We Sail With The Tide

Just Not This Tide




That's right, yet another delay. The plan was for the crew and I to head to to Florida on the twenty-seventh of January, arrive on the twenty-eighth, spend a couple of days taking care of incidentals and then begin sailing the SEA ME SMILE homeward on the thirty-first. (Is that a run-on sentence?)

Anyway, a check with my mechanic, mentor and captain (remember Gary?) disclosed that he is embroiled in a major engine rebuild that is giving him fits. So we have set our sights on the middle/second week of February for departure. Wayne, my first mate, will handle the delay alright. To further familiarize you with the cast of characters, here's a photo of Wayne, in all his glory, taken at his home away from home, the local VFW Post 4933, Boone Dam, Tennessee.


So we are in a holding pattern and all hands are just standing by. Here's hoping that the delay will produce some good weather. Lately, it has even been cold in Florida! We were wishing for some warmth as we traveled Florida waters and maybe just a few nice days on the upper rivers part of the trip.

I've been asked by a few folks how I am going to sail the boat across several southern states to Knoxville, Tennessee. Some of my friends don't understand the river systems that have connected this country throughout its history. I don't point fingers, because up until a short time ago, I didn't have any idea of how extensive the inland water system was in the United States. However, for having some idea about this system, I credit my teachers in an earlier life, who tried to tell me that the rivers were the highways of old. Now as I drive down the highway and approach a major city, I ask myself, what navigable river comes to or near this city? It is amazing how many are served by rivers, and those rivers were the reason for their establishment many years ago.

There would be a lot more navigable water ways left in the United States today, if it wasn't for our highway system. A good example is the Suwanee River. You can only travel out of the Gulf of Mexico and up the Suwanee River for a short distance before a low highway bridge stops you. However, the Suwanee actually was, at one time, one of America's river highways all the way to the Atlanta, Georgia area. Did you know that Little Rock, Arkansas has a river port? And here's another one for you, Charleston in West Virginia? But back to our trip and the end of the history lesson. I told you I have these epiphanies from time to time, bare with me.

We will leave Pompano Beach, Florida, go south on the Inter-coastal Water Way(ICW) to the South New River Canal, which connects to the Miami Canal, which goes north into Lake Okeechobee. We will cross the lake and go into the Caloosahatchee River that leads to Fort Myers and the Gulf of Mexico. From there we will make our way along the Florida Panhandle, spending as much time as possible in the ICW to Mobile Bay, AL. Keep in mind this is the Readers' Digest version. Then we plan to sail into Mobile Bay and up the Mobile River, which guides us to the Tombigbee River, which becomes the Tom-Tenn Waterway, a man-made canal referred to as "The Ditch", which leads to the Tennessee River at Pickwick Lake, which is in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. Then we'll travel east on the Tennessee River all the way to Knoxville. That's it in a nut shell. However I plan on taking a little poetic license and dragging out the story just a little as we come north. Miles? I have no idea!

"Sea Me Smile"

Let's Name This Thing!




Well, it occurred to me that I haven't shared the naming of the boat. There were several considerations. One of the ones that I liked the best was from my friend, Mylo. His suggestion was "Cirrhosis of the River". This, I suppose, because I have been known to take a little nip from time to time. Keeping in mind that most of the time when he and I are in same company, one of us is vacationing... Seeing as how he lives in my boyhood home of Monterey, California and I now live in Tennessee. There may be naysayers who accuse me of drinking to excess all the time, but I stand by my convictions when I say that I have never taken a drink before it's time. Having said that, what time is it? My "muse" for sharp witted philosophy, for years, has been W.C. Fields who inspired this ditty from me.

I can understand a fellow having
a little "eye opener"; in the morning.

And possibly a "bracer";
around ten.

Then some "spirit" with his lunch;
for digestion.

A "pull" around two;
for strength.

And some drinks at the "cocktail hour";
to acknowledge the end of the work day.

Some wine
with dinner; "for relaxation".

Followed by an after dinner;
"aperitif".

And of course a "night cap";
to promote sleep.

However this business of drinking all day long;
has simply got to stop!

The cartoon above is a logo that was drawn for me years ago by my friend, Bob O'Hara. I used the picture on my horseshoeing business cards and other correspondence. He has a big grin which is sort of a trade mark of mine. You see, over the years, I have been called "The Smilin' Cop", Smiley and a few other monikers dealing with my lecherous grin, which people were kind enough to call my "smile". So the name of the boat, thought of by my beautiful wife, Marci, is:

"SEA ME SMILE"

Second Trip to the Boat

We're Getting Closer

It was the middle of November, work had slowed to a snail's pace and our cold winter (at least for Tennessee) had begun to set in on us. One glance at the weather around the country told me that Florida was a better place to be. So my son, Jeff, and I hit the road.





This time we didn't take a truck full of items, but just a small car with some stuff that I had deemed "necessaries". We stayed about four days on the boat and I was able to start puttering. This is how I do some of my best work. If I do a small project or two, take a break, have a beer, start surveying the situation, get up and attack another idea, before long I look around and have accomplished quite a bit.

