LA-MS-AL Trip May-June 09 Part IV

Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama Coastal Sailing
May 27 – June 8, 2009
Beautiful Sights and Valuable Lessons (Part IV)

Fri 6/5. Blue Herons and Dolphins accompanied my yoga. Ingram Bayou was a serene and beautiful hideaway. No wonder so many recommend it! We were not that motivated to leave for the return trip to New Orleans, our home. Our friends were still resting when we weighed our muddy anchor and set off. Weather reports on the VHF advised of gusty winds close to 20 kts. directly on our bow. No use trying to sail on the Alabama Canal, but we expected to reach Mobile Bay in a couple of hours and then decide on sailing options. As we slid past the Canal entrance to the Bay, we were attracted once more by Sailboat Bay with its appealing condos and boat slips. Now that we knew how charming the Lower Alabama neighborhoods were, the condos seemed strategically located for easy access to places we admired both East and West. Who knows? Must keep one’s options open.
Mobile Bay welcomed us with winds WNW at 15-20kts. and waves 3+ ft. Mike raised a reefed main, and we motorsailed bumpily across to the Dauphin Is. Bridge on the other side of the Bay at 5.5 kts. against the wind. We passed Dauphin Is. and Petit Bois, heading for Horn Is., where we had not been and yearned to try. Given the wind direction and speed, that had not let up all day, we decided to try the south side of the Island facing the Gulf. Our charts showed reasonable depths of 12-16 ft. just ½ mi. offshore. Mike dropped 70 ft. of chain and another 5 of rode for added safety just in case. We expected winds to veer toward North and quiet to 5-10 kts. for the night. Perfect for a comfortable evening and sleep.
The sun was setting when we dropped the hook, and the panorama was great. Horn Is. was quite attractive, with woods throughout the Island, fine white sand beaches, and very little boat traffic, at least on its southern shore. We basically had a stretch of 2-3 mi. all to ourselves, it seemed.

Sat 6/6. Just after breakfast, we headed eagerly for the shore. We rowed the dinghy in and lifted it up on the bank. Walking along the shoreline, we saw sand crabs that scattered rapidly as we approached, stingrays, and then came upon what seemed to be the skeletal remains of a wooden boat. The Park Service must have cordoned it off, and there it lay on the sand for all to see and wonder the when and how of this probable shipwreck.
Out of nowhere, it seemed, a bikini-clad woman came into view as she briskly walked the beach. We approached her to ask some questions about Horn Is. and found she was friendly and informative. She said it was best we not enter the woods, given the pesky sand flies and, oh no, snakes. That was enough to distance me! She and her husband, who was fishing at some point along the shore, would “escape” to the Island often from Biloxi. “Only a 15 min. ride,” she affirmed. Maybe they actually flew over the water, as many boaters seem to do from the Mississippi coastline to the islands and back. Maybe it was slight exaggeration. It reminded us that we had chosen sailing for other reasons rather than speed. But at times we would also want to get away or get to the islands fast. Ah, so many tradeoffs.
The sun was climbing in the sky, and we went for a good swim to cool off. The temperature of the water was deliciously cool. And what clear waters. This visit to Horn Is. would prove to be memorable.
After lunch we set out for Cat Island, the last of the string of sizeable islands off the Mississippi Coast on the way to the Rigolets. A stopover at Cat Is. would mean that we would have completed visits to the must-see islands off the Mississippi coast (from East to West in this order): Petit Bois, Horn, Ship and Cat.
We wanted to find anchorage at Smugglers Cove on the southeast end of the Island, but our 4.5 ft. keel would have put us at a couple of miles off shore where the predicted SW winds could pick up. So, we cozied up to a spot about ½ mi. off the eastern side of the Island.
It was evident by the many boats that dotted the shoreline that this side of Cat Is. is quite popular. The sun was setting when we dropped anchor. Once again we admired a beautiful sunset, with dolphins, pelicans and seagulls playing in the vicinity. Maybe Nature knew that we were sadly nearing the end of our trip and wanted to give us an extra treat.

Sun 6/7. Continuing the search for new overnighters, we passed through the Rigolets and into Lake Pontchartrain but passed up our usual stopping point, Oak Harbor, Slidell. This had been our entrance and exit point for several trips, but we decided to shoot for Mandeville, LA. We were able to hoist the spinnaker for some good sailing (not motorsailing) for a few hours until we reached Mandeville.
This city on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain has some special charm. There are lots of marinas, but the public dock is available for overnighters, and there are power outlets that mostly work. Lakeshore Drive that runs parallel to the Lake is a promenade for dogs and their owners, couples, families and those who are looking to exercise by walking, biking or running. There are nice views, and at least ½ dozen eating spots within walking distance too. After registering our stay at the public dock with the beautiful, rebuilt (after Hurricane Katrina) Pontchartrain Yacht Club, we strolled to a restaurant and then turned in for the night.

Mon 6/8. Our last day was spent getting back to the Tchefuncte River and our marina. We experienced what, it seems, many sailors do: a desire to continue the cruising adventure tempered by a desire to get home to feel at-home with the accompanying routines. Unless we were to move onboard, we would probably continue to have those conflicting feelings into the future. For now we felt satiated and said “so long” to Talisman, with a “we’ll go out soon again.”

Summary:
• We have now visited the Mississippi islands we read and hear about (for sailors): Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois
• Lower Alabama via the Alabama Canal (or “the ditch,” or Alabama ICW) is delightful with plenty of options. We haven't exhausted them all yet.
• The weather was not a problem, though we would have wanted to sail more, rather than motor or motor/sail
• Next trip should get us to the Florida Panhandle and maybe beyond.