Captains Log

The Army Corp of Engineers tells us they are going to drain all the water from the area to make sure there are no damages, and that all the maintenance gets done.  Instead of just being closed from 3-7 am, starting on Tuesday July 20th, the lock won't open for nearly a month, until August 16th.

It will change recreational boaters plans, but barges bringing business, it will be a delay for commercial operations especially for the fact that their livelihood depends on it, then you're not working for a month."

Have a happy boating season.

Winter is gone, spring is almost gone, and the summer season is almost here.

There remains a large inventory of lake homes available on the Tennessee River in the Chickamauga Lake and Watts Bar lake areas.

There are boat owners wanting to trade boats for lake homes, which is a new niche in this area.

The local Chattanooga Multiple Listing Service is reporting the following area lake home listings.

Waterfront homes: 123,

Homes with year-round-water: 85,

Homes with seasonal water: 38.

I can and will always provide the best due diligence research, to fully quantify navigable water front dockage, navigating access, and seasonal water levels.

Been away from my blog for so many reasons, none of which make sense. The beautiful fall boating season is upon us, and don't where the summer season went.

The fall morning crisp blue sky and bright sun light makes for wonderful lake enjoyment. Grab a jacket, and let's go lakefront house hunting.

The lakefront home inventory is high in both seasonal and year round water pool frontage. Interest rates remain low in a buyers market, with many waterfront sellers very motivated to close a deal.

The local Chattanooga Multiple listings Service (MLS) currently is showing over 130 "Waterfront" homes, and over 75 properties indicating, "Year Round Deep Water". However, as a boater,  we all need to understand, this always does not mean navigatable water. I can help sort through this process for you exact waterfront need.

 Have a great fall boating season.

Construction on the new and much larger lock continues on schedule. The new lock which will be large enough to transfer up to 9 barges a one time up or down the 50 foot change in elevation. The current lock could only handle 1 barge at a time.

Why the construction of a new lock? The US Army Corps of Engineers released statistics in 2006 that in 2006 alone, a total of 1,175,788 tons of commodities were received through the Chickamauga lock. These shipments had a combined value of more than $337,000,000.

Tennessee is second only to Louisiana in goods shipped per state with more than 286,000 tons and $173,000,000 worth of goods.

Tennessee is first in goods received through the lock at 940,000 tons and a combined value of more than $180,000,000.

The five year construction project is scheduled to complete in 2014 if funding is available on schedule.

The first contract of $7,000,000 was an 18 month project relocating Lake Resort Drive, and building bridges and 2 round-a-bouts to make room for the new lock.

The second and current contract, of $83,000,000 over 3 years, is building coffer dams.

The Third contract which is currently being drawn up for the final phase, in the $250,000,000 range, over 5 years.

The lock remains open for business and travel up and down the Tennessee River at Chattanooga has been generally un-restricted.

Be sure to come visit us in Chattanooga this coming boating season. We have plenty to do, and places to visit on your cruising schedule. We have great homes on the water for sale if you are in the relocation mode.

Our next post will spotlight the Chattanooga Waterfront for your “Destination Chattanooga Cruise Adventure”.

Have a safe boating and cruising trip. See you on the Tennessee River soon.

Our trip has completed 257.8 miles of Tennessee River and at TRM 215.2 we head down

The Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway at Yellow Creek starting at Mile Marker (MM)450.7.

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is the largest water resource project ever built in the United States. It is one of the engineering marvels of the world.

The major features of the waterway are 10 locks and dams; a 175-foot deep canal connecting the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee River watershed; and, 234 miles of navigation channels. The construction started in

December 1971 and was completed in 1984. The 12 year construction cost nearly $2 billion.

The Tenn-Tom is the largest earth moving project in history, requiring the excavation of nearly 310 million cubic yards of soil or more than 100-million dump truck loads. By comparison, the French dug about 105 million cubic yards in building the Suez Canal and 210 million cubic yards of earth were removed from the Panama Canal.

LOCK 1: Our First leg will be 38.7 miles south to Jamie Whiten lock at MM 412.0. This is the first of 6 locks in the next 41 mile stretch of the waterway system.

LOCK 2: G.V.”Sonny” Montgomery, is at MM 406.0 or 6 mile run.

LOCK 3: John Rankin at MM 398.0 which is an 8 mile run.

LOCK 4: Fulton at MM 392.0

LOCK 5: Glover Williams at MM 376.0

LOCK 6: Amory at MM 371.0

LOCK 7: Aberdeen

LOCK 8: John C, Stennis at MM 343

LOCK 9: Tom Bevill at MM 306

LOCK 10: Howell Heflin at MM 266

We now leave the Tenn-Tom Waterway and our next stop will after on the Tombigbee River after confluence with the Black Warrior River, a 53 mile ride to MM 213 at the Demopolis lock.

We now have a longer leg to cruise on down the Tombigbee River to Coffeeville Lock at MM 116.0 a 97 mile run.

Can you believe, no more locks on down past the confluence with the Alabama River to the Mobile River, and to Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico, the final 116 miles.

Chattanooga can offer the true boater the options to cruise to the Gulf of Mexico from you back yard boat dock on the Tennessee River. The draw on the river can take you down the Tennessee River, to the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, on to The Tombigbee River, and finally the Mobile River ending on Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Does that sound exciting or what.

Our trip would start at Chattanooga at Chickamauga Dam, Tennessee river mile (TRM 471.0) south on the river to the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway at (TRM 215.2), or covering 255.8 miles of river travel.

