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November 8, 2004 Today was a very emotional day, full of excitement, joy, anxiety, and some sadness. My brother Raymond and his family, my grandmother, and many friends came to see us off this morning. We made our rounds of goodbyes then boarded Bruadair for her final departure from this slip. As our dock lines were held by friends David and I toasted Neptune with a bottle of Champagne, asking for fair winds and following seas. The bottle of Champagne we used for the toast was the bottle given to us by Jim Stevens after we closed on the boat two and a half years ago, he was the broker who sold us the boat. We departed our slip for the last time at 0858, two minutes before our goal of 9 am. We headed for the fuel dock first where we took on a hefty 11 gallons, then made our way out towards Galveston Bay. As we passed the Kemah Boardwalk were were treated to some final waves from our good friends Pam and Mitch, as well as my brother Raymond, his family and my grandmother. It was another emotional moment but I was so happy to see all of them there waving and yelling. We continued out into the bay and headed to the Houston Ship Channel. There was a lot of big ship traffic as well as an unusually large amount of shrimpers and oyster boats in the bay as we traveled south in the channel towards Galveston. As we approached Galveston we made our turn east into the new and unfamiliar waters of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). The barge traffic in the ICW wasn’t bad at all, just a few that were mostly going west. After about 2 hours of motoring east in the ditch (another name for the ICW) we spotted Steve’s Landing, our first stop. We tried to approach the seawall facing the ICW but every time we made an approach we ran aground in the soft mud. On the fourth attempt I decided to bring the boat up to the other seawall in the small channel and we had much better luck. Once the boat was secure we rested a couple of hours as the restaurant here at Steve’s Landing didn’t open until 1600. After our short naps we went to the restaurant for dinner and to check the boat in for the night. Dinner was good, David had the Cajun seafood platter (shrimp, oysters, crawfish, fish, and frog legs) and I had the broiled fish and frog leg platter. The food was great but even better was the free stay at the marina. The manager there said she would charge $25 if we wanted to hook up to electricity, free if we didn’t hook up. Of course we didn’t hook up. The rest of the evening was spent eating a chocolate bar and looking over the guide books for the next part of our trip. Steve’s Landing gets 3 out of 5 anchors. The free stay is good if you don’t need electric hook ups but it can be noisy and bumpy at night.
November 9, 2004 We got a somewhat late start this morning and left at 0640. We were glad that Steve’s Landing was a free stay, but with all the shrimp boats moving in and out of the channel it can be a noisy place to stay. Today the weather was great; mostly sunny, winds 10 knots from the east and the temperature was in the high 60’s. David cooked a wonderful breakfast of sausage and eggs after we got underway. Today’s run was pretty straight forward, there were no bridges or locks on this day to worry about. During our trip today we saw very little traffic in the ICW with us, and in the stretch known as alligator alley the only thing we saw was a wild pig swimming from one side to another. Most of the day consisted of navigating between the two low land masses on either side of us and communicating with small amount of commercial traffic. At about 1240 we turned north into Taylor’s Bayou, a beautiful and spacious bayou lined with tall trees. We heard about a small cut about 3/4 of a mile up the bayou that is supposed to be a good anchorage but after checking it out we decided it was too exposed to the easterly winds. After a bit of motoring around we decided on a spot clear of crab traps on the east bank where we dropped the bow anchor. Once the anchor was set the dingy was dropped and a stern anchor rowed out and set as well. The stern anchor was used to keep us from swinging back into the channel which is know to have small boat traffic. This was our first time setting two anchors but it was actually pretty easy. Once we were settle in David cooked potatoe stroganoff for dinner with oranges and apples for desert. I went to bed early at about 2000 as I was totally exhausted. Taylor’s Bayou gets 4 out of five anchors for being a well protected, comfortable and beautiful anchorage.
