Dec 10, 2005 - Lake Rabun

Brrrrr.. A cold weather cruise by Donnie Filanski, Harold Carter, Fred Ewing and Louis Bondurant. Also joined for part of the day by Troy Shank and his son Quinton. The lake is down aproximately 12' below full pool and the temperature is down as well. After our start at 26 degrees the temperature finally climbs on into the 40s. Cold conditions for these Southerners.

Nov 12, 2005 - Coosawattee Cruise

Donnie Filanski and Louis Bondurant take on a cruise up the Coosawattee River during a period of quite low flow (245 Cu ft/sec as measuerd by USGS in Ellijay). Creates some interesting opportunities and challenges which netted out as an enjoyable outing.

Harold Carter, Jeff Wilbanks and Louis Bondurant launch at the Kely Bridge ramp on the Etowah River. It is their intent to travel abour 2 miles or so upstream to the mouth of Amicalola Creek. Conditions permitting they hope to follow the Amicalola northward some 8 miles to the Hwy 53 bridge. They anticipated that the going would be rough on the first few miles of the Amicalola as it was narrow and lined with overhanging trees. If, however, they were able to clear this section, the river widened and provided great whitewater immediately upstream. The trip didn't exactly go as planned, but everyone did manage to return to the ramp under power. Click on the heading for photos and a narrative on the Hoverclub's Photo Gallery.

Amicalola Creek - Etowah River to Hwy 53 (marked up aerial photo)

Kelly Bridge Ramp on Etowah River (Terra Server link)

Confluence of Etowah River and Amicalola Creek (Terra Server Link)

Hwy 53 Bridge over Amicalola Creek (Terra Server Link)

Oct 8-10, 2004 - Big Spring HoverIn

Great weather and the hospitality of our hosts Dave and Linda Braden helped to make this our 26th anniversary yet another memorable event. Click on the heading for a story from the 2001 HoverIn at Big Spring.

Several small cruises since last December have gone unreported. This one, however, was too much fun to allow to fall to the same fate. Click on the heading above for full details on this 100 mile cruise.

The second annual Smoky Mountain cruise was a strong success with 8 attendees travelling in from New Hampshire, Illinous, South Florida and many points inbetween. While some did experience mechanical inconveniences, all of these were close to camp or resolvable in the field. Most importantly there were no injuries to marr the trip for any of our participants. We used the cabins and RV park at Almond for a base camp and the propriator Jim Mathis was particulary helpful by blading a section of the shoreline with his tractor to provide us a clean transition to a landing zone. Its great to find a location which offers good resources and rolls out the welcome mat.

The final cruise of the year (at least for our Atlanta Chapter). A clear and calm day with a predicted high of 60 degrees, how could we resist? Adding further to the temptation is the fact that the lake is lower than we have ever seen. At 17' below full pool, this is bound to open up hovering opportunities never before explored.

Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant depart Blockhouse ramp a little after noon and trek up Allatoona Creek 2 to 3 miles upstream of Hwy 41. Slow going in many areas due to abundant population of stumps 1' to 3' in height. Then they decide to play in the open water and take a run down to Allatoona Dam. Total trip was a little less than 4 hours and covered just over 25 miles. While others sit at home pondering what bowl games they will watch on on New Year's Day, Harold and Louis played in our own the day before. Click on ther heading to see photos from The Mud Bowl.

The 25th consecutive Big Spring HoverIn and most attended to date. Click on the heading above for the story and color photos from HOVERNEWS.

This was a 68 mile round trip up the French Broad and Pigeon Rivers in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. We started from TVA's Douglas Lake near Newport, TN and turned around near Hartford, TN, close to the North Carolina border. Despite the fact that Douglas Lake was some 20' below full pool, the channel was deep and wide at our put in location and for several miles upstream. We pushed off at 10AM with hopes of a mid-afternoon return to facilitate the 2 hour drive (by car) to the Big Spring hover-in about 100 miles downstream.

We hovered up the French Broad River beyond its confluence with the Nolachucky River and then finally identified the mouth of the Pigeon River on the south bank. Minimal flow left rocks exposed in the riverbed and in some cases presented very tight maneuvering requirements. We paused for a break between Newport and Denton and then another between Denton and Hartford. Just about the time we pulled out of our second stop the water flow caught up with us. Not an immediate wall of water, but a relatively quick changing of the pace of the current from less than 5 MPH to well over 10 MPH. While the trip from here to Hartford was only a few miles the environment was significantly different.

