END OF SAILING SEASON 2012

As I sit in our lovely, waterfront condo, dogs at my feet and sleeping on the couch, I muse about our ending sailing season of 2012. As many readers remember, we have traveled many thousands of miles in our loved Phaeton motorhome. However, in the past 1 1/2 yrs. we have changed to water travel in our also loved "0 Regrets" trawler.

Our newly painted boat is now back in her slip at Green Turtle Bay Marina on Lake Barkley.

We enjoy this pier in that we only have slips on one side and have a great view of the harbour. Green Turtle Bay is a central part of Grand Rivers, KY. a small, quaint community between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. A great location for boating with access to large lakes and 4 rivers. This is our home port and we call this home for 0 Regrets. We have help from many sailors at the marina along with a good drink. We begin and end each cruise from this marina, always happy to return.

We have spent many evenings at anchor aboard 0 Regrets in various bays along the shore of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. We have been serenade by the coyotes in the Land Between the Lakes, a lonely song while the moon rises. Not a soul around and the clear skies to view the milkey way, satelites and dream of cruises in the future. These dreams are not only those of children but of older folks, (like me) who want to be children once again. No cares except making port the next day.

Who cares about world affairs when you enjoy the simple pleasures of sailing waters new and old with the one you love. We long to cruise to the Gulf of Mexico and later the Bahamas on our way around the Great Loop. This is top of the bucket list for me.

This view of us at the stern of 0 REGRETS is a good image of the fun we have enjoyed and hope to expand during the coming cruising years. I dread the winterization of 0 REGRETS for we will not have any cruising till March 2013. However, I need to leave you with the latest view of our cruising in November, last weekend. I ask you to think of the people waiting in line for days to "enjoy" black Friday and ask your self where the crew of 0 REGRETS will be enjoying themselves. Come along and sail with us.

Happy sailing, Adm. Denise, Capt. Barry and deckhands Bailey and Bella

CONDO REMODEL

Now as I have mentioned in this blog, we painted the "0 Regrets" and were in the process of remodeling the condo. WELL ----- The process is complete with much work and check writing. I found the best way to remodel the condo is to write checks. I should say Denise wrote checks, I just played the part of the General contractor. Our little condo is very warm and homey now. The new paint, trim and floors just set the unit off. While we purchased the unit "remodeled" the nesting just had to continue. We removed the carpet as this is not good for even the best dogs and husband. We installed hardwood laminate which gives us the warm look but is so easy to maintain. Even the dogs can sweep and "swifter" the floors. Although they seem to just lay around.

We hired a well recommended painter, Mike, who speaks with a soft voice and handles a mean brush. Here I am offering to paint baseboard prior to installation trying to help. Mike just shrugged and said install it and I will paint. NO PROBLEM. I would make one hell of a mess of the floor. Painting baseboard above a new floor would just not fly with my painting skills. So, that is why one should hire the professional. Mike did a great job and probably uttered 10 words during the project. The flooring guys were a real "pair". I had worries about them moving furniture etc. while trying to install wood flooring. Not a worry. They expertly piled up furniture, layed the floor, moved furniture back and layed more flooring. Just another day in the park. Rodney was the leader of the pair. I watched as he cut and measured and measured again. I had to run him off one night to reduce the saw noise for the neighbors. Rodney wanted to work till complete. To sum up, Rodney and helper did a good job, working hard and putting up with me and the dogs. Again, Bailey and Bella did little to help. Speaking of dogs. After completion of the remodeling we are enjoying our fireplace. Each unit has a wood burning fireplace. A luxury we enjoy and Denise is very experienced at chopping and splitting wood. What a girl !!!!

Finished Condo remodeling via Lady Denise.

0 Regrets Facelift

There comes a time in a boat's life that the age starts to show. You know, like the forehead wrinkles, crinkle eyes, 2nd chin etc. Not that any of my friends or I have these maturity scars. At least a bit of sanding, paint and care can erase much of the Regrets badges of maturity. So, to help our 0 Regrets a paint therapy was scheuled.

