Sailing from Islamorada to Knoxville, TN

[Chancesail]

Bet you don’t see that combination of locations very often in the same sentence. I’m picking up the newest woman in my life, soon to be named Annie, in Tavernier to bring her home and repair hurricane damage she suffered in the Keys and rebuild her interior to something more akin to what a PS Dana 24 looks like below decks. Not the layout per se, but cabinetry/joinery add the necessary electronics and gear for single-handing her down to and through the ditch and across the Pacific. Don’t let her diminutive LOD fool you, she is 8,900 lbs of blue-water beauty that draws 4’. My Questions; what would be the safest way to motor / sail her home? No money yet for a windvane or fancy electronics, more than a handheld GPS & VHS so I’ll need to stop each night and anchor somewhere. Planning on going up through Mobile Bay then Tom Bigbee Waterway to TN River to Knoxville. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially from folks that have done the great loop that way. Happy New Year to all!

[FremontSailor]

Great question!

Congrats on your new boat!

[Chancesail]

Thank you, very happy with her. Lynn & Larry sailed a very similar sized Seraffyn over 50,000 miles I believe, so she’s a great vessel for the deep blue seas.

[tkeithlu]

I know all of your route except Hale's Bar to Knoxville.

Your first, from Islamorada to Mobile Bay: Quick anchorage just inside Sanibel Island, ICW available if you want it to Tarpon Springs. Quick anchorage in Tampa Bay. If you put a bit of a dog-leg in your course north to Carrabelle, you can anchor in 25 ft of water - there's quite a shelf off the Big Bend. No ICW from Tarpon Springs to Carrabelle. Pretty quick entry to Carrabelle if you want a dock/boat yard. From there to Mobile, inside or outside, with quick anchorage behind Cape San Blas and at Panama City and Pensacola. Once you are in Mobile Bay, you've got a lot of traffic to dodge going north to the Tombigbee River. Probably best to motor there, and up the river and up the waterway. Bunches of locks, barges to dodge. Your mast will clear all fixed bridges to Chattanooga.

[Davy J]

No money yet for a windvane or fancy electronics, more than a handheld GPS & VHS so I’ll need to stop each night and anchor somewhere.

I guess that would be so you could watch some old home movies......

Do you plan to make this trip soon? Sailing north on the west coast of Florida this time of year can be a real challenge. Stopping every night will make it more so.

We get a cold front every three or four days, they last on average about two to three days. Winds will be pretty strong right out of the north. Plan to get stuck in places for a couple of days. The trip will take longer than you think.

[Chancesail]

Appreciate the advice, thank you. Unfortunately this is the only time of year my business is flat so it’s now or pay slip fees till next year. Rather have her home where I can refurbish her interior to something more akin to a Dana 24’. No home movies, brought a small library on my kindle though! Stopping in the evenings is to avoid sleep depravation that leads to making mistakes, also want to avoid fishing boats. Many do not broadcast an AIS signal to keep their sweet spots secret. Although commercial, they are exempt from having to do so. Without radar, (I am) and trying to catch twenty winks every little while seems like something for only way off-shore. Oil rigs won’t get out of the way either. Rather be awake and alert for all the above, not to mention crab buoys... Thank you again for the weather info, very helpful. Now I know what kinda fun I have to look forward to. Have a great year!

[S/V Adeline]

I would second tkeithlu's advice on planning to motor up Mobile Bay. It can be a beautiful half day of sailing but weather would have to be right. It has a well deserved reputation for being one of the nastiest puddles you can stick a keel in when the weather is less than 'right'. Very wide for it's depth, which averages 6-8' all the way across not including the channels. On a good day you can sail just about anywhere, on a bad day our 4.5' keel sliced mud in every trough when we ventured outside the channel.
When do you think you will be coming through? You will have to pass by my place of employment going up the river, so I at least want to holler n wave!! If you find yourself in need while traveling through shoot me a PM, if we can help, we will.

[valhalla360]

2 questions:
- What's her draft? The Big Bend tends to be shallow, so if she's deep, it's tough to do a daytime crossing and get her anchored before dark. Ideally, you have at least one other competent crew so you can do an overnight passage.
- What's her speed under power and is the engine reliable? Going up the Tenn-Tom from Mobile, you will be fighting a current most of the way. If you cruise at 4-5kts, it will be a long slog up river as you likely will be making somewhere on the order of 2-4kts SOG. Also fuel range needs to be considered.