This time we added cooking on the boat to our list of things to do. Cheaper than take-out or restaurant fare, cooking on the boat forced me to use the facilities and learn what I had brought that I didn't need as well as what I might have overlooked. I kept a list as I performed these culinary functions and after the last meal had been digested, found that I had forgotten a couple of very important items: more beer and a corkscrew! All joking aside, we had done pretty well on our last trip and the five page list I had compiled had proven to be quit thorough.

As the time of year had gone from warm to cold, I realized that I was going to have to close in some of the outdoor living areas of the boat, namely the bridge and the patio deck, or else we were going to be pretty uncomfortable as we entered the northern waters above Mobile Bay. I contacted Ricco at GDS Canvas in Ft. Lauderdale (954) 410-6575. You don't want to know what it costs to have a boat closed in. However, they did a beautiful job. With the greenhouse effect supplemented with a couple of inexpensive Coleman lanterns running during the day, I think we can keep ourselves warm enough to survive the trip.The river boat "Mary" on the Chattahoochee River, Florida. These types of paddle wheeler river boats plied the rivers of the south. The Mary was circa 1900.

The next part of our trip was was to head to Pensacola, Florida to pick up my wife Marci and my mother from the airport there. This drive up and then west across Florida's panhandle was a sight that I have never seen before. Jeff and I got off the main highway a couple of times and took some older highways. You can see what Florida must have been like a hundred years ago, with the old commercial looking buildings built up on piers to guard against the regular flooding before the dams and flood control. I managed a couple of "looks" from Jeff, when I would say, "Did you hear banjo music"? We had a great trip and saw some interesting country.

Then on to Gulf Shores, Alabama where for the past two years, our extended family has spent the Thanksgiving holiday. It has been a considerably warmer way to celebrate, due to the rather cold winters we have been experiencing in Tennessee. That ended the second trip to the boat.

First trip to the boat

Prior to my first trip south to check out the boat, I attended the Great Loop Cruisers Association's Fall Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. By the time I registered, there were no rooms left at the park so I found a B&B nearby, the name of which is Longing for Home. This B&B turned out to be the destination of choice for a night out for the Loopers from the Rendezvous. So I not only got to learn from the daytime seminars and lectures but informally in the evening's chats at the B&B. Longing for Home was a great place to stay and the Rendezvous was very informative.

I would recommend going to a Looper Rendezvous, at least one, and then if you are on the water and can manage to co-ordinate and attend others, that would be nice. I don't think I would drive too far by car to keep going to 'em. They are informative, however anyone that is planning a trip of this nature had better be doing some deeper investigation into all the "ins and outs". And the prep, reading and shopping, are in fact part of the fun of it. At least at this juncture of my preparation, this seems to be the case.

In my time I have outfitted camper boxes, back country trips, campers, motor homes and a couple of temporary residences. Here is what I've found: you can spend a fortune, in fact let me re-phrase that, it will cost a fortune, but it doesn't have to be the "King's Ransom" kind of fortune.

My philosophy is: "you own it all"! That's right, and now I'll return to my own set of circumstances to complete my example, an example that would not hold one iota of merit in the eyes of my wife, "Shopping Marci". In her eyes, if it ain't new, it don't count... end of conversation! Thank goodness, I get first right of attack, so to speak. And only because the boat has to be moved from Florida to Tennessee (in the winter). So by the time she gets a shot at it, I will have been using it for some weeks. Now she will still go shopping once the boat is back home, and the truth be known, she already has done a little, but the financial damage won't be as bad as it might have been.

But back to my outfitting philosophy. When you get to figuring all you'll need, from pots and pans to dish towels, it starts to add up quickly. However you probably have duplicates all around the house, in the camping gear and at that summer place. As you talk about it to friends and family, you might even find out they've got duplicates of the "junk" that is needed. This includes tools, rope, electrical extension cords and the list goes on.

By the time my crew and I were ready to go to the boat for the first time, we had an F-350 flat bed loaded down. And once we got to Florida and found that some of the stuff simply didn't work or wasn't needed, we hit the Good Will store with donations. They have 'em everywhere.



My first crew consisted of my kids: From left to right Jeff, Elizabeth and Ronnie.These guys were great! They hauled, cleaned, fixed and, most importantly, put up with me. I can be a little overbearing during what I consider a "big deal" and the new boat qualified as a big deal for me.

Well, after all the cleaning, organizing and generally having a really fine time, we actually got to go out to sea on the boat. The highlight of the trip for all of us. It turns out that our very capable boat mechanic, Gary, is also a Captain and had done this type of work in the islands for several years. We got to call for a draw bridge to open for us and to see a really cool lighthouse as we went out for an ocean cruise. Nice point to make reference to when you want to get the boat back where it belongs for the night. The seas were running about two feet (I love this nautical talk) so we got bounced around a little. I have been to sea however the kids never had and I was watching for any greenness around the gills. Everyone did really well for our first shake down cruise.

The next day we made preparations to leave and return home. It was all quite overwhelming. I realized that I could stay on the boat and steadily work on this and that for two weeks and still not accomplish everything so it was a good time to make additions to my list and head home.

