Back to Paducah for more exploring

Sunday September 29, 2019
Days 44 on the Loop – Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina) (0 miles)

 Nice lie-in this morning, and then a boat-chore of cleaning out the sea-strainer for the air conditioning system.   The main engine, generator, and air conditioning/heating systems all are cooled (or in the case of the heating system, heated) by "raw" water.  This water from outside of the boat.    

 Water is pulled into the boat by pumps.  As the water enters the boat it is put through a strainer so that debris or plant life in the water does not get into the system it is feeding.  Part of the care and feeding of these is ensuring that the strainer does not have debris in it.  Debris would inhibit the flow of water.   I am still trying to figure out how water that is 80 degrees manages to cool work to cool down air so that it produces 60 degree cool air.   The most important thing is that it does work!!!

 The hardest thing was getting the cap off of the sea strainer.  Kevin from Laurie Jean, a Cutwater 29 in the dock next to me, kindly helped me to get this off and reminded me to shut the sea cock!  Since the water being pulled in is below the water line, then not turning off the sea cock means that water would flow into the boat.  I would have figure that out very quickly, but better to stop that before it starts!

 Shortly after finishing that task, Matt and June called to say that they had arrived and we went into to Paducah to get some breakfast.  We tried two places, both of which were closed, before ending up at a 50's style diner.   Breakfast was good, but it was disappointing that they used Styrofoam plates and cups and the only non-disposable items were the silverware.

After breakfast we went back to downtown Paducah to look at the murals along the floodwall.




These were great pieces of art, and gave a real sense of the history of Paducah.

Matt really enjoys trains, so it was wonderful to find one for him to look at! He explained the checks that he does when he is volunteering as a conductor on a local railroad near his home.




We returned to the marina and it was time to say goodbye.  It was great to see them and I hope they will be able to return to Sunny Tug in the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Please feel free to leave your comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Sunny Tug Returns to Shore, Upgrades and Repairs, and Shipping to Chicago

Image
Friday, August 2, 2019 This is an update on the crazy last couple of days since we returned Sunny Tug to Winter Island Yacht Yard on Tuesday, July 30. I had a list of 18 items that needed to be looked at based on our shakedown cruise.  The two  biggies were the electrical system problems and the AIS (Automatic Identification System) not working. Here is a good write up on the West Marine website of how AIS works . The original plan was that Sunny Tug would be picked up Thursday, August 1 to start the transport to Chicago.   She actually left on Saturday morning, but Roland Hanes, the trucker, thinks he can still get to Chicago on Monday. Roland unloading a new Ranger Tug in preparation for loading Sunny Tug It was a long, and at times crazy, couple of days.   It was good getting to help out with some of the work at the yard, so I could learn a bit more about my boat but it was also tiring.  Thankfully, the heat that we first had when I arrived in Salem had eased a bit, th
Read more

A nice run down the Tennessee to a secure anchorage.

Image
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Days 54 on the Loop – Pebble Isle Marina - Tennessee River to Double Island Anchorage (46.54 Miles). Pebble Island Marina was nice.    It was nice having shore power (electricity) to turn on the heat in the morning, since it was quite chilly.   I am supposed to have a diesel powered heater on board, but that has never worked and I have not been able to find anywhere to fix it. Vicki returning to the boat at Pebble Isle Marina On the dock at Pebble Island Marina In the morning many Loopers went to the office to pick up cinnamon rolls that the marina provides to guests.  :)  We skipped on that, but other said they liked them. Before leaving the marina I spent some time on the phone making calls to ask for quotes for having Sunny Tug trucked from Iuka MS (Aqua Yacht Harbor) to Orange Beach, AL (Saunders Yacht Services).  Lady Finger Promontory on the Tennessee River The ride up the Tennessee River was very pleasant, with
Read more

Paducah to Green Turtle Bay Marina (Grand Rivers, KY)

Image
Sunday, September 22, 2019 Day 37 on the Loop – Paducah to Grand Rivers, KY (Green Turtle Bay Marina) (38.6 miles) It was nice to get a more relaxed start to the day since we only had about 45 miles to go today, and one lock to go through.   Our berth last night was on the shore side of the floating dock at Paducah, which was nice since it protected us from the wakes of passing tows. We had thought about joining other Loopers going to brunch in Paducah, but decided that with a lock to go through (which always is a roll of the dice for time) we would start earlier. After a short time on the Ohio River we transitioned to the Cumberland.   Whereas the Ohio had been very wide, the Cumberland was much smaller, and a bit more scenic.  It was also interspersed some large gravel pits and the occasional tow. Gravel plant along the Cumberland River In one instance the tow called us on the radio to discuss a passing situation, but in most cases it was us calling them to ask which
Read more