Varnish 101....

One of the things Jill and I liked about this boat when we first saw her was the touch of teak that keeps it looking classic. It really sets these older boats apart from the more modern style. One of the things I really like now is that we don't have more.....

The woodwork was really getting chalky and pealing and it was time to re-do it while we have a covered slip and a break in the weather.

It took us 11 days straight working from 9 to 5 or 6 with lots of Advil along the way. The good news is this should last several years with just a light sanding and top coat annually.

The first step is to strip all the old varnish with a heat gun and sand several times starting with 150 grit working down to 320. After the first day I remembered to wear gloves...that thing gets hot!!

Removed what we could to make it easier.

Next is to tape everything off and give it all one last sanding. We vacuumed everything followed by a tack cloth and a wipe down with mineral spirits to ensure all the dust was removed.  We were using a newer product that allowed us to apply up to 3 coats a day with a light sanding after every 2 or 3 using 400 grit. Traditional varnish requires 1 coat per day with a sanding after each coat. 

Ready for varnish.

Final inspection.

We cut the first coat 50/50 with Xylene to allow it to really soak into the wood. After that it was full strength with each coat. We ended up with 6-7 coats on everything when it was all done. We're very happy with the way it turned out. The color is a bit darker than what was on there before but it looks even better and matches the interior wood now. 

Hand Rail.

Toe Rail and Door.

Before and After.

We did one side and the back of the boat the first week then turned the boat around to do the other side. It took about an hour for each coat and we gave it another hour to set up before applying another coat. This gave us a bit of time to rest in between which we didn't use...we found other things to keep us busy. Since we took the bell off to varnish we thought it'd be a prefect time to see if it still shines!

Coming back to life.

Still Shines!!

We also took the time to wax and polish parts of the boat that were easier to do while we had things apart. Today we got a good coat of wax on the whole back of the boat. We are getting really close to having the exterior ship shape for our big adventure. We both agree we don't want to have any large projects hanging over us while we're on the loop.

Wax on Wax off...

We did get a break this past weekend for a visit from friends and another Pier 5 party but I'll save that for another post...its beer'30.

Nashville Trip Part 2

When we left off we had arrived in Nashville and hit the town running. After a hard day on the river we were able to soldier on and managed to have a good night on the town. Wednesday we recovered a bit but picked right up where we left off. The first stop for a bite to eat and a few beers is one of my favorites, the Flying Saucer Bar which has a great selection of draft beer. As we made our way back down Broadway we hit another favorite Roberts Western World which always has great live music, even at 2:00 in the afternoon. I tried out my artsy side again with the camera.

Old Time Hillbilly Music

As the afternoon wore on we made our way back to the boat to clean up and wait for our friends Chris & Dan. They weren't able to make the whole trip but rented a one way car to drive in and make the return leg, that's dedication! Once they were in we caught up and had a few "docktails" before heading back up Broadway.

The General Jackson passed by.

Chris & Dan

After a late dinner and some live music at one of Nashville's newest venues, The Acme Feed & Seed Jill and I headed back to the boat while the rest of the crew headed out for some more exploration. I'm not sure what time they made it back to the boat but they seemed a bit off the next morning....

Fortunately they were all able to rally in time to man stations for the lock at Cheatham. The weather had improved dramatically with highs in the low 80's low humidity and not a cloud in sight, Heading down river with the current from the earlier storms we were making 10-11 mph at 1500 rpm's, much nicer than the uphill slog.

Lock in sight.

A Great Crew!!

We made it into Clarksville by mid afternoon and had plenty of time to relax before dinner. This time we chose the Liberty Park Grille right next to the marina. Again, a very nice dinner. 

Friday was another easy day with great weather as we made our way back to Lake Barkley State Park. As the Cumberland widened back into Lake Barkley Jill got some nice shots of some of the wildlife in this area.

Kentucky Pelicans??

Who Knew??

The crew seemed to be in much better spirits today after a good nights rest. 