November 10, 2004 Knowing that we had a relatively short run to Adam’s Bayou we decided to sleep in a bit so we didn’t get underway until 0715. It was a comfortable run to our next stop but because we were going against the current we only averaged 4.5 knots per hour. The weather was much like yesterdays, mostly sunny and in the low 70s. After leaving Taylor’s Bayou we made our way through Port Arthur, a large commercial port which meant sharing the waters not only with the barges we were now accustomed to but also with large ships. As we slowly moved through Port Arthur we were passed by three ships within an hours time. Soon we were past Port Arthur and the bulk of the commercial traffic and continued down the ICW towards Sabine Texas. As we approached Shell Island a sea plane passed overhead and landed in the waterway ahead of us. Since he was taking up a fair amount of room in the ditch and we couldn’t raise him on the VHF radio we decided to slow down and watch for his intentions. After about 15 minutes the sea plane turned away from us and took off, flying back towards the Gulf of Mexico. As we approached Cow’s Bayou we saw another sailboat (s/v Bearboat) headed west. We talked with him briefly and learned that he was headed back to Clear Lake after spending the past five months in Florida. At about 1240 we made our turn north into Adam’s Bayou and proceeded the one mile to the Sabine Yacht Basin (SYB). The SYB is small but the water depths are good and entry excellent. After securing the boat along side a long dock I took a walk to find someone and let them know we were here. Well, come to find out the yacht basin had gone out of business five months ago so there was no one to take our money (oh darn). After a couple of hours we met the only live aboard here, Ben. Ben offered to take us into town with him to the grocery store so I accepted. The town here is Orange, Texas and is a rather large town. I bought some provisions while David stayed on the boat. Though there are no services within walking distance we decided to stay an extra day for some well needed rest. Dinner tonight included salad, chicken gumbo and turnip greens. The Sabine Yacht Basin gets 3.5 anchors out of five for it’s free, safe and beautiful setting. I would have given it an additional anchor if electric, water and services within walking distance were available. November 11, 2004 -We stayed another day at the abandoned Sabine Yacht Basin to take advantage of the free docks and get some rest. Ben came by and offered another ride into town so I accepted. Because we were unsure of our fuel usage I decided to take a couple of jerry cans in with me and had them filled with diesel. I felt more comfortable knowing that we had a reserve of diesel in case we needed it. Also took the time today and checked the engine and transmission oils, all were good. Watched some television and made phone calls to family and friends. Dinner tonight was spaghetti with some chocolate for desert.
November 12, 2004 Though we were up early we decided not to leave until sunrise at 0630, we didn’t want to travel back down Adam’s Bayou in the dark with all the crab traps lurking about waiting to find their way into our propeller. As soon as we entered the ICW and turned east I called the Ellender Bridge, they require a minimum 4 hour notice for an opening. The bridge clearance is stated to be 50’ and our mast height is 49’, but I didn’t want to squeeze under the bridge with only one foot to spare (in case of incorrect measuring) so I requested a 1200 opening. Today’s trip was good, traffic on the ditch was light and the weather, though a bit more cloudy, remained dry and warm. Because we were traveling with the currents we made good time and arrived at the Ellender Bridge an hour earlier than expected. For an hour we did circles waiting for our scheduled opening, and at 10 minutes before noon the bridge opened and we made our way under. Three miles past the Ellender Bridge we turned north into the Calcasieu (cal-ka-shoe) River and headed up to Lake Charles. About three miles up the river on the east side we noted a beautiful bayou and made a mental note to anchor here if we couldn’t find a slip in Lake Charles. We continued north on the Calcasieu River for 7 miles passing various commercial docks until we reached Contraband Bayou. The guide book we were using made mention of a small marina and fuel dock named Bow Tie Marina that was located on Contraband Bayou, but it didn’t say how far up it was. The first quarter mile up the bayou was in 25 feet of water but as soon as we passed the huge commercial dock the depth immediately dropped to 9 feet. I slowed our speed from 5 knots to 2 knots and slowly made our way further up the bayou keeping a sharp eye on the depth sounder and the cypress tree stumps that lined both banks. By staying in the center of the bayou and to the outside of the bends we were able to stay in waters ranging from 12 to 13 feet. After a couple of bends in the bayou we finally came upon Bow Tie Marina, a small marina of about 8 slips plus a fuel dock. We were instructed to pull up to the fuel dock but as we made our way in the depth quickly dropped from 10 feet to 3.5 feet. We were now stuck in the mud (lightly) and though we were only half way into the slip we were able to tie a couple of lines. We stayed this way the rest of the day and night. Though the marina is small and out of the way it did have a small convenience store, fuel and most importantly hot showers. It was also a treat to hook up to shore power and run the heater all night as the last couple of nights had been chilly. After checking in with Doug, the marina manager, and some hot showers we rested the rest of the afternoon. We kept dinner simple with some chicken noodle soup and oranges. Bow Tie Marina gets 3 anchors.
