1/28/11 We got up early and after a false start and a minor grounding we got underway with a brisk tail wind (stern wind?). We were boarded again by 3 different U.S. Customs agents and asked the same questions but after we told them we were boarded only a few days earlier their search was abbreviated. No doubt they checked our story after stepping off. We made it half way across Mississippi Sound about six miles off shore and anchored in the lee of a cute little pile of white sand called Cat Island.

1/26-27/11 The last time we came through New Orleans, we had a terrible time getting through the two locks that flank the Mississippi River. The locks were overcome with commercial traffic and we were not allowed to pass through until near dark. That put us in a narrow canal with rock banks as the only place to anchor. It was a very uncomfortable night with barges passing within spitting distance. They came by all night long. This time we were determined to beat the system so as we approached New Orleans we anchored in a less desirable spot but ten miles closer to the river. We got up at day break only to have fog too thick to make a run solo. Finally a tug with tow came by (named "John 3:16") and we fell in behind him and crept along until the fog lifted. We made it to the first lock and found no traffic at all. We breezed through and proceeded to the second only to find out it was closed for maintenance daylight hours until further notice. There is no where to anchor on the east side and especially on a moonless pitch dark night. There was no option but to find a tug that wouldn't be traveling too fast and follow him closely enough to avoid collisions with bridges, pilings etc. It happens that there was a tug locking through with us and he agreed to let us follow while we cleared New Orleans. We followed him until 9:00 pm and finally spotted an anchorage called Rabbit Island that would do. We pulled off and anchored successfully. It was so dark we would have followed him off the edge of the world.

1/24/11 We saw a little weather window in the morning so dashed to Houma, LA and a great little city dock in time to walk to the laundromat. We did have one interruption. The US Customs Service and Border Protection boat put three agents aboard to search the boat. Very business-like fellows dressed like a SWAT team. After wanting to see the boat papers and ID they did a sort of passive interrogation asking about the boat and other chit chat while observing for telltale signs of guilt I suppose. I never saw a boat with four 300 Horsepower outboard motors before. The cats seem to have adapted very well although they have a tendency to sleep all day and romp at intervals in the night. We haven't paused in the trip up 'til now so haven't had a chance to work on the blog or other paperwork. We'll spend a couple of nights here as $25 per night covers electricity, water and free pump out of the holding tanks. The GPS odometer now reads 390 miles since we left Seabrook, TX.

1/23/11 More tug boats, gas pipelines and Louisiana swamp. We end up in Morgan City, LA. We have been here before and stayed at the same dock last time. Morgan City mostly caters to the offshore petroleum industry and so cares very little about pleasure boaters. The city dock adjoins a unique if not peculiar slice of downtown. We saw small shops mostly suffering from neglect although I saw the best hardware store in existence. At the same dock we met the only other cruisers at the dock. Jerry and Denver Reid are on their way to the Bahamas on their ~30' sailboat "Oceans 15". We enjoyed talking to them. They are ex-missionaries who have traveled the world before deciding to buy a boat and see the Bahamas.

1/22/11 Today we tried to make it to Avery Island, home to Tabasco sauce but we were blocked by a stubborn tug boat driver. I assume he thought we would just get in his way. I've got a little stubborn streak in me too so I tried to navigate around him and ended up running aground. We got off in less than a minute but it reminded me that we are often miles from civilization and there's no use taking chances. It's a long walk with alligators for company. Anyway we went up the bayou an hour further and found a dock in Delcambre, LA. Well, barely a dock. The locals pointed to it and we tied up there. No one came around asking for money so we assume it was the free city dock mentioned in our cruising guide. We didn't even go ashore.

1/21/11 More Louisiana swamp. The cell phone coverage is spotty out here and of course no WiFi. The TV seems to work more often than the phones. There are huge natural gas deposits around here. Everywhere a pipe line crosses the canal there is a sign that says "Do Not Anchor or Dredge". We must have passed a hundred in the last few days. Lace's cooking out does itself every day with three course entrees at lunch and supper. We don't stop for lunch so I eat at the wheel. That evening we had tostadas and Mexican rice in honor of the Friday night Luna's crowd. We anchor on the Mermantau River amid thick cypress trees.

1/20/11 The swamps of Louisiana are starkly beautiful but the channels are often straight lines for miles. We got to Lake Charles but decided the anchorage situation was not to our liking so we dropped back a few miles and tied up at Bow Tie Marina. They offer fuel and nice hot showers. We have a shower/tub on the boat but we conserve water so the longer version ashore is welcome. Lake Charles is the home to several floating casinos. Two we saw were fashioned like old time river boats but La Bearge Du Lac casino looks like a regular building. According to the proprietor at Bow Tie, in order to comply with local law the casino must float and so this one "floats" in it's own pond which is controlled by automatic pumps and actually must have a licensed captain on board even though it will never move.

1/19/11 Left Stingaree and a clear but cold day east bound. The GPS, the depth sounder and the VHF two way radio all come on first thing and stay on all day. It's necessary to keep track of the tug traffic on the radio to be able to stay out of their way. We can make around 50 miles a day on average if we don't stop to take in any sights. We got as far as the Louisiana state line and anchored up near Shell Island just off of the Intercoastal Waterway surrounded by grassy plains.

1/18/11 At long last after a year of preparation we shoved off in a light rain. When we turned the corner into Galveston Bay we were greeted with fog - just enough to slow us down some for the first few hours. The boat performed well except the salt water pump in the galley quit. The travel is considerably easier due to the new GPS, and more comfortable due to the new cabin heat. Once again we are impressed with the professionalism of the tug boat captains who manage to navigate there tows (as much as 7000 tons) through traffic. We made Stingaree Marina about mid way down the Bolivar Peninsula.