so the others wouldn't have to wait too long. We got through Wheeler lock in no time. Wilson lock was about 12 miles down river. We brought up the rear but could see the lead boat most of the time. As we approached Wilson Lock and Dam we were told that there was a barge maneuvering his load inside the lock, which meant it would take at least two hours for the process to complete. We were told to tie up along the long wall of the TVA maintenance area and wait. Once we got the all clear, we proceeded as planned. It went like a well rehearsed dance. As we exited the lock there were four large barges waiting on the other side to go up-river. They looked impatient. Or maybe it was just our imagination.

We texted our congratulations to one another on a job well done and headed toward Florence Marina where all but one boat planned to overnight. As we had a slip reserved, we tied up and went for a nice fish dinner at the restaurant there.

We spent the next few days clearing out the boat of superfluous "stuff" to trash or give away, and things we want to take home. It's amazing what you can accumulate that prove to be unessential and only take up space. Out intent was make Petite Fleur ready for pictures, either ours or the brokers, put a couple of "For Sale" signs on her and see what happens. We actually moved to a bigger slip, closer to the marina and restaurant, so she is more visibile for potential buyers. While we wait for a buyer, we will come for a week's stay a few times during the winter months, take her out to anchor and enjoy her until a new owner finds her.

On the first full day we were docked, we met a couple, Philip and Karen, who are interested in doing the loop in two years, although she is a "reluctant spouse" and has several concerns. Philip has his captain's license and is quite comfortable maneuvering on the water. They have a small boat to help her get used to boating in the meantime, then they will graduate to a bigger boat. We showed them the Petite Fleur and they both loved it. While we were talking, we discoverd that Karen and I have several things in common and we became fast friends. We hope to see them again when we're here for our visits and get to know them better.

That afternoon, Adrian was in need of some anti-freeze - a specific brand and type. I called a couple of places and was told that O'Reilly's had what we were looking for. Since I needed a few groceries for our remaining days on the boat and our trip home, I went into town to pick up the anti-freeze. Long story short...it was the wrong type of coolant. Two more trips later, (to Tractor Supply where I was told that they had it in Athens, Alabama, not Florence, and to Walmart where I lost my purse for about 10 minutes) Adrian settled for an equivalent. Fortunately, the commercial district of Florence is only about 10 minutes away.

By Tuesday we had filled the trunk of the car and still had several bags and boxes to go in the back seat. After several days of moving and cleaning I went to take a shower. I had timed it around 2:00 so I wouldn't have to compete for hot water with the restaurant's dishwasher, but once again I had to compete with someone doing their laundry.

It's the small things I look forward to when we get back home: showering with confidence that there's hot water, loading a dishwasher to do dishes, having counter space to prepare food, and not having to lug laundry to and from laundry facilities, and running back and forth to feed the machines with quarters. There are a few more things I miss, but suffice it to say, all of these things are a trade-off since we have been able to enjoy new and interesting places, many gorgeous sunsets, a few stunning sunrises, starry nights, and wonderful fall weather with little to no humidity. To watch the trees change colors, the geese fly south, and meet a whole lot of really nice people. It's been a trip of a life-time for me and for Adrian too, though for him it's another sea faring adventure to add to his collection..

I hope you've enjoyed this chronology of our trip as much as I have writing it. If, after we sell Petite Fleur, and we take a roadtrip or a cruise, I will create a new series. Until then tot ziens!