BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI to GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

In Biloxi:

Well, there is not much going on right now.  We left Gulfport on Tuesday morning on our continuing trek eastward and arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi later in the afternoon.  It was a fairly short run, but we wanted to see Biloxi.  It’s just such a cool name for a town.  Biloxi.  We followed the ship channel out of Gulfport to where it intersects with the GICW and then turned left.  After a while, we decided we could safely cut across and shoot for an inside channel into the Biloxi area.  We had 11-14 feet under the boat all the way until we got to the west entrance and then it got a bit shallower.  Actually, it was just fine.  We had 9’s the whole way in. 

As we entered the channel, we called the Point Cadet Harbormaster on the radio to let him know we were close and to get further instructions.  He gave us perfect instructions from his bird’s nest atop the harbor building and actually came down to the slip to meet us and to catch a line.  Originally he had us assigned to slip A3, but when I told him I did not feel too comfortable backing into that slip given that we are a single screw trawler with a lot of windage, he generously assigned us to an even better slip out near the end of the breakwater.

Richard is his name, and he is one of several Harbormasters at Point Cadet.  What a gentleman.  I enjoyed talking with him.  He was very nice to us and complemented us on how we were so well prepared to dock; lines and fenders ready for either side.  Anyways, Richard was a career Naval Officer. He spent more than 30 years on diesel submarines.  He was on one of those during WWII in the Pacific.  Eventually, he did get to play on the nuc’s (nuclear powered subs), but said that the only thing he really liked better about the nucs as opposed to the diesels is that he could take showers more often than once or twice in 30-40 days. 

After spending all that time on submarines, he was assigned to embassy duty.  For many years, he worked in embassy security in various countries in South America including Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil.  As a result, he is fluent in several languages.  We discovered this when we were in his office with a nice couple we met who are taking their sailboat (a 35 foot Coronado) from Lake Ponchetrain to Pensacola and back.  John is a marine electrician in Homer, Alaska.  Janette is a delightful young lady from Venezuela.  So, when we were in the office with them, Richard busted out the Spanish.  All of a sudden things started making sense.  We met this couple in Gulfport and I noticed her Spanish accent.  Later, when both boats left Gulfport together, she asked the name of our boat and she was actually able to pronounce it perfectly.  Interestingly, however, when you say the name, “Abreojos” to a Spanish speaking person, they usually respond by saying, “huh?”  This is because, the word “Abreojos” is not really a proper Spanish word, but more of an idiomatic expression with various meanings.  It’s also the name of a small fishing town on the Pacific coast of Baja, California.  Nevertheless, she got it.  Back to Richard.

While chatting on the dock after getting tied up, Richard introduced us to a gentleman who lives aboard his boat here in the harbor.  Jimmy’s boat is called “Simply Southern.”  Jimmy has done the Loop at least twice and has otherwise cruised up and down the rivers and the Gulf Coast and East Coast several times.  He was great to talk to although we did not have too much time to spend as he had an appointment to make.  He gave us his phone number and I will certainly be keeping that in a safe place.  We have met a few folks along the way who have provided us with a wealth of local information and good advice.  I think it would be foolhardy not to consult the locals while doing this trip.  There is just so much to know and learn.

Here in Biloxi, there is not too much going on unless you like ocean front casinos and big hotels.  We keep losing money in the casinos, so that will be about enough of that. 

Biloxi, we learned, actually has an interesting history.

The history of Biloxi, Mississippi, spans more than 300 years.  It is the place of the the first permanent settlement in French Louisiana.  In around 1720, the capital of French Louisiana was moved to Biloxi. But, in 1723, citing concerns over tides and hurricanes, then Governor Bienville moved the capital of French Louisiana from Biloxi to a new inland harbor town named La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans).

Following Great Britain's victory in the Seven Years War in 1763, France ceded French Louisiana east of the Mississippi River (except for New Orleans), to Great Britain, as part of the Treaty of Paris. At that same time, Louisiana west of the Mississippi, including New Orleans, was ceded to Spain as part of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. So, first it was French, then from 1763 to 1779 it was British, and then Spain had it from about 1779 to 1798. Finally, Biloxi came under American rule as it was part of the Mississippi Territory. Mississippi became part of the union in 1817.

