The Captain's Post2010-07-30T13:54:42ZTom AllenCopyright 2010, Tom AllenSPHPBLOGWhat A Ride
Service – Service – Service
Sunset Marina is blessed to have so many talented service oriented businesses located within a few miles of the marina. Whatever service you need to keep your boat in top running condition, you can find it at one of the following businesses which serve our customers with a wide variety of marine related services. Put these businesses on speed dial – you won’t regret it.
Keith’s Leisure Time Motor Sports – Owner Keith Esper 931-864-7939 Keith Esper has been in the marine service industry for nearly 15 years here on Dale Hollow Lake and when he first arrived in Tennessee from his native Wisconsin, he helped Sunset Marina in our service department. Keith now owns and operates a 5-star service facility located on Highway 111 approximately 5 miles north of Sunset Marina. Keith, along with his wife Patty, son Bob, and technician Derek Robbins, service all trailerable boats, inboards or outboards, PWC’s, & ATV’s. They also sell nice, clean used fishing boats, runabouts, and pontoons. Whatever your marine related need, pull your boat into Keith’s shop and his crew will take great care of you.
Hilltop Marine – David Huellett – 931-403-3366 - www.hilltopmarine.com Hilltop Marine recently expanded to Dale Hollow Lake from Lake Cumberland where they have operated a full service center for many years. Hilltop has a great reputation on Lake Cumberland and their expertise is now available to Dale Hollow Boaters. Services include: Mercruiser; Volva Penta; Fiberglass; Bottom Paint; Electronics; Generator; Air Conditioning; Detailing; Buff & Wax; Prop Repair; Canvas; Trailer Repair; Launching & Picking up boats. Hilltop also makes service calls to marinas. Hilltop’s Dale Hollow location is 1.5 miles south of Sunset, ¼ mile off Highway 111 on Hill Cemetery Road at Sunset Marina’s Dry Storage Facility. Give Lesa a call at their Dale Hollow Office to set up service.
Dale Hollow Marine – Don & Tana Bushmiller – 931-864-3252 Don & Tana operate the longest established service center on this end of Dale Hollow Lake. They are located on Cordell Hull Memorial Drive (turn at Shell gas station) on the road leading down to Eagle’s Cove Marina & Starpoint Marina. Dale Hollow Marine services trailerable boats towed to their shop – so stop by and visit with them and they will provide you with first class service for all your marine related needs.
Marine Assist – Don Hunter – 877-662-2555 Don Hunter, owner of Marine Assist, established a Dale Hollow Lake service in 2009 that is becoming very popular and is giving boater’s a wonderful peace of mind when they are out on the lake and away from their “safe harbor”. Marine Assist offers a membership service for $95.00 per year that provides FREE towing, jump starting, and fuel delivery. Suitable to Tennessee, Don operates bright orange and white service boats that are unmistakable when you see one on the water. The boats are operated by USCG Licensed Captains who are on call 24/7 with contact by VHF Channel 16 or by phone at their toll free number. Marine Assist offers three levels of membership to suit your needs and will work with all insurance companies and accepts all major credit cards. If you are not a member but need Marine Assist’s Services, please contact them and they will provide the same service to you for a fee. The membership is definitely a great value and an insurance policy with comfortable peace of mind. Contact Don today to activate your membership and go boating with no worries. 877-662-2555. ]]>http://www.sunsetmarina.com/smrblog/index.php?entry=entry100515-0723372010-05-15T00:00:00Z2010-05-15T00:00:00ZMarina FiresCountdown to Spring
Spring will arrive on the calendar in only three more days. Saturday March 20, 2010 is the official start to the spring season. Let’s hope that spring weather will arrive at the same time. According to the forecast, we should expect to see some warmer temperatures this weekend. We can not wait to see you at the marina. It has been such a long, cold winter that I cannot remember a time when I personally looked so forward to warmer temperatures. I also look forward to seeing some boating traffic on the water and most importantly, we hope to dust off our cash registers and get them functioning again as the winter months sure are expensive – especially this one. Anyway, as spring approaches, Sunset’s Crew has spent considerable amount of time discussing safety around the marina and one area of discussion has been “marina fires” and as boat owners begin to return to the harbor and open up their boats, the potential for a fire increases considerably. Therefore, I want to dedicate some time to this first “post” of 2010.
Marina Fires
Many boat owners are curious as to how Sunset Marina prepares for a marina fire. Although no two marina fires are alike and there is absolutely no way to be 100% prepared to every scenario that could present itself, Sunset’s Crew spends a considerable amount of time discussing and preparing for the unfortunate event of a marina fire. Sunset Marina is one of the only marinas to own and operate a fireboat. Sunset Marina also has a portable fire fighting wagon that consists of a high powered water pump powered by a gasoline engine. This wagon can be pulled to transported to any location within the harbor and a pick-up hose dropped into the lake, and with the engine started, a crew member can throw some serious water onto a fire.
