Category: True South Legacy 32 Travels

Cruising Maine in August is about as good as it gets. After some reprovisioning in Portland, we headed ‘down east’ working our way up to Acadia National Park with stops at Harpswell and Rockland. At Mt. Desert Island, we picked up a mooring at Seal Harbor and set off to find the bus which took us all thru the park. Even took a carriage ride along the magnificent trails. A side trip up the Penobscot River to Bangor, then on to Camden on route to Tenants Harbor. A quick stop in Rockport turned into most of a day as we visited with photographer Peter Ralston and had a great lobster roll. While with Peter, we met Mac Ferris who then gave us a tour of a museum quality boat he worked on Lionheart Concerto. This led us to visit with Libby Schrum in Camden who did many of the detailed pieces in the boat. We have now added one of Libby’s pieces to our wonderful collection of artisan furniture. From there we worked our way west to see the Geros and Rapps at Tenants Harbor. While there, we enjoyed a bi-plane ride at the Owls Head Transportation museum. Then on to a wonderful weekend with the Plimpton’s and friends at Cow Island. After a short stay in Portland, we decided hurricane Irene was closing in on us and we should hightail it home….the first time we have ever headed south to avoid a hurricane! With one stop on route at Cape Ann where our new friends Ian and Josie Gardiner provided a mooring and dinner, we headed for Boston. With a stop in Hull, we handed the boat off to Peter Mahoney who took it to Fairhaven, MA where it was hauled and put in storage during the storm. Tom and Jean Fisher were kind enough to take us to Logan and we were home in time for dinner. The summer was so wonderful, we are now considering making New England our summer home on a little bigger boat…but there is at least one more long trip ahead next summer.

When we landed in Boston it was hotter than Miami but at Fairhaven there was a fog bank at the hurricane barrier and the temperature was about 75. A round of golf at Acushnet Valley then off to meet friends in Mattapoisett where the Calanos were kind enough to be our hosts.

We then cruised down Buzzards Bay to the Cape Cod Canal with an overnight at Onset, perfect timing for their illumination of the bay by placing last years flares on the beach all around the harbor. Coming back up the east side of Buzzard’s Bay, we hopped over to Hadley’s Harbor on the Forbes family end of the Elizabethan Islands.

On up thru Wood’s Hole and the outside of Cape Cod to Hyannis where we caught up the Bob and Paula Garrow. Golf at Twin Brooks, then off to Nantucket where we spent our first night anchored by off Mataket. Alone as usual, we simply do not understand why power boaters in particular just go from marina to marina instead of enjoying all of the wonderful remote anchorages. From there we went to the other end of the island and anchored up in the Head of the Harbor. Some time ashore to wander the town and play a round of golf at Skinners.

From there it was back to Cape Cod for a couple of days where we rented a car and drove around stopping at every art gallery on route. Leaving Hyannis, we went around Monomoy Island and in thru the breach to Chatham Harbor with the seals.

It is about 60 miles from Chatham to Provincetown, this takes us along the National Seashore where there are only small pockets of development. Mostly it is beautiful beach with a cliff backdrop and only occasional groups of fisherman. En route we stopped to watch the whales frolicking and diving….what a sight! At Provincetown we joined the Hull Yacht Club gang and enjoyed the town and good friendship for a couple of days.

With the weather closing in, on Saturday we sprinted the 100 miles from Ptown to Portland, ME where we ended this leg of the summer’s journey.

Leaving Wickford, we cruised Narragansett Bay down to Newport where we spent a night ashore while a fog blanket layed in. Three Legacy 32’s on the same dock, 8% of the total fleet.

On to Westport, MA to visit the Howes then on to Cutty Hunk on the Elizabethan Islands. Local oysters right off the boat.

Next stop was Marthas Vineyard to visit many old friends of Dan’s. On Chappaquiddick we had a change to play a wonderful little 9 hole course with Lionel Spiro, the only time Lola has had a chance to play with us.

After a little over a month on the boat, it was time to go home and check the mail.