Watching my new, best friend dangling from the tentacles of the travel lift is a bit of a nail biter. 0 Regrets is a small boat compared to the 61 ft. boat lifted the next day, but that is not my boat. The yard crew, Rotterings, were very professional and helpful thru the process. We must remember, two old guys are going to paint this most valuable boat and we will need all the help we can find. First things first, SANDING. The boat was blocked close to the ground which made for belly flop painting. Our plan is to paint the hull and bottom with the most expensive paint known to the universe. Damn the $$$$.

The photo does not show the 3 days of sanding required to reach this stage of the facelift. Like when the doctor says this may make you a bit sore. I could not lift my arms over my shoulder after this event. Fortunately, I had expert help. Albin Bill lives on a 36 Albin, just like ours and has year of experience. He agreed to be my mentor and captive slave during the process. I discovered after 1 day that I was the captive and he called the shots. Well, Mr. Smirf, (blue color) worked like a young man preping the 0 Regrets for the surgery.

As I mentioned, Bill is the expert and spent several hours sanding in a 3 ft. area where the most damage had occurred. The painting was to soon begin. But, every moment I thought we would paint Bill said "no we have to -------". Like when the Dentist drills, drills and drills, takes a break and you thing Oh My God, he is done. Only to return with a new drill and fresh from his break. We finally began the painting after the 72 hr. sanding.

We sectioned off a portion of the hull to make the job a bit more organized. The picture indicates 1/2 of the hull with two coats of new paint. This section proved to be the easiest portion. The upper portion reqired many steps on the rickety ladders to apply the new paint. By the way, the paint only costs $250 per quart, yes that is correct, $1,000 per gallon. Fortunately we only needed 2 quarts.

This photo gives an indication of how low the boat was blocked. The skag under the prop protects from those time when I stick 0 Regrets in the mud. The paintng of the bottom is not glamorious but a real necessity. This required the old guys to lay on backs and bellies to paint the keel and botton. Getting down is not hard it is the getting up "I have fallen and cannot get up". Without further Nobel award winning prose, or continue whinning, the finished product can be revealed.

Needless to say we are very proud of the new look. The stripes are now teal in color and she really shines. Fortunately, we should not have to paint the hull again in my lifetime and the bottom need painting about every 5 years. Next time the bottom may be painted with a check book. Oh the joys of boat ownership. Next major task will be the improvements to the cabin and flybridge. Next year after a rest and more $$$$. Happy Sailing, Adm. Denise, Captn. Barry, Deckhands Bella and Bailey

River Cruise Collage

As we were forced to complete our Tennessee River Cruise I felt a short collage was appropriate of all our scenes from this adventure. We are transitioning to the water way of life aboard "0 Regrets". I was encourage by Denise's acceptance of the cruise and handling of the boat in locks. When we cruise the Great Loop, 137 locks and a crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, good hands are needed. This brings to mind the first photo displaying Adm. Denise's cruising posture.

Now alert, man the battle stations, Denise and Bailey. Hopefully this is not the "man overboard" drill.

The Bailey Bench with the life vest pillow is a typical resting place for this very alert Spaniel. She is learning the water life, relaxing during the cruise knowing deck work awaits. Yep, the pressure of pottying on the astroturf in the bow can be too much for a girl.

Yes, evening on the flybridge. Girls must have their evening cocktails after a long day of grueling cruising. Of course, Captn. Barry is preparing the evenining meal, plotting the next day cruise all the while putting the deck in order. Someone must do the deck work.

We added a new "ensign" to the transom during the cruise. I enjoy watching the flag flutter as we cruise. The dingy tagged along but was not needed during the cruise. We plan to add a Kentucky State Flag tot he mast for next year.

The above new friend is traveling to Florida and the Great Loop in a 18 ft. Starcraft open boat. The boat has a small cutty cabin in the bow, no head (toilet) and no galley. I asked the captain were he began the cruise and it was St. Paul, Minnesota. WOW!. He anchors out each evening with an occasionaly marina stop for food, fuel and maybe a shower. Now that is an adventure.

