Visiting Old "Haunts"

Chickamauga Lake Sail - October 23-24, 2025

Due to my gallbladder surgery, I hadn't sailed since early August when I drove out to west Tennessee to meet up with Peter Frank (BTW: he finished his Great Loop a week ago). My plan was to do a sail/camp trip when the leaves hit their peak. (I had offered to take Robin on a foliage trip - maybe the Cherohala Skyway - but she didn't seem too interested. We did Rock City "Enchanted Pumpkin Patch" instead). Peak happens around here about the last week of October to the first week of November. With Robin's recent diagnosis and some things happening on that very soon, I wound up taking the trip last week which was a bit early. I enjoy going to Ocoee Lake, but all the circumstances (weather, appointments, drive time, etc.) dictated a local trip. The weather was a key factor. The forecast was for SW winds of 10-12 mph on Thursday and NE winds 5-6 mph on Friday. With the orientation of Chickamauga Lake and the ramp I normally use (a 20-25 minute drive), that was about as perfect as it gets. My personal schedule was open too, so I jumped.

My intention was to leave around noon. I got up at 7:00 and started packing. That's a chore if I'm going to camp. Since I don't do it very often, stuff gets scattered and collecting everything turns into a major affair. Kelly Trafford of the Can-Am FB page recently posted a meme that said, "Organize - Don't Agonize". Boy, do I need to heed that!!! The morning went great and I was ready just about on schedule.

But as the morning progressed, I started having problems. With my recent surgery, I've had some "episodes". Do I need to be more specific? My morning required several "trips". Uh, oh! This is not good. Do I want to be on a boat if this keeps up? We'll see how it goes. I headed to the lake anyway.

Once at the lake, I rigged the boat, and transferred my gear. Unfortunately, a couple more "trips" were required during setup. My boat is rigged and in the water and I'm wondering, "do I go or not?" (pun intended).

I waited. Several boats launched while I'm standing next to mine at the ramp. One guy asked if I needed help. Nope - just waiting. I called my wife. Of course, her advice was not to chance it. Come home! I told her I was seriously weighing that option. At 2:30 I decided I felt good enough to go for it. Turned out to be a good decision. No more issues.

It was an absolutely beautiful day.

The winds actually were a bit stronger than predicted. Here's the record from the airport which is just a few miles from the lake.

I had full sails up and was on downwind run. It got pretty exhilarating a time or two. Those gusts in the upper teens had me flying! There was once when the waves that were rolling under me were about 2'. I'm not sure, but I think I did or almost got up on a plane. May even have surfed a bit. It was testy but fun.

I sailed for an hour and a half and was passing a particular cove. I had spent the night there years ago on Little Bit. In fact, it was my first overnighter on her (out of only three). I decided that's where I'd stop. It was only 4:00. I could have sailed farther, but relaxing and reminiscing seemed a good idea. It would make for an easy trip home as well, especially if the wind didn't fill in the next day (that's happened before). It's a pretty place.

                                

                                

                                

                                

                                

Here's a cropped pic of a little "island", at least it's an island when the lake is at summer pool. It's down about 2-1/2' right now so there is a "land bridge".

                                

Here's the island from my trip in 2014.

                                

You can easily make out the various trees though they've grown a good bit over the years.

Since I had several hours til dark, I opened my beach chair and relaxed for a while. Very peaceful. BTW: if you've got a lot of time, the chair is great! I broke down and bought a good, sturdy one. It sits low so works inside the tent very nicely as well.

                                    

While I was relaxing, I turned and looked over my shoulder. There stood four deer at the water's edge. Before I could get a pic, one walked away.

