LAKE MARTIN NEWS

Dadeville glamping resort named among Top 10 in U.S.

Open only 10 months, The Destination Glamping Resort in Dadeville last month was named in USA Today’s top 10 glamping spots in the U.S. Owners Rhonda and Skip Courtney opened the first glamping destination at Lake Martin last fall and have quickly won an audience with four Safari Tent installations on raised wooden platforms in the woods near Dadeville.

The Destination is No. 6 on the list that was determined by a public online vote. Visit The Destination at tdbsc.com. Staff report

Elijah Lamb won the Wildlife category in the Outdoor Alabama photo contest last year with a bobcat photo taken at Tuskegee National Forest

The Destination's upscale tents are nestled in the trees along a picturesque creek

Marina owners pay it forward

In addition to sponsoring play at the Lake Martin Realty Open Golf Tournament for the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch this summer, Lakeside Bay Pines Marina’s Donnie and Buddy McDaniel donated a check in the amount of $5,000 to the ranch.

Staff report

Donnie and Buddy McDaniel present a check to Candice Gully

Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest opens this month

The 2023 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest will begin accepting entries on Aug. 2. This year’s contest is a joint project between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Alabama Tourism Department. The deadline to enter is Oct. 31.

The 2023 photo contest will focus on traditional photography techniques and the use of handheld cameras. No cellphone, smartphone, game camera, or drone photography will be chosen as winning photos for nine of the 10 categories. Smartphone and tablet photos will be accepted in the Young Photographers category.

The photo contest is open to state residents and visitors, but qualifying photos must have been taken in Alabama in the past two years. Any amateur photographer not employed by ADCNR is encouraged to enter.

Eight photos per person may be entered in the following categories: Alabama State Parks; Birds; Bugs and Butterflies; Cold-blooded Critters; Nature-Based Recreation; Scenic; Shoots and Roots; Sweet Home Alabama; Wildlife; Young Photographers (17 and under).

First, second, third and one honorable mention will be awarded in each category. Winning images will be featured online and in a traveling exhibit across the state.

For complete 2023 category descriptions and contest rules, visit outdooralabama.com/photocontest.

ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

Riverboat Bar-B-Q

STORY BY LONNA UPTON & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

OOne well-worn pontoon boat, long ago considered an eyesore in great need of a makeover, floated for years at a dock near Real Island on Lake Martin. Donnie McDaniel, owner of Lakeside Marina at Bay Pines, purchased the boat with a gut feeling that he could do something with it. McDaniel contacted his friend, Michael Langston, and they started brainstorming. Now, that old boat has been reborn as the home of Riverboat Bar-B-Q, the newest food While the meat for Riverboat is smoking, Crash cooks tenderloins, chicken thighs and wings for Friday night customers at Lakeside. After midnight, the butts are ready for the warmer. The sandwiches are built the next morning, wrapped in foil and placed in a warmer on the boat. “We leave Lakeside between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., but with a little 50-horsepower Yamaha motor, we kind of putt along, making our way to Crowne Pointe. We sell phenomenon on the lake. “We figured out exactly what we needed. We needed to call Crash, and it was a great decision. He is the best barbecue and burger chef on the lake,” said Langston, who is consulting and handling logistics for the new endeavor. Greg “Crash” Peacock has been barbecuing around the Lake Martin area as a hobby for about 20 years – for friends, tailgates, gatherings – and he has quite a reputation for what many folks say is the best barbecue around.