Originally, we planned to take True South to the Great Lakes for the summer; however, we ran into transport problems so we revised the plan. It’s back to New England.

Starting June 16th we travelled up the coast, going outside in FL and GA, then turning into the intercoastal waterway at Hilton Head. On up the the Chesapeake where we visited with the Rounds and Kisielnikis before clearing the C&D canal and heading for Cape May. Once again we went outside the Jersey coast and up into New York Harbor.

From there we cruised the eastern side of Long Island out to the ‘fishtail’ at Shelter Island. Closing in on the 4th of July, we headed up Narragansett Bay to spend a couple of days with the Prigmore clan at Tony and Julie’s home in Wickford.

Leaving Charleston, our next stop was Beaufort, SC….a very cute town with fine old homes and new waterfront park. Our walk to the grocery store drew the usual comments about ‘are you lost?’

From there is was on to Savannah where the Westin Hotel became home for a couple of days. Long walks around town where Marcia was really at home having lived here for four years. We had a nice dinner with Jim and Brandon,  Jim being an old friend of Marcia’s. The Westin golf course was closed so we ended up a Savannah Quarters…overpriced and underwhelmed. Picking up the pace, we headed “outside” on the ocean instead of staying in the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW), and covered a hundred miles that day.

Our friends the Ulrich’s had to leave St Simon before we arrived, so it was on to Jekyll Island…got to love this place. Golfers paradise with four courses on this little island, we played Indian Lakes after riding bikes through the old town that is on the National Historic Register. This seems to be the year to see the various homes of the the Gilded Age Industrialists for us! Fernandina Beach was the next stop for an overnight, then on to St Augustine to see some more of the Kisielnicki family. A game of golf at Royal St Augustine with brother Eddie, dinner with Thelma and sister Carol and her husband Don.

An overnight at Titusville, then another hundred mile day going outside thru the Cape Canaveral lock to the inlet, then back in a Ft Pierce. The next morning it was back to the ICW to the St. Lucie River and up the river to visit the Rapps. Marcia get her first par hole in a round of golf with Bob and Tancy. On to Ft Lauderdale for our last overnight, Coconut Grove in the morning.

We put over 400 hours (about 3,000 miles) on the boat this summer, lots of great people and places.

While Dan was making arrangements to have True South shipped from Tennessee to North Carolina, he called Anchors Away Marina near Topsail Beach. On the phone, before Dab starts to describe his needs, he introduces himself with “I am sure you don’t know me this is Dan Prigmore from FL”, the response is the “the infamous G. Daniel Prigmore?” As luck would have it on the other end of the phone is Dennis Hollishead, ex of Hull, MA where Dan had a summer home for many year.

Dennis and his crew at Anchors Away boat yard got the boat ready from its transport from Knoxville and arranged to dock it at Topsail Beach Marina until our arrival.

We spent a nice week with some of the Kisielnicki clan, Thelma and three of her sons: Steve and Ann, Tim and Kelly, and Eddie. We also had a wonderful time with Tim and Kelly’s daughter Claire who learned to dive from the boat.

On Halloween we headed back to Wilmington, NC to pick up True South and start a slow trip south to Miami. Our first day took us from Topsail beach to Southport, a quaint New England look town at edge of Cape Fear and Frying Pan Shoals. Cool night in the 40’s with a few days of stiff winds ahead as we head into SC.

At Dock Holiday’s in Myrtle beach we get to Walmart for some warm clothes and chance to watch the election returns, then on to Georgetown, 3rd oldest city in SC. Here we find bookstores, cafes and bakeries vs. Walmart and CVS. On down thru the Cedar swamps in fog and rain and into Charleston where the sun breaks thru on the 5th, but cold nights ahead.

We enjoyed Charleston enough that we decided to stay for a couple of days walking the streets, wandering thru galleries, checking out the Aquarium and enjoying several restaurants. Even did a little thinking about this as a city one could call home!!

This leg of the trip covers 350 miles up the Cumberland River to its navigable head waters. The river was the subject of tremendous flooding May 1-3, Nashville was particularly hard hit. Watch the video on this site.

