October 28, 2016 - October 29, 2016
We said goodbye to our friends at Green Turtle Bay.
Mucho Gusto left a few hours before us. We are sad to see our buddy boat leave but excited to get onto the Tennessee River. We are looking forward to experiencing the Land Between the Lakes and Pickwick Lake. We shoved off at 11:45. It is a beautiful day with temps in the 70’s. We’ve been having excellent weather, at least 20 degrees warmer than average. We left the dock late today but Dave wants to go as far as we can. He finds a nice anchorage about 40 miles away called Panther Bay. When we pass Ginger Bay we see
Mucho Gusto anchored there. This is 10 miles short of our anchorage. As we motored by, Dave got a text from Scott telling us where they were. Instead of joining them, we decide to stick to plan A and move on to Panther Bay.
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| Mucho Gusto anchored at Ginger Bay |
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| Sunset on Panther Bay |
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| Sunset on Panther Bay |
The Kentucky Lakes area is beautiful. Lots of bass boats fly by us at lightening speed, hovering on the top of the water but leaving little to no wake as they pass. When we pass under the State Highway 79 bridge we enter Tennessee. There is an abandoned dock just south of the Louisville and Nashville Rail bridge at Danville Landing. It is a ruin of sorts, with only the frame of the structure remaining about 30 feet off the water. As we passed, Dave noticed someone inside. Intrigued, I took photos. We could see a tent, gear and a boat tethered on the back side of the structure and realize that this is someone’s home.
We arrived at our anchorage around 5:00. Panther Bay is quiet and secluded; a little piece of paradise. We had dinner in the cockpit and watched a gorgeous sunset, then gazed at the star filled sky. The coyotes started at their usual time, right before dark, but kept up their haunting calls much longer than usual.
We were up at 5:30 to the sound of fish jumping and herons squawking. A half dozen fisherman are already in our little bay, perched on their high chairs, pointing outward with their rods, silent but at full attention. This is a obviously a popular fishing spot. Our next stop is Cuba Landing, Tennessee. We are out of cell phone service once again and out of touch. At times, as we pass little towns and pick up a signal. If we are lucky, messages from family and friends sneak through.
When we got to Cuba Landing we could see that the entrance is very small. Dave called to ask about depths and is informed that the channel is eight feet deep. We had hoped to anchor in the bay just past the marina but we agreed it just looked too shallow. We decided to move on to Denson Island eight miles south. I got a message from Rhonda asking about conditions at Cuba Landing. They are only four miles behind us. I was able to text her back the information we had. We decided to continue south for what we believed to be a safer anchorage for us.
Mucho Gusto stopped at Cuba Landing but had to tie up at the marina. The bay was, in fact, very shallow.
We arrived at Denson Island before sunset and slipped behind the island, following the recommendations of Active Captain. There are three fishing boats already there, the fishermen had their hooks in the water, chatting softly. Their voices echoed against the shore. We heard the faint call of the coyotes then the squawk of a bird in obvious distress. Dave thought it was some kind of hawk. It sat above
Mystic and let out a screech about every 45 seconds. The mournful sad cry went on all night long. The stars began to shine in the sky like water sparkling in the sunlight; first very faintly then brighter as the sky darkened.
1 comment:
Such a memorable trip already, in only 8 weeks! And so much more to go. The break in NYC will give you fresh eyes as you continue south. Safe travels — Hugs!
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