We all stopped in Hartford for lunch, checked fuel and then several continued on upstream. From this point on our day was riddled with an assortment of challenges. Multiple mechanical problems and a few unplanned encounters with rocks resulted in a return trip which was by no means uneventful. All drivers and passengers survived the day free of significant injuries, but not all craft were so lucky. Six of the original eight craft returned to the ramp under power, but several now wear battle scars as evidence of the fact that they did participate in PR03. All were eventually recovered as well as any components which were sacraficed to the powers of the river.

While this turned into a much longer than planned day, most of our participants enjoyed the trip thoroughly. Rather than try to arrive at Big Spring at close to midnight most of our party chose to spend an additional night in Newport and then shoot for an early morning departure Saturday morning. This worked out fine and Big Spring wound up being one of our most highly participated events and the weather was great. Food for thought for 12 months down the road: Maybe the Nolachucky River (just north of the Pigeon) would be a good candidate for a pre-Big Spring cruise in Oct 04. More to follow, in the meantime here is some preliminary info on the Nolachucky.

For information on the 2003 Pigeon River Cruise, click here >> 2003 Pigeon River Cruise
For information on the 2002 Pigeon River Cruise, click here >> 2002 Pigeon River Cruise
For more information on the Pigeon River, click here >> The Pigeon River

As a result of significant rainfall during April and May, Lake Allatoona had crept up to a level 7' above normal. While the Memorial Day weather outlook looked none too promising neither Harold Carter nor Louis Bondurant could resist the opportunity to hover areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. With the exception of Allatoona Landing and Blockhouse Boat Ramp, all of the other (30+) ramps on the lake were said to be closed. While we could have found an alternate site to launch, we wanted a safe & legal location to park our cars. We chose Allatoona Landing.

A cruise up to Clark Creek Campground found picnic tables, camp grills and many roadways submerged. After journeying further up Clark Creek an interesting area is found for a high stakes obstacle course in a stand of tall trees. We played here for a bit, snapped a few photos and then moved on toward Hwy 41 (Allatoona Creek). We had cruised this area before, but overhanging limbs and fallen trees would not allow passage much beyond the point that boats were able to travel. This was not the case on May 25 and we travelled on several miles further upstream before we finally decided to double back.

Last but not least, our return trip takes us by the back side of Acworth Dam. As viewed from Lake Allatoona this dam is usually some what imposing as a near sheer 8' concrete face is seen. With the current levels of both lakes, however the elevation difference is now slightly less than 2'. With some 6" or 8" of water rolling over the top and the short but none the less steep face of the back side of the dam, this poses an interesting but intimidating opportunity. After 2 fly-bys to assess the situation Louis finally powers over the top without incident. Not to be left behind Harold lines up his Starcruiser and punches through this obstacle with a style comparable to that of Kevin Duggan (see page 11 of Jul/Aug 2001 HOVERNEWS). Once we are both up on Lake Acworth we realize that there are no other motorized boats in site, therefore they may well be prohibited. Rather than stir up a problem we turned about and flew down to Allatoona. Shouldn't go there again and probably won't have the opportunity to anyway, but it was fun while it lasted.

Total cruise was 25.5 miles over the course of about 3 hours. At times the wind was a bit significant, but never once did it rain. In view of the forecast, we really lucked out.

Another great outing at the Braden's Rural Retreat Campground in Big Spring. Friday night is wet, but this doesn't prevent a sizable crowd of participants from showing up. After the fog burned off Saturday morning all were faced with blue skies and warm weather.

This trip starts at 9AM at the Hwy 25 ramp on TVA's Douglas Lake. John Miller, Tim Curry, Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant are met by Steve Blanchett of The Newport Plain Talk (click here for their story) and Diane Keys, Cocke County's Director of Tourism to learn more about our trip and take pictures. Also meeting us at the ramp was David Cody, Cocke County's EMS Director who provided a safety briefing prior to our departure.

