2007-9 Fort Loudoun Lake, Tennessee
Hello All,
This week was our 4-day shakedown cruise on the boat. Our cruise plan was to work our way up Tellico Lake into Ft. Loudoun Lake all the way to Knoxville, TN. At Knoxville we would turn the boat around and backtrack to our home marina. After loading the boat we pushed off on our voyage. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky, light wind, water smooth as glass, and temperatures in the low 80's.
About two miles into our voyage I'm at the wheel and Barb is busy arranging stuff in the aft cabin when I glance to the port side of the boat. I'm shocked to see that smoke is boiling out of a locker. I shut the engine down and yell six words that Barb has informed me that she doesn't ever want to hear again on the boat! "Hun, I think we're on fire!" Well after some quick scurrying we discovered that it was steam not smoke, which is much better, but not good. We were still dead in the water and it was too deep to drop anchor. I flagged down a passing boat and asked him to tow us into a nearby cove. He did and we were able to drop the hook and investigate the situation more thoroughly.
We discovered that a heater hose had developed a small leak that slowly pumped all the coolant out of the internal cooling system and then it turned to steam. Let me tell you it was a lot of steam! Luckily the engine has both an internal and an external fresh water cooling system so no damage was done to the engine. We were carrying extra antifreeze onboard so we refilled the system and limped back to the marina. We spent the remainder of the day obtaining and replacing the heater hose.
Early the next morning we shoved off again. It was another beautiful day. We worked our way into Ft. Loudoun Lake enjoying seeing new territory and beautiful scenery. Towards evening we found a nice little cove to drop anchor and spend the night. After dinner we sat and watched the birds until the sun set. It was peaceful and relaxing.
After breakfast we continued our voyage. It was another gorgeous day and the reflections on the water were lovely--hence the picture of the week.
This week was our 4-day shakedown cruise on the boat. Our cruise plan was to work our way up Tellico Lake into Ft. Loudoun Lake all the way to Knoxville, TN. At Knoxville we would turn the boat around and backtrack to our home marina. After loading the boat we pushed off on our voyage. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky, light wind, water smooth as glass, and temperatures in the low 80's.
About two miles into our voyage I'm at the wheel and Barb is busy arranging stuff in the aft cabin when I glance to the port side of the boat. I'm shocked to see that smoke is boiling out of a locker. I shut the engine down and yell six words that Barb has informed me that she doesn't ever want to hear again on the boat! "Hun, I think we're on fire!" Well after some quick scurrying we discovered that it was steam not smoke, which is much better, but not good. We were still dead in the water and it was too deep to drop anchor. I flagged down a passing boat and asked him to tow us into a nearby cove. He did and we were able to drop the hook and investigate the situation more thoroughly.
We discovered that a heater hose had developed a small leak that slowly pumped all the coolant out of the internal cooling system and then it turned to steam. Let me tell you it was a lot of steam! Luckily the engine has both an internal and an external fresh water cooling system so no damage was done to the engine. We were carrying extra antifreeze onboard so we refilled the system and limped back to the marina. We spent the remainder of the day obtaining and replacing the heater hose.
Early the next morning we shoved off again. It was another beautiful day. We worked our way into Ft. Loudoun Lake enjoying seeing new territory and beautiful scenery. Towards evening we found a nice little cove to drop anchor and spend the night. After dinner we sat and watched the birds until the sun set. It was peaceful and relaxing.
After breakfast we continued our voyage. It was another gorgeous day and the reflections on the water were lovely--hence the picture of the week.
Our cruise took us through
many scenic areas and by some amazing estates. Coming into Knoxville we passed
the University of Tennessee. What a beautiful waterfront campus they have. We
stopped and had lunch at "Calhoun's on the River" before turning
around and heading home. Overall, with the exception of the first day, our 135-mile
trip went well. It was enjoyable and a great learning experience.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns