We were getting ready to leave Green Turtle Bay Marina in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, when we finally saw a green turtle in front of our boat. Our stay wouldn't have been complete without it! It was a gorgeous day for a run with lots of colour starting to show in the leaves and we took lots of pictures. Out of the Blue and Sea Bear were already in the anchorage at Panther Bay and gave us some direction on depths as we entered. It was a beautiful anchorage and we wished we could have stayed longer. We had Off Leash, Out of the Blue, and Sea Bear for docktails that evening. We spent some additional time with Out of the Blue planning for our joint trip to Chattanooga. It was supposed to be going down to 7 degrees Celcius overnight, but when we woke in the morning, it was 1C and very foggy, which delayed our departure until we had enough visibility.
Before Chattanooga, we were off to attend the America's Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) Rendezvous being held at Paris Landing Marina in Buchanan, Tennessee. Shortly after docking at Paris Landing, we were greeted by Eamon from Volition, inviting us to a Canadian Thanksgiving potluck dinner on the dock. They had arranged for tables from the marina office and Eamon's wife, Rhonda, had cooked ham and turkey rolls. We had not expected to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Rendezvous happening so this was a very pleasant surprise. Heather was able to bake some gluten free cookies and a flourless chocolate cake to contribute and everyone else brought lots of food. There were about six Canadian boats and at least as many American boats. Eamon spared no ceremony as he officially swore in the Americans so they could partake in the Canadian Thanksgiving.
The Rendezvous started loosely on Monday with registration, sponsors, the ship stores and dinner. We volunteered at the ship stores, which was a great way to meet people. At each of the dinners over the course of the Rendezvous, everyone gets to go up to the microphone to introduce themselves. The first night "In Progress Loopers" introduced themselves so that included us. We gave a great plug for the North Channel and announced that it was our 30th wedding anniversary that day which was met with great applause. We were quite surprised earlier that morning to receive cards from two couples for our anniversary. That was very special to us.
The next three days we attended about three chart briefings a day. These were extremely useful and covered sections of our Great Loop route that we would be navigating in the weeks and months ahead. They included Paris Landing to Mobile, Mobile to Carrabelle, Crossing the Gulf, Tarpon Springs to Miami, Miami to Jacksonville, and Jacksonville to Norfolk. There were also sessions on the Tennessee side trip which we went to for our upcoming trip to Chattanooga, the Bahamas side trip as we plan to go to the Bahamas, and Weather 101 which is very important to all boaters. There were other sessions that we did not attend covering mechanical and electrical stuff for your boat, the boat galley, sessions specifically for planners, and even a pop up session for "reluctant spouses".
There was a Looper Crawl for three days in the afternoons and this is when Loopers open up their boats for other Loopers or Planners to tour. We opened our boat for two of the Looper Crawls with the intention that we would showcase how you can upgrade and prepare your boat to do the Great Loop. There was so much traffic through our boat that it was exhausting. Our friends told us there was a lineup at our slip! Most of them were Planners. Sometimes they just wanted to see the layout, sometimes they had lots of technical questions for Cam on solar or batteries, sometimes they were interested in a specific item like our washer-dryer unit, and some wanted to know where they could buy it! We had to close our boat early on the second day when two technicians showed up at the same time! Scott Walley from SA Walley Marine Services was there to look at a compass/auto-pilot issue, and the other was Ben Stein from Panbo to work on our electrical issue. Another benefit of the Rendezvous is that there are several experts from various companies there, who are AGLCA sponsors, ready to offer their services, wares, and expertise.
We met lots of Loopers and Planners at the Rendezvous and enjoyed the comradery and the break from travelling every day. We even had Karaoke and a DJ Wednesday night and lots of folks, including Heather, got up to sing, and the ladies enjoyed some group dancing. It was a fun night! On the last night after dinner, there were awards. We were quite surprised to be called up for a certificate for volunteering at the ship store. At the end of the night, we went back to our boat for some Moonshine with Rob and Karen. We toasted Rob's birthday and said farewell to our boat buddies until we meet again as we are heading on a side trip to Chattanooga next!
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