Lake Pontchartrain, Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay

Working my way through a natural disaster one morning and taking my first dry land shower that evening in my own Knoxville home was much too much of an abrupt change. I can only imagine the psychological shock soldiers go through when they are wisked away from the heat of the battle and promptly inserted into an orderly world of everyday hum drum. It took me a while to adjust to the calmness and safety of home. Pam made a wonderful dinner and I, pretty much exhusted, retired early to a night of needed sleep. Although, I did wonder if the marina manager evicted Mickey and Detour after I left. I knew that my stay at home would be short as the conditions in New Orleans were much more difficult than I had imagined and significantly worse than were related to me when I called to reserve the berth for Detour. If I had to do it again I would not have chosen to lay over in New Orleans. As luck would have it, my work schedule begin to look as if I would be delayed significantly in my continued circumnavigation. My options were limited; leave my boat in the unfriendly confines of management and highly poluted brackish water (with all sorts of nasty disolved and not so disolved remains of whatever hurricanes leave behind) or locate a suitable delivery captain to move the boat to a more appropriate environment of the Dog River on Mobile Bay. I had refuled and nighted over at the Grand Mariner Mariner on several other occasions and had been well treated, that coupled with the fact that I couldn't stand the thought of Detour being in the hands of those not terribly concerned with a transient boat or captain whom threatned to sink his boat in the only channel leading to their much battered marina. I called the marina office at Grand Mariner and inquired about about the whearabouts of a qualified delivery captain. I talked with the owner (I understand that the good lady died last year and was something of a legend with the cruising community because of her knowledge of the bay and surrounding rivers and Alabama/Mississippi coasts) and she gave me a name Ron Reiter and a number at which he could be reached. She also gave him a good recommendation as a person and captain. In hindsight, I agree with her evaluation as Ron picked up Detour in New Orleans and ferried her to Mobile Bay and the Grand Mariner. I must diverge just a bit to relate a story that took place before the turn of the last century that includes the lady mentioned above. I had planned a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama and at that time in my life didn't really understand how to use my GPS. I stopped at Grand Mariner for gas and the night (the restaurant there is still the best on the west bank). Early the next morning I stopped at the marina office to get first-hand information about the best route across the bay. I knew I could travel the ship channel to the intercosatal and then turn left. But I also had heard that you could cut the corner and save a good bit of time. When I inquired, the lady said, "its easy" and gave me the instructions to go south in the ship channel to the Mid Mobile Lighthouse where you then take a 217 degree heading to the intercoastal not far from Bon Secur (again I am writing from minus ten years of memory and warn that no value should be placed on the the accuracy of my recall). My next quesion was, "will I know when I get to the Mid Mobile Lighthouse" and her reply, without hesitation, was "if you don't you don't need to be out there"! I would have to agree with her but when I got to the lighthouse, it didn't look a lot like the lighthouses I was accustomed to so it wasn't a "gimme" but I made the right choice because I ended up right where she said I would. (Note: Hurricane Katrina totally destroyed this historic lighthouse August 2006) Ron Reiter and his brother-in-law moved Detour across the Gulf. After they laid over in Biloxi to allow the water to calm in the bay, they resumed their trip to Dog River and the Grand Mariner. It was difficult to miss the gulf crossing and I am planning to make that trek soon to complete my circumnavigation of Mississippi.