Brief Time off Boat / Now or Never in Iuka, Mississippi
We are back on the boat at Aqua Yacht and gearing up to cruise. After 25 days with our boat in NE Mississippi it is time to move on. The 25 days consisted of a trip home for the whole crew, a trip back to the boat for the Captain to check on things, and then then he returned home to grab his crew to return to the Now or Never. Transportation has proved to be difficult in covid times and we are thankful for family and friends assisting in our travels (Ryan, Joe, Rhonda, Mike, and Ed).
Dinged props & dirty bottom 
Our girl out of the water
The boat was pulled for just over a week and she got a pretty bottom job, a different set of props added (better for speed and less strain on the engines for full time cruising), and the old props re-conditioned for back up. The props are big and heavy – 84 lbs. each and 30 inches in diameter. For our travels, we now store our second set under our master bed (always before at home in our boat barn). It can be quite a chore to get them out and put away. We appreciate the help of Doug and Jamie in getting these moved around and Charlie for taking a set to the prop shop to get them re-conditioned.
While at Aqua Yacht, we had the great pleasure of interacting with Loopers – really the first on our trip and many gold or platinum loopers (been around a time or two!) We gained a wealth of knowledge from their experiences and shared a few cold drinks, sunset dips in Pickwick Lake, a trip to the water fall at dusk, and a trip or two to Goat Island. It’s been named Goat Island forever (shows up on the charts as such), but modern times has a Goat charity placing goats on the island each summer to go along with the name and foster their mission. It appears there is one billy goat, two females and two babies on the island currently. If you aren’t careful, they will board your boat to check out your stash of food. Quite the attention getter!
School yard fun 
Nothing like green grass
While home, we took time to visit with family and friends, stock up on items for the trip, and rethink what we needed after being out on the water for two months. This caused for more than one spirited conversation on what and how much could go back to the boat. You can guess which one of us could do with less and which one wanted things just in case. Remy sides on the just in case side and wanted to be sure her food, treats, and toys all made it back. Remy enjoyed her walks to the park/school behind our house and visiting with the kids, rolling in the grass over and over, and enjoying the many different places she can lay on a cool floor at home (on the boat she has about three favorites).
Remy’s stash 
Captains Essentials 
New bollard grabber 
Adding new traction
While stationary, projects still abound and never ending. The Captain rebuilt our magna grill, flushed the front marine air, created a system for the water hose to be attached on laundry days, washed the outside carpets, cleaned the boat thoroughly after being in the yard, created a boat loop for locks to make it easier for Tasha, regripped our Marquipt stairs, moved two car loads full of necessities so that Tasha could stow it in every nook and cranny on the boat, and we planned for our next leg of our travels.
We are preparing to make our run up the Tennessee River about 450 miles to Knoxville, TN. We have about seven weeks to make the run up and back down to Rogersville, AL for our Looper Rendezvous – about 830 miles in all by mid-October. We’ll also navigate through six locks up and the same six back down. We are looking forward to getting back into relaxation / cruising mode. Our first leg will lead us to the Alabama ports of Florence, Rogersville, Decatur, and Whitesburg, before meeting up with a friend who docks in Guntersville. We checked out the marina at Florence and Remy will be quite pleased with the accommodations. No more quarter mile walks for a potty break. We will pause at Guntersville a bit and then on to Chattanooga which we’re told is fabulous. So much to do and see and hoping the weather starts to break from this intense heat. We have already noticed the days noticeably shorter just in our time at Aqua. A boater’s life is in the daylight, and we hate to see us running out of it with so much adventure ahead.
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Cheers! D, T, & R
Awww this is soooo cool!!! Yay Remy better potty stops ahead Thanks for taking us along!
Glad to have you join us Patty!