Finally around 10AM we get off the ramp and proceed upstream. We have about a 9 mile run up Douglas Lake before branching off to follow the Pigeon River upstream. The Pigeon is initially only 30 to 40' wide, quite crooked and includes trees leaning into the river's path. Fortunately it soon opened up to +50' width allowing us to make some time on our 65 mile round trip. Not far upstream of Newport, TN we encounter a section which John dubs "The Rock Garden". At this point the river was about 100' wide and littered with closely spaced rocks sticking up 4 to 6 inches above the water. We each spent a bit of time planning our path and are able to proceed through "the garden" without equipment damage.

Around noon GPS readings indicate that we were passing through the community of Denton, which is the foot of the section rafters call "The Lower Pigeon". We note a marked change in water velocity and then run across a couple of sections that are moderately challenging. About 2 miles downstream of Hartford, TN Tim has trouble with his lift engine, but is able to park his craft conveniently on a gravel ramp used by rafting outfitters. After a pause for diagnosis it is agreed that in the interest of time that it would be best for John, Harold and Louis to proceed on upstream.

We proceed on up to Hartford where we grab a quick bite of lunch and refuel. Discussion with locals reveal that the release rate we are currently seeing is significant and should be addressed with caution. The flow rate in the Hartford area is quite meaningful, but a section about 1/2 mile upstream is said to offer a real test (this is the furthest downstream Class IV section of the Upper Pigeon). We proceed on to this area and engage in the base of this section, but the water here is moving quite fast and waves exist which approach 4' in height. At this point (35N48.3' x 83W08.3') we decide to turn back, while the option to do so intact still exists. Interestingly the rock garden which posed a problem earlier in the day was now fully submerged and represented little more than a ripple in the flow.

After returning from this trip, we learn that Carolina Power & Light put all three turbines in service at Walters Powerhouse around noon that day. As a result the water flow increased from less than 200 cubic feet per second to approximately 2000 (click here for USGS gauge readings). This certainly explained the change in conditions we noted slightly after noon in the Denton area. Based on the conditions we noted at this high flow rate and discussion with rafting outfitters it is likely that a flow rate in the range of 1000 CFS could facilitate a trip further upstream, possibly all the way to Walters Powerhouse. This will have to wait for another day.

Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant meet at the Knox Bridge Ramp on the northern end of Lake Allatoona. Neither are sure what this trip has in store as the only pretrip research has been a quick review of a topo map. In view of the minimal rainfall this area has seen in recent months (for that matter in recent years) it was a definite possibility that a short run upstream would result in the need to backtrack due to an impassable obstruction.

In fact a nearly impassible obstruction was encountered at the highway 140 bridge near Canton, GA. On the upstream side of the bridge support columns, a logjam had formed which was close to 10' in height and 50' wide. We managed to squeeze by between the jam and the river bank directly under overhanging branches from trees on shore.

From here we continued on upstream another 20+ miles until the decision is made to return based on fuel and time of day. The turnaround point was about 1 mile upstream of the Highway 372 bridge just southeast of Ball Ground, GA. This represented a total round trip distance of 66 miles. After returning to Knox Bridge, further review of topo maps revealed a ramp not far above our turnaround point. For our next trip on the Etowah River, this ramp can serve as a starting point for a cruise further upstream. From this point the potential may exist to reach the vicinity of Dawsonville, GA.

A 54 mile round trip up the Tuckaseegee River with a short detour up the Oconaluftee River. Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant leave from Almond Boat Park on Fontana Lake Saturday morning in hopes of making Dillsboro, NC for lunch. The flat water run on Fontana was longer than expected (20 miles), but finally the waters narrow and rapids begin to appear. About 2 miles upstream of the flat water they pass through the town of Bryson City. Here they encounter a number of spectators who are attending a fair at a riverside park While a sizable number of onlookers did assemble at the river bank no one seemed to object to their presence.

Just above the downtown area a good section of white water exists which a canoe outfitter has rigged with course markers. No canoers are out on this day and the markers provide an interesting opportunity to test maneuvering skills. They manage to get through this section with no damage to craft or course and proceed on upstream. After about 5 miles of mixed rapids and flat water the Oconaluftee River merges in on the left. Harold a Louis detour up this section and soon encounter the back side of a 50' dam. After a brief photo stop they return to the Tuckaseegee and proceed upstream.