I had started the list while driving back from the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. I began writing things down on a steno pad and by the time I had arrived home, I had a five page list. It was a good time to work on it as I was alone, had no interruptions to speak of, and was fresh from the meeting with all kinds of ideas.

I'm sure that "Shopping Marci" will fine tune what I have done, but the damages ($$$) won't be nearly as bad.

Now What?

Now What Indeed


So we own a boat, now what? The first thing I did was locate a mechanic to work on some of the survey concerns. I got lucky because "Gary" turned out to be a very accomplished mechanic with a kick back nature that made the process an easy deal. You see it makes a difference when you are in one part of the country and your new boat and the repairs it needs are in another.

I also have to decide whether I'm going to have this boat shipped, via flatbed truck, or sail it home to Knoxville. It was this research and a talk with Gary that taught me the acronym for B.O.A.T. : "Break Out Another Thousand"! Boy, that's "choke a horse" stuff right there. The really scary part is, it seems to be playing out as a "real time" truth.

My wife said, "Ship it!" However it didn't take long for me to come to the conclusion that if I ship it all that way, it will cost just about as much as if we sail it back. And look at all the fun and education I'll pass up by having it shipped. So the "sailing it back" plan wins in my mind. However, Marci, and everyone else are very fearful of this idea, which after-a-while starts me thinking: "There aren't very many people who have much confidence in this old, up and coming skipper"! So for a time I let 'em all just "Soak", which is cowboy for let 'em stand tied for awhile and just calm down.

After a fashion, it is my son-in-law, Chris, who comes to the rescue by pointing out the obvious. People, namely Marci, start getting into step with the "sail it back" economics/education plan. Actually, I don't ever recall anyone being concerned for my welfare. The conversations had seemed to mostly revolve around the time/financial aspects of sailing versus shipping it home. I just figured that at my age, I guess maybe I was what the navy would call an "expendable item".

But there is going to have to be a Florida trip in my immediate future. Another potentially expensive trip in light of the items necessary to outfit a boat for a long trip or any trip for that matter.

Here's where we are then... Boat is purchased and surveyed. Arrangements for repairs have been made. I have decided to sail it home instead of shipping it. And I am intending to go to Florida with a truck load of stuff to outfit the boat.

RESEARCHING AND BOAT BUYING

RESEARCHING AND BOAT BUYING

So, as time went on and my research into the "Great Loop" continued, my tack changed direction. I got to thinking that if I purchased a reasonably sized boat and decided to get serious about this cruising thing instead of it just being a one time event, who knows, I just might have a chance of becoming a Looper. So I got to doing some research into boats, the prices and what kind would suit my needs. AND, and this is a big AND, I started to think in terms of quality time spent with my wife, Marci.

A short side note: In my younger years, my kids and I would hit the trail. We were horsemen and living in the west. We would go for weekend, and sometimes longer, horse rides. Then we restored and used a Studebaker wagon and made trips in the Sierra Nevadas and across the Nevada Desert. Being a horseshoer and mounted policeman, the opportunities and invitations to these trips came in herds, pardon the pun. So in our Tennessee retirement, exploring the rivers, I hope, will be a welcome pastime. And with a lot less dust, smell and danger! For someone whose idea of a great day is to read, take in the sights, look forward to a good dinner, all mixed with some pleasant company and topped off with a HOT shower, the amenities of a boat trip beats a trail ride by far.

A check with my wife showed there was an interest So my big AND went to an Ah! With a huge smile on my face; "Sea Me Smile", I started boat shopping, or rather I started looking at boats on line.

It's funny how you come to settle on events. There is this boat that's docked across from my house on Boone Lake. Nearly every weekend during good weather, a couple would take it out. It caught my eye. It wasn't a large craft, but in boating parlance: "I liked the cut of its jib". So one day I walked over to the docks and made my way to this boat to take a closer look. It was a Carver. I didn't know straight up about Carvers, but it is the age of the internet, and in short order I knew a lot about 'em and I liked what I saw and learned.

The boat trip was starting to take on a life of its own. After several weeks, a vessel was found in the Ft. Lauderdale area. To make a long story short, we made an offer and it was accepted. Now we need to see if it surveys? Well, to move almost back into the present tense, it passed with flying colors. It only had about twenty things wrong with it and none were major. So we own a boat.
It is a Carver 430. Which, go figure, makes it a 44 foot cruiser. It has a pretty nice layout, having two bedrooms (we now have to call "state rooms") and two bathrooms (heads). See, I'll get all this nautical lingo prior to the time we drive (sail) it home. It's powered by diesel engines, but needs navigational equipment.

The new glass/canvas that you are seeing in the picture, is designed to save our temperature sensitive bacon, as we come up the more northern rivers of our trip. I remember those springtime days when "Bob" first moved to Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows. However as I look out the window this morning, the temperature is about 18 degrees and the cotton is looking an awfully lot like snow.

I remembered an old camping trick. If you hang a Coleman lantern in a tent it drys out the air and takes the chill off. So with the help of a couple of good lanterns we hope not to freeze during the days, and of course the plan is to be docked out or in a marina at night.

Home for the boat will be Knoxville, TN which happens to be the end of the navigable water ways in my part of the world. However, very close to home.