[J Clark H356]

I’ve made it from KY Lake to Key West down twice, back up once. Made the trip back from Punta Gorda in March and took 29 days to,hpget back to KY Dam area at Lighthouse Landing which is 3 days from Pickwick. I cruise at 6 knots through the water but I was having MaxProp,issues and could only cruise at about 5.5 knots on the way back up. Spring rains were heavy and had lots of current. Sometimes only was making 3 knots SOG. It will cold now. I have a full enclosure and run my generator to keep the interior warm 24/7 while off the dock. There were days in March when I stood in the companionway above the engine and stEered with my handheld autopilot for several,hours early in the morning. Also, Tenn Tom will,be foggy and if you don’t have radar or AIS you will be in some potentially dangerous situations knot knowing what is going on around you. I would highly recommend you invest in an AID with transmit and receive. The locks on the Tenn Tom will,see you coming and the tows will also see you while moving and while anchored and you will be able to see them.

From Islamorado, you can should be able to get to Shark River in a day, then make your way to Sanibel and either go outside or up the GICW. Stops available at Boca Grande Pass, Venice - lots of current in the pass, Tampa Bay, Clearwater pass. We went from Clearwater to just off Cape San Blas, then along the coast to Pensacola Pass and into,the GICW to Mobile - 50 hours. It’ll take you 36 hours or more to get across from Clearwater to Cape San Blas. Stops along that way you can jump off at Port St Joe (a little north out of the way, but safe stop if WX turns bad. Destin, Pensacola and west on ICW at the Wharf or Lulu’s at Homeport Marina. Once in Mobile Bay, Dog River at Turner. Lots of anchorages up the Tombigbee but current will limit your progress. Good stop at mile 50 Alabama River, Mile 100 tucked back in small creek, then Bobby’s at Mile 118 for a stop you won’t want to miss. Look at Active Captain. I have every anchorage and Marina by mile marker on an Excel spreadsheet to Pickwick and will be glad to share it. Just PM me of you want it. There are limited Marina support from Mobile to Demopolis with Bobby’s being the only one so you must have fuel for the trip from Mobile to Demopolis. Took me 4 days from Turner due to current. Only took me 3 long days from Demopolis to Turner going down. Once north of Demopolis more marinas. Good stops at Columbus Marina, Midway. You’ll anchor somewhere between Demopolis and Columbus - Wyndham Landing good stop. Also you can stop on the northeast side of Bevill lock and cost the snag boat and Waverly Mansion. Anchorage is ok and just let the lock master know you want to stop there. Next stop North is Columbus, then Midway, then Grandharbor at the mouth of the Tenn Tom in Yellow Creek. That’s where I turn left and you turn right to Knoxville. I enjoy the trip,but you will have to slug it out coming north in cold weather so be prepared.

Also I had good advice crossing the Gulf. Get the forecast on the West Tampa buoy and if the conditions are forecast for 10 knots or Less and waves less than 2 feet then GO. If more, Don’t go! Wait it out in Clearwater. You want to catch the backside of a norther and have the wind coming out of the northeast preferably a beam reach swing to a broad reach on the crossing. Get Windy and pay attention to the wind and wave forecast. Stay dry and have changes of clothes and good foul weather gear and some way to heat your boat. If you get an aAIS and I highly recommend it, get INavX or Navionics and you can display the AIS on an IPad. 4 foot draft is good for SW Florida but in the Big Bend you will have problems.

[Chancesail]

Heartfelt thanks to all of those who have responded so kindly to my query about the trip north to Knoxville from Islamorada. Your firsthand information is invaluable in the decisions I’ll be having to make as I head north. I’ll be answering each of you as time, and internet access, allows but please know you have my gratitude as I start on my way south At 06:00 in a deluge. Knowing about the current in the TenTom and traffic in Mobile Bay along with tentative weather predictions has convinced me that my recent investment in upgrading to Gill foul weather gear was a sound one! I look forward to reading more posts and again, many thanks to you all!

[Boatguy30]

You may find yourself a bunch of adverse current in the TN river in the spring time. But lots of cheap spots to moor and wait till lower water in the late summer.

[tkeithlu]

Chancesail, I hear your point about wanting to anchor at night and get some real sleep. We're getting old enough that pulling all-nighters is not much fun, aside from killing brain cells. That's behind my suggestion that you put a dog-leg in your Clearwater to Carrabelle run. You can anchor way off shore in the Big Bend; just look at the chart depths. That run also avoids most of the Air Force towers and anchored barges.

Just be sure to light her up big time while anchored. A single masthead light is easily taken to be a star. Even when perceived as an obstacle it's not much of a clue for depth perception.

[Chancesail]

Thank you Tkeithlu!, I was wondering if I could not find a safe-ish spot out there to catch a good sleep. When u say light her up, are u referring to leaving the running and steaming lights on all night?