Training with this equipment is a key and Sunset Marina does not operate a full-time firefighting team but we do train on this equipment and on Saturday May 22, 2010 during our annual “Safe Boating Day” (link) activities, Sunset Marina will offer any boat owner who keeps a boat in Sunset’s Harbor to train on and become familiar with Sunset’s equipment. In the event a fire happened when most of Sunset’s Crew was off duty, it may be helpful if several boat owners are familiar with the operation of Sunset’s equipment. So talk to your fellow boat owners and slip neighbors and designate a couple of willing souls to be at Sunset Marina on “Safe Boating Day” to participate in this fun and informative training.
Obviously, the first and major concern is always human safety and it should go without saying that anyone who is in harms way as a result of a fire, should the first priority and should be rescued and given proper first aid and/or medical attention. In the event a boat fire occurs within the marina harbor, Sunset Marina’s Crew is trained to attempt to move the boat out of the harbor as quickly as possible to avoid setting other boats and/or docks on fire. This is why Sunset Marina maintains a heavy anchor with 75 feet of small chain attached to the anchor near the fuel dock. In the event of a boat fire, the boat would be cut loose from the dock and the anchor would be tossed into the burning boat. The loose end of the chain would be used to tow the burning vessel away from the harbor. Simply cutting the boat loose without a plan to tow the vessel may cause other fires by allowing the burning boat to drift into other boats and/or docks. The small chain and the wind are factors to consider. The chain is necessary because a fire can burn a rope into and cause additional problems. The wind, if not considered, can create an even larger fire by fueling the flames and pushing the burning vessel into other boats and/or docks. The most important thing to remember during a fire in a marina harbor is that every action has a reaction and one must think one, two, or three steps ahead as to what the reaction will be by attacking a fire in a certain manner because again, no two fires are alike.
There are many other things to consider during a marina fire but most of all, I wanted everyone to begin thinking about safety as you begin the boating season. As we anticipate the arrival of spring and the 2010 Boating Season, please have fun, spend lots of money and most of all, “BE SAFE”
Thank You – we appreciate all our customers.
Tom Allen
VP/ General Manager
Sunset Marina & Resort
]]>http://www.sunsetmarina.com/smrblog/index.php?entry=entry100317-0559592010-03-17T00:00:00Z2010-03-17T00:00:00ZWinterizing Docks To Begin Soon Stay Warm!
Thank you for your business. Tom Allen
P.S. I am sorry for not maintaining a routine blog but I will try to post regular entries during the winter to keep you thinking about your boat and about beautiful Dale Hollow Lake. ]]>http://www.sunsetmarina.com/smrblog/index.php?entry=entry091103-1213162009-11-03T00:00:00Z2009-11-03T00:00:00ZSafe Boating Day Saturday May 16, 2009 was the start of nationwide “Safe Boating Week”. Sunset Marina recognized “Safe Boating Week” by hosting a “Safe Boating Day” which was attended by various agencies such as The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Friends of Dale Hollow Lake. Boaters were able to collect information on “Safe and Clean” boating practices and TWRA gave away a free lifejacket to everyone who signed a pledge to wear one while boating. Children were fascinated with “Bobber” the USACE Water Safety Dog. Door prizes were given away and it was a fun day for all who attended. Click here to view more photos of Sunset Marina’s “Safe Boating Day”.
Click HERE to view the photos of the events.]]>http://www.sunsetmarina.com/smrblog/index.php?entry=entry090516-0534162009-05-16T00:00:00Z2009-05-16T00:00:00ZDale Hollow Poker Run
The very first Dale Hollow Lake Poker Run will be held from June 6-14th. During this 9 day event, participants will pick up a playing card at each of seven locations around the lake, to complete their “hand.” Sunset Marina will be one of these locations. Eighty percent of the registration fees will be returned as prize money. The remaining twenty percent of the proceeds will support the Nashville Ronald McDonald House. Please visit www.DaleHollowLakePokerRun.com for the most up to date information and details.
You can complete in 1 day, the weekend, or over the course of 9 days! The choice is yours...enjoy our beautiful region by boat, motorcycle, or vehicle. 225 gorgeous miles of scenic highway or 61 miles by water.
Events around the lake each day. Get your entry form to mail or reserve online today. Pre-registration/gift $100, on-site registration/gift during the event $125.