November 13, 2004 This morning was a bit overcast but warm. Took some time contemplating staying another night but eventually decided to make the 8 mile run back down the Calcasieu River to anchor for the night. We new the run to Talen’s Landing tomorrow would be a long run and felt that moving closer to the ICW to knock two hours off the run would be a good idea. The diesel tank was topped off with 29.8 gallons and the bill paid (we’re averaging .8 gph). It didn’t take much power to get us off the mud before we made our way down the bayou back to the river. The day’s trip was pretty short and uneventful. We slowly motored into the oxbow three miles north of the ICW and set our anchor with the winds blowing out of the east at 20 knots. A couple of hours after setting the bow anchor I dropped a stern anchor with 45’ of line to prevent us from swinging into shallower waters in the event of a wind shift. The entire afternoon and evening were spent enjoying the scenery around us, watching a bit of television and taking a few cat naps. For dinner tonight David decided to do some baking to help warm up the cabin some. We had garlic cheese biscuits and chicken alfredo with some fresh fruit for desert. After dinner we watched Van Helsing on DVD (it was okay). So far everything has been great. The spade anchor is wonderful, it has set the first time every time and has held firmly. The Fourwinds wind generator works great away from the marinas and it’s output is able to keep up with our electrical needs. The JRC radar/chartplotter unit works well and is another piece of equipment I couldn’t imagine cruising without. We have had no problems with the boat or any of it’s equipment (or with ourselves). The guide books have been pretty accurate, but the biggest help of all has been the Barway’s Guide. It is a guide book of the ICW designed for the commercial boats, mile by mile, and has tons of notes including all the bridges and locks, possible places to anchor and where to fuel up. I couldn’t imagine doing this trip without this guide book(thanks Fran & Bob!). So what do we think of the first week of cruising? We like it! It’s a lot of work but it’s fun work. We’ve successfully completed new challenges, made it safely to new places and met some wonderful people. Every day is a new lesson and just adds to our confidence. So far so good and we’re happy to have decided to give cruising a try. The anchorage with plenty of room and good holding gets 3 out of 5 anchors.