                                

As the afternoon progressed and I swung on the anchor, the sun dipped lower. At times I was in full sun, and then I'd be in shade. The temp difference was noticeable. Before long I was in full shade. I started to add layers as the temp dropped. The forecast for overnight low was 39, so I came prepared. I do not tolerate cold like I used to.
Pretty soon I noticed two more deer coming out of the woods at a different place. They came for a drink and stayed a good while. (look closely - there are two in the pic)

                             

Eventually I had to set up the sleeping platform and tent. Before doing that, I fixed myself a bowl of Campbell's Chili Mac. After my earlier episodes, I was a little hesitant; but my stomach felt ok at that point.

    
                                       

Tent set up. Man, did I bring a bunch of stuff or what! Where's the kitchen sink?
    
                                        

I finally settled in and closed things up. Before the night was over I had six layers on my upper body and two lower. I brought my mummy bag and laid it over my legs while I read. Around 9:00 my wife called and we talked a while. When it came time to turn in, I couldn't get the zipper on the bag to work. It was all the way unzipped. It was one of those two-way zippers. (I figured it out after I got home). I slept with my feet stuck in the bottom of the bag and the rest of the bag draped over me. I stayed comfortable all night long with the exception that I may have over-inflated my mattress; back was a little sore when morning came.

                                        

Of course, it was cold when I woke up, but a beautiful morning.

                                

I didn't plan to get underway early. Just wanted to take my time and enjoy. I fixed a little oatmeal and hot chocolate, read some more, talked to my wife again. Very lovely morning.

                                        

I packed up and set off for home. The wind did fill in and it was northerly - perfect!

                                                    

I had a couple decent puffs along the way back, but mostly just a comfortable, easy run. I did cut a corner and went inside a buoy. I thought certainly there's three feet of water here. I mean, I'm a hundred yards from the shore. Wrong! My daggerboard began to scrap the bottom! I leaped into action! I sure didn't want to trip over the board and capsize. I pulled the board and headed for deeper water. Fortunately, I got out of trouble. Later I looked at my chart; and, sure enough, there was a shallow area. With the lake down, not enough water. Make a note: when in doubt - don't. Or - look at the chart beforehand, dummy.

For the most part, the sail home was easy. The wind was a bit stronger at times than forecasted, but easy. The sail up took an hour and a half; the sail back was about an hour and fifty minutes. The cove is roughly six miles up the lake.

Here we are about halfway back.

                                

                                           

I dropped sail a little upwind of the ramp which pushed me back even with the ramp by the time I was ready to row. Got in, landed, retrieved, derigged and got home about 3:00. A very pleasant trip.

New Daggerboard

When I built the boat I was very budget conscious, so I was using wood that I could secure from any source. I bought a good bit of wood off Market Place and Craig's List. Some used (like the douglas fir from the defunct bowling alley in Kingston), some bought and never used (like the sheets of OSB), some abandoned (like the cedar from the building next to church), and some used (like the plywood used for shipping). Well, that last one... that's what I used for my daggerboard. It was JUNK! I knew it at the time, but by the time I figured it out I was in the sanding/planing stage and decided to finish. I thought by glassing it, it would protect it and I'd get some time out of it. I figured at some point it would need to be replaced. That time came. The board suffered water intrusion, delaminated and swelled up to the point it wouldn't fit into the trunk anymore. I discovered that on my trip to see Peter Frank. I cut it in half to see the inside.

Time to build another board. I gave it some thought as to how to build the new one. I considered three ways: plywood, solid timber, strip built. I didn't want another board to delaminate again. I looked at a  decent piece of oak. It looked like it has a little twist in it and I didn't relish the idea of planing/sanding oak. So I went with the third method.

Off to Lowes I went. I found a ten foot 2x8 (first one on the stack!) that was totally clear and looked straight as an arrow. The grain was much tighter than typical box store lumber too though not as tight as old growth. 

The board is very thin (7/8"). I made a mistake when I built the first one. Somehow I only used two layers of ply instead of three. Of course, I built the trunk to fit the board, so building a thicker board is not really practical. I could redo the trunk but that would be a huge undertaking and would be quite invasive! My only option there was just to build another thin board.

