Over the last 10 months, we’ve had weeks that were fun, some that went by quickly, and some that dragged on. We’ve had weeks that were rougher than others, or even weeks that we can barely remember. This past week, however, was one that was entirely good for the soul.

We pulled into Lake Barkley on Sunday night and took it easy on anchor for a few days. One of the famous and most-looked-forward-to spots along the Loop is Green Turtle Bay Resort & Marina. As everyone makes their way south, it becomes an especially popular spot in September, October and November, so we had to wait until Wednesday for dockage availability. It was no problem at all because we found ourselves tucked away just north of the marina with several shore access points for Ripley. 

Come Wednesday morning, we were eager to pull up our anchor and head into Green Turtle Bay to see what it was all about. After many nights on anchor from coming down the Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland rivers, we were definitely ready to relax, and the resort afforded us just that. 

Now, where to even begin with all the fun that was had? Our first night in the marina, we enjoyed docktails with the 20-plus other boats also staying at Green Turtle Bay before heading over to Tiki Turtle for trivia night. Tiki Turtle is one of two dining options the resort offers, and of course, we checked out Pier 32, their other option, the next night. 

Green Turtle Bay also offers golf cart rentals, so we took full advantage of having some wheels to get around. Friday morning, we went into town to check out a local coffee shop (a must in any town we visit), and Friday evening, we had Evan’s grandpa aboard to see the boat for the first time. He is officially the oldest visitor we’ve had at 85 years old! That night, we enjoyed an incredible dinner with Evan’s grandpa and additional extended family members at Patti’s 1880s Settlement, a well-known restaurant along the Loop route. 

Despite all the fun that was had, we also felt reasonably productive when it came to work for the week, considering we weren’t on the move. On top of the marina golf cart rentals, we also took advantage of their courtesy car for a grocery run to get us through the rest of Kentucky Lake. We’ve found that whenever we have access to a car, it’s important to top off with any necessary items.

Now, if you remember back in June, before we crossed into Canada, we had a new dinghy delivered to us by Bourbon City Yacht Tenders. Due to tariffs at the time, all that was available was a tender in PVC material rather than Hypalon. Considering our dinghy at the time was on its absolute last leg, Dustin with Bourbon City Yacht Tenders was gracious enough to bring us the PVC option for the time being while he waited for a new shipment to come in. Now that we’re in Kentucky, we officially made the swap and are proud owners of a Highfield Classic 310 in Hypalon. Because our homeport is in Florida, it was crucial that we end up with a Hypalon dinghy due to its durability in Florida’s harsh UV rays and its weather and chemical resistance. We could not be happier!

This upcoming week, we plan to continue taking it easy, coming down Kentucky Lake with no rush to be anywhere specific. Cheers to continuing the adventure!