Mike Sullivan was a first time participant in 2014, and he was generous enough to put together the following to help out those who are also first timers or are considering riding with us for the first time.
Tennessee River 600 for First Timers, from a First Timer
I just completed my first trip with the Tennessee River 600 in 2014, a few weeks before writing this.
I’m writing this for folks who are considering taking this trip, but who would like a bit more information about what to expect and what to bring so they can decide whether or not they want to go. I have intentionally tried to avoid repeating information that is elsewhere on the website.
If you are an old hand at this trip, you aren’t going to learn anything by reading this. If you have never taken the trip before, this might give you enough information to decide if you want to plunge ahead and do it at least once.
So here we go!
Personal Watercraft (PWC)
All participants ( except for TWRA safety personnel) ride PWC’s, otherwise generically referred to as “skis”. If you do not own one, or have access to one for a week, this trip may not be for you. If you have not ridden enough to be familiar with how to operate your ski, this trip may not be for you.
You can do the trip with a two-stroke, but a ski with a four-stroke motor will make the trip a LOT easier.
What to Expect on the Ride Itself
If I could tell you what was going to happen, it wouldn’t be an adventure. It would be an engineered-safe ride at Disneyland. It might rain, it might not. It might be hot. It might be cold. If you will be upset about setbacks, being behind schedule, being hot, cold, or wet, this trip may not be for you.
I can tell you that of the nine lakes we ride through, I thought seven lakes were a dream, one lake was very rough, difficult, and unpleasant, and one lake was somewhat rough but still fun. I think that’s probably as good as it gets.
A whole week?
Yeah, that’s a pretty big commitment if you aren’t sure you’re going to enjoy it. Most participants go the entire way, but a few plan to only ride with us for a day or two. I signed up for the whole trip, but since it was my first time, I arranged for a friend to be able to come with my trailer and get me if I wasn’t enjoying it. That turned out to be completely unnecessary. I suggest you plan to go the whole way, because you are going to have a good time.
All the hotels we stay at are very comfortable. It might be rough on the lake, but we are not roughing it over-night.
How much will this cost?
These are some rough numbers for one rider on one ski to give you an idea, and will depend on your choices.
$300 – Registration
$775 – Seven nights in hotels
$450 – Gas for ski (depends on your mileage and gas prices at the time)
$ 20 – Tip for road crew handling your luggage (optional)
$150 – Meals (3 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners at about $12 average apiece. Your cost may vary.)
Around $1,700 for a weeklong adventure.
This list does not include:
- Additional donation to Children’s Miracle Network (optional)
- Entertainment and/or shopping in Chattanooga
- Travel from your home to Knoxville
- Travel home from Paris Landing at the end
- Cost of anything on the packing lists
- Cost of getting your trailer from Knoxville to Paris Landing
- Wear and tear on your ski
- Anything else that’s not on the list!
What do I need to bring?
You’ll need two packing lists: one for your luggage and one for things to have on your ski.
On the ski:
Phone and wallet. You are going to need to pay for gas and lunch every day. You might want to have two credit cards in separate locations on the ski, so if you fumble one into the water you won’t be stuck. I brought a water-tight bag for these, but stopped using it because it was more trouble than it was worth. I didn’t need the phone on the ski to call anyone, but I used it for photos.
Sunglasses , hat, water, life vest, footwear. Consider packing a second pair of sunglasses and a second hat, in case you lose one. Choose a hat that will protect you from the sun and that you can keep on at 50+ mph. You will need footwear. Even if you ride the ski barefoot, you will need it when you get off. Polarized sunglasses are best on the water. In addition to the glare, sunglasses will protect you from hitting a bug with your eye at 50+ mph, so you want large lenses if possible. If they are prescription, be sure to have them on a strap that will float them.
Raingear. I was lucky. It didn’t rain at all my first year. But I was told the previous year it rained three of the five travel days. The rain jacket can double as a jacket for warmth on cool mornings. You will need rain pants as well. Frog Togs are a popular brand. You will also need face protection, as raindrops sting when you are moving at 30+ mph. I brought a neck gaiter that I could pull up over my face if needed. I was told a lot of the riders pack a Safe Phace mask, a much more expensive alternative. In the rain it not only protects you from the sting of the rain, it improves visibility as well. (If you go this route, coat the visor with RainX before you go.)
Sunscreen. Check consumer reports for the best brands. Sprays are more expensive but they are a LOT easier to apply. Don’t forget your ears,, the back of your neck, and the tops of your feet.
Spare spark plugs and oil. ‘Nuff said.
Dock lines and fenders. Two lines to tie up to docks. Bring two fenders, or you will be very unpopular. There is not enough space at most marinas for everyone to tie up directly to the dock, so we will be two or three skis deep, with the outside skis tied to the one next to them. You will need two fenders to prevent cosmetic damage to your ski and whoever you may have to tie up next to.
That’s it. You don’t need anything else on your ski. Some other things to consider are:
- Knife, sharp enough to cut a line in an emergency. Very unlikely you will need this.
- Five gallon gas tank and whatever cords you need to fasten it securely to the back of your ski. Very unlikely you will need this, but it just made me feel better to have it. The new gas tanks have spouts that are next to impossible to use. Next year I will also pack a second spout from an old gas can, so I can use it in place of the new spout if I need to.