Now that ownership was settled, Biloxi began to grow, primarily as a summer resort.  Summer homes, hotels and rental cottages began springing up all around the landscape.  Interestingly, and especially given all the development in the area, in the early stages of the Civil War, Ship Island, just off the coast, was captured by Union forces.  Biloxi was thus captured as well. However, no major battles were fought in the area, and Biloxi did not suffer direct damage from the war.  Some say there was some local Union sentiment that may have had something to do with Biloxi’s being spared.  It was, afterall, a favorite summer resort destination of Northerners.

Where's Waldo?

After the Civil War, Biloxi again emerged as a vacation spot. Its popularity as a destination increased with railroad access. Then, during the 1880’s cannery’s were built and Biloxi grew again, and as different ethnic groups came to work in the seafood factories, Biloxi became more diverse.

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces built Keesler Field, now Keesler Air Force Base, which became a major basic training site and site for aircraft maintenance. The Biloxi economy boomed as a result.

Biloxi's casino history dates back to a period in the 1940s, when open if technically illegal gambling took place in a casino within the Broadwater Beach Resort. The Mississippi Gulf Coast became known as the "Poor Man's Riviera", and was frequented by Southern families.

In the early 1960s, as the Gulf Coast again emerged as a prime alternative to Florida as a southern vacation destination, Biloxi hotels upgraded their amenities and hired chefs from around the world in an effort to provide some of the best seafood cuisine in the country.

Ultimately, gambling was legalized in Mississippi in the 1990s and Biloxi was again transformed. It became an important center for casinos, and the hotels and casino complexes brought millions of dollars in tourism revenue to the city. Biloxi and the surrounding Gulf Coast region was considered a leading gambling center in the Southern United States. By the early 21st century, Biloxi's economy was solidly based on seafood, tourism and gaming.

Unfortunately, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast with high winds, heavy rains and a 27-foot storm surge, causing massive damage to the area.  Commenting on the power of the storm and the damage, Mayor A.J. Holloway said, "This is our tsunami." Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour was quoted as saying the destruction of the Mississippi coastline by Hurricane Katrina looked like an American Hiroshima.  53 people were killed in Biloxi as a result of Katrina. Once again, Mississippi is trying to rebuild, but it is a slow process for sure.

This town really took a whoopin’ as a result of Hurricane Katrina and has yet to recover in many ways.  The town itself is quite quaint.  It is becoming more and more common now to see how towns on the Gulf Coast tend to be laid out.  First, they are typically a block or so inland from the Gulf.  Second, at least throughout Louisiana and parts of Texas and now Mississippi, identifying the town and distinguishing it from what many might see as a residential neighborhood is sometimes a challenge.  Many of the businesses are in structures that resemble single family homes.  They are spaced apart and interspersed with trees and sometimes fields.  Here, the trees were obviously once quite thick and lush.  Now, they appear to have been blown apart or broken in half (the top half completely missing).  Many businesses are closed.  The only enterprises that appear to be thriving somewhat are the casinos.  However, the parking lots are filled with cars from Texas, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and states other than Mississippi.  Needless to say, the casinos employ many, many local folks. 

In that regard, once again, our “places” application on the Droid failed us.  Actually, it’s just that the information is old and business or buildings that were once there are………, well…….., gone.  It is stunning to witness the effects of a storm like Katrina.  We have seen the effects (now five years old) everywhere from south Texas to Mississippi.  From what I can tell, the folks around here would tell you that there has never been a hurricane quite like it; It was a direct hit; like a 750 mile wide piece of 60 grit sandpaper that simply changed the face of the landscape in a very short time. 

