Q. What is the Tennessee River 600?
A. The Tennessee River 600 provides an opportunity to enjoy your personal watercraft (PWC) while contributing to improve the lives of area children. Begun in 1997 as a pleasure event for PWC enthusiasts, the Tennessee River 600 has evolved into an annual event with participants representing as many as 19 states. The participants raise money benefiting two children’s hospitals and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), while enjoying eight days cruising 600 miles on the beautiful Tennessee River. Participants pay a $400 registration fee, per PWC with one rider. Additional riders (“doubling up”) pay a $100 fee. Although some meals are provided, participants are responsible for their own food, lodging, and fuel.
Q. How do I get my vehicle and trailer from Pickwick Landing State Park to Knoxville if I don’t have a road crew?
A. You can have your vehicle and trailer transported from Pickwick Landing State Park to Knoxville for a fee of $550.
Q. Will I have to haul my luggage on the PWC with me?
A. No. There will be a luggage truck to haul anyone’s luggage to every stop along the trip. However, we ask that you limit your bags to two (2) per person, plus oil for your craft. This is a free service and is open to all participants.
Q. What about food on the river?
A. Food on the river is pretty much up to you. The TWRA boat will have a cooler full of drinks that will be passed out while inside locks, but food will be up to the participant.
Q. What about inclement weather while on the water?
A. Weather can be a factor while on the river. We will ride, rain or shine. Riding in the rain can be painful, so a rain suit is recommended, as well as face protection. Should Mother Nature decide that lightning is necessary, we will pull off to the side and wait it out.
Q. Are there camping facilities along the route?
A. Yes.
Q. What should I bring?
A. Aside from your regular luggage for a week, it’s not a bad idea to have plenty of sunscreen. Swimsuits and sunglasses are also necessities. Other things that will be seen on the river include wet suits, rain suits, goggles, gloves, sandals or flip-flops, snacks, coolers with drinks, etc. Don’t forget to bring oil and spare spark plugs for your craft. You should also bring a 50′ tow rope in the event you break down or run out of gas.
Q. We were noticing as we look at pictures from past trips that several of the watercrafts are carrying fuel. Is this necessary? Smart idea? Unnecessary?
Several years ago there were parts of the trip that required some riders to bring extra fuel. But as PWCs have changed from 2-stroke engines to 4-stroke engines, the fuel mileage also changed for the (slightly) better. Plus, newer PWCs have larger fuel capacities than in years previous, so it all boils down to what mileage your PWC gets; how far can you go on a single tank of fuel. However, it never hurts to carry an extra 5 gallons of fuel because you never know when you might need it.
Q. Could you please tell me more about shutteling a pickup and trailer from the start in Pickwick Landing State Park to where the 600 does end?
We have a crew that transports all of the vehicles that sign up for our transportation service. They leave the Pickwick Landing State Park on Sunday and travel straight to Knoxville. Your vehicle will be sitting all week at Hotel Knoxville so you shouldn’t leave anything of value in the truck bed.
Q. Will we visit Chattanooga as a group or each on our own? Also Pickwick State Park, on our own or group activities?
All layover days are on your own. There’s plenty of things to do in Chattanooga! One of the best aquariums in the country is there, and easy to get to by using the free shuttle service that the city provides. It picks you up right next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo and will take you all over the down town area. The layover day in Pick Wick is fun, too! A lot of people will get back on their skis and ride around exploring the area or take part in the Speed Course and Buoy Competition that one of our participants puts on every year. Others will just relax by the pool because at that point in the week they’ve already ridden over 400 miles.
Q. Please tell me more about fundraising for the CMN?
Participants raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and the Children’s Hospital of Alabama is the beneficiaries of those donations. We also split the donations that are raised with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. In the 22 years that we have traveled the river we have raised over $250,000!!
Q. Is there an online forum so that I can ask other past participants what to expect, expenses, things to do, etc?
At one time we had an online forum but it wasn’t used to its full potential so we took it down a couple of years ago. The best place to ask the “veterans” questions is on our Facebook page. Some participants have been on this event from the beginning so they’ll answer any question you can throw at them because they’ve probably either experienced it themselves or have witnessed it in action!
Q. Will I be able to keep up with the group? Whats the average speed that you run on the river?
Everyone runs at their own pace and usually with small groups of 4 to 6 PWC’s. It really depends on who you get along with and make as a life long friend. We always say it’s not a race so you won’t have any problems keeping up. Dennis, the event Director, and Jason, the Event Coordinator, always lag around in the “back” and are usually the last ones off the water to ensure that everyone makes it to the next day’s stop successfully. Plus everyone (other than the speedsters) likes to take their time and enjoy the sites or get off of their skis for awhile and take a dip in the water. That’s where a lot of the friendships are made, on the water itself, and then that carries on to the nightly stops where everyone hangs out and gets to know each other better.