November 14, 2004 Today was our longest day yet, we left this morning at 0530 and traveled for 12.8 hours. As we weighed anchor this morning the winds were still blowing out of the east but had dropped to 10 - 15 knots. Because we were going down the Calcasieu River with an out going tide it only took 30 minutes to get back on the ICW. After traveling east on the ICW for two miles we made our approach to the Calcasieu Lock and called the lock master to let him know we were there. There were four tows (tugs & barges) waiting to go east and two on the other side of the lock coming west. The west bound tows were being locked through first so we did slow circles on the edge of the channel while we waited. After an hour of waiting the lock master called us and told us that we would lock through before the tows, we were excited not to have to wait any longer. The directions were very easy, enter the lock through the west gate and continue to motor through and exit at the east gate. Wow, this was much simpler than I had imagined. We didn’t have to share the lock with any large commercial tows or have to tie up, just drive right on through. The currents weren’t bad but we did take it slow. This was our first lock, many more are to come before we get to New Orleans. One mile past the lock we called the Black Bayou Bridge to let them know we were coming and were treated to an immediate opening upon our approach. We passed through the Grand Lake Bridge an hour later and were pleased not to have to wait at this one either, then it was time to go under the Creole Bridge. We didn’t have to call for an opening at the Creole Bridge because it is a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of 73 feet. We saw our second pleasure boat in the ditch today, it was a Grand Banks trawler headed back to Clear Lake from Florida. We chatted a bit then had to get back to channel 13 and talk to the oncoming barge. At about 1530 we turned north on the Mermanteau River and proceeded north to look for the Lowery Docks that were mentioned in our cruising guide. Well, we found it but it was no longer in service so we made the hour trip back down the river to the ICW. There were some potential anchorage’s along the Mermanteau River but none that we felt comfortable with. Once we were back on the ICW we continued another 10 miles east until we got to Talen’s Landing. Talen’s is a commercial fuel dock and has no facilities for pleasure boats, but they do occasionally allow pleasure craft to tie up to one of the half sunken barges in their canal. After talking with Mr. T on the vhf radio and getting permission we made our way up to one of their half sunken barges. There are two sides available to come along side of but as we approached the barge we hit some soft mud, the depth sounder now reading 3.5 feet. We were close enough for David to jump off the bowsprit onto the barge so he secured a couple of lines, then I powered the boat a bit further into the mud to make sure we wouldn’t float away in the middle of the night. It actually worked pretty well, I was feeling uncomfortable about putting Bruadair up against a rusty steel barge with rough edges. Once we felt the boat was secured for the night it was time for dinner and bed. David had left over spaghetti and I had a sandwich and some Jiffy Pop popcorn. Because we were only about 100’ off the ICW the boat did roll a lot with each passing of a barge, but it really wasn’t uncomfortable. We were thankful to have a secure place to say tonight as we didn’t want to travel in the ditch at night and the next stop was 33 miles away. Because of the lack of facilities but generosity to use their abandoned barges, Talen’s Landing gets 2.5 anchors.
November 15, 2004 We left at the crack of dawn this morning and with the tide helping us along we were able to maintain 6 knots for most of the day. Today’s weather remained fair; mostly cloudy, winds from the ENE at 10 to 15 knots, high 60’s. We continued with the normal pace of things today, after David made the morning coffee we took turns at the helm. One of the confusing parts of the day today was spotting an oil rig out on the horizon but neither the paper or electronic charts made any mention of this rig at all. Well, as it turned out when we got closer it wasn’t a fixed rig but a rig being moved by two tug boats. This was not the normal traffic we were accustomed to. Most of the barges we’ve seen so far have been carrying cargo consisting of coal, benzene and other chemicals. Some tows have on one barge but others have as many as six (two across and three deep). Late this morning we went though our second lock, the Leland Bowman Lock. This one was fairly easy too and we didn’t have to wait for any other traffic. Once we entered the lock we floated in the middle (with 20 knot winds), then the west gate closed behind us and the east gate opened in front of us. The total transit took about 15 minutes. I have really come to appreciate how Bruadair handles under power, she heaves to very well under minimal power. (Heaving to is stalling the boat for minimal movement). As we approached Shell Morgan Landing, a fuel stop with overnight mooring, we did some circles to decide on a plan of approach. The winds were now blowing 25 knots from the east and the waters were choppy. Because the dock was downwind from our approach, I carefully and slowly made the approach then stalled the boat about 5 feet upwind then let the wind gently move the boat onto the dock. We took on 16.4 gallons and talked briefly about staying on the transient dock. In the end we decided to move on because the only spot available would not have been easy to get into with all this wind blowing around. With some help from the fuel dock employees we made a good departure and continued on our way down the ditch. After continuing eastward for 14 miles we turned north onto the Delcombe River (del-comb). We went up the river about 4 miles with the intent to take the turnoff into the Petite Anse Canal and continue on to the Avery Island Municipal Dock at Avery Island (where they make Tobasco Sauce). When we made the turnoff and tried to get into the Petite Anse Canal, the depth was only 3 feet at the entrance. Needless to say a boat with 5.8’ of draft couldn’t enter. So, with no other option we turned back to the Delcombe River and proceeded the next 6 miles through a very winding river with an abundance of crab traps all over. The town of Delcombe is a fishing community with lots of shrimp, fish and oyster boats. Only one spot was available on a seawall so we took it. I was nervous all night thinking that a shrimp boat with a mad captain was going to return in the middle of the night and kick us off. Fortunately it didn’t happen and we had a good nights sleep. As it turned out the place on the sea wall we had taken was just purchased by a new owner who fenced off all land access to keep people away. Because the town of Delcombe is not set up for pleasure craft I didn’t think it was fair to rate them. We were just happy to have a safe, though unusual, place to stay.
