We departed at 0630, and the sun was not
up yet, but we had a long way to go, 85 miles including one lock. We had agreed to travel to Chattanooga with
“Gemini Dream”. (Matt and Colleen). They had purchased a 42 foot Trawler specifically for the Loop. They are retired Army Employees from New Jersey and we had much in common with them. They promised us that Colleen would bake us
an apple pie during the run to Chattanooga. As soon as the sun got above the horizon we were traveling in and out of medium fog.They had departed after us, but
soon passed us and reported that they were in heavy fog about two miles ahead of
us. By the time we got to where they had
been it had lifted and turned into a beautiful day.
We needed to stop for fuel at Ditto Landing Marina (Huntsville,
Alabama). As the marina manager, “Nick”
started to fuel the starboard tank, fuel splashed out of the engine room vent
onto his leg so he immediately stopped.
We determined that the fuel tank hose had pulled off of the fuel fill
fitting and any added fuel would go directly into the bilge. So, we partially disassembled the starboard
interior wall of the boat to get at the hose and fitting. It was barely accessible and we managed to
get the hose back up on the fitting and reassembled the interior. More on this subject later. Topped off with
fuel (104 gallons) and I noticed a sign that you get one free night transient
slip with the purchase of 100 gallons or more.
I asked Manager Nick if we could use the free night when we came back through
in a few days and he said he would think about it. We departed for Chattanooga, now well behind
Gemini Dream with the goal of making it before Marine Max Marina closed (7:00
P.M.) We sighted several more Bald Eagles;
Fortunately, Joe was not at the helm.
This would put our eagle count to 14 and we would not see another eagle the rest of this leg.
Now, what we had forgotten about was that between
Huntsville, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee, we jumped into the Eastern Time
Zone and lost an hour. I had made a
reservation at Marine Max (at a Loopers Discounted rate) and was determined to
get there before they closed at 7:00. We had talked to Gemini Dream
on the radio and Captain Matt said that he was saving us a spot on the “Free”
City Dock. We needed to run at 18 mph
for about two hours to get there and as we were two miles from the marina the
port engine died. The fuel flow meter
for that engine had been giving us an odd reading for the last 45 minutes. Marine Max called and told us where they
wanted us to dock. We restarted the port
engine to dock and it ran ok. Apparently when we were up on plane, the fuel tank pickup would not pick up fuel when we got below 25 gallons in that tank. Much to our
surprise we were at the “Free” City Dock and Gemini Dream was docked three
boats in front of us. Here is Matt from
Gemini Dream welcoming us.
We hooked up our shore power and met
fellow Loopers that had filled up the dock.
Next thing we knew, Colleen brought us 4 pieces of the apple pie she had
baked, it was delicious. We departed for
an exploration of the Chattanooga waterfront which is adjacent to downtown Chattanooga.We were right next to the Tennessee
Aquarium which we decided we would visit on Tuesday.
Went to dinner with Matt and Colleen
at a fine restaurant called “Sticky Fingers Barbeque”,
located four blocks away.
located four blocks away.
Had an uneventful dinner (other than
our photogenic waitress.
We agreed that the six of us would
meet in the morning for a tour of the Tennessee Aquarium.
Well done Capt.
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