So, although Riverboat Bar-B-Q is new to the lake, the grill master is not. “I just love to do it. I enjoy smoking butts and ribs, brisket and chicken. I love to grill, too. Even asparagus. I’ll cook anything,” Crash said. Designed not to compete with but add to food service on the water, Riverboat has experienced tremendous growth since its humble beginnings in June. The boat is now bedecked in red, white and blue – an American flag and eagle proudly displayed. Two smokestacks are on the roof, and a paddlewheel turns as the boat moves through the water. “We can’t believe how it’s taken off. We know we have great places to get off the boat and eat on Lake Martin, and we hoped we could offer another service for boaters who want to stay on the boat or the beach, or keep floating or cruising, and still have food brought to them,” Langston said. Riverboat’s base is Lakeside Marina at Bay Pines in

Jackson’s Gap, where the new food service is under the regulations of the Tallapoosa County Health Department, which already permits food preparation and sales at the marina. The pork butts are smoked on the premises; then, kept in a warmer at regulated temperature until ready to pull the meat and build the sandwiches. Crash’s process begins around 3 p.m. every Friday afternoon when he cleans and preps the grill and smokers and gets his seasonings ready. He built the cooking area himself. Two smokers, an open grill, a freezer, a cooler and a warmer are part of his trailered kitchen. “I use oak, hickory and pecan to cook. I smoke the butts around 10 hours, and the ribs take two-and-a-half to three hours. I’ve never had anyone tell me they didn’t like it, but that would be fine. I want to make people happy with what

I serve. That’s all I need to feel satisfied with what I’ve cooked,” Crash said. along the way, but we try to be at Crown Pointe by 12:30 p.m. Then, cruise to Pleasure Point and the islands in that

area, stopping as we go if someone wants a sandwich. Then we get back to Lakeside around 5:30 p.m., hoping we don’t run out before everyone that wants it gets served,” Langston said.

A four-person crew is needed for the afternoon. Jamie and Nicole Brooks manage the operation. Usually, Crash or Langston or both are on board to manage the floating take-out business. Olivia and Laney Leavins, alternating weekends as part of the crew, pack individual bags with a pulled pork sandwich, chips, a peppermint, a hand wipe and an ice-cold bottle of water for a price of $10. Individual sandwiches can be purchased as well.

After one trip out, the crew perfected its delivery system. Rather than have boats tie up next to them in choppy water and risk damage to both boats, they decided it is safer and more efficient to let Nicole hop onto the customer’s boat to take the order and payment. She can take cash, credit cards or Venmo – the Venmo QR code is on the side of the boat. She relays the order to the Riverboat crew who prepares the order. When the boat swings back around with Nicole, the food is packaged and ready for the hungry boaters.

“Olivia and Laney do a great job getting the packages together. The girls also have a bit of fun with water guns occasionally and make quite a bit in tips,” Langston said.

Riverboat Bar-B-Q is operates from around noon to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays with an occasional Sunday afternoon. Whole butts and slabs of ribs are available for pick up at Lakeside Bay Pines Marina, but orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance. Text 256-307-5973 to place an order. Follow Riverboat Bar B Q with Crash on Facebook.

New to the Lake Martin food scene this year, Riverboat Bar-B-Q is on the water Saturday afternoons

Luxurious Amenities: Resort, Golf, Tennis, Fishing, Spa, and Wooded Trails

Everyday Grandeur

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Tucked away on the outskirts of Auburn University at the world-class Grand National Golf Course, the award winning National Village offers everything you’ll ever need for the way you want to live. The thoughtfully crafted master planned community features georgeous homes designed by national award winner Larry Garnett and built by Ab and Don Conner at Conner Bros. Construction Co., Inc., a local company with more than 100 years of experience. With the Marriott at Grand National on site, residents enjoy championship golf, miles of picturesque nature trails and lakes for fishing, spa and pool. National Village is truly an unbelievable place to live – inside or out. Plus, thanks to the high speed fiber optic network of Opelika (Alabama’s first Gig City), our homeowners enjoy some of the Nation’s fastest internet for any work- or learn-from-home requirements.