Only one half mile above the Oconaluftee they encounter a significant set of rapids. In view of the time, remaining fuel supply and significant nature of this section they chose to abort the goal to reach Dillsboro and turn back at this point. Per the USGS gauging station at Bryson City the flow was 1300 cubic feet per second at the time of their trip.While this section was deemed high risk on this date it warrants reevaluation at a flow rate of 2000 CFS. Another consideration for a future trip would include starting from the ramp on the north side of Fontana about 3 miles downstream of Bryson City. This is a new ramp and does not show on topo maps. It should, however, be possible to get driving direction from Bryson City.

A 39 mile venture up the Chestatee River from Toto ramp on Lake Lanier. Bill Wilcox, Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant manage an early season 5 hour run without any breakdowns. The weather was good with a high temperature approaching 60 degrees. Lunch on the porch of The Oar House restaurant provided a good mid-day break in the agenda. Turnaround point was a strong and tight set of rapids a little over 19 miles upstream of our starting point.

Return trip included a rest stop on an island in the middle of a golf course adjacent to highway 19 south of Dahlonega. We overcame the urge for a short run down a fairway that would have been easy access. Although we would have done no damage to the course the golfers would certainly have received us with a less than favorable reception. Instead we sat quietly on our island and attracted looks of curiosity from essentially every golf cart which passed by.

After our last trip which required sharing of reserve fuel on the return trip we overcompensated on this run. At least 10 gallons of fuel remained in the 3 craft upon return to the ramp. We were lucky to get this trip in when we did as sub-freezing temperatures were soon to return to the area.

The weather for January 29, 2002 was almost too good to be true...sunny, a high of 73 degrees with little to no wind...the kind of day hovernuts only dream about in January in North Georgia. Bill Wilcox, Jeff Wilbanks and Harold Carter travel to Lake Lanier where the level is down 12' and the water is like glass. Bill flies his UH-13T while Jeff copilots in Harold's Starcruiser.

The Up the Creek Cafe offered dining on the deck which overlooked Starboard Marina. An adjacent boat ramp would have allowed hovercraft access direct to the restaurant's parking lot, however, they chose shoreline parking this trip.

After lunch they tour Lake Lanier Islands area and huge mansions surrounding the Pine Isle Resort. Harold is distracted by the scenery and the wake from a 40 foot yacht catches him off guard. After a triple series of airborne status the craft is finally back under his control with all passengers still on board. All and all a good trip with weather to die for.

Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant start at the Patty Rd ramp on the Hiwassee River near Benton, TN. From here they travel upstream in a moderate current to the Applachia Powerhouse some 15 miles in distance. An incredible run with a number of challenging white water sections, but adequate for safe passage.

About the time of our arrival at the powerhouse, TVA discontinued power generation reducing river flow to about 10% of its previous level. This resulted in a return trip which was challenging to say the least. Sections which were wide fast moving water are now littered with boulders making navigable sections few and far between. Further compounding the problem was numerous fly fishermen who had arrived to work the river during this low flow stage.

The return trip was a long and confined battle with the icing on the cake being a greeting at Patty ramp by park rangers. At this time we learned that a section of the river in which we had travelled was state park property and as such hovercraft operation is not permitted. While no such rules or park boundaries are posted, a later review of materials posted by Tennessee on the internet confirmed these facts. While the trip upstream was a great event it looks like it will have to remain a one time experience.

With about a 24 hour notice, a weekday outing was flagged for Tuesday, Oct. 23, 01. Harold Carter, Marvin Koenig, Bill Wilcox and Louis Bondurant all meet at Tugaloo Park on Lake Hartwell, near the Ga/SC state line. Following a ramp departure around 1PM, Marvin's Scat develops belt problems and he is forced to return. Bill, Harold and Louis push on, with a goal to reach Yonah Dam, some 31 miles upstream.
After a few side trips up creeks and a brief period lost on a mud flat, they reach their destination. A good bit of water is flowing through the turbines at the time, providing a good set of rapids for play immediately below the dam. The return trip doesn't start until close to 4PM, which leaves little time for rest stops much less unplanned pit stops. Other than a couple of breaks for refuelling, the return trip goes without problems.