I have always wanted to eat in a Waffle House

People are interesting.  We have a home in California.  We live pretty close to the San Andreas Fault.  We live with earthquakes and the potential for seismic events that can cause heart wrenching damage and loss of life.  However, given modern building techniques and codes, the potential for an entire geographic area to be wiped off the map is virtually nil.  Yet we still live there.  There are folks who live where tornadoes are relatively frequent.  A giant drill bit descending from the sky at night is no joke and every year, folks are killed and communities destroyed.  Yet, folks still live there.  Everyone knows how dangerous severe cold weather can be, yet people still live in the Dakotas and even in Alaska.  What does this all mean?  The human spirit is an extraordinary phenomenon.  Humans, unlike virtually an other species on earth can adapt , and, through improvisation and trial and effort, can overcome virtually everything.  Now, you might wonder why folks keep going back to places where natural disasters are borderline predictable.  I guess it is just a question of faith.  Have faith that the next one won’t come for a while and if it does, we’ll just get through it again.  This is a beautiful spirit and reminds me of what Joshua Slocum once said about the weather, “No matter how bad it gets, it will always get better.”

Speaking of the weather, today is a cold and windy day.  The north wind is blowing…..AGAIN…. and causing the temperatures to drop into the 30’s at night, with the highs around 50 during the day.  There is a window of opportunity for us to boogie tomorrow.  I think this time, we are going to skip the upper part of Mobile Bay and run across the bottom of it to a place called Lulu’s, or the harbor right next to it.  Lulus is a restaurant/nightclub owned and operated by  Lucy Buffet.  You can probably guess who her brother is.  We will then be in Alabama.  It is my understanding that on the other side of Mobile Bay, the water starts getting “pretty” – clear and blue.  The muddy bottoms of the Texas and Louisiana coasts will be a thing of the past.  While this will be a nice change of pace, I really get tired of listening to folks complain about how “industrial” the GICW can be.  Hey, different strokes for different folks, right?  For me, personally, there are few things more beautiful and interesting than where the steel meets the saltwater.  I am amazed by it.  The tugs and barges, the container ships, the tankers, crew boats, and refineries are all fascinating to me.  They represents the lifeblood of this country.  I think we should take a good look at what we call "the heartland."

So, tomorrow, we have a 67nm pull.  The weather forecast looks pretty good.  However, it’s going to get real ugly Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  From there, who knows where we will end up. 

////

We pulled out of Biloxi at around 0730.  The conditions were nice.  It was very cold, but the sun was out and the wind was not more than 10-15 knots out of the east.  Just as we were leaving the dock, we saw another trawler go by with an AGLCA burgee.  The vessel is called "Debrief" and is owned by John and Sue Connelly.  They are from Connecticut and purchased Debrief in Texas near Port Aransas.  They are bringing her home, al beit, slowly via the ICW.  Right now their son, Colby, is travelling with them, but must leave to return to college in Virginia. Somtimes it would be really nice to have a strapping young lad on the boat. (Wait a minute.  That sounded kinda funny.)  Debrief is a North Pacific 42.  This is their first trawler having been sailors for more than 30 years.  So, we sort of buddy boated the 67 miles across Biloxi Bay, the rest of Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay, Bon Secur Bay, and back into the "ditch" until we both docked at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Our crossing was pretty routine.  For the first 2/3 of the passage, we had pretty consistent 10-15 knot wind from the east - say, "on the nose" - with 2-3 foot wind waves.  It was exactly the same as when we left Rabbit Island to go to Gulfport.  It was a little jerky, but no big deal.  In fact, it was fun.  This was the first time we had to use our windshield wipers since leaving California.  There are few things more exhilarating than when your bow pushes smashing into an on coming wave and the wind sends the spray flying across the boat.  It just looks so cool!

Mobile Bay was completely not herself.  She is known for being very shallow and quite rough at times.  Well, she laid down for us like a fed and happy dog.  In fact, it got glassy for the last 6 miles.  We were glad of it, though, as it was a long day.

