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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Smith Bay on Kentucky Lake

  Before I get started I must do a public service announcement. Last week I received an email from a couple that have been reading our blog and asked for a favor. Lonnie Dee Robertson and his wife Jinna live on their trawler and support their existence by performing and mostly from the sale of two books they have written. They have a website where you can learn more about them: It is www.welcometolonniedeeandjinnasworld.com.
  The book Lonnie wrote is the story of his renovation of a 90 year old wooden boat. When I read this, my first thought was that a man has to know his limitations, and two things that a man must never do is try to renovate a 90 year old boat. The other thing is to never try to dat a stripper. Both things are a lesson in futility.
  But I went to Amazon and bought the book. What the hell, the Kindle version was only $2.99. It's going to take a whole lot of books to fill the fuel tank on any vessel at that rate.
  The other book is about life on their boat told through the eyes of the eight Chihuahuas that they travel with on board. Yes, I said eight. They do not seem certifiably nuts in the pictures on their website, but evidence is evidence. I didn't look for the book as told by the dogs, for two reasons; one big reason was that the book is described as being informative even for children.
I don't want to read anything that remotely appeals to them mind of a child. The other thing is that I have the impression that the only thing that may possibly go through the mind of a Chihuahua is two things; What can I lick, and what can I bite?
  So there is my endorsement as promised to Lonnie, such as it is. Go to their website and check them out. You might just get a different impression.



  We are in Smith Bay currently. We came in here on Monday in search of a nice spot to pull Swing Set in shallow water to clean and wax the scum line that built up on our 900 miles of travel. We spent Monday at work on the boat and it looks good as when we left St. Louis.
  Some weather moved in Monday evening after we finished a dinner of grilled pork tenderloin and salad. When I saw the clouds building I checked the weather radar and knew we were in for a storm. My stern hook had a good bite and the bow anchor was 25 yards in front of us buried in the sand. As we sat in the cockpit and watched the light show, I kept an eye on the radar. When the lightening got really intense, we retreated to the salon and hunkered down. We were eventually smack dab in the middle of a severe thunderstorm with forecasted 60 M.P.H. winds. The wind generators were howling with glee but the winds never got that high I don't think, but the thought of us being pushed up onto the beach did cross my mind but the anchors held, the storm subsided and the rest of the night was clear and calm.
  Having depleted our wax supply on Monday, we took the dinghy across the lake to The Moors Marina and Restaurant for the recommended great fisherman's breakfast and to check out what they had in the ship store. When I say "across the lake", don't get the impression that we're close by; I think it's still about a four mile ride. The breakfast was indeed a good one but even though I could have bought swimming pants for a three year old in the little store there, no wax could be found. We'll be making a trip over to Green Turtle Bay later this week and I know they carry my brand of wax.
  Rosie polished stainless steel yesterday and I did some odds and ends. There may not be much to tell in the forthcoming days because we are staying put around here until about the last week in June to build up our fuel bank. With fuel as high as it is, it's the only way I can see to combat the price; just don't travel as much. No problem, it's very nice here.



2 comments:

  1. Mike and Rosie, You guys keep a nice looking boat!

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  2. I am now 71 and grew up going to Smith Bay. My Grandfather owned a cabin where the road to Smith Bay forks off of the Birmingham Ferry Road. There used to be a hotel/General Store there and they had candy jars.
    I learned to swim and fish in Smith Bay.

    Smith Bay was named after a farmer named Travis Smith who owned some bottom lands on the Tennessee River. He lost the land to the eventual Kentucky Lake flooding, he took the money he got from TVA and bought some bottom land on the Cumberland River, a few short miles to the east. When I was real young he took me to a corn field and said the water here is going to be 60 feet deep. The Corp of Engineers bought his Cumberland River land for Lake Barkley. He then took that money and bought some property near the current Smith Bay and then TVA created LBL and condemned his property and asked him to move again. He refused and they let him stay. I visited him about 20 years ago and he was real old, but remembered me.

    My grandfather was conductor for the L&N Railroad and was off 5 weeks at a time and we would spend weeks fishing in and around Smith Bay.
    Great memories.

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