Sunday, September 12, 2010

Cruising the Tennessee River at Lake Nickajack

The captain had such a good time swimming in the river last weekend he wanted to do it again. And why not? It's still hot during the day, with temperatures in the 90s, so we thought we'd get some swimming in before the summer’s over.

passing by the ubiquitous see Rock City sign

Embayment at the base of Little Cedar Mountain


Less than five miles away from our marina is a little cove at the base of Little Cedar Mountain (green daymarker 426.9), where we often anchor on weekends. This lovely cove is sheltered, with wind protection from every direction except the south. Water depth decreases to 16 feet, 12 if you venture in a little more. This anchorage is big enough to hold several boats. A mid-size powerboat was already at anchor when we pulled in around 7 Friday evening. After we set our anchor, we hung out on the flybridge to enjoy the scenery and the tranquility of the evening.

A Blue Heron broke the silence when it let out a hoarse cry as it flew inches above the river across the anchorage. I am reminded of the time I first fell in love with boating – waking up in the morning to complete solitude, surrounded by nature. Minutes later, it started to rain. A good thing because Chattanooga needed the rain bad. So does our bimini top (we are in a covered slip, and spiders thrive on the river).

Glenda and Steve joined us on their houseboat later that night. These are gung-ho boaters. They are known to boat even in the winter! This night, they got off to a late start. We called and warned them about a gigantic log that we almost hit as we were heading out here. Out there in the channel, they reported winds that kicked up a 2-foot wake. At our anchorage, it was totally calm. We helped them tie up to our portside. The water that night was so still we thought we never left the marina.

Morning scenery

Anchored at Little Cedar Mountain
A refreshing swim on the river


How was your weekend?

Related posts:
Port of call: Chattanooga, TN
Exploring Chattannoga, Tennessee
Cruising during the dog days of summer

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