Nowhere on this last passage were the depths as advertised on the charts.  Where the charts said it was supposed to be 14 feet, we saw 12's.  Where the charts said 10's we saw 8's.  At first I thought that this was the effect of the north wind that has been blowing for the last 2 days.  They say a north wind will blow water out of the bays.  But, the charts state the depts at MLLW (Mean Low Low Water).  Also, we have been seeing some rather extreme tides given the moon phase we have been in.  This stayed the same even after the low tide and during the shift.  It was so consistent, that I am now wondering if my depth sounder is misjudging.  I guess, I'll have to jump in the water with a depth guage and see.  For now, as long as it is consistently wrong, then we can count on it.

Anyways, we have now crossed into Alabama.  What she has in store for us, I cannot say.  But, we are at Homeport Marina which shares a parking lot with a place called "Lulu's".  This is a waterfront bar and grill place owned and operated by Lucy Buffet, Jimmy Buffet's sister.  Although they are closed today for Christmas, they will open on Sunday and there is tropical island style music on tap.  I am so looking forward to sitting outside (hopefully the weather will cooperate) with a cheeseburger, a cold beer, and good island style music.  You'll simply have to pry me out of there.  I'm sure I'll have more to say about this in my next blog update.

In the meantime, Brenda and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  May all of your lives be as blessed as ours and filled with riches and happiness.

Be well and love always and often.

Larry & Brenda

PS - if you are interested in knowing where we are, please check either the tracker I post on FB from when we move and when we stop, or click on the link near the top of the blog called "Where we are".

New Orleans to Gulfport, MS

New Orleans to Gulfport

We had a delightful departure from New Orleans.  After getting fuel, we departed southbound back into the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal down to the turning basin and back onto the GICW.  It was a bright and sunny day with a light breeze out of the north east.  There was not much barge traffic at first, but it got more busy as the morning wore on.  As we headed east, we came into a construction zone where it appeared there was a wall being built.  I don’t mean any wall.  We witnessed the construction of a barrier wall apparently designed to keep out the sea in the event of another hurricane.  This wall is huge and made of concrete and steel.  It looks more than 30 feet tall (who knows how deep into the wetlands it penetrates) and a good 10 feet thick. I thought to myself, “gosh, if this can be built here, then why can’t California build a similar wall across its southern boarder?”  I guess it could be built if there were a real desire, as opposed to a need.  Well, that has nothing to do with what we are doing, so I’ll leave that one there.

It was pretty much 33 miles of straight-away to Rabbit Island.  Once we got here, we found the entrance to the anchorage easily as the opening is quite wide.  However, where the most current NOAA charts showed the water depths to be 16 feet, the water was actually only 7 feet.  Our friends on Trident showed up right behind us and said they were entering the anchorage on the other side of the grass island.  We turned around very carefully in the shallow and narrow leg we were in and followed our track back out to the ditch and then followed Trident’s track in.  Bill reported good enough water to anchor in so as soon as we felt comfortable, we stopped and dropped.



Trident

Rabbit Island is really nothing more than a wide spot in the GICW where there is a small grass island forming somewhat of an ox-bow.  Rumor has it, Rabbit Island was used as a staging ground for the many vessels employed cleaning up the mess from the recent oil spill.  Someone dragged an old oil rig in here and basically dumped it on the small island.  It’s not terribly slightly, but it makes a hell of a background for a sunset. 

We saw wildlife today we had not seen to this point.  It was a Marmot.  Actually, we saw two of them swimming at different points on the cruise to Rabbit Island.  The look like giant rats, but their snouts are a little stubbier.  I don’t know if they have a tail.  Actually, I understand they are more closely related to ground squirrels.  Either way, from my vantage point, they appeared to be in the 10-15 pound range, with thick, dark brown fur. They are quite good swimmers.  You don’t want one of those dudes running up your pant leg.    Brenda commented that she now knows what they really put in Boudin.

We have seen a swing bridge or two thus far, but not one as big as the one we can see from here that crosses the Rigolets.  It has 9 enormous sections.  The middle section is the one that spins, as if on a spindle.  It’s a railroad bridge.  So, any boat passing through the Rigolets to or from Lake Ponchetrain, or the Pearl River, or wherever, has to signal the bridge by blowing their horn.  Then slowly, and I mean slowly, the center section turns open and allows the boat to pass through.  The clearance is only 10 feet under that bridge so we would definitely require an opening had we been planning to head up that way. 