November 16, 2004 With some hesitation we left at 0500 to make our way down the Delcombe River to the ICW. The hesitation was because we would be traveling back down this river in the dark, a river that was filled with an abundance of crab traps. Fouling the propeller with one of these crab traps would have stopped our means of propulsion and then one of us would have had to enter the cold water to cut it away. Fortunately David was able to use the spot light to see the traps and guide me through the maze. At sunrise we entered the ICW and for the first couple of hours the tide was in our favor and we were able to maintain a steady 6 knots. As we crossed the Franklin Canal our luck with the tides ran out and now we were making only 4.5 knots against the tide. Traffic in the ditch today was again light, only a few barges here and there. An exciting moment today was when we crossed the Wax Lake Outlet. This ‘river’ which crossed the ICW is well known for it’s strong currents and today was no exception. We could see ahead of us the raging southbound current so I steered the boat to the north side of the ICW. It was evident when we entered the current, we could feel it grab the keel of the boat and begin to drag us. To make it across the Wax Lake Outlet I had to steer the boat NE to get it to move east, crabbing at almost 45 degrees. 15 minutes later we were out of the current’s hold and back on track in the ICW. As we approached the Atchafalya River just west of Morgan City we contacted Berwick Traffic VTS (vessel tracking service, similar to air traffic control). Berwick Traffic noted our entry to the controlled waters and at assigned points we continued to check in and announce our position. Our destination for today was the Morgan City Docks, one mile up the Atchafalya River but because of the south bound traffic in the river Berwick Traffic has us hold a position just west of the river intersection. After about 45 minutes we were given the go ahead to clear through the railroad bridge and on to the city docks just a few hundred feet beyond. As we approached the city docks we were fortunate to have the winds drop from about 20 knots to about 10, but it also became apparent that we were going to be challenged in getting the boat secured for the night. Bruadair is about 45’ overall, the only place on the wall among all the shrimp boats was about 46’ long. After floating and studying the only place to squeeze into, and with some encouragement from David, I slowly and very carefully maneuvered the boat into this tight space. I have to admit that I had some doubt but with each new challenge comes new found confidence and skills. With the boat secured David and I took off on foot to see what was in town. Morgan City is a highly industrialized town so by foot all we were able to find was a couple of restaurants, a mini mart, hardware store and city hall. As we walked we noticed that Morgan City appears to be a poor town as well (from what we were able to see). After stocking up on sodas at the mini mart we stopped at a Latin cafe and picked up some Cuban pork, beans & rice, and salad for dinner. Not bad, definitely better than cooking after a long day. Back on the city docks we were really amazed how pleasure boat unfriendly Morgan City really is. The entire waterfront of the city docks has signs every 20’ stating ‘Pleasure Boats Only, No Commercial Boats’, however every space available on the dock (except for the 46’ we were in) was taking up by commercial fishing and shrimp boats. Morgan City really has some potential, but the lack of space by allowing commercial vessels to stay and lack of facilities really makes this a place I would not recommend unless one is in a bind for a place to stay. Also because of the commercial vessels allowed to stay here there is lots of noise and heavy wake to make for a bouncy night. Of all the places we’ve been so far this would have to be the bottom of the list, and the only reason I’m giving it a half an anchor is David won’t let me rate something with no anchors.