One of the most unusal boats we encountered. At Pebble Ilse Marina, the marina owner had restored this lobster boat. The wood work is amazing. Many hours and years went into the restoration. He has very little time to cruise but does so in comfort and knowing he completed the work.

The Nordhaven Trawler is a true classic. The Nordhaven is the top of the line trawler costing millions. This boat is a 56 ft. trawler, do not know the year, but the captain said it was an old boat. We encountered the boat while traveling North. The captain hailed us on the VHF radio asking if we had engine trouble, "we were heading the wrong way". ALAS, I had to admit Denise has a "real" job and I must return the Admiral to here place of employment.

Well when the weather turns cold and wet, the inside helm becomes important. Adm. Denise is at the controls with Navionics for navigation. The inside helm is not as much fun as the bridge but much warmer and dryer. One must have some creature comforts when piloting such a vessel as "0 Regrets". I am fortunate to have such an Adm. as Denise who is willing to assume deckhand duties and help me drink the daily "grog".

While cruising the river we encountered several granite rocks with a lone tree growing out of solid rock. This is common in the 10,000 islands area of the Georgian Bay, Ontario, but not typical of the Tennessee River. In Ontario they haul out wood and build cabins on these islands. No heat or water, but run the snowmobiles out in winter when lake freezes and camp in the cabins. Wonder if the Corp. of Engineers would permit this on the Tennessee River?

Upon our arrival at Paris Landing we managed to enjoy a good "real" breakfast at the lodge with a ride up with the Ranger. They are not very busy being Ranger Rick this time of year. Upon our walk back to the boat we encountered this fall display and just had to tak advantage for a pic. Denise is the creature without the dress! She does look like autumn. Well the cruise is over and now we must paint the boat and remodel the condo. New adventures await "0 Regrets" and we invite you along. Happy sailing, Adm. Denise, Captn. Barry and deckhands Bailey and Bella.

SAILING TO HOME PORT

Unfortunately, we were required to turn downstrean at Florcence, AL. due to WORK requirements. That ugly four letter word. However, the work puts us on the water to enjoy our most recent travel and method of exploration.

We eased out of Florence Marina Harbor to ride the current downstream floating back to Green Turtle Bay, home port of 0 Regrets. Riding the current increased our cruising speed to a high 8.5 mph with low rpms on the engine. This is much better than 1800 rpms with only 4-5 mph traveling upstream. We must leave Eva and Bruce in Florence Marina. They made our trip/stop enjoyable. Eva is quite vivacious, southern lady with a quick wit and sharp tomgue. She has run the marina for a number of years and has a good rep along the river. At least that is what cruisers tell her. Most know she cannot keep enough wine in the office.

During our stay we visited the Frank LLoyd Wright Home in the city of Florence. Although the home was not open to tours on Monday, the caretaker told us we could look into the windows. It is quite impressive and I do recomment you visit. It is located in an older neighborhood in town and within walking distance to town center.

Alas, we must move on downriver to Grand Harbor for our trip to Green Turtle Bay. We plan to return to Florence next year on the way to Chattanooga, TN. Happy Sailing, Adm. Denise, Capt. Barry, Crew Bailey and Bella.

Rendezvous with the Famous KISMET

You can travel the waters of the U.S. and Canada and you may well run across the wake of the KISMET. Well, we traveled the Tennessee River and following the KISMET blog we were able to snag a quick raft up with this famous boat and couple. Jim and Lisa Favors have traveled thousands of miles in completing the Great Loop aboard their trawler. Now, they are traveling the country's rivers and lakes in a 27 ft. Ranger Tug. We knew they were making their way up the Tennessee River and our paths would cross. The KISMET only draws about 2 ft. of water so they anchor along their travels, a bit more than we do in 0 Regrets. We planned to raft up in Lick Creek between Cuba Landing Marina and Pebble Isle Marina. The weather was rainy and cloudy so we planned to stop over night at Cuba Landing. We arrived at Lick Creek anchorage in the late afternoon. We found the Kismet at anchor, so we followed the Garmin chart in a little creek right to Kismet. Due to the small size of the Kismet, we worked at bit more to raft up so as not too do any damage to Kismet. The crew was more than gracious, inviting us aboard. We remained on our boat due to our dogs wanting to follow us aboard Kismet, not a good thing typically. You know, new smells and all. We got to visit a short time as the weather was deterioting and we had to arrive at Cuba Landing prior to dark. We read several magazines about boating as well as follow blogs and we are continually entertained by the Kismet. We recommend you check out their blogs at http://trailertrawlerlife.com/. Our water journed continues toward our homeport of Green Turtle Bay Marina. We do hate to end this cruise but have gained much knowledge, experience and met so many new friends along the way. Happy Sailing, Adm. Denise, Capt Barry, Sailors Bella and Bailey