I started by cutting the 2x8 into 7/8" strips. 

Can you see a daggerboard in there somewhere? I can!

Here's a pic of the grain in the strips.

The next step was to epoxy them together. My epoxy was old. I had some left over from the build but it was over 2 years old. It had crystalized a good bit. I had heard that if you warm it up, it will liquify again. So I got out a heater and went about heating it up. 

Success! Even the crystals in the pump liquified. The hardener was OK. 

I mixed my epoxy, pre-coated the edges of my wooden strips, thickened it with wood flour, and then glued them together.

After some sanding, it looked pretty good though there were some "low" spots. 

I figured with shaping the board, most of those would disappear. 

My goal was to shape it as close to a NACA foil as I could. I got a recommendation from another builder on the dimensions and printed a full scale template.

I took measurements on the depth of cuts at intervals that I could make in the daggerboard blank, cut them into the board as guides for planing/sanding, then spray painted the cuts.

Then came time for the planing and sanding. Gotta be careful and not take off too much. I used my $100 table saw as a work top so I could do it outside. After several hours I got a decent shaped board.

I covered it in glass and painted it with oil-based Glidden Porch and Floor Urethane which I have used on all my builds.

The trim came off the old board. One side is screwed while the other was epoxied in place. I simply cut that piece off and redid it the same as the first board. 

And my new board!

Pickwick Lake and Peter Frank

A few months ago a fellow named Peter Frank popped up on our newsfeed. It seems Peter was doing the Great Loop in a canoe - BACKWARDS! I casually followed him from the Carolinas, down the ICW through Georgia (he portaged Cumberland Island due to bad weather and severe headwinds), down the coast of Florida and across. He portaged around Lake Okeechobee to avoid the mating alligators and low water. He made his way up the west coast and around the bend. He partnered up with someone due to the treacherous nature of that crossing. He paddled down the Santa Rosa Sound which intrigued me since Tiffany and I were just down there last October. 

As he made  his way up the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, I began to wonder if I could meet him. I calculated that he would be less than 200 miles away when he reached Pickwick Lake. And I knew he would have to slow up to lock through. Might be an opportune time to come alongside! 

Next was my schedule. Could I work around my church services? I began carefully watching his daily progress and the mileage to Pickwick. He had a big Saturday. I began to think I could travel Monday and see him on Tuesday. Then he had a huge Sunday! He was only 10 miles from the dam. A three hour paddle would put him there. I would have to leave very early Monday morning. So - the plan was hatched.

We had no church Sunday since it was  homecoming, so I was able to pack up and be ready to walk out the door. I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. I pulled out at 4:30. First stop was the rest stop at Lake Nickajack. 

Hubs were "room temp" - OK. 5 Hour Energy was working. Let's keep going: hit Rt 72 south, turn west at Scottsboro, around Huntsville and the rocket ships at dawn, around Muscle Shoals, and then into Mississippi. A right turn and another 25 miles to Pickwick Landing State Park.

As I traveled I kept watching Peter's live tracker to see if he was moving. He wasn't, so the pressure was off. I got the boat ready and launched about 9:00. Tied her up to the dock and relaxed a bit.

In talking to Robin I found out that I had forgotten to grab my overnight bag! What?! I had everything else but it was on the table while everything else was on the floor and it was dark. Ugh! The bag had a change of clothes, swimming trunks, toiletries, lanterns. What to do? Sounded like a trip to Dollar General! So off the Counce I went.

I bought a cheap flashlight and lantern. I should have bought some sunscreen too but wound up getting some at the park marina.

Around 10:30 I shoved away from the dock and rowed out. There was a mild breeze. Might make for some good puttering about. I tried to drop my daggerboard into the trunk but it wouldn't fit! I knew it was delaminated (cheap plywood), but apparently it had swollen as well. I wasn't going to force it down because I might not get it out. So I would have to sail without it. 