Lake Martin Metric Century

STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY BETSY ILER & ROB HENRY

TThough May 21 dawned drizzly and gray, nothing dampened the spirits of Rob Henry and the biking buddies for whom he had spent nearly two years planning a Lake Martin cyclo-circumnavigation ride. The 64-mile bicycle tour around Lake Martin covered 26 roads and carried the friends over picturesque bridges, past old cemeteries and through stands of thick forest. And when they completed their trek, Sam Thurston, Taylor

Dawson, Ken Williams and Henry started talking about doing it again, perhaps in the fall. The ride was Henry’s brainchild. He rode touring bicycles in the 1980s and rode through Europe before wandering away from riding for a time. He knew

Thurston from grad school at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Thurston has been riding for 45 years, having ridden across the U.S. twice. Dawson has been riding for eight years, and Williams started doing triathlons 10 years ago.

For this riding experience, Thurston drove in from Marietta, Georgia, while Dawson drove down from Birmingham and Williams came up from Montgomery. Henry, president of Robert F. Henry Tile Company, lives full time at an Eclectic lake house.

Thurston had never been to Lake Martin before this trip, and he did not meet Dawson and Williams until the four gathered at Henry’s home for a hi-carb dinner and a review of the route the night before the scheduled ride.

The route was painstakingly planned over many weeks and months of driving

Eclectic's Rob Henry (second from left) planned the 64-mile ride around Lake Martin

Lake Martin roads to find a path that safely circumnavigated the lake.

“It’s not the first time anyone has done it,” Henry explained. “I found some posts online that indicated other people have ridden around the whole lake before, but it’s the first time any of us have done it.”

To prepare for the metric century ride (100 kilometers, which actually is 62.13 miles), Henry built up his endurance from 20 miles to as many as 35 and finally did a 43-mile ride a few weeks before the event.

“You have to do two or three long rides a week to build endurance,” said Thurston. “If you are hurting at 20 or 30 miles, you can take a 10-minute rest and can keep going again after that.”

Most important to finishing a long-distance ride, he said, is staying hydrated and minimizing the weight carried on the bike. Load up on carbohydrates the night before to store up energy and don’t drink too much alcohol the night before.

The riders also wore sun-protective sleeves and clothing and slathered on the sunscreen pre-ride despite the overcast skies. Flashing tail lights were essential safety gear as well.

All of the riders cross-trained with walking or running.

“If you ride every day, you’ll burn out,” Thurston said.

Henry also trained on a paddleboard.

In addition to snacking on protein bars during the ride, they each carried two bottles of fortified water and replenished their water supplies at stops along the route. At about 11 a.m., they stopped at Papa John’s in Alexander City for lunch.

Their equipment included padded bicycle shorts, riding gloves and helmets fixed with review mirrors. To keep the bugs out of their eyes, they wore glasses, which was somewhat problematic with the steady drizzle that greeted them on their 8 a.m. departure from a Mt. Hebron church on county Road 80 that Saturday morning.

They rode counterclockwise around the lake, heading east on Mt. Hebron Road and crossing state Route 63. They turned off on Route 229, which turned into Route 50 and took them below the dam. When they hit county Route 49, they headed north and traveled a series of back roads to U.S. 280, which they followed over the River Bridge, turning off at Dadeville Road to enter Alexander City.

“Two lanes in each direction on U.S. 280 was a little hairy, but then we turned off after the bridge,” Henry said.

After lunch, the sun came out, and the foursome followed the long and straight state Route 259 to Equality; then, they turned off on state Route 9 for the final leg of the trip.

“About the only issue with riding was the fact that, as the day wore on, I got behind some. The other three were well matched in riding strength, but they would always stop eventually for a rest and wait for me to catch up. I definitely plan to keep up my riding, so the difference next time is that I plan to be a stronger rider,” Henry said of the finish.

All in all, it was a great adventure and ticked off a bucket list item.

Look for information about the next Lake Martin cyclo-circumnavigation metric century in future issues of Lake magazine.

(Left to right) Rob Henry, Ken Williams, Taylor Dawson and Sam Thurston started the trek about 8 a.m. and finished at 3:30 p.m., having taken an extended break for lunch

The route crossed several Lake Martin bridges, but the riders mostly kept to back roads

“You have to do two or three long rides a week to build endurance. If you are hurting at 20 or 30 miles, you can take a 10-minute rest and can keep going again after that.” ~ Sam Thurston

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DSC wins nationals

Dixie Sailing Club’s Keith Bennett won the Gold Fleet competition at the Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta, held June 20 through 24 at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, with Justin Chambers and Doug Thome on crew.

