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January 2006
3rd- A challenging day with a good ending!
19th- Heavy rains on the Tombigbee.
1st- Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I awoke to a beautiful sunrise with the calm of the river all around, what a way to start off 2006! We started the morning routine of preparing the boat for the day. We got the log book out, taking note of the weather and time, and prepare to lift the anchor (it was a calm night and we only had to drop the plow).
It was a pretty smooth day. We made it through the Chickamauga dam with ease and motored on through Chattanooga. We made it about 45 miles in really good time. Just after dark, we found a safe anchorage just across from Little Cedar Mountain. The night brought the inspiration to play music, after that we had a good sleep.
2nd- A storms a brewin!
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Storm Cloud |
Our original destination for this day was to make it to the house of a friend of the Broadened Horizons, the Kellermann’s, but the weather forecast was foreboding and there was little protection there. The forecast was for severe thunderstorms, shear winds, and softball size hail. This was not good! We considered trying to drop anchor under one of the big bridges just up stream, but it was a bit too deep (30 ft) and not protected from wind. After looking at the chart book, and taking to our senior advisor (Eric’s dad), we decided to go to a cove just around the corner. We nuzzled ourselves in, dropped all three anchors, and waited. The amazing thing about this weather was the warmth it brought. I think the high was 69°! Even though we knew that this temp. could mean a more damaging storm, we enjoyed it none-the-less. Thankfully, the storm lost its fierceness and pretty much missed us. There was a good deal of wind, but the cove kept us protected. I can see why the beaver, who was briefly our neighbor, choose that spot. What excitement the storm might have brought was transferred over in a different way the next day!
3rd- A challenging day with a good ending!
(Eric) overcast, 44°F-50°F
After the wind came up in the night, I let out on the stern anchor so that we would swing in close to the riverbank and be out of the wind. We were protected from the wind, but the compromise was that we were in really shallow water. I had chosen this spot because it offered the only protection from the southwest, with tall pine trees to block the wind and draw lightning away from our masts. I got up early in the morning, came out on deck, and noticed that the boat was leaning to starboard. The waterline on the bank had gone down significantly, and I realized that we were on the bottom! Getting stuck in the mud was the danger of this spot, and sure enough it had come to pass. I got in the dinghy and poked around the boat with the boathook, trying to find where the deep water was. Luckily, only the front of the keel was on the mud, the back still had some water underneath it. We untied the bowline, and moved as much weight to the stern as we could. Katie and Britt pulled with all their
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Eric Pulling the boat with the Dingy |
might on the stern anchor line, and I pulled the boat with the dinghy, putting everything I had into. We kept pulling and pulling, and the boat slowly began to move out into the cove. We were free! We had gotten lucky, and at 9:00 we were underway. We motored around the point, still in shallow water, and at 9:15 we ran aground again! I could tell this was going to be a challenging day. Katie got in the dinghy to pull on the stern, I put the motor in reverse and backed down, Britt rocked the boat side to side, and I pushed off the bottom from the bow with the boathook. After what seemed like an eternity, we slowly started to move backwards, and we were finally off! We then went around to Little Cedar Mountain, and saw some amazing caves and rock formations. At 10:30, we got to Nickajack Lock, and were able to lock right through. The wind was on our nose, and it was the most challenging lock through so far. At 11:08 we exited the lock, and the current was flowing so good that we decreased to ¼ throttle. A little while later, we went down to idle speed, and flowed downriver just barely sipping gas. A bald eagle flew towards us, turned, and hung in the wind just off our starboard side. A short while later, we tied up at our friend’s the Kellermann’s dock, and went into town to resupply. It is such a treat to do our laundry in a machine and get to take a hot shower, not to mention great food and even better company.
4th- Sequatchie Cove Farm!
(Katie) We had an amazing day today. We decided to stay with the Kellermann’s for another day. In the morning, a friend of the Kellermann’s, Walter, took us on a tour of the farmstead, the Sequatchie Cove Farm, that he makes biodiesel for(an alternative fuel made from vegetable oil). We drove through the thickest “pea soup” (thick fog) to get there and once we arrived in their valley all the fog had gone. The Sequachie Cove Farm is located in a beautiful valley just 15 mins from here (South Pittsburgh). The farm is very diverse. They have huge veggie gardens, berries of all kinds and many different farm animals, most of which are heritage varieties. Let me explain what heritage varieties means, because it is a fascinating subject.
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Chickens of all shapes, sizes and colors |
A long time ago, when Europeans were settling here in America, one of the things they brought with them were their source of livelihood, their seeds and their animals; cows, sheep, Many different types of chickens all living together and producing eggs for sale pigs, chickens, etc. . ., these animals were quite different than the livestock you see on most big agricultural farms of today.
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One of the Farm Pigs |
Over the years, farmers have been breeding animals for their specific traits, in cows, for example, its milk and beef. The same thing is done with plants, they are bred to produce as much as possible. Living things are wholistic, they need all of their faculties to function properly. Therefore, the problem with this thinking, bigger is better and the reductionistic mindset, is that ultimately, the plants and livestock loose their immune systems and much of their ability to accumulate nutrients from the soil. When the immune system of any living thing is compromised, it gets sick. The result in agriculture is the application of more pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, growth hormones, and chemical fertilizers. So even though it produces more, the quality of the food is less, the quality of life for the animals and plants is compromised, and the quality of the soil is threatened (and often destroyed). Heritage varieties of livestock have almost completely been replaced by large-scale agricultural animals. This means extinction for our heritage varieties, which happens nearly every day. That is why I felt so blessed and inspired by our visit to the Sequachie Cove Farm. They were dedicated to preserving some of the heritage livestock varieties, not just for preservation, but because these animals were so diverse. For example, they had 19 Devon cows. These are a rare breed, only 400 left in the world. They are very hardy, only need grass for fodder, and produce both good milk and good beef.
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Walter Showing us his Biodiesel Labratory |
Mushroom Cultivation |
There is so much to say about their place, I feel I could go on and on, but for the sake of loosing you attention, here are just a few key words; good salt-of- the-earth people, Biodynamics, so much compost being made, Biodiesel being made and used, passive solar house made of locally sourced timber, native plant propagation, gorgeous landscape, Slow Food, mushroom cultivation, organic chicken eggs (thank you!), interns, multi-generational and there is always more I forget to mention. A real treat!
After our trip, we came back here (to the Kellermann’s) and had some really wonderful lunch, followed by a little sailing excursion with Robert Kellermann and Walter. Then after that we did some man over board drills and practiced rowing in the dingy. We had a fantastic dinner and good conversation. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this family for the last day and a half. I look forward to seeing them on our way back up river in the summer. So much thanks to the Kellermann’s!!!
6th- Windy Daze!
(Britt)We awoke at 6:30, eager to catch some of the wind left over from last night’s gusts. We sailed from 8:20 to 19:20 the day before in a wind that built steadily throughout the day only to find the cove in which we were hoping to anchor (in the dark) was gusting with wind and not letting us in. With a little help from our trusty spotlight, we found a more protected area to anchor for the night. We had to drop and pull up the anchor 4 times in the strong winds and white caps surrounding us to get a good hold before we could think about securing the boat for the night and make dinner. After all our hard work last night, today was a bright new day. By 7:35, we were underway and by 7:58, the sails were up. For most of the morning, we sailed with an intermittent aid from the motor at ¼ speed. At other times, it was a cold, gusty wind from the North that brought little tufts of snow and made us glad to be wearing five layers of clothing. We each took a turn at the tiller, undersail for 20 miles out of 44 for the day. Just as the sun was making its decent into the horizon at 17:30, we pulled into Ditto Landing to moor for the night in the marina. Eric’s friend, Leigh, came and met us at the dock and took us all out for a scrumptious meal of Thai curries, sautéed veggies, and warm tea. Leigh lives on
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The "gaurd dog" Geese and a Mallard that thinks he is a goose. |
his family farm of 249 acres where he raises chickens, Chinese geese, a white endin goose, grows copious amounts of delicious vegetables, boards horses who are kept in line by his Smart Ass (donkey, that is!), and takes great care of his well-loved mother. In Leigh’s company, we warmed our bodies in rocking chairs in front of his warm stove, exchanged vegetable and flower seeds, perused picture books of the beautiful natural areas around Alabama, and engaged in great conversation about the state of the world and humanity’s place within it. By 21:00, we were all showered and exhausted and rolled into bed for a good night’s rest on land in comfortable, warm beds. Ah, the good friends we meet along the way keep our spirits up, our food supplies topped off, and send us off with encouragement to continue the enjoy life. Thank you for all the firewood, eggs, coffee, and most of all for the Pearly Gates granola, YUM!