Now, you would think the nights are very dark on the GICW.  But you would be mistaken.  There are no hills or mountains.  The land is quite flat and low. In some areas there are very few trees.  There is a lot of tall grass.  So, from the elevation of our back deck, around 9’ above the water, you can see over the top of the grass and out into the distance.  There seem to be blinking lights everywhere you look, all around you, on all horizons.  On a clear night like tonight, the stars come all the way down to the horizon.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the water ends and where the sky begins, except we know that there probably isn’t a star with light characteristics described as FL R 2s17ft3m“4”. 

In addition to the darkness, you would also think it is dead silent out here at night.  Maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be a ubiquitous “hummmmm” all around.  When we were in Texas, that was usually some refinery working night and day.  There are not refineries where we are.  I wonder if it’s because there are not hills and the land is so flat that we might be hearing the hummmmm and buzz of engines or generators from far off boats or oil platforms.  Hard to say.  It’s not bothersome, but just when you think you have found the most quiet and peaceful place on the planet, you hear this hummmmm, but only if you concentrate on the sound of silence.  The sound of silence. 

We have decided to skip Pass Christian as there might be pretty skinny water getting in there.  When the north wind blows, as it has been for the last week, it pushes water out of the bays and sounds.  Also, after yesterday’s adventure discovering just how wrong charts can be, I have no interest in testing that theory going into Pass Christian where the charts show only 7 feet of water leading into the little harbor.  We’ll just have to let the locals keep it for themselves.  Instead, we will go to Gulfport, which will be our first stop in Mississippi, our third state on this odyssey.  Most of Mississippi is inland.  Only a small part of the state touches the Gulf, so we won’t get to see much of the state other than what little lies on the third coast.  Nevertheless, it will be interesting for sure.

It was a rough day getting to Gulfport.  It seems the National Weather Service changed its mind somewhat in the middle of the night.  As a result, we had a 37 nm trip with 15 to 20 kph wind on the nose the whole time.  Well, as some of you may know, there are no “swells” to speak of in the Gulf.  However, depending on the direction of the wind, the wind can create significant waves.  The waves are more significant because the water is so shallow.  So, when I tell you the wind was 15 to 20 on the nose, this means there were also 2-3 foot wind waves on the nose as well.  Abreojos does quite well in these kind of conditions and especially since the spacing between the waves is tighter than the length of the boat.  As a result, there is not much pounding.  Rather it’s just a sort of “jerky” ride.  It gets tiring after more than 5 hours.  Plus, for the last 7 miles, we had it perfectly on the beam.  Actually, it was slightly off the beam and on the starboard quarter.  So, we rode a cork screw all the way into Gulfport Small Boat Basin.

The SBB is just adjacent to the commercial harbor.  I’m pretty sure this is the only reason there is such a place as Gulfport.  It is a deep water port where large ships can come in and drop off cargo by the container full.  Or by the thousands of containers, actually.  Gulfport is also the Gulf home port of the US Navy SeaBees.  There is a casino, a couple banks, a golf course, and that’s about it.  I would imagine that if there is a sizable population of young folks here, there is a lot of trouble.  There is absolutely nothing for them to do.  This is not a destination for cruisers. There is neither a grocery store nor any kind of supply house within walking or reasonable biking distance.  There is, however, the Gulfport Yacht Club.

We stayed the night at the GYC.  Boy, let me tell you, what a gouge!  They charge $2.00 per foot per night.  There was no other alternative other than to push another 35-40 miles to Biloxi in foul conditions.  There is no municipal dockage yet.  This town and its yacht club were completely wiped from the face of the planet thanks to Hurricane Katrina.  The municipal piers are under construction and will likely be open this coming summer.