“Every year since 2001, I always felt we had a chance to win, and every year, we came up a little short; however, we always had a great time and never once doubted we would be back the next year. This year, it finally paid off,” Bennett told DSC members later. “All week long, I told myself, ‘Don’t think about winning the regatta. Take it one race at a time.’ On Wednesday night, we were leading by six points with one race to go. I probably didn’t get two hours of sleep. For the final race, when we rounded the

Dleeward mark, there was only one boat ahead of us. That’s when I breathed a sigh of relief and realized that, after 26 years, I had finally reached my goal of winning the Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta.” DSC sent three boats to the event. Bennett and his crew also won the Spinnaker Fleet, and Bobby Edmond took second in the Silver Fleet with Ed Lowenstein and William Brown crewing. Mickey Richardson, a two-time national champion, finished in sixth in the Gold Fleet. Bennett, his wife, Jennifer, and Thome also won the Spinnaker competition in 2016. The championship club hosted 21 teams from across the U.S., including two boats from Washington

As the fleet crossed the starting line, Bennett cautioned himself to focus on one race at a time, not the possibility of winning the regatta

After 26 years, Keith Bennett brings home the solver

STORY & PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIXIE SAILING CLUB

state and others from Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida. Bennett competed with 16 other teams for the national title.

Brown, an avid sailor since the age of 5, said the nationals was a pivotal event, as he had never raced until joining Lake Martin’s DSC.

“Sailing for four days with Bobby and Ed was a thrill that I will not forget. I hope that is only the beginning of many more to come,” Brown said.

Bennett started sailing 30 years ago and in 1996 entered his first national regatta, finishing in 17th place. Since then, he has finished in second three times; third once; fourth three times, fifth once and four times in the top 10.

“It’s been a long journey but also, one of the most enjoyable of my life,” he explained. “Jennifer and I have made so many friends along the way and have enjoyed every minute of it. In all honesty, I was beginning to think my time was running out, and it may not ever happen. But I never gave up. There is one thing I knew for certain, and that was if I didn’t continue to pursue my goal, it definitely was not going to happen.

“So I want to encourage everyone to never lose sight of your goals, whether it be sailing or anything else in life, because one day, the stars may well align in your favor, just as they did for me.”

Clockwise from right: Mickey Richardson led two other boats on a downwind leg in pursuit of the Silver Fleet title; Bennett and his crew also won the Spinnaker class with his special sail; Bobby Edmond worked to windward.

Clockwise from Above: Sandy Cox directed Harmon Smith as Skipper Mickey Richardson supervised; Bennett breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he'd finally achieved his goal of winning the Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta; Crossings made the upwind leg interesting.

Jackson Clifford has developed a unique, easy style behind the boat

Easy Rider

A Pike Road teenager makes the ride behind the boat look easy

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

TThe next wakeboard sensation on Lake Martin might be a 15-year-old rising sophomore from Pike Road, Alabama, who took up the sport four years ago. Jackson Clifford has a smooth, relaxed style behind the boat. His jumps, flips, turns and board grabs look effortless, almost natural, with no hint of stress or tension. Mostly self-taught, Clifford started his watersports adventures on a slalom ski, behind a 1992 Nautique, but he switched to the wakeboard when his skiing progressed to the point that he had to be on the course to improve. “Starting with slalom was a huge benefit. It helped him get comfortable on the water,” said Clifford’s father, Tim, who drives the boat. “But the course was 45 minutes away by boat. It just wasn’t practical.” That was 2018, and wakeboarding looked cool and fun. Clifford liked the idea of learning new tricks. Since then, wakeboarding has surpassed football, soccer and golf as the teen’s favorite sport. He picked up tips and techniques from YouTube videos, watching previous Lake Martin greats like Alex Graydon and Ben Watts.