10th- Sailing along.
(Katie) (Tuesday) So it has been a couple of days since we last wrote. I’ll get you up to speed, we left our friend Leigh’s with clean bodies and full bellies! Getting on the river just around noon, left us with enough good light to get about 20 miles. Most of the wind was right at our nose, but the current was flowing so we made good time. That evening we anchored right next to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. What a peaceful place! There were so many birds, including many types of seagulls, Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers, White Pelicans (the first time I had seen these beautiful enormous birds), Loons, Cormorants, Hawks, and Sandpipers. It is such a blessing it see all these birds and trees, there are so many. The southeast forest and Cumberland Plateau are the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the United States, playing host to numerous species of plants, animals, and insects.
The next day gave birth to a colorful sunrise, warm weather and a nice close-hauled wind. Our engine went off and our sails went up a half-hour after getting underway. We had to pass by the town of Decatur, which is full of industry. It always makes us feel better passing those kinds of places when we are under sail, and not motoring!
The wind speed increased from 10mph to about 15-20mph, with gusts of 35mph. We ended up having to take down the Genoa and the Mizzen and put up the storm jib instead. The motor was also turned back on to give us a little more control while under sail. At around 2pm, we anchored behing a point, protected from the wind. We would have gone further, but there were no good places to stop for another 10 miles and a lock just down the river. All in all it was a tiring day from all the wind and the rough water.
The next morning (Monday the 9th) the wind had died to almost nothing, so we took that opportunity to raise the main sail, changed the sail ties on the mast hoops, and made sure the boat was in good working order. We also changed the spark plugs and topped off our running tanks. We didn’t get underway until about 11am, but it wasn’t far to go... 24 miles and the Wheeler lock.
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Joe and Jane Booth |
We arrived at the Booths' (friends of Leaf and Cielo’s) in the early evening. We were treated to a down home Southern meal of catfish and hushpuppies at the local restaurant. After watching the weather report and seeing a storm was likely on Tuesday, we decided to stay at the Booths' an extra day. The other reason we wanted to stay an extra day was because of such good company. Joe and Jane (Booth) are such lovely people and lots of fun. It was a day full of history of the area, a guided tour, running of errands, and good stories. We now feel recharged, clean, and ready for getting underway tomorrow. It is not far before we will be leaving the Tenn. River and entering new waters and going a new direction, south.
12th- Under full sail.
(Britt) Whoever has said that sailors must make culinary compromises when living aboard sailing vessels obviously never set foot on the Broadened Horizons. Let’s just say we’re not going to starve or lose our Britt making a yummy lunch creativity in the kitchen (galley in this case) on this journey. We began our leisurely morning in a little cove from Ross Branch Creek at mile 229.8 with apple cinnamon fry bread, lovingly prepared by el captain, and topped it with homemade strawberry jam and honey. We were happy to wait in the little cove until the ice melted from the 25 degree night, getting underway by 11:29. We needed only to make a 12 mile trip to our next anchorage and we had a gentle, steady wind blowing from our stern nearly the whole way.
