DAY 2 - ICW

APRIL 21, 2012

After a great night on the boat, we pulled anchor & continued on our journey east.  We left Shell Island behind at about 8:15 AM, the sky was clear & the winds were calm.  Another beautiful day, a day that would become very, very long.

The Canopy Boat

It’s Perfect became known to the push boat captains as “The Canopy Boat” on the VHF.  We were told by the captain’s that they would pass us on the 1’s.  A new term for us, it means port to port.

 Our first stop was mile marker 243, the Ellender Bridge.   A lift bridge with a clearance 100 ft. it requires a 24 hour notice for vessels traveling east.  Sorry, we did not know the rules.  We arrived at the bridge at about 12:15 PM & were told by the bridge authority it could be 4 hours before they opened it.  Lucky for us it was only about 45 min.

Next up was the Calcasieu River Locks.  It was our lucky day, the water was low & the locks were open.  We motored slowly through.   Black Bayou Pontoon Bridge was also open & we went through without delay.

The Grand Lake Pontoon Bridge at mile marker 231 was a whole different story.  We arrived at just before 2 PM to find the bridge under curfew.    The bridge would not open for anybody until 5 PM.  We anchored just before the bridge & the traffic stacked up behind us & on the other side.  We were the only non-commercial boat waiting.   At 5pm sharp it swung open & on we went, way behind schedule.


SUNSET AT FAILED ANCHORAGE
LITTLE LAKE MISERE, ICW

We arrived at 7:45 PM at Little Lake Misere, mile marker 212 at 7:45 pm.  The sun was setting, the anchorage looked promising.  We tried 3 different places & did not find enough water without hanging out in the ICW.  We hit bottom & backed out.

The next good anchorage appeared to be at the

At 9:30 PM we reached mile marker 202 and the mouth of the Mermentau River.  We followed the channel markers through the dark, off the channel until we found 10 ft. of water.

 After a very stressful long day we dropped the anchor.  The ICW is a pitch black, scary place in the dark.  Do not go in the dark if you can help it.



LIFE ON THE ICW

The next morning we woke to a beautiful anchorage in the mouth of the Mermentau River.  The river mouth is wide with plenty of spots to anchor comfortably.  The guide book suggests north of the ICW between marker 3 & 5.  We would have enjoyed another day, but we moved on.