Last meeting update
Details
Hi all - reporting in from our meeting last Wednesday night including some useful apps/websites and fun to come. Check it out.
We had a successful Membership Meeting last Wednesday, May 13.
Key highlights include:
Our Members / Boaters: A recognition that all of us boat locally and on many sections of The Great Loop. For those of us Local Boaters, who enjoy boating in the Nashville, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Huntsville, Land-Between-The-Lakes areas...plus the Atlantic Coast, Gulf and Great Lakes, we're located on some very popular sections (and side trips) of the Great Loop.
"Low Water Levels" (due to lack of rain) discussion: Thanks to Bo Hayes (a Chattanooga area boater), who reported to us that the Tennessee River water levels, specifically upon the Chickamauga Reservoir, (located upstream of the Chattanooga Lock & Dam) and the Nickajack Reservoir (visible from I-24 as you drive from Nashville to Chattanooga) are down 3 1/2' from normal pool, the lowest level since 1986 causing some marina operators to close their fuel docks due to inaccessibility and requiring extra vigilance due to dangerous shoals Bo also reported paying $5.99/gal for marine gasoline in the Chattanooga region. Jane & Bruce MacDonald boated on J. Percy Priest this past weekend and experienced much the same as Bo Hayes reported. Very low water levels but, at least the shoals are visible!
Favorite You Tubes: We had a fun discussion naming our favorite boating You Tubes - several of us enjoying "Expedition Sea Nest"@expeditionseanest and "Salty Mitten" @SaltyMittenAdventures videos with their running commentary. We all enjoy the many You Tube videos, specifically those doing The Great Loop but we also commented upon the many navigational errors that we see these boaters making. All of us agreed that the many AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers Association https://www.greatloop.org/ ) videos and podcasts are helpful.
Wind Apps: And, we shared our favorite "Wind/Weather" apps, namely Windy https://www.windy.com/, Wind Finder https://www.windfinder.com/ and Predict Wind https://www.predictwind.com/apps . For those of us who are exposed to open waters, these apps are as critical to use as our favorite Weather Apps. When boating upon open water, knowing, in advance, what kind of winds and waves we'll be coping with is critical to our safety and to our spouses' moods. There are, of course, pros and cons to each of these three Wind apps but for some of us, we rely upon all three!
Future plans:
Wildwood Resort & Marina - Member Meet up Sept 19 & 20: Cdr. Tom Hudson shared the details of our upcoming Club Meeting at Wildwood Resort & Marina [https://wildwoodresorttn.com](https://wildwoodresorttn.como/) the weekend of 19-20 September. For those unfamiliar with Wildwood Resort, it has wonderful overnight accommodations, a well-maintained boat ramp, transient docking, pontoon boat rentals AND a restaurant with good food with a menu with something for everyone, and good service. Please reach out to Tom and Lili Hudson who can share the details with you and please circle those dates on your calendar.
We will be taking a summer break because all of us are boating! With that in mind, we will not be holding any membership meetings in June or July. We'll reassess come August to gauge if we have enough members in town to hold a Membership Meeting. T.B.D.
Please pay your annual dues when you are notified by America's Boating Club (National) - United States Power Squadrons
AND...please share your boating pictures and summer adventures (well, just the happy adventures) with your fellow members of the Music City Power Squadron - the Middle Tennessee area squadron of America's Boating Club.
Be safe on the water!
P/C Bruce MacDonald, P current XO of the Music City Power Squadron
**615-957-5152 / mpact@comcast.ne**