A sophomore at Pike Road High School, Clifford turns 16 next month

He picked up most of his riding techniques by watching YouTube videos

Clifford comes to Lake Martin year round and rides as long as the water level is up

His goal is to turn pro

“Watching them motivated me to get better,” said Clifford, who last year had the good fortune to take a clinic session with Graydon. “He helped me a lot with my pop off the wake. That helps to get more air before you even come off the water, and it helps with spins. He made a big difference for me.”

Clifford became acquainted with Lake Martin around the age of 6 when he visited a friend whose parents had a lake house here. At the time, Clifford’s grandparents had a home at the beach, but they sold it and bought in Lake Martin’s Blue Creek in 2014.

Now, the family comes to Lake Martin year round, hitting most every weekend in season, and Clifford can’t wait to get on the wakeboard every spring. He dons a wetsuit and starts riding in April, and he’s still riding in October.

“I ride until the water goes down,” he said with a smile.

His favorite trick is the tantrum because he gets more air out of that one than any other.

“It’s like a straight back flip,” he explained.

At the start of the season this year, he learned his second flip and realized that, if he focused, he could be good.

“I want to start regional competition next year. This summer, I wanted to learn more tricks. I’ve been going to YouTube and WWA websites to learn more about competitions and what tricks I should be learning. I need to work on my spins, 360s, things like that. That’s where I need to work,” he said. “I’d love to compete in the pro tour, get some sponsors.”

Wakeboarding at that level requires support, and Clifford gets plenty of that from his parents, Tim and Gina, and younger brother, Coleman, as well as his uncle, Jonathan Burleson, and others. After riding the wakeboard behind a 2007 Nautique for several years, the family purchased a new wake boat this season.

Next year, Clifford will take in some cable camps and events at cable parks in Florida, where the frequency and consistency of the pull could help him further develop his repertoire of tricks.

“And being around all those good riders, I could pick up some tips from them too,” he said.

Keep an eye on this one. It might be fun to watch him grow.

'Redneclectic' Unicorn

Lake Martin couple puts unique spin on beloved home site

STORY BY LONNA UPTON & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

Hemlock beams in the master bedroom were reclaimed from an Amish barn

CChristy Munsterman and Tom Schlinkert had been searching for years for a place to call home on Lake Martin. When at the lake for a visit one day, a new listing appeared on Munsterman’s phone, so they drove straight to it and fell in love. The cabin had previously belonged to Wadynne Bolton Bishop, a family well known around the lake and in Alexander City. “We were one of two offers on the property. I just sat down on the point by the water and said, ‘Wadynne, if we get this house, we will do you right. I’ll name a boat after you.’ We got the house, and she will get a boat with her name on it,” Munsterman said. The house had been empty for 10 years, and the three lots it sat on had grown up like a jungle, Schlinkert said.

They cleaned the lots and made the cabin livable for one year, so they could see what the point lot was like, which way the prevailing winds blew and how the waves rolled by. They felt lucky to find many of Wadynne’s treasures still in the cabin – trophies, photographs and letters. They learned a lot about her and tried to find furnishings that she might have had to furnish the cabin for that year.

When they were ready, the couple called home designer

Larry Furlong and builder Henderson-Coker. “Larry was great to work with. We wanted to use the property to its fullest potential and nestle the home site into the existing trees. With 814 feet of shoreline, there were lots of things to consider, so we tweaked the plans and tweaked and tweaked, until we had just what we wanted. Scott Henderson did a great job with the build,” Schlinkert said.

Masonry was done by Tremendous Stone. The couple has a special appreciation for the beauty of the company’s work, but also because they taught Schlinkert their trade. He can claim installation on the side of the house. Beam installation, framing and finish carpentry were done by Jeff Maddingly.

“We wanted to do as much as possible locally. Jeff is extremely talented. We bought our beams and cabinets from Curtis Wellborn, and I am so grateful to him. He helped me get things done that I wanted that no one else does,” Schlinkert said.