- Cooler with drinks, and whatever you need to secure it. I didn’t take or need a cooler. I put a cozy into the cup holder on my ski so it would hold a bottle of water without falling out. I tossed a few more bottles of water in the storage compartment of my ski. They weren’t cold, but I had all the water I needed. Most (not all) of the hotels will have more bottled water in your room that you can toss onto your ski.
- 50’ line for the locks. Unless you plan to head out by yourself, I guarantee you will not need this. I’m not bringing it next year.
- Towels. I didn’t need them. You dry off quickly at 30+ mph. But I’ll probably pack them again next year anyway.
- Tote bag. This is to collect all the small stuff on your ski (phone, wallet, hat, sunglasses, whatever) so you can carry it easily to your hotel room and back to the ski in the morning.
- Collapsible paddle. The most likely scenario in which you might need this is if you leave the channel and get fouled with Milfoil weeds clogging your intake grate. Which I did. Because I didn’t have a paddle I had to get off in the weeds and push my ski to deeper water. I wished I had the paddle, but it would have made more sense to just stay in the channel.
When I packed, I wondered if I would need to bring an anchor. I’m glad I did not bring it. You will not need an anchor.
Luggage
As described on the website, you will not need to haul your luggage on your ski. Turn it in to the road crew in the morning and that evening your luggage will magically appear at the next hotel.
Casual comfortable footwear. You don’t want to have to wear your water footwear everywhere, do you?
Clothing to wear on the ski. Swimsuits and shirts. Many riders where T-shirts on the river, but T-shirts tend to hold water and don’t dry out quickly. If you can afford it, go to an outdoor retailer and get a few shirts Polyester blend shirts that advertise a high SPF and wick water away quickly.
Toiletries, medications, charger for your phone, sleepwear.
Casual clothing for each evening. Shorts, T-shirts is sufficient. Some of the girls will put on sundresses or slacks and some guys will put on casual collared shirts. If you plan to wear a T-shirt on your ski, the T-shirt you wear in the evening can double as what you wear on the ski the next day.
TIP: I’m not sure about the other hotels, but Wyndam Garden in Gunthersville has a coin operated washer and dryer. This stop is about half-way and can cut the clothes you have to pack almost in half. If you plan to do this, bring a travel-size bottle of detergent.
TIP: They let you bring two pieces of luggage, so skimping on clothing is not really necessary unless you just want to travel light.
Other Tips from a First Timer
Ride with folks who have done it before. Otherwise, unless you have a GPS, you might miss the marinas where you need to get gas, or go past the hotels where we are staying.
I do not care to leave the house until an hour after I have eaten breakfast. If you are like me, be advised. If the itinerary is like last year (and it probably will be) there will be two occasions when you will not have an opportunity to get the hotel breakfast early enough. Breakfast at the Marriott in Knoxville is not served on Sunday until just before we are scheduled to leave. Breakfast at Pickwick is not available on Saturday until an hour before we are scheduled to leave. So I packed something I could fix on my own in my room.
In general, you want to go into each lock with a full tank of gas. Right after a lock is usually the longest distance to the next marina. If you stick with folks who have done this before you will be gassing up at the right times.
My tank holds 18.5 gallons, and only once did I have to put more than 10 gallons in it.
Stay in the channel. Going downstream that’s red buoys on the left and green on the right.
As a first-timer I always wanted to make sure I was not in front and not at the rear. I wanted plenty of riders coming along behind me to notice if I had trouble and needed help.
Expect the first day to be fun, but expect it to be a long day. We cover about 150 miles on the first day and go through three locks. Even with good weather you will be tired and we will get to the hotel late. However, you have the second day off in Chattanooga to rest up and relax. The next three travel days we only average 100 miles a day, which makes for an easy day with plenty of time to clean up and relax before dinner. Day Six is another day off. The last day is another 150 miles, but we start early and there is only one lock, so you can expect to finish around 4 pm, give or take.
There is a lot to do in downtown Chattanooga and it is all within easy walking distance of the hotel. What’s not in walking distance is served by a free trolley that is in walking distance. This is a fun layover. However, be advised: the Marriott we stay in has no restaurant. They bring in a breakfast, but dinner the night we get there and dinner and lunch the next day you will have to make other arrangements. I was too tired when we got there to go to a restaurant, so I ordered a pizza from a delivery place.
There is something in a lot of guys’ DNA that compels them to get wherever they are going as quickly as possible. There are plenty of these guys on the ride. There are also folks who will go slower and ‘smell the roses’. Suit yourself. Just make sure you don’t fall behind Dennis Beckley, who typically brings up the rear to help anyone who has a problem.
I mentioned Milfoil weeds earlier. The reality was not nearly as scary as hearing folks talk about it. Milfoil only grows in water less than around six feet deep. It only grows to just below the surface, so you can get into it without seeing it. If you get into it the weeds will clog your intake grate very quickly and you will be immobilized. But fixing the problem is pretty easy. Push, paddle, whatever, to get your ski to deeper water and out of the weeds. Get off into the water and reach underneath to pull away ALL the weeds clogging your grate. Get back on and most likely you’re good to go.
At every lock there will be a wait of from 30 minutes to an hour or more before we can go through. Consider it a time to relax on your ski, chat with other riders and make new friends.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and recommendations Mike!