500 Hour Crusader Engine Offshore Test

DAY 1 – June 21, 2004

8:45a – Leave MasterCraft dock – Eng hours at start P-17.6 S-27.9 – TRIP 0.0 miles
9:55a – Ft Loudon lock – TRIP 15.4
12:25p – arrive Watts Bar Lock, barge in chamber
1:25p – leave Watts Bar lock
2:25p – Sale Creek Marina – Fuel 88 gal / $198.79 – TRIP 116.0
3:35p – Chickamauga Lock
5:10p – Nickajack Lock – TRIP 184.3
6:45p – Goose Pond Marina Fuel 91 gal / $209.10 – TRIP 231.5
8:00p – Guntersville Lock, barge in chamber, est 6 hr delay

Returning from Guntersville Lock, to find overnight accommodations, came across 21′ Sea Ray that had overheated. We towed in Ken McDaniel of Guntersville, to his lake house, where he provided us with dockage, food and shelter. During the return tow we encountered dozens of boats, congregating near the entrance of a cave. Apparently at sunset, the endangered bats that lived in the cave, would take flight simultaneously, skim across the water, whizzing past your head, feed on mosquitos and then return, in unison, to the cave. The multitude of bats appeared as a black cloud, being vacuumed into the cave. The whole process took about 10 minutes.

8:45p – Ken’s Lake house – Eng hours at end P-27.6 $ 37.6 – TRIP 266.5

Driver = Donnie Brown
Passenger – Randy Vaden