NEW ORLEANS HERE WE COME! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

OK SO I KNOW IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A MONTH BUT HERE IT COMES : AND YES WE ARE IN NEW ORLEANS AND WE ARE PLANNING ON BEING HERE A MONTH.

YES WE ARE LEAVING HERE AND HEADING BACK UP GICW ie: gulf intracoastal waterways. JERRY IS GOING TO DO A JOB THERE AT GARY VILLE IT IS BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND BATON ROUGE THEY ARE SAYING SIX MONTHS BUT WE KNOW IT WILL BE LONGER. THEY ALWAYS ARE LONGER THAN THEY SAY. WE ARE NOT SURE WHERE WE ARE GOING TO DROP ANCHOR YET, WE HOPE IT WILL BE CLOSE TO GARY VILLE. AND WE ARE NOT SURE A START DATE YET. IT SHOULD TAKE US ABOUT A WEEK TO GET BACK TO NEW ORLEANS . WE ARE ONLY STOPPING FOR FUEL AND TO SLEEP.
June 22/08 THIS IN TWO PARTS OR MAYBE THREE. WELL WE LEFT PORT ISABEL SATURDAY MORNING AT ABOUT 7:20 am. WE GOT THOUGHT THE SWING BRIDGE IN GOOD TIME, BEING IT WAS SAT. THREE WASN'T TOO MUCH TRAFFIC. WE WERE MAKING GOOD TIME THINGS WERE GOING PRETTY GOOD AND THEN WE WERE GETTING INTO SOME SHALLOW WATER AND BEFORE WE KNEW IT WE WERE ON A SAND BAR, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHANNEL. WELL JERRY GOT US OFF OF IT, AND THE NEXT PORT WAS ABOUT 32 MILES AWAY AND WE AREN'T EVEN HALF WAY THERE,AND ALREADY RUNNING A GROUND, THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING, SO NOW IT IS MY TURN TO DRIVE AND THE WIND IS BLOWING AND IT IS HARD TO KEEP ON COARSE, I AM DOING MY BEST TO IT OFF THE SAND BARS, BUT JUST WASN'T HAPPENING. I GOT US ON A SAND BAR GOOD. JERRY TOOK OVER AND TRIED AND TRIED TO GET US OFF. IT TOOK SOME DOING BUT HE GOT US OFF, BUT NOT WITHOUT DAMAGE. WE HAD A BAD VIBRATION ON THE PORT SIDE. WELL WE DIDN'T GET TOO MUCH FURTHER AND IT WAS JUST TO HARD TO KEEP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RIVER, SO WE BEACHED IT ON A SANDY SPOT. WE CALLED FOR A TOW AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T COME UNTIL MORNING, SO THAT WAS FINE WITH US. THE NEXT MORNING THEY CALLED AND SAID THERE TOW BOAT NEEDED REPAIRS AND WOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT TO US UNTIL MONDAY NOW, BUT THEY WOULD KNOW MORE AS THE DAY PROGRESSED THEY WOULD LET US KNOW. BUT IF THINGS CHANGED WITH US WE WERE TO LET THEM KNOW.
THESE PIC'S ARE OF THE ANCHOR THAT JERRY JUMP

OFF THE BOAT AND TOOK IT IN AND SUNKIT IN THE MUD, SO WE AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE. AND WE DIDN'T.

SO WE STAYED HERE FOR THE NIGHT WAITING FOR THE TOW BOAT TO COME IN THE MORNING TO PICK US UP.

