In June I will be taking my 34 foot sloop from Guntersville Lake in
North Alabama down the Tennessee to the Tenn-Tom waterway, from there
to Mobile and then out through the bay to the Gulf of Mexico and
around to Pensacola. That will be our new home.

It is 150 statute miles from my current Marina to the mouth of the
Tenn-Tom on Pickwick Lake. It is 450 miles from Pickwick Lake to
Mobile. And the best I can figure it, it is about 75 miles from Mobile
to Pensacola, perhaps a little further via way of the Gulf. I will be
bearthed at the Rod and Reel Marin on the Big Lagoon from then on. Of
course I will be motoring all the way except for the short trip in the
Gulf and perhaps a little in Mobile Bay where I hope to get the sails
up.

So I guess our average speed will be about six knots, or perhaps seven
statute miles per hour over the ground. It will be downstream all the
way. Giving we will have over 14 hours of daylight we should average
60 miles per day. That will be allowing for delays at the 15 locks
along the way. I believe the trip should take about 12 days. Does that
sound reasonable?

About the boat. It is a very old boat, built in England in 1964. The
hull is solid fiberglass and in good condition. The engine, a Yanmar
27 horse, is in excellent condition. The boat came with an Atomic 4
but that was replaced by a previous owner. The deck, wood sandwich
between fiberglass, was not in such good condition. Portions of the
wood had rotted. I tried injecting resin into the defective places but
only with limited success. I finally just put about a quarter inch of
fiberglass over the entire deck. Now it is sound, at least in my
opinion.

Needless to say I am looking forward to the trip.

Comments and/or suggestions by anyone would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ron Patterson