The couple visited Wellborn on one trip and saw heartpine flooring that had been planed for someone else.

“We loved that wood. He told us it was from one of the original Russell Mills but that it belonged to someone else. Luckily, the owner had extra, so Curtis sliced the 3-1/2-inch thick boards to 1 inch for us,” Munsterman said.

Flooring was installed by Smith’s Floor Coverings, Inc., of Bowdon, Georgia, and was sealed with a water-

The kitchen and butler's pantry have a ceiling of reclaimed double beadboard A Chinese wedding bed is part of the guest apartment décor

Work by a favorite artist hangs above an antique cotton scale

The lakeside landscape features Japanese maples and unique lawn ornaments, such as these antique sugar kettles

A sailboat is part of the décor in an upstairs guest room

The shady front porch welcomes visitors to Unicorn

An antique canoe hangs upstairs based sealer to maintain its original tones.

The main living area ceiling is heart pine and vaulted to 24 feet. Purchased from White Acre Farms in Camp Hill, the lower ceiling of the kitchen is reclaimed double beadboard from a boys’ home in Tennessee. Munsterman was born near New Orleans, and while Schlinkert is from Birmingham, he has spent a great deal of time enjoying NOLA. As a nod to their favorite city, the couple hired Robinson Iron to build iron columns for the main room, as well as the French-quarter style railing for the staircase and upstairs overlook.

“We do not have a style like anyone else, but we

The couple designed the expansive fireplace and hearth

surround ourselves with the things we love. Some like austere, some like Swedish modern. I like to say we are ‘redneclectic.’ Everything in here has meaning,” Schlinkert said.

To that end, treasures, artwork, sculpture and carvings from trips to Africa and Southeast Asia are front and center in their décor. Musical instruments are grouped under a sofa table; sculptures created by artists in New Orleans and the Bahamas are stationed among other treasures on top of the same table.

The living area focal point is a unicorn skull mounted over the fireplace. Munsterman bought the piece for Schlinkert at an oddities and curiosities shop in New Orleans.

“A special gift for the man who has everything,” she said.

Ultimately, the couple named the property ‘Unicorn’ to signify its standing as a one-in-a-million property.

A giraffe, sculpted as if looking out a window, hangs above the great room looking over the room. Other art includes framed painted silk, one of three pieces in the home by Claude Victorine.

Munsterman and Schlinkert are not avid television watchers, so they purchased Samsung frame televisions for the living room and bedroom. The living room television is framed in ornate gold, but the screen can project

a picture selected from thousands of choices – from their own photos to fine art.

The kitchen features ivory cabinets and a large island with a 2-1/2-inch-thick slab of leathered Taj Mahal quartzite, selected by Schlinkert as the perfect meal preparation surface. The space in the kitchen maximizes the easy movement he wanted between the island, the Wolf range and the Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer. The kitchen includes a coffee bar and a wet bar, as well as a wine refrigerator. A Javanese sculptured duck bowl graces the top of a live-edge rosewood dining table with an iron industrial base.

Off the kitchen, a large desk area and butler’s pantry also provide access to the back door. The couple found the antique pantry door with three glass panels at the top, which mirrors the windows in the home, at Charles Phillips Antiques in Theodore, Alabama, one of their favorite places to shop for unique pieces. An antique wheat thresher from Greece hangs on the wall.

Just outside, an outdoor kitchen is part of Schlinkert’s cooking space. And next to the garage, an outdoor shower and the clawfoot bathtub from the original cabin. Munsterman said she could see the lake through an opened shutter window frame but close it for privacy.

The powder room features a panel from the top of an African ironwood table, which the couple repurposed by adding a mirror. An antique cotton scale found in a dilapidated barn stands in the foyer. The hallway to the master bedroom is filled with memories: dish towels embroidered with birds from Guatemala; a 2020 Jazz Festival poster (from the festival that never happened due to COVID-19) and a Dr. John look-alike walking stick made for Schlinkert; an Orthoceras fossil plate dated 250 to 750 million years old; a trophy from the first and only sailboat race from Pensacola to Cuba in 2015, in which they participated.