We were on a broad reach with the mainsail raised up for the first time to compliment the mizzen and Genoa. It was such a beautiful sight to be fully under sail with the motor on sabbatical that Eric and I took turns rowing little dink (the dingy) to get a better view and take pictures from the river’s perspective. We were even able to sail wing and wing (or wing and wings as I call it with 3 sails) for longer intervals. By 16:15, we had turned into the most breathtaking cove we have seen thus far. There are 3 waterfalls here, augmented by the rain heralded by a thunder and lightening storm that flowed through the night we anchored. A steady trickle dribbles out of the two closest to our anchorage, and a larger one cascades over the mossy rocks at the far end of the cove. It feels like we’ve landed on the only secret, tropic-like island along the Tennessee River. That’s fitting too because this is our last full day on the Tennessee River before we head south at the Tombigbee waterway from Yellow Creek. The river has been very kind to us, giving us just enough wind to practice our confidence managing the sails, taking us safely from friend to friend in whose homes we have found such wonderful hospitality and warmth, and welcoming us into the first leg of this 6 month journey with one another. Once the sunset and we toasted a cocktail with hors d’oevres to celebrate, we got out a few of our instruments (guitars, the didgeridoo, a couple of flutes, shakers, a singing bowl, and drums) and played together singing and grooving for hours. Just as we finished, the wind picked up, the nearly full moon shined its aura brightly upon us, and the first sprinkles of the night came down on us. During the night, the storm surrounded us with powerful thundershowers and sheets of lightening that lit our ports throughout the night. Another new beginning, and another, and another…
16th- Heading south.
Monday (Katie) We have had some very full days and today is no exception. In the last three days we will have traveled 120 miles and gone through 8 locks. Yesterday was the marathon day. We got a bit of a late start, 8:30am, went 57 miles and through 6 locks. It was 12:52am when we dropped the anchor. Needless to say we were all very tired and went srtaight to bed. We awoke a bit puffy-eyed this morning (and, I’ll speak for myself, a little reluctant to get out of bed), but we needed to find a more protected anchorage because we have some storms a brewing and the rain has already begun. I’d say it is going to be a wet week on the river. Thank goodness that we have the wood stove to warm our cabin and to dry ourselves out!
On Saturday we left the Tennessee River. It was quite a shock to enter the Tenn-Tom waterway. It has a very different feel. It’s basically just a ditch filled with water. Fortunately, the birds seamed not to mind and we saw lots of them circling above us. One bird that I am always taken with is the Heron. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t see at least two of them. When we go into the locks, there is always a Heron in there feeding on the fish that get stuck in the doors as the water drops down. It is so neat to watch them fly around. I am always amazed at how those enormous birds can lift themselves into flight! I feel blessed when I see one and also a little guilty that we have disturbed their peace.
Last night when we were going down the river in the dark and the moon was illuminating our path we passed several barges. It’s a little scary passing those huge vessels in a small channel in the dark. One of the barges was carrying a load of freshly chipped trees. The smell was something powerful. At first is had that fresh cut wood smell, but then is became stronger and stronger and started to burn my nose. I looked at those barges full of wood chips and thought about how many acres of forest had been cut down to fill those giant containers. How many plants, animals, and insects were displaced and killed for it? I couldn’t help but feel really sad. So I shed some tears for the lost trees and I let myself feel the guilt for my part in their destruction. I acknowledged that I have a choice in what kinds of things I use on this earth and I reminded myself that the more consciously I make those choices the better off the earth will be. Right after we passed that barge we passed the chip mill itself. I said a prayer for the trees and I apologized. It was good for me to see that. A reminder that everything I consume, my way of life living in this country, has a price and it is usually at the cost of some other living thing. My hope is that one day, it won’t be at the cost of other living things, but to the sustainability of them.
