Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 4, 2010
Chickamauga Marina providing access to boating pleasure
David Laprad
Chickamauga Marina has been serving the needs of boaters for more than 50 years. Its accessibility and the versatility of the waters beyond its harbor have made it a popular destination for enthusiasts throughout Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.
- David Laprad
For more than 50 years, boaters have been accessing Chickamauga Lake, Nickajack Lake and Hales Bar Lake
through a cloistered harbor located at the end of Amnicola Highway. Called Chickamauga Marina, it’s one of the many launching points onto the glistening waterways that dot the landscape of Southeast
Tennessee and Northwest Geor-gia. At first glance, it might look like any other port, but there’s more to the marina than meets the eye.
Melanie Dean, the marina’s manager, turns around at her desk and looks through the window behind her.
“It’s a protected harbor. As you can see, the main channel is quite a bit away from where we are. That means we don’t get a lot of wind or wake off the lake,” she says.
Dean’s office is in the main building, a quaint shack offering supplies people might need while anchoring out on the Tennessee River. Wooden docks reach beyond the building and into the harbor, providing plenty of room for runabouts to tie up. Covered docks housing private yachts and sales units border the far ends of the marina.
On this day, a blue sky filled with cotton white clouds reflects off the surface of the harbor’s still waters, completing the picture.
Before boaters leave the harbor, they can gas up on Virgin mid grade fuel, stock up on snacks and hit up the staff for pointers on what to do once they’re out of the harbor.
“The good thing about Chickamauga Lake is that it’s not all channel,” Dean says. “There are a lot of little sloughs you can motor back into if you’re looking for a quiet place to read a book. And there are places where the water is slick and the skiing is good.”
The harbor also provides access to a number of restaurants and public recreation areas along the Tennessee River.
Dean has good news for people who enjoy the social aspect of boating.
“People take short cocktail cruises during the week and throw all-out water parties on the weekend. If you’re looking to rip and snort and have a good time, you won’t be disappointed,” she says.
In addition to enjoying the wildlife, Dean says there’s plenty of wildlife to enjoy on the
waters and along the shores beyond the harbor.
Chickamauga Marina start-ed out as a mom-and-pop operation with one dry storage facility, a parts and services center, two covered docks and two uncovered docks. When Kayo Erwin purchased the marina in 1992, he opened a sales facility and spiffed up the rest.
Today, Erwin Marine Sales, of which Chickamauga Marina is one component, is comprised of a large showroom, several covered docks housing private boats, a sales dock, the dry storage facility and the parts and services center.
Potential customers will find plenty of Sea Ray boats on display as well as a few Carver Yachts occupying the slips of the sales dock. In addition, Erwin Marine Sales “remarkets” boats for banks and sells private units on consignment.
While all of the rental slips are taken, there’s ample room in the warehouse-style dry storage facility for smaller boats. If a client calls ahead, the staff will even pull his boat out of storage and tie it to a dock for when he arrives. If he shows up without calling ahead, he can watch the staff use a towering forklift to grab his boat.
As for the parts and services center, Dean says the crew can fix almost anything a boater throws at them.
“We have MerCruiser certified technicians, so our guys can service most engines.”
Given Chickamauga Mari-na’s idyllic and versatile nature, it should come as no surprise that it serves as the springboard for a variety of boating events. Perhaps the best known of these occasions is the annual Dragon Boat Festival, in which local teams do battle to be named the best in the city. This year’s festival will take place July 23-25 and include the USDBF Club Crew National Championships.
Dean is hoping AquaPa-looza, an Erwin Marine Sales Sea Ray event scheduled for one weekend earlier, will be another big draw.
“We’ll have a barge with a band on the lake. After that’s set up, everyone will start anchoring out around the stage. It’s going to be a big time,” she says.
And Chickamauga Marina will be ready, with free lifejackets for boaters who are running short and laundry and bathhouse facilities for those who want to make a weekend of it. In addition, Tennessee Wildlife Resources and the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be patrolling the region and doing safety checks, as they do year-round.
Chickamauga Marina is
open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and
until 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 423-622-1978 for more information.
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