- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
- Messages
- 1,272
- Reaction score
- 264
- Points
- 83
- Location
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Model
- Sailfish
The forecast for leaving Joe Wheeler for Huntsville was rather iffy. Early morning winds of 10 mph with gusts to 15 out of the southeast. Picking up to 20 mph winds with gusts to 30. Not my ideal conditions. Waiting the following day would put me into a forecast of T-storms. Not a better choice.
So I talked with Cyndy, the dock master to see if she had a local source with maybe a more accurate local forecast. Cyndy's weather apps agreed with mine. But she had a better idea. Cyndy had just seen the local fisheries patrol officer head to the restaurant for lunch. She insisted on bringing me to meet him for the best on-the-water information.
The officer didn't mind me bothering him at lunch at all. As a matter of fact he said "You're that Grady-White that came in yesterday". The guy doesn't miss much.
Anyway, he was well aware of tomorrow's forecast. His advice: It will be flat calm at first light. Winds will pick up a bit after sunrise, but they'll pick up slowly. Your first 30 miles will be across the open water of Wheeler Lake. At your speed, you'll be across the Lake before we get any serious chop. After that, the River gets narrow and the surrounding terrain is hilly. You won't feel much wind. And any you do feel will be at your back.
The fisheries officer was a really nice guy. And he calmed my fears of a bumpy ride. So I set an early alarm to be off at first light.
I was maybe a bit over-anxious to get an early start. I was up well before my 4 am alarm. The forecast was a bit more favorable in the morning.
Temps had warmed, So I hoped there would be no fog. There was not.
It was a Saturday and there was a stream of bass boats leaving the marina in the dark. So I asked if I could join in but be the last boat in line. After leaving the no-wake zone, but still in the bay, the bass boats took off at a speed I couldn't hope to match. But I could see where they went. And it followed my track of entering the bay. So in just a few minutes I was out in the wide, deep Wheeler Lake.
And the water was calm on Wheeler Lake.
Beautiful time of day to be on the water.
The fisheries officer was spot on for the entire trip. Flat calm at first light and a chop starting on the beam after sunrise.
Pelicans in Wheeler Lake:
When the River narrows it is industrialized and there is a fair amount of barge traffic. Facilities like Monsanto and Amoco I expected to see. But this is Meow Mix cat food being poured into these barges. And you can smell it several hundred yards down wind!
Past the industrialized areas the River is gorgeous once again. And the fisheries officer was spot on. Every once in a while I would feel a wind gust. But the water remained calm just as he said.
Passing a trawler that I had met several days earlier. We could identify each other from several miles away using the Nebo app. It was my first time using it.
As the cop said, once you hit the narrow portion, you're generally heading east and well protected:
And it did get pretty hilly - (being from FL I'd say mountainous) - around the River.
Just about 10 miles or less from Huntsville now.
Just about three miles before Huntsville, the shoreline became a rock cliff for about a mile.
I have to apologize here. For whatever reason, I forgot the get a picture of Ditto Landing Marina. But I did arrive with about 440 more enjoyable miles on the boat.
My boat hauler, however, was not having such a good time. He was supposed to be here tomorrow. Although I allowed an extra day before I flew home from Huntsville. But he wasn't going to be there for several days. Seems that the electric brake actuator switch on his trailer went haywire and his brakes were always on. His trailer is made in south Florida and they were to overnight the part. The employee who went to UPS didn't send the part overnight. So it would be three days before he would get the part. And he still needed to deliver the boat on his trailer in VA before he turned for AL.
I explained all this to the woman who owns Ditto Landing. (Actually, it's a municipal owned marina, she owns the company that leases it.) She couldn't have handled it any better. She put my boat in a slip very near the boat ramp. She gave me a discount of $1 ft. until Tony got there. And she offered to hold the keys for Tony.
So I flew home leaving my boat behind for the first time ever.
But Tony got there in a few days, did his usual good job of securing the boat on the trailer and headed for home. I believe he drove straight through, but he wouldn't admit it.
The boat arrived home safe and sound, albeit with a lot more bugs on the windshield and the front of the radio box. Pretty typical. Tony will often run the boat through a truck wash. But not this time.
