Little Rock Area

June 13, 2001 to August 8, 2001

This is a major lay over. We are staying in the Little Rock Area for 2 months as we get various things done.
One of the first and main things we accomplished here was to get married on June 16^th.
It was a perfect day and location for the ceremony and reception. We were able to tie the boat up at a dock and have the use of the pavilion on the site. All at no cost. The scenery and weather were great. We were married on the Bridge and had the reception at the pavilion. It was also somewhat unusual for a wedding as Kathy and her band provided the musical entertainment and the bride serenaded the groom during their first dance. We had about 65 guests in attendance, but we missed all of you who could not be there.

We are staying at the Little Rock Yacht Club Hastings Marina. It is a nice place and the folks here are all very friendly and helpful. Jimbo is the marina manager and is very personable. We have spent a fair amount of time with him and his fiancé Kristi on his boat seeing some of the sights of the area. He also loaned us his small boat when we went up the river from here. Our dingy has lost its bottom again so will need to be replaced.

We are tied up at the fuel dock, so we get to see all the goings on around the marina, including a photo shoot for an advertisement for a local clothing store. As per usual Arkansas summer weather, the temps are high 90's with heat index in the 100's. Whew!
While we are here, Richard is finishing the installation of the fuel polishing system and oil bypass filter system.
We are also getting the carpet in the salon, dinette and galley replaced with hardwood.

We used and recommend the Arkansas River Cruise Guide by Bruce and Joyce Johnson. They provide a lot of good information about marinas and anchorages with good line sketches showing the approaches. There are some changes in the information they provide that we want to point out. The most important thing we can pass on is to always call the marina in advance and ask what services are available there because there are changes daily from what the cruising guide lists. At the Little Rock Yacht club, the Arkansas River cruising guide mentions a deli ¾ miles away, well this is now a lawyer’s office. Diesel fuel is becoming easier to get it appears. Little Rock Yacht club now has diesel on site .
They now also have a 70 ton lift and soon will have a 24 hour card activated fuel pump like the self service stations we use for our cars.

We made a 4-day trip up the Arkansas after attending a Power Squadron rendezvous at the Russellville marina in Lake Dardanelle.
Brandy and Ted Hertz who own the marina are extremely helpful and pleasant folks. It was nice to spend a couple of days in their marina.
The marina is located next to a park where there are hundreds of resident geese and good fishing (we saw others catch them). The marina also has 2 cabins that can be rented. It was pleasant to sit on the back patio of the office and visit with the locals.
Slip $.50/foot with 30 or 50 amp power.

Lake Dardanelle is very pretty but really quite shallow, so it is important to keep in the channel or get local guidance as to where to anchor. There are several creeks and rivers that are good for exploring in the dingy.
Diesel fuel is available. Russellville has a tank on premise so does not require 24 hr notice, although Brandy and Ted like to know several hours in advance of the need as they don’t like to store a lot in the tank.
Ted and Brandy don’t go to the store daily but will help you find a way into town. The Holiday Inn does come and get you to eat or stay.

We then continued further up the river and spent a few great days anchored out in Piney Creek and Petit Jean River.
The Arkansas River above Little Rock is really quite pretty with big hills and bluffs and a fair number of very pretty and secluded anchorages. It is also reported to have good fishing but we didn't catch any.

We recommend the Arkansas River as a cruising destination but remember, most of the boating here is locals and fishing. But maybe that is part of its attraction; it hasn’t been discovered by hoards of cruising boaters.

We will be leaving on Aug. 8^th to head for the Tennessee River.

Update you then

Back