Landing in Duncan Bay – Tennessee River

Duncan Bay was our choice for a peaceful night on the hook!

Our three-week goal was to travel 250 miles on the Tennessee River while meeting Loopers on their southern migration and concluding our trip after attending an AGLCA Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park Marina in Rogersville, Alabama. With three weeks to enjoy this famous heartland river, it felt good knowing we could really take our time leaving a spot late in the morning or deciding to stop early in the day to relax and familiarize ourselves with a new anchorage.

With that said, we left Green Turtle Marina, on Lake Barkley late morning. We eagerly worked our way the short distance to the Barkley Canal and transited the one-mile stretch to the Tennesse River, coming out at mile marker 25.4. It was a perfect fall day, we had the entire river to ourselves as we turned south in search of our first anchorage.

Prior to leaving Green Turtle, I had researched and made notes of possible anchorages along this 250-mile route. Because we had time, and no deadline to fight or 80-mile travel days to contend with, we could explore the many anchorage possibilities and be choosy in our selections. About five miles south, we pulled into Pisgah Bay for a look-see and although very scenic, we decided to explore further. At mile 34, we pulled into Duncan Bay and found an intimate cove to call home for the night. We traveled a grand total of 11 miles that day. I can’t emphasize enough how relaxing it was for us not to have a set schedule, we would encourage anyone anticipating a cruise on the Tennessee River, to plan well ahead and arrive with enough time to take it slow.

We left home with a bounty of produce, some we picked fresh off plants at home, and others we stocked up on so that we wouldn’t have to worry about finding a store for a while.

We didn’t run into any Loopers our first night on the hook, but plenty of fishermen around to keep us company.