The master bedroom features flooring from the Russell Mill No. 3 work surface floor. The ceiling is vaulted, and the reclaimed, rough hand-hewn hemlock beams were found in an Amish barn in Pennsylvania. The paneled bed is from Charles Phillips Antiques, and the colorful, heavy linen bedspread is from Fine Linens. An antique carrier for perfume oils sits in the corner and maintains a subtle scent.

Munsterman rescued a mermaid carved from a hibiscus tree root from the trash behind an artist’s shop in Bali, where the couple’s friend, Nick Perryman, studied for years. She sits on the fireplace mantel in the bedroom. The master bath features a rock wall, which is the back of the fireplace, and a beautiful copper soaker tub.

Along with the one guestroom downstairs, two rooms upstairs offer beautiful views of the lake. A 1917 Old Town Canoe from Charles River, a company where Schlinkert worked at one time, hangs from the ceiling. A batik on Awagami Ginwashi paper by Orange Beach artist Nick Cantrell is a favorite piece.

The master bath features a copper soaker tub and a stone wall that actually is the back side of a fireplace

Windows in a downstairs guest room offer beautiful lake views

An additional guest suite was built above the garage, and the room currently stores a few items not yet placed in the house, such as a delicately carved Chinese canopy wedding bed, artwork of a parade of musicians in Bali and a ship’s figurehead of a Hindu goddess. The room functions as an office as well.

Outside, the property includes two boathouses – one for the couple and one for guests. Schlinkert designed the landscaping, along with Lakeview Lawn & Landscape in Alexander City. The plan included seven Japanese maples, affectionately called The Seven Samurai, planted in a large bed that forms a semi-circle around the covered porch. Schlinkert created a small lake-water swimming pool on one side. Waves from the lake constantly refresh the pool water, but the pool walls also buffer swimmers from large wakes. A shuffleboard court invites hours of fun and competition with guests. The hardscape plan added rock to the top of the existing seawall that wraps the point lot. The covered porch is furnished with cushioned Balinese teak sofas, a coffee table and four rocking chairs. Landscaping was kept low to showcase the stonework apron around the house.

Munsterman and Schlinkert plan to honor Wadynne Bolton Bishop with her name on a classic wood boat, just as promised before the lot was theirs. On the transom of the boat, Wadynne’s yearbook signature will be replicated in her handwriting as, “Love, Wadynne.”

Her legacy will live on at Lake Martin.

A collection of instruments and collectibles are displayed in the living area

A gift to Schlinkert, the unicorn skull became the muse for naming the new home

The dining table is live edge rosewood with an iron base

The kitchen was designed with the cook in mind Wolf heads are part of the headboard and footboard of an antique iron bed in the guest apartment

In the absence of proximity legislation, Lake Martin homeowners are using orange swim buoys to effectively create no wake zones near docks and shoreline 50 LAKE AUGUST 2022

Invasion of the Swim Buoys

Lake Martin homeowners play defense when the latest proximity bill fails, but are they solving a problem or creating another?

STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

IInvasion of the swim buoys could describe this summer at Lake Martin, as Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Marine Patrol and others have noted that hundreds of orange floating balls have appeared all around the lake this year. These unofficial buoys are allowed on the water to mark swimming areas near docks or shoreline; however, homeowners at Lake Martin have taken to using them to protect docks, boats and property in the absence of proximity regulations for large wakes. “We’re getting complaints, but if people do it right, it won’t be a problem,” said Marine

Patrol Commander Steve

McWaters. Properly placed buoys must be no farther than 50 feet from the shoreline or 25 feet from an Alabama Power permitted dock or other structure, but McWaters said his patrol officers have found numerous buoys placed as much as 80 feet from shoreline. “Some in Blue Creek have pushed them out to the idle-speed buoys. That’s a navigational hazard if two boats can’t pass in the channel because of swim buoys,”