I kept watching the tracker. No movement. As the day wore on, it became apparent that Peter wasn't going to move. No wonder - after two big pushes a rest was well-deserved! As it turned out, he was on Goat Island hanging out with goats (literally). Across the water was a campground. I think he went over and hung out with some natives as well. 

I sailed around for a while and finally rowed back to the ramp. A couple brothers who had a pontoon workboat that they used to build/fix docks and boat lifts were there. They told me about a good place to eat so I headed over there. It was early but my body clock said it was an hour later. I had a barbeque sandwich and ice tea at the Out Post - neat place. Good thing I went early because they closed at 3:00 on Mondays. Yikes! Almost missed it. 

After I ate, I had a long time to kill before bedtime. I went back to the park, found some shade and just chilled. I read my Bible, talked to Robin and enjoyed the solitude. My plan was to row up into the cove on which the ramp was located and anchor for the night.

Around 6:00 I rowed back up into the cove, It was very pleasant. I passed the marina and some cabins up on a bluff, and  anchored. It was time to prep for the night. I had my new popup tent and was eager to use it. It went up just as I had hoped and planned.

 I sat in the door for a while and finally got inside and buttoned everything up. The moon tried to poke her way through the clouds.

I've not slept very well camping lately. I have my fairly new air mattress and had hoped it would improve my sleep. Of course, on the water there are things to think about: dragging anchor being #1 on the list, some outlandish accident being #2. I fell asleep around 9:30 local time (10:30 body time) and woke up about 3 hours later. I was hoping it would have been longer. The wind was blowing some and I could feel the boat moving around, hopefully just around the anchor. I peaked outside and things looked fine. The sky was clear too. I read for a while and then went back to sleep. I did get some decent sleep through the night.

When I awoke, I ate my second nectarine and a couple bars, packed up my tent and stuff, and rowed back to the dock. It was time to watch for Peter again. 

As I contemplated how this should work, I hatched a plan: I would shuttle my trailer and tow vehicle to the ramp on the other side of the dam, hire a ride back, and then lock through the dam with Peter. I drove over to the marina and asked if anyone could give me a ride. They gave me a business card of one "Happy Hippy" who had a ride-for-hire business. I called him and he set up a ride for me. I drove across the dam, parked at the ramp, and waited for my ride. After a few nervous minutes (I sure didn't want to miss Peter after all this trouble), she showed up and hauled me back to the ramp at the park. 

Once back I rowed out into the middle of the lake to wait for Peter. If I let my boat drift, she would gradually move toward the dam moved by the current no doubt, so I kind of just circled around a little ways out from the dam. 

I remembered to grab my binoculars. I was watching the tracker closely. And then... I caught site of Peter.

I called out to him by name and introduced myself. He said, "Hello, Dale Kidd." I asked if I could lock through with him. He really couldn't say no but he didn't have to pal up with me. He was very gracious.

We shook hands and took a couple pics. 

In fact, we learned later that the lock attendants were taking pics too!

We rowed/paddled into the lock and maneuvered into place. The worker had me throw a line around a large post that would drop with the water. Peter grabbed my boat and planned to stay away from the lock wall. The current swung us around; however, and he was caught between my boat and the wall. I grabbed a line on his bow to hold him close to my boat and used my oar to keep us off the wall. He used his paddle to keep his end of things off the wall. It was fairly smooth after we got situated.

They dropped us 50'! The pics they took give a good perspective on the enormity of those locks.

Once through the lock, we took a couple more pics, he took my phone number so he could send me a few and we parted. 

I rowed hard to cross the current to get to the ramp. Even though it was quite long, I had no trouble backing down to retrieve my boat. The current was a bit of an issue. My boat wound up and little cock-eyed but once up the ramp I was able to get her correctly settled on the trailer. 

I returned home via US Rt 64 instead of 72. It was an easy ride with little traffic and beautiful scenery.

A very memorable trip!