USA-EAST Archives — Trailer Trawler Life Blog

Third Time’s a Charm – Tennessee River Cruise

Kismet will be cruising the Tennessee River for four weeks! For die-hard boaters, like us, there's no better feeling than heading out on the road (for trailerable boaters) on the cusp of an adventure, we were just itching to do a little river cruising. We took our Kismet on a 680-mile road trip, from Traverse City, Michigan, before we floated her off of the trailer today into Lake Barkley at Green Turtle Marina, in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. Our intention is to cruise the Tennessee River for the next four weeks. We had spent a couple of days at home, prior to departure, rigging…

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,…

Cypress Creek Anchorage – Tennessee River

We left Duncan Bay knowing we'd travel south on the Tennessee River for only 4 hours, so it wasn't going to be a long day. Twenty-nine miles later, at mile marker 62.6, we made a starboard turn into Cypress Creek, then another right into the first cove. What we found was an anchorage that provided us with calm waters in very protective, natural surroundings. Because of our short cruise day, I took advantage of the calm water by continuing my work on the dinghy davit bracket installation (see next post). I like to maximize my downtime by having a few…

Pebble Isle Marina – Known For Their Southern Hospitality & Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Pebble Isle Marina owners Randy and Tami are well known for their infectious southern personalities. On our way to Pebble Isle Marina today, At MM-78.2, we passed the Louisville and Nashville RR Bridge (above). It is a non-functioning bridge at this time, probably only used for fishing now. Shortly after the bridge, we passed an abandoned, partly submerged, building (photo below). The Tennessee Valley Authority purchased many acres of land in preparation to create Kentucky Lake. The Kentucky Dam was completed in 1944, when the area was flooded and many towns below the new water level disappeared. Lake Barkley was created in the early 1960’s…

Blue Creek Anchorage By Cuba Landing Marina

Blue Creek anchorage is just past Cuba Landing Marina. Leaving Pebble Isle Marina we had our sights set on an anchorage we'd never been to before. Twenty miles upriver at MM116 of the Tennessee River is Blue Creek, Cuba Landing Marina is located there. (The photo above, and below, shows the entrance to the marina and the cove we anchored in.) Having just left a marina we inched our way past Cuba Landing to a shallow, relatively open cove. We found a few more boats anchored there for the night in 5 to 8 feet of water. We've never anchored…

Trying to Stay Dry in Lick Creek

Kismet says "Hi" to 0 Regrets in Lick Creek! Staying in the travel mode of leaving late and quitting early we only cruised 15 miles today, stopping to anchor out in Lick Creek. This was our first time in Lick Creek, a new experience in a natural setting. We worked our way into the unmarked serpentine channel with the aid of our GPS, and traveled past a few deadheads and very shallow water to an area with 5 to 9-foot depths. It was well away from the river barge traffic, so we settled in for a cozy afternoon warm and…

A Little Piece of Paradise in Clifton, Tennessee

Clifton Marina exemplifies southern hospitality! When we're cruising day after day and anchoring out overnight, we get to a point where we'd like to take in the creature comforts a marina will afford. Most marinas offer the essentials of power, water, fuel, laundry, and showers, but every once in a while we are "wowed" – our second stay (the first visit was during our second Loop trip in 2008) at Clifton Marina in Clifton, Tennessee was exactly that. The welcoming reception and unique experience we received while in Clifton could just well be this part of the country's well-known southern…

Returning to Diamond Island to Anchor

Diamond Island welcomes Kismet back to its beautiful anchorage. A beautiful fall day presented itself to us as we headed out, from Clifton Marina early the next morning, with a plan to anchor out at Diamond Island. With bright blue skies and a pleasantly warm day, we basked in the scenic beauty along the Tennessee River during our cruise. Lots to see with many boats on the water, some Loopers passing us, and people fishing or relaxing along the sandy shoreline of the river. The houses along the river are interesting to look at and we enjoyed seeing this herd…

Time To Disembark at Grand Harbor Resort Marina

End of the line, Grand Harbor Resort Marina. After being on the hook a lot lately, a visit to Grand Harbor Resort Marina, located where the Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama borders come together (we're officially down south at this point), hit the spot. It has all the amenities a long-distance boater appreciates including a well-stocked ship's store, an elegant boater's lounge, laundry facilities located right on the dock where you can sit by the water as you wash and dry your clothes, they also have several loaner vehicles and they almost beg you to use one to explore the nearby…

McKernan Creek Anchor Before Joe Wheeler State Park

We like anchoring in McKernan Creek! After leaving Grand Harbor Marina, we made two anchorage stops before we got to Joe Wheeler State Park. The first, Little Bear Creek (above and below), was a new spot for us while our stay at McKernan Creek was our third time at anchor there. Both anchorages met with our satisfaction and provided a colorful and comfortable night on the hook. On the move again early the next morning we passed the bridge at Florence, Alabama (below). To get to McKernan Creek we had to lock through the Wilson Lock and Dam. At 110…

