Kimmswick, MO to Green Turtle Bay Marina

We left Hoppies Marine early on September 10th, and had a pleasant day on the Mississippi River. We made it to Little Diversion Channel located at Mile 49 on the Mississippi River, about 110 miles, faster than we thought we would due to the swift current, and dropped the anchor for the night in this quiet and isolated anchorage.

Getting into the anchorage was somewhat of a challenge due to the fast running current, which at that point was 4-5 miles an hour. Most of the day we had no less than a 3 mph push and at times a 5 mph push, so the captain went past the turn into the anchorage and then came back up river against the current. We got in with no problem and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the anchorage.

The next morning we pulled up the anchor from Little Diversion Channel, and reentered the Mighty Mississippi. Less than 50 miles later we turned east into the Ohio River. At the junction of the Mississippi and the Ohio, there were so many towboats pushing barges in every direction that it resembled the ramp on a busy Interstate Highway. Moving our little boat amongst these behemoths was high adventure, but we were able to get past and through them without incident. Once past that busy intersection we made our way through Locks 53 and 52 on the Ohio, and by 3pm we were in Paducah, KY.

We stopped in Paducah, KY at the municipal dock. This dock is not very large, and will accommodate only about two boats our size. We were told by Fern at Hoppies that Loopers could now stay overnight at this dock, so we thought we would try it. We arrived about 3:00 p.m. and tied to the dock. There were people fishing off the dock, and they were not happy to see us there, since they had to pull in their fishing lines for a few minutes so we didn’t run over their lines. We stayed the night at the dock without being told by the Water Port Authority, the police, or anyone else to leave, and had a relatively peaceful night.

While in Paducah we walked into town before dark and saw a beautiful floodwall of murals, which were scenes from Paducah's historic past. There must have been 25 or more, larger than life size murals that were professionally painted on the walls. These murals depicted the history of Paducah, and are absolutely beautiful. Other sights to see in Paducah are an old steam locomotive, and the Center for Maritime Education,where many (if not most) of the river towboat captains learn their trade and become certified to captain these massive vessels. We had a good stay in Paducah, although we are still not sure if we were really allowed to stay there.

The next morning, Jerry, Mike’s brother, left us to continue his trip to Cincinnati, and then back home to Yuma, AZ. We had a great time with Jerry onboard, and will miss him. He was a good crew member for the two weeks he was with us. We hope he enjoyed his trip down the Illinois and Mississippi and up the Ohio Rivers with us.

From Paducah we continued our trip up the Ohio River about ten miles to the Cumberland River. There, we turned south and made our way about 35 miles up the River to Barkley Lock and Dam. After waiting about twenty minutes for a towboat to lock down, we entered the lock and were lifted about 45 feet to Lake Barkley. Less than two miles later we entered a beautiful cove in the Land Between The Lakes area and anchored for the night. It was quiet, peaceful, and a very nice anchorage.

The next morning, September 13th, we pulled up the anchor and made our way about a mile to the entrance to Green Turtle Bay Marina, which is almost a must-see stop on the Great Loop. When we arrived there were several other Loopers here, to include Mike and Jean from JEANIE MARIE, whom we have seen on the Loop off and on for months. After getting into our slip it was time to give IRISH AYES a much needed bath.

On Friday afternoon, Eric (our friend from Florida on KENTUCKY WILDCATS) met us at the boat, along with Gary and Bobbie who live in this area. Both are retired Army. Eric was in town on family business, and Gary and Bobbie live here. Eric will spend the night on the boat, and then give us a ride to Nashville, where we will catch a plane to Las Vegas for the Retired Military Police Officer’s Reunion we are attending. Gary and Bobbie have graciously offered to pick us up at the airport in Nashville when we return on September 20th. So, we will leave the boat in our assigned transient slip and make our way to Las Vegas for a few days. When we return, we will begin our final leg of our great adventure and travel the last 600 miles to Knoxville. Stay tuned……