I'.m going to back track somewhat, if you will forgive me. I have the digital recorder beside me as I write, so it will be more of a blow by blow account of the day and observations, as we go. I have f.0ound the recorder useful especially when we cant get WIFI, and/or too tired to write at the end of a long day of travel.
Anyone who thinks travelling this way is a Sunday drive, is mistaken. There are so many variables involved in boat travel, and I don't think I would like to be doing this with an inexperienced captain.
Warren has a lifetime of boating experience, but none in a vessel this big, so it has been a learning curve for both of us. Fortunately he is a quick study and if he doesn't know it, he will look it up, or sometimes we just have to trust our guts and do it anyway, when there isn't time for too much contemplation.
Going back to the 10th, Sunday, just after leaving Round Island.
.By around 8am we were well on our way and increasing commercial traffic on the horizon kept us on our toes, especially as this ICW channel was neither wide nor deep. The vast Bays are surprisingly shallow and you stray from the straight and narrow at your peril. There is a good reason the Magenta Line exists, and you want to stick to it.
Around 8.30am, we made a small deviation (watching the water depth, of course) towards what looked like (thru the Binoculars) to be a boat bow sticking out of the water, to our port side. We had to go and investigate, just in case there was need for assistance. Warren's NZ Coast Guard training always comes to the fore in these situations, so he is a useful person to have around if you are in need of assistance.:)
We ascertained before long that the 'wreck' was accompanied by a green buoy, meaning that it is a 'marked' wreck, though it wasn't on our 2012 chart. We quickly did an about turn and got back on the magenta line.
Many of the tows we passed were covered, so it wasn't obvious what they were hauling. Just out of New Orleans we encountered many barges filled with scrap metal and squished cars, in particular.
The ship you can see in the background is also scrap, and they are dismantling that alongside an old Navy vessel.
The marshlands are very beautiful and especially when you know about the incredible infrastructure underwater. They are disappearing at the rate of knots, so all this that remains is so very precious. More swamp and marshland is necessary to not only clean the water along the Gulf, but to help curb the damage that the water does to the cities and towns along the coast.
There are many movements to help preserve the marshes and wetlands in general, but their voices are not as loud, 'on the hill' (the Capitol, DC) as the Oil and Gas voices and lobby groups. This means that they are all dreadfully underfunded...usually in the millions, vs the billions necessary for conservation. Mismanagement by counties, Parishes, local government etc has meant that the conservation efforts are constantly undermined. We give them so little mind, as is evidenced by the yahoos in their speeding boats whose wakes damage the shoreline constantly. Erosion of the shoreline is chronic!
This little shrimper is one of the boats that used to come past us waaaaaaaay too fast, when we were in the Industrial canal, and her wake always made us rock and roll. We felt like giving her some of her own, as we passed, but kept the shoreline effect uppermost...which is way more important.
She has tanks onboard to keep the shrimp alive, and provides the live bait for the Marina. She was about an hour out from the Industrial Canal, when we took this photo.
She badly needs a clean!! We are constantly surprised by the number of working boats that are in such poor repair. You would think that the vessel that earns your keep would be better looked after??
By 9.30am the wind had calmed down, and we were doing about 9.8 knots. There was a tow ahead of us as we headed towards the Mobile Shipping channel, and we thought we might outrun him before the bridge. We passed the Bobby Fugit (the tug name) no problems, and ran under the Dauphin Island bridge into Mobile Bay. Lots of oil rigs out there, and you have seen the photos in the other blog.
Lots of houses on the skinny little finger that is Dauphin Island. At around 10.30am there was no discernible wind and we were happy that the sun was out and calm prevailed for our trip across Mobile Bay.
The bridge is a long one, and the water that passes underneath creates turbulence as water from the west meets the water from the Bay and is funneled up from the Gulf of Mexico through the two Islands at the entry to the bay.
Just after 11am, we crossed the Shipping Channel and had a ways to go across the wide Bay. Nobody going either way. Nice to see yachts with their sails up on the Bay.
Mobile Bay funnels into Bon Secour Bay and then into a narrow canal. Warren changed the depth sounder to Horizontal rather than vertical, because the channel is a bit like a 'bathtub'; rounded on the sides and deep in the middle. No room for error, in other words:)
We followed the green buoys across the bay, very carefully, and though there was nothing much to see, the sides of the bay were so far away, we did see through the binoculars that the trees on the shoreline actually had foliage...lots of shorelines done, having survived the hurricanes, and left with sticks instead.
At noon we were still on Bon Secour Bay. It is consistently 8-9feet down the middle of the channel.
We had lots of Dolphin activity...some riding our stern wave for short periods. Almost always in pairs, the dive first across our bow and then some come back around and explore the boat or surf the stern wave. This is exciting in so many ways. First, to know that there are so many out there...and if what we have seen is indicative of the health of the Gulf and Bays inside the Gulf, then we are please, after so many natural disasters...and some manmade ones as well. Secondly, it says that the fishing in the Bays is plentiful. We know they go after the Mullet, and they are good 'bait' fish, sought after by the fishermen in the area.
This really is fisherman's paradise. Louisiana - Sportsmans Paradise - as the saying and slogan goes. We can see why. There must be a fishing boat for every man, woman and child, in this state.
The eastern shore of Bon Secour Bay is very pretty. Lots of Condos on the Gulf side and of course this must be gorgeous in the middle of summer, though hot. I guess they have a sea breeze then anyway.
Lots of trees as we entered the small channel towards Oyster Bay. There was a fisherman just at the mouth of the canal, tied to the green post. One of the prettiest places we have been so far. We are officially in Mississippi, going towards Alabama.
Going from Bon Secour Bay into the narrow channel taking us into Oyster Bay.
Condos on the channel into Oyster Bay
Doesn't this look idyllic?
New homes in Marina developments/canal front homes. 
Marshland front these homes/holiday homes.
Some quite established communities.
A good place to leave your car if you are fishing for the day in the marshes, famous for the speckled trout.
Once out of Oyster Bay and on the ICW again, these homes front the canal.
The light was pretty but hazy...as I said, some established homes along the canal.
This small marina opposite Lulu's Restaurant is alongside Tacky Jacks restaurant which wasn't full...far from it. Obviously this is the cool side of the ICW and no sun means no patrons, by the look of it. Interesting building though. We didn't see anywhere we could have pulled in. We are a bit bigger than the average boat, and this could be why so many restaurant patrons were out there taking photos of us as we passed by??
Tacky Jacks had these HUGE poles holding up an interesting roof on the west side. Too bad I didn't get the whole picture to show because it was 'something else'.
A little further on, we were amazed at the huge prices for gas and diesel...the top price..$4.40 per gallon. Not for us, this stop!
We travelled parallel to a main highway at Orange Beach. Lots of small craft in evidence and families enjoying the glorious day in the area.
It was 2.30pm when we set anchor at Ingram Bayou, just off the ICW. What a pretty place this is. We are in 6.6ft of water here, and the little trawler on the right followed us into the Bayou for the night. Calm and glorious.
And so, as the sun went down, we were joined by a few others.
We sat outside, had a cup of tea and read our books for a while and it go quite hot in the sun on the cockpit deck.
Little sandy beaches around us, with birds wading and feeding and the marsh grass not even stirring. We watched a few Pelicans diving for food...gosh they are great to watch, but they look like they should be brain damaged, the way and speed at which they hit the water!
We slept like logs knowing the waters were calm and no possibility of us dragging anchor. Nice to sleep right through.
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