From the Captain's Desk

Come aboard our luxury Skipperliner cruise boat for a relaxing cruise on the Tennessee River.

With the cooler weather, the Tennessee River and its residents start to change as we begin to see those gorgeous fall colors and migratory birds on the river. We run our special Fall Canyon Cruise in place of our regular daily cruise on Saturday, October 27 and November 3. This a cruise that you don't want to miss.

"This is one of my favorite times of year on the river - I hope you'll join me and not miss this fabulous show that Mother Nature provides for us." -Captain Dave

Wildlife Refuge cruises begin on December 30.

On December 29, we move the Blue Moon upriver to the Hiwassee Island Refuge for the winter. We offer a special opportunity to join us for the trip upriver through the lock - a 5 hour trip with lunch. Once we settle in at our winter dock at Sale Creek Marina, we begin 3 hour Nature Cruises into the refuge to view the migrating Sandhill Cranes — and if we are lucky, a few Whooping Cranes also! Don't miss this special opportunity to get up close and personal with thousands of these wonderful creatures! Here is what it sounds like....  Hear the Birds!

Here are trip notes from our Naturalist, Rick Houlk, from these past few weekends. Hopefully our special visitors will stay around for a while so that you will have a chance for some fun sightings from Mother Nature.

Birds and wildlife we are seeing on the River:
Location: Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge
Number of species: 19

Canada Goose 100
Gadwall 3
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 1000
Bufflehead 10
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 40
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 2
Bald Eagle 18
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Coot 1000
Sandhill Crane 3500
Killdeer 2
Dunlin 15
Bonaparte's Gull 100
Ring-billed Gull 500
Belted Kingfisher 8
American Crow X

Don't forget - you can
reserve the entire boat with
our Private Charter program!

Read here>
article in Times Free Press "Cruising with Capt Dave"
by Ron Clayton