A good crowd this year with a total of 13 craft showing up. Weather is cool and quite windy, but some local cruising occurs none the less. A number of new faces this year.

Harold Carter, Louis Bondurant and daughter Marlee, start at Toto Park on Lake Lanier to travel upstream on the Chestatee. Previous efforts to travel up the Chestatee resulted in turning back just above the Hwy 400 bridge due to extensive rocks and low water. In view of the recent rain, however, our hopes are high for a trip more extensive than the previously travelled 20 mile loop.

Luck was with us and not only did we get through the rocks, they had become a great white-water section. We continued on all the way to Hwy 52 before finally turning back due to low fuel. In fact it was fortunate we turned back when we did, as we got back only through fuel sharing between Louis' AC and Marlee's Scat. On arrival back at Toto the two craft were left with 2 to 3 quarts of fuel combined (too close for comfort). All total, our trip was close to 30 miles in length and took us within 5 miles of Dahlonega, Ga. A great 4 hour trip.

Harold & Janet Carter and Louis Bondurant take a late afternoon run up the Chattahoochee River from Abbotts Bridge to Buford Dam and back. Cruised 27 miles over the course of 3 hours. No significant problems, but the return trip did include one exciting moment. With darkness less than 1 hour away and dinner plans rapidly approaching, we push the downstream return trip up into the 35 - 40 MPH bracket. At this pace an upcoming 1' waterfall is not noticed until too late to avert. Louis' Air Commander and Harold's Starcruiser (with Janet aboard) each experience a brief period WIG simulation and then give their skirts a good pressure test on returning to surface level.

Kent Gano, Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant meet at Lula Park on upper Lake Lanier for a trip upstream on the Chattahoochee River. The lake is down 10' below normal pool and as a result the ramp was unusable for boat traffic. The 75' or so of sand and mud between the ramp and water's edge posed no problem for hovercraft passage. The river flow is good as the result of a 1+ inch rain two days before and current is evident all the way down at the Lula Bridge (Hwy 52).

Our trip up the river included an unexpected swim as a wind gust catches a craft rounding a tight corner. As the water was 52 degrees and the air only slightly warmer, a dip wasn't exactly in the plan. After a brief recovery stop, we push on for several miles and then stop near Duncan Bridge to build a fire and eat lunch.

After lunch we push on and soon encounter Horseshoe Falls. Here we pause to play on the rocks and shoot several photos and then move on. A few miles further upstream we find a convenient beach and stop for a break. GPS readings indicate that we are only 0.75 miles from Hwy115 our planned turn-around point. Our fuel inventory, however, clearly indicated that it was not in our best interest to continue upstream. We decided to head south and leave Hwy115 and other points further upstream for our next trip. Return trip was made at a fairly fast pace without stops and took 55 minutes.

A 2.5 hour run with Kent Gano (with son Will) and Louis Bondurant (with daughter Leslie). On the return trip Leslie & Louis catch an unexpected view of an albino deer swimming across a narrow section of the river.

The annual fall Hoverin at Big Spring, TN included a 62 mile round trip up the Hiwassee River. Participants in some or all of the cruise included Charles Dixon, Louis Bondurant, Harold & Janet Carter, Cecil Scalf, Scott Cromwell, Sid Cromwell and Kent Gano. We head upstream around noon and many turned back as distance from camp increased and fuel supplies decreased. Despite the number of craft and the distance travelled, no mechanical problems experienced by any of our participants. Check out the Events section of the Hoverclub of America website for additional details on the annual Big Spring event.

Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant cruise the Tennessee River from Shellmound campground down through Nickajack Lock and up the Sequatchie River to Ketner Mill. Following lunch, refuelling and a few repairs, the return trip is trimmed short by the decision to pull out at the back side of Nickajack Dam (1 mile downstream of our starting point). A great trip, but with dark approaching, 6 hours on the water was deemed enough.

5 hour run by Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant from Sprewell Bluff Park to Hwy 74. An excellent cruise, but a lot of people to deal with getting in and out of the river at the park. Downstream of the park appears to offer good cruising, but time and already excess exposure to the sun did not encourage this at 5PM.