Even though the lake is very wide here you still have to carefully follow the channel. There are many twists and turns and if you try to take a shortcut you may be calling for a tow boat. The following is a picture of a flock of American Coots. If you look closely you'll see they are standing and not floating.

Saturday was a short day so we got a bit latter start and finally got in that swim in the bay before returning to Green Turtle Bay. 

It was a great trip and even better to spend time with our good boating friends. Hopefully we'll all do it again soon where the water is crystal clear and salty!

Thank You Crew!!

Next up Jill and I will be stripping the exterior woodwork and learning how to varnish. Not nearly as much fun but one of the several items left on our punch list before we head south. Less than 2 months left...it's crunch time!!

Nashville Trip Part 1

As promised in the last installment this is the report from our trip up the Cumberland River to Nashville. I've decided to break it down to 2 parts to keep you on the edge of your seats (and awake)

We were joined on this leg of the trip by Vickie and Brian, friends from our old marina in Cincinnati. You may remember them as they joined us last fall for the trip down to Green Turtle Bay. It was their "honeymoon cruise".

We had an easy first day planned to help make the next 2 smoother. Only about 30 travel miles Sunday the 26th to Prizer Point Marina. The forecast as of Saturday night was for a high in the 90's with 0% chance of rain. My first mistake of the trip was not checking again before leaving the dock. After a short time we pulled into a bay to spend some time in the water. We got the anchor set in a nice cove and were spending a few minutes being sure we were secure when we heard the first rumble of thunder...oops. We looked behind us to see a line of dark clouds headed our way. A quick check of the radar confirmed we were in for a bit of rain. After waiting awhile we decided to get underway and have our swim break on the other end of the trip. We spent the next few hours in and out of rain but the traffic was light as the other boaters had checked their radar...

The sun came out as we pulled up toward Prizer so we dropped the hook again for that swim. I had been calling the marina for 3 days prior to the trip to get a reservation but no one seemed to be able to give me an answer. This should have been a clue. I called again within sight of the office and was told to pull up to the fuel dock and they would try to find a spot for us. Well, the fuel dock was full of pontoon boats and I had had enough! A quick call to Lake Barkley State Park confirmed they had plenty of room and would be glad to have us. We were underway again for a 5 mile run up river and were tied up in a nice covered slip about 4 o'clock. We wasted no time in breaking out the paddle board and a few beers for some water time.

Vickie is a natural

Brian has an "accident" to cool off.

I even got to spend a bit of time on/in the water. I'm not sure if the board needs more air or less weight...

We had a nice dinner at the marina grill (no beer on Sunday) and returned to the boat for a nightcap. 

With a longer day scheduled for Monday we were away from the dock by 0830 and headed up the lake by 0900. By noon we were crossing the Tennessee border and wide lake Barkley was narrowing into the Cumberland river. With the more narrow river the current on our nose was really slowing us down and I took the engines up to 1800 rpm's just to stay above 7 mph. It was another day in the 90's but no rain in sight and the river was very scenic along the way. The crew enjoyed some time in the sun and tunes on Radio Margaritaville.

Can you guess the tune?

It was a slow but uneventful trip to Clarksville TN and we were tied up to a very nice marina by 5. The staff here is some of the best we have seen.

Clarksville Marina.

 We took a cab into town for dinner at the Black Horse. Dinner was fantastic and well worth the trip if your ever down that way. Back at the boat we were treated to a nice light show from some distant storms. Little did we know we would pay for it tomorrow.

We were underway at 0830 Tuesday for a shorter day, mileage wise, to Nashville with one lock. After about an hour a fishing boat heading down river stopped to tell us there was some debris up ahead, very nice. We had seen some pretty big drift along the way so we weren't too concerned. Well, about an hour later we were greeted by a wall of debris going from bank to bank and lasting about 2 miles. We had to idle along and pick our way through everything from logs to full size trees. Sorry, no pics since all hands were busy on deck. Once through we were about a mile from Cheatham lock which was open and waiting. The storms must have washed out a pretty big creek.

