Day 6 – 10/9/23

Starting location: Paducah, KY

Weather: Partially sunny, mid 70s

Ending location: Green Turtle Bay Marina, near Grand Rivers, KY on Lake Barkley.

Statute miles: 95

General summary: After filling with fresh potable water, topping off our gas tank, and pumping out our waste tank (always fun but necessary) we headed to the next marina on our path, Green Turtle Bay. The marina is listed as a Looper favorite, with all the services you could need. Fuel of many kinds, water, pump out, electricity, showers, laundry, Wifi, small store, larger store up the street, pool, yacht club restaurant, courtesy car, boat works, even a gym. Am I missing anything? Took the longer but more scenic route via the Cumberland River, after talking to locals and making sure depths weren’t an issue. Smooth ride. Saw what we thought were white pelicans on the way. Lots of deciduous trees that were just starting to change color. Locked through Barkley Lake and Dam easily and got in by early afternoon. We got our slip and went to work getting things accomplished – showers, laundry, trying to download the Navionics charts again now that we had Wifi. Tom was able to contact Navionics tech support now that it was a weekday. They were pretty rude and generally unhelpful – to no avail. Looks like our system is working from beyond here, so must just be missing that piece of the Mississippi River for some reason. We’ll figure it out as we get back around. Used the free courtesy car (they just give you keys without a second thought, a tribute to Southern generosity, but also they have your boat as collateral) to drive to the nearby town and get groceries. The yacht club restaurant was closed until Thursday (fall schedule) so we asked about local restaurants for dinner.

Patti’s was the recommendation. You can get a courtesy pick-up if you make a reservation, which we did. A six seater white golf cart covered with a clear plastic shield for weather protection and trimmed with white fringe showed up. Very friendly driver. We had no idea Patti’s was such a beloved institution in these parts. You get a pager-style device when you arrive, which allows you to walk around the premises. There are stores of various kinds selling Kentucky-specific ware – clothing, liquor, treats, etc. There is a playground, a mini-put golf course, a small zoo, an ice cream stand, and probably more we didn’t get to. They must be able to seat hundreds as there are numerous dining areas. Each small enough to still feel cozy. They were in the process of decorating for Christmas. The web site quotes they serve 350,000 people a year, in a town of 350 people. It was packed! The hostesses wear calico prairie-style dresses and the waiters wear denim overalls. They are famous for their strawberry butter (it was delicious!), various steak or pork dinners (also yum!), and mile-high desserts (stuffed, so didn’t partake, but they looked great). Wish I’d taken some pictures. If you are ever in the area, you have to go at least once. We decided to walk back to the marina about a mile away as we needed to burn off some calories and had figured out the town a bit by now.

Boater information:

Make sure to follow the green and red markers from start to finish into the marina. There is a very shallow area between where you exit the lock and the marina entrance and the deep channel is best.