November 17, 2004 So we made it through the noisy and bumpy night and awoke for an early departure. Before untying the dock lines we contacted Berwick Traffic and got permission to make our way under the railroad bridge and on to the Bayou Boeff (buff) Lock. Since we had left at 0600 there wasn’t much traffic in the controlled waters and it was only 30 minutes of travel time before we reached the lock. Once at the lock we called the lock master and were able to transit the lock without a wait. The west gate was opened for us and we were instructed to motor into the middle of the lock and hold our position as the gate closed behind us. Once it was closed the east gate opened and we were once again on our way along the ICW. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 70’s, mostly sunny and winds 5 to 10 knots out of the east. We were also able to make an average speed of 6 knots with the tide helping us out. Not much spectacular happened today, it was an average day on the ICW with little traffic. We did pass two barges and went under the Bayou Delarge Draw Bridge and the Houma Railroad Bridge. After traveling almost 35 miles we found the Downtown Marina in Houma. Fortunately the winds were again cooperating and docking the boat was void of any challenges. The Downtown Marina is a beautiful marina located next to a busy park, and at $20 a night including electricity and water it was a great bargain. We had the boat secured by 1210, and after taking note of our surroundings (park to the east, morgue and hospital to the west) we called the dock master and paid our fees. David and I took a walk down Park Street and found The Pit Stop, a greasy spoon diner with excellent food. For lunch today we had a salad, salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, peach cobbler and iced tea all for $5.50. After such a large lunch we took a walk around town and through some residential areas. I was impressed with the diversity of Houma (pop. 100,000) and even more impressed with the southern style homes, there were some truly beautiful homes that could have made me want to stay and move back onto land. Once back on the boat it was time for a well needed nap, the rest of the day also including watching some television and cleaning up inside. We ended up staying here in Houma a week not only because we really liked it here, but also because the weather forecasts kept calling for severe thunderstorms so we thought what better of a place to be to wait them out. The second day here David and I walked a mile to the historic district and did some window shopping (yes, I walked by the ice cream store and didn’t get any!), then we walked 5 miles to the public library and checked our e-mails. After walking so much today we decided to call a cab from the library and went to Walmart to do some provisioning, then a cab back to the boat. It was actually a pretty good deal on the cab, about $12 for both trips. In the remaining days that we spent in Houma we made some more trips back to the historic district and back to the shopping centers. On one of these trips we decided to splurge and bought a new cell phone with computer cable so now we are able to connect to the internet and check e-mails right from the boat (as long as we’re in cell phone range). We took time to work on the web page, called family and friends, took walks and just enjoyed relaxing. David even bought the new Harry Potter DVD so we watched that one night too. On Monday 11/22/04 David and woke early leave for Lafitte. After getting dressed, the coffee made and gear stowed I stepped outside only to find that we were engulfed in very thick fog. With coffee in hand I walked down to the end of the marina and looked in both directions along the ICW, visibility was down to about 200’. I had also taken the handheld VHF radio with me so I could listen to any commercial traffic in the ICW. After listening to some tows talk with each other it became apparent that many of the tows had stopped traveling because of the restricted visibility. Since the big guys wouldn’t go out in this fog we thought it was best to follow suit and stay where we were. The rest of the morning was spent listening to weather reports and with Tuesday forecast for thunderstorms we decided to stay two more days and try for a Wednesday departure. On Tuesday 11/23/04 a sailboat named Dream Catcher pulled in so we went over and introduced ourselves to Ben and Nancy. They too were traveling to St. Petersburg Florida from Clear Lake Texas. They had spent the summer there visiting their son. Ben and Nancy have been cruising for about 7 years including the Sea of Cortez, transiting the Panama Canal and the Western Caribbean. We spent some time talking and comparing notes of our travels (from Texas) as well as our plans. They were a wonderful couple to talk to, they were also the first boaters we’ve talk with since leaving Clear Lake two weeks ago. Anyway, David and I bid our farewell with them, then after dinner we did some preliminary work to get the boat ready (fill water tanks, stow gear, look at charts) then off to bed it was.