The GYC is a beautiful facility.  They have their own marina where members keep their boats.  This club is big into classic wood boats and just completed their Classic Wood Boat Rendezvous up some river in Louisiana the name of which I cannot recall, but which you access from the north end of Lake Ponchetrain.  It was a 4-5 day event.  GYC’s boats took all the top prizes.  A couple of them are here in the harbor and they are very pretty. GYC also started a high school sailing program this year and held a championship series at the end of the season.  Nice work.  They have a very nice bar which Brenda and I closed last night. (We are “closers” in Mississippi, too!) 

Other than that, there is not much happening in Gulfport, so we will throw off the lines today and head for Biloxi, MS which is another 37 nm down the line.  We have already made arrangements to stay at the Point Cadet Marina which is advertised as being right next to downtown Biloxi.  There is also a good chance we might rent a car and drive to Tupalo, MS, the birthplace of Brenda’s favorite musical icon.  Yes, that would be Elvis.  It’s about 300 miles from Biloxi.  You can’t get there by boat.  You can get to Graceland by boat, but not the holy manger of rock and roll. 

I’ll write more from Biloxi.  Here’s a rebel yell to y’all from Gulfport, Mississippi, a place where the Confederate Flag is still flown with pride.

NEW ORLEANS - "THE BIG EASY"

New Orleans is a city of cultural and architectural diversity all smashed into a small geographical area known as "the Crescent".  It is surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi and one side by Lake Ponchetrain.  Whereas the city is quite diverse, it is not by any means a melting pot.  Rather, it is a mosaic; each neighborhood, or ward, appearing quite different. 



You have the French Quarter, the business district, the warehouse/arts district,  the garden district, Audubon Park, and then you have the outlying wards.  However, there are certain aspects of a visit to New Orleans that the powers that be want to make sure get drilled into your head. 



While Jazz music, great cooking, the Saints, and generally, "laisez les bon temps roule" get all the headlines, another aspect of the city folks love to push here is Hurricane Katrina. 



There are bars, entrees, drinks, souveniers, barbeque sauce, and all other things where folks here are engaging the tourist trade to capitalize on a disaster of epic proportions.  I wonder what will happen in another 10 years when the effects of Katrina have all evaporated.


It was also coincidental that in 2009, the Saints won the Superbowl.  The tourist bureau loves the fact that the Saints' rebuilding coincided with their own rebuilding after the storm.  In fact, even quarterback Drew Breeze is getting in on it with his book, "Coming Back Stronger", yet another effort to capitalize on the storm's effects.

On the other hand, New Orleans is a lovely little city.  It has all the big city flare of, say, New York's Manhattan, or downtown San Francisco.  It also has all the small town feel you could want because it is so segmented.  What I enjoyed most about New Orleans, however, was the diversity in archetecture prevelant throughout the various sections of the city.




The French Quarter, of course, resembles many smaller European cities I have visited.  The only thing missing is the cobble stone streets.  The city is an interesting mix of everything from "shotgun houses" to palatial mansions.  There are also very modern glass office towers and fancy hotel casinos.  And, the people who live here are as diverse as the archetecture.

This is a city that loves to celebrate its dead.  There are cemetaries throughout the city that contain both very old tombs and very new ones. 

In that regard, it's important to remember that, as far as "civilization" is concerned, New Orleans is not that old.  Louisiana is known as "America's Wetlands".  Much of the city lies below sea level.  Were it not for a series of levies, locks, dams, and other water barriers, not to mention a long history of dredging, and draining, I suspect New Orleans would resemble many of the swamps and bayous we have seen along the way.  It is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico that those who came here long ago saw as an inspiration to dry this swamp out and, thus, it became the mini-metropolis that it is.  Back to the dead.


Death is celebrated here.  We learned about the "Jazz Funerals."  There is a parade (say: procession) lead by the ministers and the family, followed by all the mourners and, yes, a jazz band.  They usually begin by playing somewhat of a solemn dirge, but then the second line and those that follow become more rambunctuous and there is dancing and celebrating.  This is a good thing.  Folks are probably not so afraid of death knowing that it will begin with a party.  Then there is the burial rituals.

Because Louisiana is mostly below sea level, the dead are not buried underground as they are in so many other places.  Coffins buried underground have a tendancy to float back to the surface within about 6 months. Rather, they are buried in above-ground tombs or crypts constructed early on from brick and morter, and later, from marble and other fancy stone. 