Our first travel leg, from Chickamauga Dam to Nickajack Dam at TRM 424.7 or 46.3 miles can easy be a one day cruise.

Second day of travel will be a long 75.7 mile trip to Guntersville Dam. Start early and enjoy the trip.

Third day will cover another 74.1 miles to Wheeler Dam. This a also a start early and enjoy the trip day.

Fourth Day will be a short day ride of 15.5 miles to Wilson Dam.

On our Fifth day we will travel a 44.2 mile leg and leave the Tennessee River and head south on the Tennessee Tombigbee waterway toward another 38.7 miles to the first of 9 locks on the waterway.

We will cover that trip on our next post.

Happy boating

Let’s take a day off our waterway journey and review our current waterfront housing market on both Lake Chickamauga and Watts Bar Lake, on the Tennessee River. Lake Chickamauga on the Tennessee River runs from RM 471.0 to RM 529.9 (58.9 miles) and Watts Br Lake from RM 529.9 to RM 602.3 (72.4 miles).

In reviewing the Chattanooga multiple listing inventory of ACTIVE, “Water Frontage (Lake/River), we have 105 listings. With further refine this research to locate homes with “Year Round Deep Water (Lake/River) we reduce the number to 70 homes. Some of these listings however, will not provide a navigatable waterway in the pure sense of boating. Some will indicate private lakes, creek/streams etc.

There are also other considerations to your specific boating needs such as bridge clearance, access to marina gas and fuel locations, of course the ability to have a boat dock permit, if dockage is not currently in place.

In taking these considerations in review the number of homes may well be 30-40, and then the important factor of price range will make a final cut. The Active 105 waterfront listings are priced from $245,000 to $3,500,000. When the inventory was sorted to ‘Year Round Deep Water at 70 properties the price range remains the same. You can see as you pick and sort to YOUR WATERFRONT NEEDS, the options can vary widely as to price and location. All of these properties are on or near the Tennessee River, and located on either Chickamauga Lake, or Watts Bar Lake.

Currently both lakes are lowering to “winter pool” levels, and it’s a great time to confirm navigatable waterway, winter water view, and water depth at docks.

I'm ready, willing, and able to do just that, so you can get YOUR Waterfront Home that fits YOUR needs.

As we leave the Soddy Creek mile marker RM 486.6R, fat and happy from Steve’s Landing, we will continue to cruise up stream to Watts Bar Dam. You may have already noticed that even though we are on Day 5, it would not take 5 days to due this trip. Of course, who is in a hurry?

Not a lot of commercial activity from this section of the Tennessee River, except beautiful river scenery and generally a lot of wild life.

Our first point to take notice is at RM 494.5 R, the mouth Sale Creek, a short 1.0 mile ride past Sale Creek Marina, and Sale Creek Camp Ground. This area is great area to overnight if you like to drop the hook in peace and quite. Sale Creek Marina offers fuel, ice and light provisions.

As we pass Sale Creek area you will see the Highway 60 bridge, RM 499.4, connecting Dayton, TN and Cleveland, TN. As we pass under the bridge, we see the Hiawassee River to the right at RM 499.5L.

The Hiawassee River is navigable for about 34 miles. That will be a trip on another day.

We continue upstream, just sit back relax, but stay in the channel markers, and enjoy the peaceful ride. Next point of interest will be at RM 512.9L, and Cottonport Marina and Campground. Cottonport offer fuel, groceries, overnight lodging, camping, and boat ramp.

A short 5 miles up stream we pass under Highway 30 Bridge, RM 517.9 the site of the Old Washington Ferry. The ferry was last operated on September 2, 1996.

We next will pass the Watts Bar Nuclear plant, RM 528.5R. The plant is the last reactor started in the U.S. Currently, a new Unit Two in under construction.

We can know see the Watts Bar Dam, RM529.9. The lock chamber is 360’ x 60’.

This ends our trip today. Our next trip will be exploring the Chattanooga River Front, down stream of the Chickamauga Dam.

Have a safe boating day, see you on the river…. SOON.

As we leave the Skull Island area to continue upstream, we see Soddy Island light and Day marker at RM 487.5. This marks the entrance to Soddy Creek and our first stop at Shady Grove Marina, (www.shadygroveharbor.com ) about 1.2 miles up Soddy Creek on your port side. This is a very friendly and pleasant spot for fuel, snacks, or overnight dockage.

Our next stop is just up Soddy Creek about 1 mile to my home port of Pine Harbor Marina. NOTE: you will go under a bridge (Armstrong Road Bridge) some TVA navigation charts refer to it as Lee Pike Hwy Bridge. Pine Harbor offers fuel, as well as snacks and beverages, and also has transit dockage available. (423-332-3963)

Also Pine Marina is the home of ‘Steve’s Landing Restaurant”, home of some of the best “Eat Mo Ribs” in the area. Steve’s Landing is open Wednesday through Sunday year around. Call to confirm hours, (423-332-4098) and reservations are recommended Friday and Saturdays night. Soddy Creek offers several great anchorages on up stream. Nice ride up Soddy Creek to relax and throw an anchor.

We will now leave and head back out Soddy Creek to the Tennessee River, and head north upstream to RM 489.7 and Opossum Creek. There is no commercial operations on Opossum Creek, however, the creek is home to Red Fez Club-Alhambra Shriner’s private dock located about 2 miles up the creek. Also again will go under a bridge. Opossum creek also offers some great areas to throw your anchor. As we head back down the creek and back to RM 489.7 will than continue our trip up the Tennessee River