The humidity left and the daytime highs were only 78 to 80 with abundant sunshine. Nighttime temps plummeted into the mid 50's. Brrrrr! Only one thing to do in a situation like this.... Unhook the umbilical cord and head out to an anchorage.
This time we chose Carmack Bay on the Lake Barkley side of The Land Between the Lakes. A journey of 10 miles from the marina and we were there. Only issue left was to pick our way into the bay. The reviews and charts described what could be a "cheek tightening" experience getting into the main part of the bay. They were partially right. The least amount of water we traversed was 7'. We did however make a few course changes along the way to avoid the shallower spots. Once in we were rewarded with 10' of 80 degree water and a secluded anchorage. Time to get NAKED! Just kidding! Well I thought it was a good idea.....
Actually I had plans to spend some of the time waxing the boat and I was able to convince Pam to help me. Over the next 3 days we were able to knock off quite a chunk of the project although like so many boat projects it never ends.
The water temps enabled me to get in and clean some of the scum off the bottom of Tourist which grows fast in the warm Kentucky water. While I was doing this task I was accompanied by a school of minnows that nibbled at the growth that I had just dislodged. They followed me around the entire boat not once taking a bite out of me.
Like most of the other spots we've anchored around the area we saw an abundance of wildlife including deer and raccoons along the shoreline. One of the perks of the protected land.
Eventually we were joined by a houseboat for a few hours and a cruiser who overnighted on one of the small rocky beaches. However for most of the time it was just us and mother nature. It doesn't get much better.
It seems the key to enjoying the many anchorages in the area is to do it during the week. We came back in on a Friday and the water was starting to hum with the sounds of jet skis, ski boats, pontoons, houseboats, fishing boats, cruisers and an occasional sailboat. The secluded coves of mid-week turn into one big CF of knuckleheads going in every direction as fast as they can. Fun to watch for awhile until it causes your drink to spill!
A few other projects we accomplished while at the boat were to change the engine oil (16 gals.) and filters. (Green Turtle Bay has a used oil disposal barrel.) Change out our 2 freshwater pumps that decided to give up the ghost. Clean the A/C filters, and replace the rollers on our sliding screen door. That in addition to loads of laundry. Endless cleaning. And continual killing of bugs that sneak into the cabin. Little do they know that Pam is waiting to fry them with her battery powered bug zapper!
Saturday we prepped the boat for our absence for the next couple of weeks. We'll be heading home again and then we'll be hitting the road for a few days.
No comments:
Post a Comment