Long time patrons of Sunset Restaurant are familiar with the “Chef in the Kitchen”, William “Zoom” Miller. This year, patrons will be seeing more of “Zoom” in the Dining Room as well. Sunset Marina General Manager Tom Allen confirms that Zoom has accepted the position of Restaurant Manager beginning immediately. Sunset’s Restaurant Management position became vacant in October of 2008 when Brian Mueller resigned after eight years of service to join the staff of Mustard Seed Ranch in Cookeville, Tennessee. Zoom is already on the job and is actively preparing for the upcoming season. Opening day for Sunset Restaurant is Friday April 3rd when the restaurant will begin serving patrons on weekends. The full weekly schedule will begin in Mid-May. For those who are thinking that Zoom’s talents are best utilized in the kitchen, never fear. Zoom’s presence and influence will primarily remain in the kitchen. However, as Sunset’s Restaurant Manager, Zoom will be bringing his wide range of talent to the overall dining experience and he will be much more accessible to the customers and will be responsible for all restaurant operations. Zoom is putting together a staff that will assist him in continuing the quality dining experience Sunset’s Customers have grown accustomed to. Make plans now to visit Sunset Restaurant on Dale Hollow Lake for a unique dining experience. Sunset Restaurant serves lunch and dinner and on the weekends, breakfast is also served. Join us for excellent meals, friendly service, a relaxed atmosphere, and breathtaking views of the evening “SUNSETS”.
Sunset Marina’s Crew has recently completed “Sassafras Hollow,” a very unique lakeshore cottage located at “Sunset East” just south of “R-Dock”. This beautiful cottage has three queen size beds and three sleeper sofas sleeping up to 12 people. Sassafras Hollow also offers a fully equipped kitchen, 2 ½ baths, fireplace, activity room, large front deck with an unparalleled lake view and so much more. Visit our website and click on “Sunset East” to get more information and see more pictures of this beautiful lakeshore cottage. This unique lakeview cottage and it’s predecessor, “Sassafras Point” is available for seasonal rentals should you or someone you know desire to rent one or both of these lakefront accommodations for a full season to accommodate your family, friends, coworkers and associates for a complete season of waterfront recreation. Covered boat slips are located on the water’s edge near your cottage for convenient docking of your personal boat. If you are interested in weekly or seasonal rental of these facilities, call today to make your reservation. ]]>http://www.sunsetmarina.com/smrblog/index.php?entry=entry090116-1142542009-01-16T00:00:00Z2009-01-16T00:00:00ZMerry Christmas & Happy New Year! Thank you for a great summer. We pray that your family has a healthy, happy and blessed Christmas. Please remember Jesus (Luke 2) as you celebrate this season with family and friends.
P.S. It's official...Santa Claus is coming to town, and soon. Dock manager, Francis Copeland, aka Chummly, received the good news directly from the big guy himself while riding Sunset's fire boat in the Pickett County Christmas Parade.
As all of you are aware, Dale Hollow Lake’s water level is lower than we have experienced in over 25 years. In fact, 1983 was the last time Dale Hollow fell below our present elevation of 634.00 feet above sea level. The previous low level of 632.84 was reached on November 14, 1983. All of the marina owner’s on Dale Hollow Lake met with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers(USACE) at Dale Hollow’s Dam and visitor’s center last week to discuss the lake level situation. According to the USACE, they expect Dale Hollow to continue to drop to 633.00 by the end of December and possibly even lower if we do not receive significant rainfall. The USACE states that we are in the third year of a five year drought pattern.
The low water level presents many challenges for a marina and for you (the boaters). We appreciate your patience as we maneuver docks, boat slips, and gangplanks to adjust to the ongoing falling of Dale Hollow’s pool level. For your information, Dale Hollow Lake has a “Power Pool” of 20 feet. This means that the water in Dale Hollow from elevation 631 to elevation 651 is used for power generation. The lake also has what is known as a “Flood Pool” which is 12 feet in depth and runs from elevation 651 to elevation 663. This twelve foot flood pool is used during times of extreme flooding to hold back water in order to prevent downstream flooding in the towns along the Cumberland River. For your reference point, the front guardrail along Sunset’s Parking Lots is at elevation 655. Therefore, if Dale Hollow ever reached it’s highest point in flood stage, the parking lots would have eight feet of water standing in them.
The USACE’s ability to hold water and provide downstream navigation has been reduced by over 35% since Lake Cumberland’s Wolf Creek Dam and Center Hill Lake’s Dam is undergoing emergency repair. With this dam repair, Dale Hollow Lake is being used to store water in the spring and the USACE expects the reservoir level to reach at least 653 by June 1st, 2009 and Dale Hollow’s water is being relied on more heavily in the fall to provide hydropower and downstream navigation. The USACE stated that Dale Hollow has been the most important reservoir in the Cumberland River System in terms of managing water this past year and will be for several years to come.
I hope you find this information helpful and educational. Below are some helpful links to monitor Dale Hollow Lake’s pool level.