And so today we travel through the rain. Once again getting closer to the open waters of the gulf, where we hope to be of some help, share some smiles, listen, and be a part of something healing for not only the people that are down there, but for ourselves and for the earth.
19th- Heavy rains on the Tombigbee.
(Britt) The banks of the Tombigbee. We are starting to get into greener scenery A heavy low-pressure system moved in yesterday and through the night, bringing 3-inches of rain to raise the river 15 feet, which caused the huge towboats to anchor alongside the Tombigbee Waterway in order to wait out the resulting floods. 3 inches might sound like a small amount of rainfall, but when it’s added to the flow of a river, it can bring fast downstream currents, floating or partially submerged logs that are difficult to see, and channel marking buoys that are sometimes swept to the side of the river or underwater. These buoys create the illusion of a fast approaching alligator or other large animal just below the surface of the river. In actuality, the buoy is stationary with water rushing all around it, creating a stressed wake as we move toward it with the flow of the debris.
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Passing a Coal Barge on the river |
Today, the rains subsided and the tows were back in business. We had to be prepared to share the narrow channels with these boats and their hulking loads of coal, benzene, or other toxic substances. We also had a strong wind from the south which means the winds came almost directly off of our bow. The wind and current combination sometimes pushed us into a slide as we navigated from one side of the river to the other to avoid the tows that looked out of control as they tried to swing wide around the many turns of the river.
As we left the safety of the protected cove in which we anchored for the night, not only were we careful to avoid getting the keel snagged in shallow water, but we had one of those tows bearing down the waterway straight for our predestined course. The 100 foot tow was going along with the flow of the current pushing 400 feet of cargo and wasn’t the sort of vessel a 30 foot sailboat is cut out to challenge. We were able to idle in neutral and then inch out behind it, trying to avoid the chop of the giant propellers. I was trying to keep the nose of the boat into the chop while not getting pushed to the side by the wind and ended up doing a little 360 degree pirouette before heading on the correct course: downstream.
Since tow boats have right-of-way in the locks, we needed to wait a couple of hours alongside the waterway to let the two tows that were in front of us go through. We dropped an anchor and got busy using the sun to dry out all the wet gear from the rains the days before. Eric mixed some super-dooper wheat paste glue to attach the sides of the solar cooker and that was out on the deck drying along with the batteries catching the sun in the solar charger. The wool blanket that we use as insulation for cooking in the cast iron pans (by wrapping it around the “flash” warmed food in the pans and letting it sit away from the gas heat to finish on a slow cook) was airing out, and some of our foul weather gear was lashed to the lifelines aft of the cockpit to dry.
After locking through at the Howell Heflin Lock and Dam, we continued downstream at a steady clip. We only needed to keep the motor at ¼ throttle as we drifted with the current at about around 7mph for 27 miles to our next anchorage.
We’re getting well into the routine of living aboard with one another in close quarters and how to maneuver around efficiently without knocking things (or each other) overboard. We find time in the evenings to discuss the day’s flora, fauna, and patterns of erosion alongside the river. We discuss the toxicity of these beautiful waterways that results largely from the industry(ies) we all play a part in supporting to some degree, and the effects these actions have in the lives of humans and the environment around us. We’ve seen the steam rising from the coal and nuclear power plants that dot the banks of the rivers and watch as the runoff flows directly into the river. We can’t help but contemplate the implications of the “comfortable” or “convenient” lifestyles we enjoy while hardly giving thought to the health of our rivers and the animals and plants that try to survive here. It also seems counterintuitive to observe the sewage treatment plants that macerate our waste, treat it, and dump it back into the same river where we then draw on it for our drinking water. Something seems amiss…
Everyday, we see spectacles that augment our perspectives, broaden our ways of thinking and seeing the world, and add fuel to our fires to continue on this journey sharing and learning concepts of sustainability.
24th- Making Wakes.