It was a beautiful trip. I love that most stops could be at state parks. Someone told me that the trip from Knoxville back to Ditto Landing is equally beautiful. I will have to look at that and see if there are sufficient marinas along the way and just how many locks there are!
Thanks for coming along for the the ride.
Rob
So I talked with Cyndy, the dock master to see if she had a local source with maybe a more accurate local forecast. Cyndy's weather apps agreed with mine. But she had a better idea. Cyndy had just seen the local fisheries patrol officer head to the restaurant for lunch. She insisted on bringing me to meet him for the best on-the-water information.
The officer didn't mind me bothering him at lunch at all. As a matter of fact he said "You're that Grady-White that came in yesterday". The guy doesn't miss much.
Anyway, he was well aware of tomorrow's forecast. His advice: It will be flat calm at first light. Winds will pick up a bit after sunrise, but they'll pick up slowly. Your first 30 miles will be across the open water of Wheeler Lake. At your speed, you'll be across the Lake before we get any serious chop. After that, the River gets narrow and the surrounding terrain is hilly. You won't feel much wind. And any you do feel will be at your back.
The fisheries officer was a really nice guy. And he calmed my fears of a bumpy ride. So I set an early alarm to be off at first light.
I was maybe a bit over-anxious to get an early start. I was up well before my 4 am alarm. The forecast was a bit more favorable in the morning.
Temps had warmed, So I hoped there would be no fog. There was not.
It was a Saturday and there was a stream of bass boats leaving the marina in the dark. So I asked if I could join in but be the last boat in line. After leaving the no-wake zone, but still in the bay, the bass boats took off at a speed I couldn't hope to match. But I could see where they went. And it followed my track of entering the bay. So in just a few minutes I was out in the wide, deep Wheeler Lake.
And the water was calm on Wheeler Lake.
Beautiful time of day to be on the water.
The fisheries officer was spot on for the entire trip. Flat calm at first light and a chop starting on the beam after sunrise.
Pelicans in Wheeler Lake:
When the River narrows it is industrialized and there is a fair amount of barge traffic. Facilities like Monsanto and Amoco I expected to see. But this is Meow Mix cat food being poured into these barges. And you can smell it several hundred yards down wind!
Past the industrialized areas the River is gorgeous once again. And the fisheries officer was spot on. Every once in a while I would feel a wind gust. But the water remained calm just as he said.
Passing a trawler that I had met several days earlier. We could identify each other from several miles away using the Nebo app. It was my first time using it.
As the cop said, once you hit the narrow portion, you're generally heading east and well protected:
And it did get pretty hilly - (being from FL I'd say mountainous) - around the River.
Just about 10 miles or less from Huntsville now.
Just about three miles before Huntsville, the shoreline became a rock cliff for about a mile.
I have to apologize here. For whatever reason, I forgot the get a picture of Ditto Landing Marina. But I did arrive with about 440 more enjoyable miles on the boat.
My boat hauler, however, was not having such a good time. He was supposed to be here tomorrow. Although I allowed an extra day before I flew home from Huntsville. But he wasn't going to be there for several days. Seems that the electric brake actuator switch on his trailer went haywire and his brakes were always on. His trailer is made in south Florida and they were to overnight the part. The employee who went to UPS didn't send the part overnight. So it would be three days before he would get the part. And he still needed to deliver the boat on his trailer in VA before he turned for AL.
I explained all this to the woman who owns Ditto Landing. (Actually, it's a municipal owned marina, she owns the company that leases it.) She couldn't have handled it any better. She put my boat in a slip very near the boat ramp. She gave me a discount of $1 ft. until Tony got there. And she offered to hold the keys for Tony.
So I flew home leaving my boat behind for the first time ever.
But Tony got there in a few days, did his usual good job of securing the boat on the trailer and headed for home. I believe he drove straight through, but he wouldn't admit it.
The boat arrived home safe and sound, albeit with a lot more bugs on the windshield and the front of the radio box. Pretty typical. Tony will often run the boat through a truck wash. But not this time.
It was a beautiful trip. I love that most stops could be at state parks. Someone told me that the trip from Knoxville back to Ditto Landing is equally beautiful. I will have to look at that and see if there are sufficient marinas along the way and just how many locks there are!
Thanks for coming along for the the ride.
Rob
