Cumberland River - Green Turtle Bay

For cruising boaters who have been to the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, Green Turtle is a cay (island) with the town of New Plymouth.  For mid-country river cruisers, it is a bay on Barkley Lake/Cumberland River.  Yes, there are turtles there -- they are not green turtles, they are red-eared sliders, an invasive species, but cute anyway.

The Green Turtle Bay Marina is very popular among cruisers for many reasons, one being that it is the first marina south of Alton, Illinois worthy of the title marina.  It is a long way from Alton, IL, to Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  Everyone needed a break, made the marina an extended stay, and the number of Loopers kept growing.

Bob and Kemba DeGroot completed the Great Loop at Green Turtle and replaced their tattered white burgee with a new gold one.  They actually began the Loop a few years ago in Texas, but had made a side trip up the rivers to Green Turtle.  So, when they turned into Green Turtle Bay, they "crossed their wake," joining ends of the circle.  Bob and Kemba are aboard Spirit Dancer, a 49' DeFever cockpit motor yacht.





The acquaintance with this couple began at a DeFever Rendezvous at Cabbage Key, Florida.  Always interesting how paths of cruisers keep crossing.  Such an occasion brought about numerous celebrations, one which included cigars on the aft deck and two-fisted drinkers.

A dinner at the Yacht Club had Bob entertaining everyone on the guitar, including his newly-penned song, "The Great Loop."

The small (tiny, minuscule) town of Grand Rivers has a hidden gem that Lynda (Erika Lin) and Jill found on a bike ride through town -- Sugar and Spice.  Thinking it was a bakery they stopped as the guys continued back to the marina.  They didn't find a bakery inside the older home.  It held a teaching kitchen and restaurant operated by an accomplished chef, Marilyn Kunz.  She operates the restaurant in the evenings, when and if she has reservations.  The menu changes monthly, with German food theme for Octoberfest.

A group of ten piled into the Green Turtle shock-less courtesy car -- Bob and Lynda (Erika Lin), Bob and Kemba (Spirit Dancer), Steve and Beth (Gemini), Mark and Terri (TerrMar), and the Last Dance crew.

The back room of the home was both the dining area and demonstration kitchen, bringing the entire dining experience close and personal.

A culinary delight, an amazing experience, an adventure through foods.

Dinner ended with Marilyn's stories of operating a restaurant in an old mansion and her publishing experiences as a cookbook author.  Jill has another dessert cookbook in her collection.