November 24, 2004 This morning came quick, and after popping my head out for a quick fog check (there was none) we unhooked and stowed our shore power cord, warmed up the engine and at 0700 we were back in the ICW heading east. It was real nice to be in Houma for a week resting and not doing much of anything and I could have stayed another week easy, but it was truly nice to be moving again and making progress towards Florida. Today was like any other day the ICW with light traffic, partly sunny and light winds. But then, after motoring for three hours David called me out to the cockpit (I was down below resting). There was white smoke coming from the engine’s exhaust! We were in the ICW now with more traffic, tows from the east and west, and I needed to stop the boat to find out what was happening. Since there was no place to pull out of the ditch the only option was run Bruadair aground in the soft mud. After putting the engine in neutral and slowing the boat down I steered towards the south bank and gently nudged Bruadair into the mud bank. After applying a little more power to make sure we wouldn’t drift off David dropped the anchor for the same reason. We made a quick call on the VHF to let all the commercial traffic know that we were stopped and not able to move so they wouldn’t run us down. There were lots of offers from the commercial guys for assistance but I felt we had it under control. We shut the engine down and opened up the engine compartment, checking all fluids, hoses and such. Then I checked the fuel filter bowl (the clear bowl on the bottom of the filter assembly is supposes to collect any water or debris in the fuel) which was dirty. I drained the fuel, confirmed that the diesel in the bowl was clean and started the engine. No more smoke so David raised the anchor and we backed off of the mud bank and were on our way again. It took an hour out of our day and though I was confident everything was fine I still kept an eye on things. A couple of hours later we saw our first glimpse of New Orleans on the horizon. The skyscrapers of downtown were still two days away. As we progressed towards Lafitte the winds started to pick up and by the time we reached Flemming Landing on the Barataria Waterway it was blowing 25 knots. We needed to stop at Flemming Landing for fuel and we were hoping to spend the night there as well, but the dock was downwind. It took some time to get the boat slowed but the 25 knot winds were still pushing us at a good pace towards the fuel dock, fortunately the landing wasn’t too hard. Took on 26 gallons of diesel, then asked if they had a place for us to stay. The manager said we could stay at the fuel dock but only after they closed at 1700, it was 1400 now. When I made mention of having to motor in circles for three hours she said we could take up the sea wall at the building next to her at the old abandoned Texaco dock. So we go off the fuel dock (not easy with 25 knots pinning you against the pier) and circled back around to the Texaco dock only 75’ behind us. Docking here was much easier even though it was downwind like Flemming Landing. As I approached the dock the depth sounder went from 14’ to 5’, we were now dredging through the soft mud. This actually worked out well because it was just enough mud to keep the winds from slamming us against the seawall. After we secured the boat I went into the Flemming Landing office and asked what the fee was for the night, she said it was free (we like free). David and I settled relaxed for about an hour then noticed Dream Catcher, the boat we met yesterday, turning off the ICW towards Flemming Landing. We went over to the fuel dock and helped them dock and chatted a while while they took on diesel, they had decided to stay the night as well and were able to stay at the fuel dock. The fuel dock manager had recommended a restaurant and said they would even come pick us up so we called Bootees. At 1700 we were picked up and taken to the restaurant about 5 or so miles down the road. It was and excellent dinner with Ben and Nancy, David had the seafood platter and I had the stuffed flounder. After dinner the owner of Bootees took us back to the boats with a quick stop at the grocery store. Off to bed early.