Blackfin Resort Marina – A Diamond in the Rough

We left our anchorage in Curry Hammock to face a fairly windy day cruising to Blackfin Resort Marina in Marathon. This is our first stay at Blackfin Resort Marina. We walked through the marina when we were visiting the Keys before because we are always on the lookout for places to stay. It helps with future trip planning. Blackfin is a fairly rustic and laid-back establishment, but it's big on delivering an authentic Keys experience. We had all the amenities we needed for our month-long stay. The marina is within walking distance of the local shopping area. We enjoyed a heated swimming pool, clean shower…

Other Trailerable Boats in Marathon – C-Dory, Rosborough and Nimble

August 5, 2015
Lisa Favors
•POCKET TRAWLER MEETS, •USA-EAST, CRUISING, FLORIDA, Florida Keys

Here are some trailerable boats we saw while in Marathon this year. Friends, Leslie and Flint (above), on their boat Grace Full have been an inspiration to Jim and me since we cruised the Great Loop Boat trip, many years ago.

Finding Our People at Blackfin Marina – Marathon, Florida

Blackfin Marina has a Laid-back, Friendly Atmosphere If you had a doubt about how much fun cruisers enjoy while boating, let’s put that notion to rest. Spending a month at Blackfin Marina and Resort in Marathon (Florida Keys), provides many social activities. Kismet has migrated to this hot spot during winter while escaping the frigid cold of Northern Michigan. We come here to hang out with other boaters who share a love of the Keys. Sometimes we tow our boat south to Marathon and put her in at the public boat launch on the Florida Bay side of the island.…

The Boat Galley – Blogger to Blogger

The Boat Galley Provides Valuable Tips and Tricks for Boaters! – Occasionally you'll come across someone who will inspire you. A few years ago I started to follow The Boat Galley, a popular boating blog created by a talented woman, Carolyn Shearlock, a full-time cruiser. Being a fellow blogger, I can appreciate the valuable content she shares with boaters. The depth of her skills, as a writer and marketer with tech-savvy computer skills, is impressive. Carolyn is a popular force in the boating community. It’s easy to see why—she loves to learn and is eager to share that knowledge with…

Boldt Castle – A Vision of Love! – Heart Island, New York

January 23, 2019
Lisa Favors
•USA-EAST, CRUISING, Saint Lawrence River

Thousand Islands – Home to Bolt Castle! Ever since we did the Great Loop boat trip in 2005/06, we have wanted to visit the Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands, in the Saint Lawrence River. We didn't take that route. Ever since we've had it in our minds to return to the area to visit the Thousand Islands and the amazing Boldt Castle. Millionaire George Boldt, in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century, worked for the wealthy Astor family as the General Manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York City. George's vision was to build a 120-room…

Legacy Harbour Marina – Our Winter Hot Spot!

March 6, 2022
Lisa Favors
CRUISING

We Have Been Going to Legacy Harbour Marina Since 2012 — The Legacy Harbour Marina staff, Harbor Master, Eric, and Office Manager, Sheila, are accommodating, professional and friendly. Over time, we have docked all three of our tugs there for at least a one, or two-month stay. While it’s nice to try out fresh places, and marinas, it’s also fun to go back to familiar marinas, where you’ve made friendships and feel at home. We like a combination of the two when we go cruising, we enjoy finding a balance in life and everything we do. We have not been…

St. Johns River—Deland to Silver Glen Springs, Florida

This was not the first time we have cruised the St. Johns River. We were living on our Fathom 40, finishing up our second Great Loop boat trip, when Kismet left Key West, Florida, heading north to the Solomon Islands. It was June 2009. Our goal was to spend the summer in the Chesapeake Bay area. That was a fun thing to do. Spending the entire summer in Maryland gave us more of an in-depth experience of another part of the country we knew little about. We made lots of side trips during our stay in the Solomon Islands, either…

Blackfin Resort & Marina – Marathon, Florida

April 12, 2023
Lisa Favors
•USA-EAST, CRUISING, FLORIDA, Florida Keys

Blackfin Resort and Marina, Marathon, Florida, is an island paradise and a welcome slice of old Florida. Jim and I have been wintering at this marina since 2013. Because of its old Florida character and its relaxed atmosphere, we keep coming back. In our minds, when we leave Traverse City, Michigan, for Florida, after the holidays each year, we head to a warm, friendly place where our friends are also returning. We look forward to soaking up the sun and ending each day with beautiful daily sunsets over Florida Bay. Blackfin is not a high-end, fancy place, and that’s…

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