Above the dam the current was still very strong but the drift was less. About an hour from Nashville we hit the tail end of a storm that hit town pretty hard and closed the airport for 2 hours. We had more wind than rain and ran into a tow and barges that had been blown sideways across the river. Had to slow down till he got it under control.

Happy Crew.

Happy Captain.

The city docks in Nashville are right at the foot of Broadway. A great place to explore this fun city. We were tied up about 6 and cracked a few cold ones before heading into town. 

Great Location.

The dock is under a walking bridge and we were told there can be problems with people throwing things on boats but we had no issues. There is a sculpture across the river that looks like a broken roller coaster...not sure what it's supposed to be.

Broadway and the roller coaster.

So there is the first leg of the trip. I have noticed that the track log is now working. It's on the right of the page if you're interested. Stay tuned for the next, less exciting, episode.

They call me Peter Pan.

A busy month

When we last posted we were getting settled in and the past few weeks have been busy and fun. The day after our last post Jill and I took our first overnight trip since we've had the boat here. We went about 40 miles up Kentucky Lake to Paris Landing Marina in Tennessee. Not a very exciting adventure but it was good to get out and explore a bit and practice docking in a new marina. We enjoyed "crazy chicken night" at the state park lodge before returning to the boat to listen to the Jimmy Buffett concert from Cincinnati on our Sirius radio. We had some fun during the concert by texting friends who were there and some who were listening on the radio like us.

Friends at the show

Radio listeners

We had a nice stay and got moving early the next morning for the trip home. We pulled into a cove on the way back where Jill took some time at the helm getting used to maneuvering the boat using the transmissions only in preparation of learning how to dock the boat. She did a great job and is ready for the next lesson for sure.

Paris Landing

I noticed the DeLorme didn't track this trip so I'll have to figure out what the issue is with that. I'm sure it's operator error. When we got back our new freezer had arrived and the next day was spent installing it. A great addition and much more sense than the dishwasher that used to fill that space.

The following weekend a group of boaters from our pier took an overnight trip up Lake Barkley so we took the opportunity to wash the ceilings of the vacated slips. It helps keep the spider and bird droppings to a minimum. We couldn't go on the trip since we were heading to Cincinnati on Sunday morning but I enjoyed dusting off some old fireman skills....

After a few days in Cincy and several rounds of doctors appointments we were back on the boat in time for a visit from Jill's sister Amy and her boyfriend Alyn. We had a great visit and they got to enjoy the marina and lakes at there finest over the 4th of July weekend. A homeowner near the marina put on a fantastic fireworks show that lasted over 45 minutes and we had a great view right from the front of the boat. Not sure why but I didn't get the camera out all weekend so there is no proof that the visit actually happened....it did.

The following week was taken up with boat projects and we got a bunch of things checked off our to-do list. Nothing very exciting or blog worthy but we're happy they're done.

This past weekend my sister Kathy, brother-in-law Ron and their whole clan came down for a visit. They rented a very nice house here at GTB and seemed to really enjoy the place. We got out for boat rides on Friday and Saturday and actually took advantage of their visit to get the boat naming ceremony done. You can Google the process if you're interested but it involves giving a bit of libation to the gods of the seas and winds as well as some for the crew!

Sunday was spent saying our "so longs" as well as installing a new AC unit in the upper salon. Sunday is usually "funday" but the forecast for this week is all upper 90's so it seemed prudent to get the job done. As I type this it's a lovely 73 degrees in the upper salon and a heat index of 102 just outside the door. 

We're making another quick trek to Ohio this week so I can visit the pension board. I finally have a retirement date of September 13!!!! Next trip is a boat trip to Nashville the end of the month with some friends from E dock...looking forward to that. I'll remember to get out the camera and will post again after the trip.

