Welcome to Louisiana





Raised anchor at 7:15am on Monday from Taylor Bayou Outfall and we were underway and headed to Louisiana.  The early start allowed us to jump ahead of several tugs who we saw moored in the channel waiting to begin their day. Passed a few shrimpers also.



Monday's weather was perfect for traveling since there were very light winds with temperatures in the 40s.  We made excellent time today covering 65 miles in 7.5 hours and averaging 7.5 knots for the day.




There were still some big boys in the canal but they should become fewer and fewer as we travel further east.  I told Brent that I must have been living in the Alamo Heights bubble for the past 19 years because I know nothing about the energy commerce traffic and how important the waterways are for this type of business.  We have seen all types of important cargo being transported.  Empty oil tankers are huge when not loaded.  



Pine trees became prevalent after crossing the state line into LA.


                                          My daily dose of pelicans!!




We set our sights on the Golden Nugget Casino and Marina in Lake Charles to wait out the approaching cold front.  It was 62 degrees when we arrived Monday afternoon.  We will probably stay here for the next 3 nights.


Arrived with the same catamaran we had anchored with the previous night.  The Casino is only 3 years old and is very impressive.  The facilities are top notch and our encounters with many of the staff have been incredible.  Everyone has gone out of their way to help us with any needs we had. Don't plan to do any gambling but stayed onboard and took care of some boat chores and tried to catch up on some rest.  The front came through around 1am and the "rest" went away with the strong north winds.  Remember we are on a boat so any breeze/wind adjusts our position.  I'm a very light sleeper so......


 

And tonight there is an icy/snow mix on the docks with temps dropping to 18!!!!!!! Can't get to Florida fast enough.





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