SOTHE TOW BOAT MAN CALLED IN THE MORNING, AND SAID THERE BOAT WAS BROKEN DOWN AND THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO COME OUT NOW UNTIL MONDAY. SO WE SAID OK WE WOULD WAIT. SO JERRY DECIDCED TO SEE WHAT HE COULD DO TO GET US GOING.
WELL JERRY DISCONNECTED THE PORT SIDE RUDDER AS IT WAS BENT AND THE PIN WAS BROKEN SO IT DIDN'T WANT TO WORK WITH THE OTHER ONE. SO WE GOT IT WORKING, WE ARE ONLY TRAVELING THE ONE MOTOR AND ONE RUDDER. AND WE HAD 70 MILES TO GO TO GET TO A MARINA TO GET US FIXED, SO OFF WE WENT STAYING OFF THE SAND BARS. AND THERE WAS NO WIND TODAY. WE GOT WITH IN 12 MILES AND RAN OUT OFF DAYLIGHT. SO WE WERE IN A BUSY SHIPPING CHANNEL AND WE DROPPED ANCHOR. WELL WITH THE WIND AND CURTAIN WE ENDED UP ALMOST IN THE MIDDLE, WHICH WAS NOT GOOD. WE TRIED TO GET OUR BACK END AROUND AND GET ANOTHER ANCHOR TO GET US OUT OF THE MIDDLE BUT IT DIDN'T WORK THE ANCHOR DIDN'T HOLD. SO AFTER TWO TO THREE TRY'S WE GAVE UP. A BARGE CAME BY AND SAID WE COULD NOT STAY THERE, THEY WOULD CALL THE COAST GUARD TO COME AND HELP US.. SO WE WAIT. ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER THEY SHOW UP. JERRY HAD GONE TO BED, BUT WAS NOT GOING TO SLEEP WITH US THIS WAY. SO THE BOYS SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING THEY WOULD CALL US TOW, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE 45 MINUTES TO GET HERE. SO OKAY WE WAIT. SO 2AM HE SHOWS UP AND IT IS THE SAME ONE THAT COULDN'T COME THIS MORNING TO GET US. SO AFTER GETTING THE ANCHORS UP WHICH THE BACK ONE HAD NOW CAUGHT AND WAS HARD TO GET OUT, WE ARE OFF TO {HOUSE OF BOATS} WE GOT THERE ABOUT 4:30 AM GOT THINGS ALL TAKEN CARE OF SO OFF TO BED WE GO. NOW ABOUT 5AM . MONDAY MORNING AT ABOUT 8AM THERE COMES A BANG BANG ON THE SIDE OF THE BOAT, SO I GET UP AND IT IS THE OWNER OF THE MARINA. SAID SO WE MADE IT FINALLY , I SAID YES AT 5 AM HAD TO GET A TOW FOR THE LAST 12 MILES. SO WE COULD USE SOME MORE SLEEP. HE SAID OK LATER WHEN WE GET UP JUST COME AND SEE HIM, OK. WELL IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE IT WAS THAT LONG AND HE WAS BACK BANGING ON THE BOAT AGAIN SO I SAID JERRY YOU GET UP THIS TIME. SO UP HE GETS, IT WASN'T LONG AND WE WERE BEING PULLED OUT OF THE WATER TO SEE THE DAMAGES. SO RUDDER IS BENT AND PROP IS BENT TOO, BUT WE HAVE TO CHANGE BOTH OF THEM, CAUSE THEY ARE DIFFERENT SIZES. SO IT IS OFF TO DRY DOCK. THEY ALSO SAY WE HAVE SAND IN THE PUMPS SO THEY NEED TO BE FLUSHED AND SOME WORK ON THEM. OK SO LETS GET IT DONE

SO WE GET IT ALL FIXED AND BACK IN THE WATER LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, SO WE HEAD OVER TO FUEL IT UP, WELL AFTER ALMOST BUYING ANOTHER BOAT OR PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS TO IT WE GOT A FULL TANK OF GAS AND WE ARE HEADING TO THE NEXT MARINA WHICH IS ONLY THREE MILES AWAY. AND THE WIND IS BLOWING PRETTY GOOD . WE HAD SOME PRETTY ROUGH WATER , WE WERE POCKING & ROLLING GOOD. WE SURE WERE GLAD THAT WASN'T ANY FUTHER. SO WE PULL INTO KEY ALLERGO. STAYED THERE FOR THE NIGHT NICE PLACE AND VERY NICE PEOPLE WHO MANAGE OR OWN THE PLACE.