A 4 hour trip by Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant up Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. This trip included a short, but very aggressive section of white water adjacent to the Atlanta Water Works intake structure.

Lake Rabun's level is down 12' for its annual drawdown during this trip. Louis Bondurant is running solo the weekend before and makes an accidental decent down a 4.5' sheer bank His hovercraft enters the water at about a 60 degree angle pushing the nose (and lift engine) close to 3' underwater.

Surprisingly, the damage from this incident is limited to the loss of one blade on the lift fan resulting from the water's force pushing a bag into the fan's swept area. Replacement parts and Harold Carter later arrive and action continues. Writer/photographer, Don Frasier, stops by to document our cruise for a story in the Clayton Tribune.

Warm but windy weather for this late October cruise on Lake Allatoona. Harold, Kerry & Debbie and Louis meet at Clark Creek Campground ramp which is open despite the fact that the lake is down about 8'. Over the course of the day we logged about 3 hours cruising Clark Creek, Tanyard Creek and Allatoona Creek.

At Tanyard Creel the lake level was just right for passage through a 9' corrugated pipe, which runs under Tanyard Creek Rd. This opened up to an interesting mud flat around a public beach area which ended up serving as our lunch area. Creek continued under I75, but tunnel was much too small to consider passage.

From here we ran up to Hwy 41 and the Atlanta Ski Club area. A cable anchor found Kerry's bag and opened up an 18" tear on the right side. Harold manages to produce a sewing needle and roll of dental floss from the depths of a storage compartment on his Scat. After ½ hour of patient sewing the Aerocruiser is ready for its +10 mile return trip to the Clark Creek ramp.

Kent, Harold, Kerry and Louis all come together at Toto Park to travel upstream on the Chestatee River. While cruising a sand bar, an unexpected gully catches Kent by surprise and swallows his Scat whole. No significant injuries, but a good bit of equipment damage (engine mount fails and allows fan/duct contact). Louis also drops into the gully, but having seen Kent's dilemma has time to slow enough to control damage.

After dealing with the logistical issues associated with getting a dead craft out of the lake; Kerry, Harold and Louis decide to push on. A bit past the Hwy 400 bridge, the exhaust on Kerry's Scat decides to break in half due to corrosion. Field repair attempts were not successful and darkness was approaching rapidly. The decision is made to make the 10 mile drive back with an open pipe. Finally made it back to the ramp, loaded and departed, just past O'Dark Thirty. All and all a good trip, despite the challenges.

Most of the crowd showed up between 4 and 8 PM after the wind had picked up to +20MPH. Between the wind and oncoming darkness, there was little activity on the water Friday.

Awoke Saturday morning to heavy rain, which was followed by more rain. After that there was more rain still. Kent Gano erected a large canopy over his hovercraft trailer, which was capable of seating about a dozen or so people. Later in the day we added an extension which facilitated standing room and the burn barrel. Linda Braden (the proprietor of Rural Retreat Campground) prepared several large pots of coffee and we used the morning and early afternoon to catch up on stories, plans and ideas. The weather finally clears Sunday afternoon, but by then a number of participants have already packed their gear and headed home. Maybe better weather next year.

Louis Bondurant and his daughter, Leslie, take a 2 hour cruise up the Little River from the Cherokee Mills ramp on Lake Altoona. The lake level is full pool and all cruising is deep water except the last 1/2 mile of Little River.

Kerry Bedsworth(with Debbie), Harold Carter and Louis Bondurant meet at Lula ramp on Lake Lanier. Kerry has trouble with the starter on his Aerocruiser and finally confirms that he is not going to be able to run. We all have lunch on the ramp and then Harold and Louis proceed upstream on the Chattahoochee. They make it past the Hwy 384 and then encounter a +2' waterfall approximately 1/2 mile further upstream.

While this was a great trip, it was not completed without damage. Louis loses lift on his Air Commander when negotiating a white water section between two boulders. The current pushes his craft into a rock hard enough to throw his out of his seat, but not the craft. A 14" split results in the outer hull below the waterline. Despite the extent of this damage, it has little apparent effect on the craft's operation for the balance of the trip. Deep water stops were avoided and the skupper valve at the rear of the hull handled what little water entered the hull during on-lift operation.