In Between Loop Segments: An attempt to visit Chattanooga.

When Tom and Rayma left the boat in Iuka, Mississippi, they had been encouraged to take a side-trip to Chattanooga. They enliste friends, Mickey and Jeanne, to accompany them. Intrepid, first-time sailors, they agreed!

On May 1, Tom and Rayma landed in Memphis and went on to Corinth, MS. staying at the General’s Quarters, currently a bed and breakfast but previously a whore house. As they would come to learn, Corinth was an important railway town during the Civil War. On May 2, they arrived at the marina to begin preparations for the side trip. On May 6, in pouring rain, they picked up Mickey and Jeanne.

On May 7, they pushed off, heading for Joe Wheeler State Park some 50 nautical miles south. The day was bright and sunny and involved transiting the Wilson and Wheeler locks. The Wilson lock raised the boat 100 feet! While the Wheeler lock was not that high, just after leaving the lock, a vibration started. They pulled into the marina at 4:45 pm on a Friday but nevertheless the mechanics came out to take a look-see. The decision was the boat needed to be pulled out. They loaned us a car for the night to go get dinner. In the morning it was back to Iuca and the trip to Chattanooga was a no-go. Instead, they took a day in Memphis to see the Civil Rights Museum and to visit Beale Street. Not the plan but still fun.