McWaters explained. “And you can only have three or four of them, not 15; that’s a navigational hazard. “In one area over July 4th weekend, one of my troopers found a line of them all the way through the slough at 60 foot out. When he started to pull them

back within the allowable distance, the homeowners told him the buoys didn’t belong to them. Someone at the back of the slough was trying to make it idle speed through the whole slough.” McWaters said he’s had reports of skiers using misplaced buoys as a slalom course. “That is within their rights,” he said. When the most recent in a long line of attempts to legislate large wakes failed this spring, homeowners took matters into their own "Only ALEA is authorized to place regulatory, navigational buoys on public waters. All other buoys, per ALEA’s guidhands, said Lake Martin Resource Association president John Thompson. LMRA places and maintains ance, must adhere to the following: marine patrol-authorized hazard and no wake buoys n They must be located no farther than at Lake Martin. 50 feet from the shoreline or 25 feet “It’s not a good situation, from an APC-permitted boat dock/struc- but it’s the only protection ture. homeowners have, as we n They must not interfere with the legal can’t get a proximity bill flow of boat traffic. n They are not allowed to have the appearance of a state-enforced regulatory marker. off the desk of legislators,” he said. “People trying to protect their property are at their wits’ end. We’ve got an issue that is going to have to be dealt with through the

Any buoys not complying with this legislature with a proximity guidance are subject to removal by ALEA. bill.”

Thank you for your cooperation." Improper anchoring causes further issues, as ~apcshorelines.com poorly weighted buoys tend to drift beyond the allowable distance, Thompson said. “When we put out hazard buoys, we put a hundred pounds on them and a long enough line to allow for a little movement of the buoy, but some of these homeowners are doing the installation themselves. They aren’t weighting them enough,

or the line is too short, and any wave action will move them out of placement,” he explained.

“I just bought three of them for my own home at the lake,” said Harry DeNegre, president of Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners Association. “And I may buy three more. I’m on a point with 320 foot of lakefront. I’ve had people in wake boats and other types of boats that come within 10 feet of my seawall making the turn around my property. The wake washes over it. I’ve got three young grandkids, and if they are out sitting on the steps of my dock, they can get knocked into the steps and seawall.”

Gadsden’s Lori Haroldsen said large wakes nearly caused a disaster at a lake home where she was a guest a few years ago.

“We were floating just a couple of feet from the dock in deep water. My 5-year-old granddaughter was in a foam floating chair, and she had arm floaties on, too, thank God. This boat came through the slough close to us, and the wake knocked my granddaughter out of the chair. I was trying to hold her up out of the water, but I couldn’t touch the bottom, so I was basically drowning trying to save her from going under,” Haroldsen said.

“The marine patrol are in a tough spot,” DeNegre added. “I appreciate the job they do. We complain to them, and the legislature won’t give them any teeth to do anything about it.”

McWaters said his officers would be courteous about the matter. They will talk to homeowners to make sure the regulations regarding swim buoys are understood, and they will drag buoys back within the allowable distance.

“We don’t have to do that,” McWaters said. “We can just take them if they’re not properly installed. We don’t have to talk to anyone or explain anything. We can just take them, but we’re not doing that. We found one that wasn’t properly installed – the buoy was half under water. We fixed it for him.”

The solution, he said, is courtesy and acceptance of the consequences inherent in owning waterfront property.

“It’s a public lake. Everyone has a right to be out there. If everyone would be courteous, there wouldn’t be the need for this,” McWaters said. “If you own waterfront property anywhere – not just at Lake Martin – it is your responsibility to maintain your seawall and your property. You can’t stop a wake. It will break when it hits a structure, a dock, your boat. Every boat is going to cause a wake and shore erosion. It’s going to happen. It’s part of being on a recreational lake.

“If you’re a homeowner, be courteous and adhere to the guidelines for swim buoys. If you’re in a boat, be courteous about your wake.”