Up

Hales Bar to Chattanooga

Some of us got an early start out of concern about making it to Chattanooga and Ross Landing Marina before their offices closed.

Amid thunder and rain I wrapped up some small things before heading out.


This ship's store was cram packed with just about everything that fishing and sailing folks might need in a hurry. I was quite happy.

I got underway. I learned of a way to exit Hales Bar Marina heading north. What I did was to make a right turn immediately upon exiting the enclosed area. Follow along the outside of the floating dock with the cabins until almost to the power house. Then a left turn to head to the channel. Make sure to exaggerate the turn and give a wide berth around the powerhouse upon entering the channel to minimize the risk of collision with a fast moving speed boat whose skipper can't see you coming around the corner. This course avoids the submerged railroad bed that runs north to south.

Then I turned right. We went through the beautiful Tennessee River Gorge.



The river runs as much as 130 feet deep here

This is a gadget for writing stuff down. To erase press a button. The only problem is that it is difficult to read what I wrote. So this will be leaving the boat for the junk pile.
People take tours of the Tennessee River Gorge on this boat.

Toward the end I noticed that I was moving up river more slowly. I checked the TVA app and learned that they had opened the gates of Chickamauga dam from 6000 cfs to about 40000 cfs.


The Alstom Plant. I'm really close to Downtown Chattanooga now.

The Southern Belle doing as well as ever.

We arrived at the docks. The Commodore and one other was already situated.


The whole fleet has arrived. I was glad to tie up and put my feet on the ground. In the background is the Walnut Street Bridge.

That night we ate at the Blue Gill restaurant.

It rained pretty hard that evening and there was some impressive ligntning.


I found a dinghy right in front of the restaurant but it seemed a bit heavy to carry back.

Log

0903 - departed Hales Bar Marina

0910 - entered channel

0910 - rain and thunder

0939 - mm 435.5

1000 - passed Mullins Cove

1003 - mm 435.8

1105 - mm 441.8

1127 - mm 443.5

1158 - mm 445.8

1243 - mm 450.4

1335 - mm 454.6

1401 - mm 456.7

1421 - mm 458.2

1455 - Tennessee River Aquarium catamaran put out tremendous wake

1535 - passed towboat "Side View"

1544 - docked in Chattanooga

Next