Clarksville, which has a very nice municipal dock was hit hard with the debris from up river. Based on the erosion of the river banks we saw, the trees are all ready to fall in during the next flood. As we approached the first lock, Cheatham, we were informed the control room had been flooded and they had restricted recreational traffic. After a discussion of our journey, the lockmaster agreed to lock us thru. We did not see one other cruising boat on the entire Cumberland River!

After clearing Old Hickory lock, tied up at Anchors High Marina on the 3rd and walked into town….again, a puzzling sight for the natives. Anchored in Bledsoe Creek on the 5th, then on an old lock wall below Cordell Hull lock on the 6th due to a delay at the lock. Spotted a boat having engine trouble, offered help to Greg and Elisa….turns out to be a cousin of the service manager of the boat yard where we plan to replace an alternator…small world.

On to Gainsboro at the end of the river where we meet Peter and Diane Mahoney.

The first part of this leg covered 223 miles from Demolopis, AL to the junction with the Tennessee River.

The boat was unload and launched on the evening of the 25th so we were able to stay aboard. Matt and the crew at Demopolis Yacht Basin were terrific. The next morning we fueled up and headed about 50 miles up theTenn-Tom Waterway. We anchored up at the Gainsville cut off just below the Howell Heflin Lock. Mud everywhere about 4’ up the banks, very poor holding….ended up tied to a tree.

The next day we passed thru three locks, the Howell Heflin, Tom Bevill and John Stennis and stopped at Columbus Marina along with several other boats working their way thru the locks.

The next morning we stopped at the Waverly Plantantion, had to anchor up take the tender ashore and walk half a mile…well worth it. We were still able to get thru four more locks that day and stayed at Midway Marina.

The following day, the 28th, we covered four more locks and had a nice stop at the Bay Springs Lake visitor’s center and then arriving at Aqua Marine mile 449 on the 29th.

From here we enter the Cumberland and spend the night at Green Turtle Marina.

The second part of this leg covers 183 miles from the junction with the Tenn-Tom to Kentucky Lake where the Tennessee and the Cumberland are joined by a canal.

We start by going down the Tennessee River, entering at about the base of Pickwick Lake that was created by the Pickwick Dam. Below the dam the river is narrow and not very interesting, essentially no development visible.

At Clifton, we stopped at cute marina and walk into town for ice cream….what are those strange people doing walking! On the 30th we tied up at Perryville Marina, the restaurant featured ‘fried green beans’ and closed at 6pm.

After a stop at Birdsong Creek with a long tender ride we anchored up for lunch at Cyprus Creek. Then onto Kenlake State Park, our last stop on the Tennessee before we cut over to the Cumberland River. Here the Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee and the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland are coordinated so as to keep the two rivers at the same level. This allows for a canal between them without a lock. Between the two rivers is a huge state park call Land Between the Lakes….amazingly with no boat docks.

This first leg of the Summer 2010 travels on True South started in Miami and ended in St. Petersburg, FL.

From the winter dockage at Matheson Hammock County Park, we headed out for Islamorada Key where we docked among some noisy early morning fisherman. From there we cut across Florida Bay just above Duck Key and anchored up in the Shark River.

The Shark is on the west coast in the Everglades National Park and very beautiful. The next day we traveled east up the Shark and then west down the Harney River, about 50 miles thru the mangroves. Reentering the gulf at the mouth of the Harney, even at high tide was tricky trying to find a thread thru the tidal flats.

That night, the 9th, we were at Marco Island, then on to Fisherman’s Village, and Naples. At Naples we fueled up, walked around and provisioned at the farmer’s market.

At Ft Meyers Beach, we picked up a mooring ball and laid over on the 11th and 12th. Major blow with torrential rain on the 12th.

From there on to Tampa where we stayed at the downtown Marjorie Park Marina and then on the 16th we tied up at St. Petersburg Municipal Marina where we would leave the boat until we returned on May 12th.