JUNE 28/08

SO WE GET UP AND GET READY TO PULL OUT, JERRY IS TRYING TO GET THE BACK OF THE BOAT OUT AND AWAY FROM THE DOCK. BUT OF CORSE THE WIND IS BLOWING US INTO THE DOCK. THE MANGER COMES OVER TO HELP US, WELL JERRY AND HIM HAVE A CHAT AND WELL NOT SURE WHO WAS LISTENING TO WHO BUT WE GOT AWAY BUT BEFORE WE WERE TOO FAR THE MANGER HOLLAER'S TO US THE DINKY IS UPSIDE DOWN, I TOLD HIM OK WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. SO I WENT INSIDE AND TOLD JERRY , HE SAID YOU DRIVE AND HE WENT BACK TO TAKE CARE OF IT. WELL HE CAME BACK AND SAID THAT THE CASEING AROUND THE MOTOR WAS BROKEN CAP WAS GONE AND A ORE WAS GONE AND IT ALMOST RIPPED OFF THE STARBOAD SIDE OF THE DAVIT, AND SOME OTHER STUFF WHICH HAD GOT BROKEN. SO HE SAID HE WAS TAKING THE DAVITS OFF AND PUT THE DINKY AWAY.

SO THAT NIGHT WE ANCHOR OUT AT PORT O'CONNER, WE BEACHED IT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ICW ie: intrcoastal waterway . NOW THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF TRAFFIC GOING UP AND DOWN THE RIVER, AND THE TIDE IS OUT OR ALMOST OUT.

SO WE PUT ANCHORS OUT BUT THE ONE IN THE FRONT WE CAN SEE AND IT DOESN'T LOOK TO BE IN THAT GOOD, BUT WE WATCH IT . WE HAD SOME DOLFINS PLAYING BEHIND US TOOK A VIDEO OF THEM AS THEY WERE TOO FAST TO GET A STILL PIC OF THEM. SO WE HAVE DINNER WATCH A MOVIE OR TWO. NOW JERRY GOSE TO BED, BUT BEFORE HE GOSE TO BED HE CHECKS AGAIN. THINGS LOOK OKAY. NOW AN HOUR OR SO LATER I CHECK THNIGS STILL THE SAME. SO I GO TO BED. WELL THE DOG WAKES ME UP HE WANTS OUT, NOW TWO HOURS SINCE I LAST CHECKED. THINGS LOOK THE SAME BUT THE TIDE IS COMING IN AND OUR ANCHOR IS GETTING IN DEEPER WATER, BUT I CAN STILL SEE IT WITH THE FLASH-LIGHT. BACK TO BED. AND NOW IT IS AFTER 3AM JUST GET BACK IN BED AND I HERE SOMETHING SO GET BACK UP TO CHECK. NOW WHEN WE ARE ANCHORED OUT I AM A VERY LIGHT SLEEPER. SO I CHECK THINGS AGAIN, AND JERRY GETS UP TO SEE WHY I AM UP. THINGS ARE STILL THE SAME SO BACK TO BED WE GO. WELL I AM UP AGAIN AT 4AM CHECKING AND TIDE IS IN EVEN MORE, BUT WITH THE FLASH-LIGHT I CAN STILL SEE THE ANCHOR. BACK TO BED. JERRY ASKS IF THINGS ARE OK, I SAID YES. SO ABOUT A HALF HOUR LATER JERRY GETS UP AND SAID THINGS JUST DON'T FEEL RIGHT, HE CAME UP TO THE DOOR AND LOOKED OUT AND WELL ALL I HEARD IS HOLLY SHIT WE ARE ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THE RIVER. WELL WE DID SOME SCRABBLAM BECAUSE THERE WERE PILEOLNGS IN THE WATER AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS UNDER THE WATER OR HOW DEEP IT WAS, WELL LETS JUST SAY WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT WE WEREN'T HIT AND WE HAD NO DAMAGE DONE TO THE BOAT WE WERE PRETTY EXICTED UNTIL WE GOT OUT OF THERE. SORRY NO PIC'S WERE JUST WORRIED ABOUT GETTING OUT OF THERE. WILL POINT OUT SOME THINGS IN THE NEXT POST.

THE IS GOOD AND WE ARE SAFE...