What is most interesting is that whole families are buried in these crypts.  You may see 10-12 names engraved in the door. According to ritual, when someone dies, they are placed in a coffin and then placed in the above-ground crypt.  Science tells us that the body will take just about a year to decompose (especially above ground).  Then, one year and one day later, the crypt is opened, and the remains shoveled into a bag and left in the back of the crypt.  The next family member who dies gets to use the same coffin in the crypt.  Then, one year and a day later, the same thing happens.  All of you will end up in the same bag!  So, if you didn't get along in life, I guess you're screwed because your going to spend eternity in the same bag.  So be nice to your parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.  It's going to be a long, long, long chill.


If you love Jazz music, then this is definitely the place to come.  The sounds of jazz and other jass inspired tunes seem to come from everywhere.  Many folks believe that Bourbon Street is the place to go for great Jazz music.  Well, according to the locals, the real heart of Jazz music is Frenchmans Street.  We spent a delightful evening in a club called DBA listening to a 6 piece jazz band play all the great tunes while a handsome set of young folks danced swing and other steps from a long bygone era.  Dark lighting and deep stained wood paneling, a little smoke and you have a great environment for listening to really cool music. 



Given the age of some of the musicians, it was apparent that they have loved their craft, in some cases, for more than 60 years.  They play with such feeling and texture on instruments that are, in many cases, as old as they are.  One guy really struggled with his clarinet.  It was old and chipped, but it emmanated such a rich sound that, given his style of play, one could never suggest a newer one.  And I have never seen such a variety of saxaphone.  Big ones, small ones, shiny ones, dull ones.  It never ends. 


There is music played in the street as well.  Walking down Royal Street (the artist and art gallery street between Canal and Esplinade, we stopped and listened to many groups playing in the street.  They were all good.  With all the talent everywhere, it is no wonder folks play in the street.  There simply are not enough venues to feature them all.


One of the highlights of our time in New Orleans was having a visit from our friend, and champion sailor, Randy Alcorn.  He sent me an email telling me he was "in the neighborhood" and then called to say he was only a couple hours away and did we mind a visit.  Well, I had no idea that "in the neighborhood" meant Fort Walton Beach, FLORIDA!  So, Randy had the afternoon off work, and he hopped in his rental car and drove across the Florida panhandle, across Alabama, across Mississippi, and then across a good part of Louisiana just to come by and have a bottle of wine and some conversation.  We had a great time.  We just hung out on the boat and caught up.  What a great friend Randy is and what a pleasant and enjoyable suprise.  I can only suggest that those things that make up a person's mind to do what he did, are the same things that make him a champion sailor, one of the best in the world, no doubt.  Thanks Randy.  We look forward to seeing you again soon.

We also got the Christmas gifts done and mailed out and got to hang with some new friends from Galveston who caught up with us here.  Bill and Carol are really nice folks and have a big dog - a 100+ pounder named Monty that they travel with on their beautiful Grand Banks called "Trident."  I was privileged to be able to help Bill out with a generator glitch.  We have had so many wonderful gifts of friendship and charity bestowed upon us by total strangers that it was really nice to get a chance to pay it forward.



I may write more about New Orleans later after it has had more of a chance to settle and as it will float to the surface (pardon the pun).  But for now, we will be leaving this wonderful city and continuing eastbound.  Our destination today is a place called Rabbit Island at the intersection of the Rigolets and Lakes Borne and Ponchetrain.  From there we will leave Louisiana and enter Mississippi, first stopping at Pass Christian, then Gulfport, and then Biloxi, and maybe even Pascagoula. 

Be well, y'all, and laisez les bon temps roule!

HEY DAVE LOCKRIDGE! THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, BUDDY!

Runway is all ready for Mardi Gras

No trip to New Orleans would be complete without coffee and beignet from Cafe Du Monde.

Those of you who watch the Food Channel know who this guy is.  BAM!

Andrew Jackson