Louisiana - Mississippi - Alabama sailing adventure

Trip Itinerary :

Madisonville --- Slidell --- Ship Island --- Petit Bois Island --- Ft. Morgan --- Bear Point --- Ingram Bayou --- Horn Island --- Cat Island --- Mandeville --- Madisonville


Finally, a Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama trip that had the variety we wanted! For us, a trip is worthwhile once Talisman, our trusted Pearson 365, exits Lake Pontchartrain. That’s not to say that we don’t enjoy the communities around the Lake. It’s just that we are familiar with them and are seeking new sights, new explorations.

On this trip we visited friends in Slidell, LA. We had met the loosely assembled group of sailors and seen their boats at a get-together. A few people took off the next day, and we headed out with others a couple of days later. We covered pretty much of what are the interesting islands off the coast of Mississippi – Ship and Petit Bois one way, and then Horn and Cat on the way back. We crossed Mobile Bay and entered the Alabama Canal (the inland ICW of Lower Alabama), lighting at several spots that are just as quaint and attractive as can be.

Altogether this was a satisfying trip. There was a good mix of anchoring in pristine waters off of uninhabited islands, sharing scenery and meals in bayou areas, and partaking of what the boating communities of Lower Alabama have to offer. Lower Alabama has plenty of good marinas, bayous, restaurants, and gregarious people, all of which made for great enjoyment and socializing, too.

Enjoy the slideshow. The next few blogs will cover the trip segments in more detail.