Green Turtle Bay to Paris Landing to Pebble Isle to Clifton

Day #729; Loop Miles to Date = 9,369

Just a quick update...not even any pictures to share. We've been making great progress, and our target of being at Aqua Yacht Harbor tomorrow (Sunday the 8th) is still on track. Green Turtle Bay was fine, but frankly, given the amount of press that this place gets, we were a bit disappointed. The dock complex itself is a bit worn out, and the service staff there was quite indifferent to whether they helped anyone out or not. However, it was a hotbed of Loopers, as everyone is funneling through the same geography right now. We didn't take a count, but there were probably 20 loop boats there.

Paris Landing is a Tennessee State Park facility, and the folks there were great. The facility reminded us some of Joe Wheeler State Park, particularly the Inn and restaurant. When we decided to eat at the restaurant, the Park Ranger came and picked us up, and returned us to the marina after dinner. The $10 all you can eat buffet left us quite stuffed...we enjoyed ourselves for sure.

Pebble Isle was a superb stop...we had a great time here. This marina is family owned and operated, and the folks here treated us like good friends. It was just a terrific place to stay...we could easily have stayed longer. The people were great, they had 2 courtesy vans, the docks were great...the only thing missing was that we were in the middle of nowhere and we had no cell coverage and marginal WiFi. Still, this will be remembered as a favorite spot.

One of the highlights this week sort of encapsulates what this journey has been all about. On the way to Paris Landing, we passed a sailboat that had a familiar name. But, we discounted that it was someone that we knew, because it had been practically 2 years since we had last met these folks. But, to our pleasant surprise, later that afternoon, we saw that it was James and Stacy on Glass Slipper! We had met these great folks almost 2 years ago in Mobile, and then as chance would have it, we spent Thanksgiving with them in Port St Joe, and then Christmas with them at Clearwater Beach in 2015. It was terrific to see them and catch up...and it once again demonstrated how small this cruising community is sometimes. This was a real treat!

So today, we are in transit to Clifton, TN, and only one day away form our anticipated wake crossing. We are keeping an eye on Hurricane Nate, but anticipate that we will not be dramatically affected. The skies are cloudy today, and we expect some rain over the next 2 days, but nothing is forecasted for our area that is anything to worry excessively about. It's hard to believe, but sometime tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) we will close the loop and cross our wake on the way into Aqua Yacht Harbor. Celebrations will ensue...in spite of any rain!