(Britt) We were up and underway this morning by 7:25. Broadened Horizons idled slowly past the partially submerged trees and shrubs as we re-entered the Tombigbee River. Our anchorage last night was Bashi Creek, a mysterious water forest where beavers slid down muddy walls into the water and little turtles perched contentedly upon displaced pieces of wood. The trees were flooded in water, giving the creek an illusion of a secret lost forest and inspiring a desire for its inhabitants to keep the quiet.
We had pleasant weather this morning as we flowed into the river. The water temperature read 54 degrees and the morning’s air registered 48. We rolled into our routines quite easily, Eric at the helm for the first watch, Katie making breakfast, and me cleaning and organizing. The day slowly grew nicer, so that by the time the second watch started, the air was 65 degrees and we were able to move about the deck doing projects in bare feet and short-sleeved shirts. Eric was able to get his new experimental solar cooker up to 200 degrees, a bit short of his goal of reaching the boiling point at 212 degrees. We put some kitchen rags in a canning jar and inserted them into the cooker for sterilizing (actually I dropped one overboard and it sank slowly toward the water’s floor, signaling our first casualty). Eric is committed to reaching his goal tomorrow where we will stay anchored for the day, doing upkeep on the boat and getting everything in order before we push out into the mouth of the gulf at Mobile Bay in about two days.
By midday (12:35), we arrived at the gates of Coffeeville Lock along with the white egrets who come to catch any fish caught in the gate door as the water lowers into the next reservoir. It was a short 6-foot drop and as we reemerged, Broadened Horizons competed with the flood of white water churning and eddying around us from the spill gates.
It was my turn at the helm now for the last 16 miles until our destination spot at mile 99.8. I enjoyed the quick pace of the current, conserving gas by only using ¼ throttle just to maintain steerage. We passed a few large motor cruising yachts as well as the ever-present tows. As we passed, we watched as they pushed walls of water off their bows and generated wakes so big as to set us rolling over them as they rushed to the banks of the river and back, lapping up against the river’s sides.
These large ships seem to labor inefficiently as they make their way through the water, both upstream and down. They are pushing loads ladened with minerals and chemicals enroute to the industries that dot the river’s waterline. What an incredible and shocking perspective we have been afforded in witnessing the “behind the scenes” view of the processes involved in human consumption which drives the mining, the movement of goods to and fro, and the processing which supports our modern lifestyles. I thought of the origins of these minerals, the path they must travel to be usable to us, and marveled at all the elements involved in the flipping of a light switch. How conscious have I been and how many of earth’s resources are my actions effecting? Pulp mills, nuclear power plants, coal power plants, water and sewage treatment plants…barges, huge bridges with semi trucks, tracks and their trains, all using huge amounts of energy and having a wide spread effect. What an extensive and complicated system just to get materials from their raw state into a form that can be converted into a highly refined and usable state for our consumptive needs.
The wakes generated from the boats pushing large amounts of water are the main cause of the vast stretches of bank erosion. There isn’t a 5-foot area of soil along the river walls that hasn’t seen one of its trees or shrubs fall victim to the wakes that cause falling earth. Of course, erosion is also caused by natural phenomena like rainfall and storms, but it is greatly exacerbated by this frequent and fast paced movement of large boats pushing huge wakes.
It brings great sadness to see a grand tree whose root balls are bare and reaching up into the sky while the trunks are sunken beneath the surface of the water. Watching the soil erode is like watching the river cry silent tears of earth at loosing another member of her family. The rivers have been littered with these fallen giants all along the way (we’ve seen several homes that have slid into the water as well).
This journey continually opens my eyes to the impact even the subtlest of actions has on our surroundings. Living with the intention to sustain healthy environments has brought great clarity to the importance of furthering the awareness of the symbiotic relationship between all living things.
30th-IntoThe Saltwater!
This log is currently missing in action but I had to include this photo from the log . It is one of my favorites.
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Dolphin playing in of wake of the bow |