November 25, 2004 We woke up early and left at 0630. The winds were blowing 20 to 25 knots all night last night but had eased to 15 knots this morning. Getting out of the mud at the sea wall was no problem as the tide had come in and we were now in 6’ of water. Today was Thanksgiving Day and we had intentionally planned on trying to get through all 10 bridges and 2 locks on this holiday hoping that the commercial traffic would be light, and it was. After going under the Lapalco Bridge and the Harvey High Rise Bridge we arrived at the Harvey Lock at 0920. Dream Catcher had been following behind us for about an hour and arrived at the same time. We waited 20 minutes because there was a tow being locked through west bound, and after he exited it was our turn to enter the lock. The lock master and workers up on the wall were very helpful in giving directions and telling us about the process, and it really was pretty easy. So many people had told us horror stories about going through this lock and so I had some anxiety when we approached, but I have to say it was nothing like the stories. We tied on one bow line to their cleats and after the west gate closed behind Dream Catcher we were raised about 6 feet to match the water level of the Mississippi River. Upon exiting the lock we contacted Gretna Light Traffic Control on channel 67 who monitored our transit down the Mississippi River to the Industrial Lock. Ah, the Mighty Mississippi River! As we entered the river our speed picked up to almost 8 knots and that was with low rpm’s on the engine. We estimated that the current of the Mississippi was about 3.8 knots in our favor. It was a beautiful and quick 5 mile ride before we needed to turn off the river east into the Industrial Canal. As we flew down the river we enjoyed the sites of the New Orleans including the French Quarter. When we exited the Mississippi River into the Industrial Canal we contacted the Industrial Lock and requested to be locked through. Our luck continued with us here, as we approached a west bound tow was exiting the lock so our wait was very short. This lock was just as easy as the Harvey Lock. Dream Catcher entered behind us and the man at the top of the wall handed down two lines (bow & stern). David and I held onto the lines as the water was emptied out of the lock dropping us about 7 feet. Once through the lock and under another bridge we bid farewell to Dream Catcher. They continued east on the ICW as we proceeded up the Industrial Canal through four more bridges and into Lake Ponchartrain. As we entered the lake the winds had again picked up to 20-25 knots. It was a rough ride for the next hour as we made our way north east towards the Orleans Marina. David had to stay on the bowsprit with headsets on calling to me every turn needed to avoid the pesky crab traps. The white crab trap balls where very hard to see among all the white caps, but David successfully guided me without mishap. I have never seen so many crab traps in one place before, if they were all tree stumps I could have walked to the marina! Anyway, by 1330 we had the boat secured at the Orleans Marina. The rest of the day was spent taking hot showers, walking through the marina, checking e-mails and cleaning up the boat. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of chicken salad sandwiches and chips with some chocolate for desert. On Friday 11/27/04 I called Casey at Mockingbird Marine (back in Clear Lake) and discussed with him our intermittent smoking on the engine, then I went to a local mechanic to get his opinion. Both Casey and the local mechanic had the same thoughts, being that it wasn’t really smoke but steam. It appears that we are getting into colder waters, colder air, and when the conditions are right steam can periodically be produced. So, no engine worries and we’re happy. We called our mail forwarding service and had our mail forwarded, it’ll be the first time in three weeks that we’ve gotten mail. We’re staying until next Wednesday to wait for the mail, wait out some weather and to do some general maintenance on the boat. Walked three miles to West Marine and did some shopping. On the walk back we were pleased to find a Walgreens and a small grocery store around the corner from the marina. Rest of the day spent working on the web site, walking around the marina, watching television, reading and resting. On Saturday and Sunday we took some walks, went grocery shopping, and worked on the boat. I re-soldered the connector on the GPS antenna, changed the engine oil (had to buy a new pump), changed antifreeze fluid, checked the transmission fluid, water strainer and impeller. Met some nice people here a the marina including Mark (works at West Marine), Harris and Stewart. David went to the dentist on Monday for a cleaning and a check up, he was having some tooth pain. On Tuesday he had a couple of fillings done. Plotted our course as far as Pensacola Florida on the laptop computer and transferred the waypoints to the chart plotter. There’s a lot of storms around us so we’re keeping a close eye on the weather, we’re wanting to leave tomorrow morning but we’ll have to see.
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