Cuba Landing Harbor

After departing Clifton Marina we continued to cruise down stream with a 1-2 mph current giving 0 Regrets a boost to 8.5 mph. WOW, we are moving! The day was somewhat dark and wet. We planned to cruise down to Pebble Isle Marina, our first over night stop on this cruise but due to a late sail time, 10/30 am. We opted to dock at Cuba Landing. We were somewhat delayed in sailing due to our last visit from our new friend Sonya. While we loved Sonya, her Boss, Gene is a real gentle soul.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Gene purchased the Clifton Marina by default, he does seem to relish the vists from boating characters. We are proud to count ourselves among the many legions of friends they embrace each year. Gene is a retired pharmacist who though he would buy the marina and work 2-3 days per week and fish the others. OOPS! That plan vanished quickly. He found that a marina requires many hours of attention to get slips rented, take care of all the patrons and of course find a manager like Sonya. While Gene is full of stories of the Clifton community the stories bet more berter as the whiskey is mixed with his coke. Now I promised Gene upon our return to Clifton going down river I would provide some Woodford Reserve bourbon which adds a classic taster. I planted 1/2 bottle on the restaurant table and a couple hours later Gene polished it off. Now it is a good thing Gene is the gentle soul because I usually object to mixing Woodford with coke. You might as well use the cheap stuff. But I could not chastise Gene and I did see him pull from the bottle a couple of sips. Gene, we will see you and Sonja next year.

Alas, we approached Cuba Landing in wind and rain. We called by VHF radio numerous times just outside the harbor with no response. Now I called the marina via phone just about an hour earlier and was told to come on in. As we approached the dock we did not see dockage except the fuel dock. But our luck held and we were greeted by a friendly boater guiding us into a slip next to her YACHT. Yes YACHT. We managed to tie up to the dock narrowly missing the YACHT. I am convenced YACHT LADY was protecting the YACHT. During this crash landing we were helped and met Heinrik. It seems this Germain sailor was resting prior to continuing his travels up river to Chattanooga to meet his girlfriend and fly to Switzerland. Heinrik sailed from Germany crossing the Atlantic to the Bahamms. Now that is a sail. I did manage to get his email and web site so I can follow his progress. Cuba Landing is a reasonable stop but not the best Tennessee offers. It seems a bit abandoned with the restaurant closed and working hours reducted to 8 am-4 pm daily. We did meet the "harbor master" after our landing who cruised by in his truck. "I live in the trailer up the hill" he informed us from the truck. Well, too late Mr. Harbor Master. They did want to get paid the next morning. I must say the "master" and clerk at the small store were nice enough but I would suggest passing this stop unless you are in need during bad weather or darkness. You can anchor behind the slip pier without charge and that may be the best amenity of the landing.

Cruising the Tennessee River provided many "sites". One of the most stunning homes was purched on the clift with access to a good fishing hole on the river. While we marveled at many homes, big and small, they all shared a great view of this stunning river. Frankly, I would have to search Google Maps to find how they reached these homes via land. I can certainly recommend a cruise along this river. We hoped to reach near Chattanooga but now know we would need 3 weeks to enjoy the cruise that far up river. We are already making plans to cruise the Tennessee next year. We hope you will come along with us then and share the journey. Happy Sailing, Adm. Denise, Capt. Barry, Sailors Bailey and Bella.