TTFN

Settling In

In 2 days we will have been living on the boat for 2 weeks. I know this doesn't sound like much...we've taken longer vacations. We spent most of the first week getting the boat organized and putting away the rest of what we brought from the house. The boat now has a 2 degree list to starboard, we're going to have to work on that!! It hasn't been all work and no play. The temps here have been in the 90's since we've been here so we get most of our work done before lunch and cool down in the afternoon at the pool or a dinghy ride. We did get the boat out for a few hours last Monday to give her a shake down and all was well. We found the Kentucky State Prison. Seems they have a nice view if nothing else. If you click on the Locate Us link on the right you can see the track of our round trip.

Do not pick up swimmers in this area!!

Later that evening we were sitting on the front deck and got to see a baby hummingbird take it's first flight from a nest down the dock. It made it as far as the front of our boat and plopped down to rest for about an hour. He didn't seem to know what to do next. Mama kept coming with a bit of nourishment and encouragement. This past week the 2 baby's seem to be getting bigger each day and are definitely better flyers.

Now What?

Dinner!!

This past Saturday Pier 5 had its first dock party of the year. Man do they know how to throw a party around here! The grill had to be floated in by barge after being hauled here behind a car.

Russell and Jerry man the mangrill

Since we had cleaned out our bars at home when we left we felt it was only fitting that the McMullen's do what we do best, serve drinks! I think our bar was a hit but a few folks were eyeing our blender a bit too fondly!!

Jill chats with Capt. Bill

There were over 70 people here with everyone bringing a dish. I doubt anyone left hungry (or thirsty)

The party went well into the night. The live entertainment and dancing had to end at 11:00 to respect the neighbors but the last I remember looking at my watch it was 1:30...not bad for old folks.

Tomorrow we will be heading out for our first overnight road trip. We are only going about 45 miles up Kentucky Lake to Paris Landing State Park but you can follow along on the tracker if you have nothing better to do. 

We'll be heading back to Cincinnati next Sunday for a couple of days for Dr's appointments and to meet with the fire department to set an exit date. July is already looking busy with family coming down for visits and a trip up the Cumberland to Nashville with some friends at the end of the month. 

We'll keep posting, you keep in touch!

Dawn of a new Day!!

OR  OMG-WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!?!?!

If you've been following our blog from the beginning or at least went back and read the first post you know that Jill and I have had a bit of a plan as far as this boating thing goes. Buy a boat big enough to live on (check) sell everything we own in order to live on said boat (check) retire and start traveling (pending).

We have spent the past few weeks getting the house sold, giving away or selling most of what we own and moving onto the boat here in Grand Rivers, KY. Last year the house was on the market for 6 months without much of a nibble...this year we had an offer in 6 days!! Needless to say we were caught a bit off guard and spent the last month rushing around to get everything done. Well, yesterday at noon we took our last trip down the driveway headed toward the future. I'm glad we were in separate cars because, to be honest, I had a tear in my eye for a few moments. We had a great 15 years there on Thompson Rd. but I'm sure that will be nothing compared to the next 15!!.

Last Party at TRCC

 Next stop was at our good friends house where Mike took possession of my beloved Avalanche leaving Jill and I to travel the next 4 hours in a heavily overloaded Mini Cooper, our only car now.

Rolling Entrapment

Sooooo after all the chaos and rushing around we are now truly homeless, at least in the dirt sense. I will also have to admit that after the 4 hour drive I had a huge grin on my face as we came into the marina. I think (hope!) we are really going to enjoy this next chapter of our lives. Everything we now own is on the boat, in the parking lot or in a 5 x 10 storage unit in Cincinnati. We call that our starter kit for the next house wherever that may be. 

Room to spare

Today was that dawn of the new day. We woke up on the boat without having to think about "when do we have to go home". We still worked our butts off today like we only have a few days here. We will have to get better at that for sure! We still have to make some trips back home to tie up some loose ends (like retirement) but the reality of it is we are full time boaters now and for the foreseeable future. I'm OK with that. We will miss our friends and family for sure but hope they follow along and plan a visit or two. We have had several volunteers for any excursion to the Bahamas, go figure.

One last shot as the sun goes down over Green Turtle Bay. You should really plan a visit. Just call first, we may be out boating ;)

Wish us luck!!!!!!