| September 6, 2006 |
Date: Sept. 6, 2006
Location: New Orleans, LA
Lake Pontchartrain - Municipal Yacht
Harbor to Bayou Castine
Crew: Jason King
Theresa Cassagne
Wind: North at 15, becoming dead
calm
Seas: Choppy becoming calm
General weather: 88 degrees and
clear skies
Notes: Yesterday, Mojito moved to her
new home on Bayou Castine in
Mandeville, LA. I moved to Mandeville
mid-summer and, given the distance
and time constraints, I haven't been to
the boat nearly as often as I would like.
After some searching, I found a slip in
Colbert Cove Marina, which is about
10 minutes under motor from Lake
Pontchartrain.
The forecast called for Northeast winds
10 - 15 knots, becoming easterly in the
afternoon. When we started out, the
forecast seemed reasonably accurate,
the breeze was due North blowing a
solid 15. The seas were very choppy
and we started off with good speed
beating upwind. Our destination was
24 miles away, the heading was 009
degrees - which was precisely the
direction the wind was blowing from.
We pointed as high as possible and,
when we got to close to Causeway
bridge, we would head east without
gaining much ground towards the mark.
At about 1230, the forecasted breeze
disappeared and the wind went to
nothing. The photo to the left shows
the water, flat with just the residual
waves fading away. Before long, the
Lake looked like a pane of glass.
So much for a quick sail. After bobbing
and cooking for awhile, we fired up the
motor to go in search of breeze.
The breeze filled in at 3 - 5 kts for the
last four miles. We sailed slowly to the
mouth of Bayou Castine, which
empties into the Lake. While the
Northshore has some real shallow
areas, the entrance to the Bayou is an
easy approach and the first markers
are at the small seawalls marking the
entrance.
The ride into the marina was longer
than I expected - a good ten minutes
under power at about 3 knots.
However, the ride is beautiful and pure
Louisiana. The Bayou twists quite a bit
as it winds its way inland and is lined
with Cypress trees, ancient live oaks
dangling moss, dense swamp, and an
abundance of wildlife. As we entered
the Bayou, we were greeted by a good
size alligator and snapped the photo at
the bottom of this screen.
The Bayou has a number of small
marinas lining it; they all lie on the
North and West side of the channel.
There are an incredible amount of
sailboats, many very large, tucked
away. Powerboats are a definite
minority.
I am thrilled to have the boat here. It is
only minutes from our new house and
is within an easy bicycle ride. My slip
sits right by land so I can pull the car
literally right up to the boat. It also has
power, something I've gone without
since August. This means that I will be
able to get to many small projects, and
some large ones, that are definitely
overdue. It will also mean spending
more time on my own boat, which has
proved difficult after moving relatively
far away from her.
Location: New Orleans, LA
Lake Pontchartrain - Municipal Yacht
Harbor to Bayou Castine
Crew: Jason King
Theresa Cassagne
Wind: North at 15, becoming dead
calm
Seas: Choppy becoming calm
General weather: 88 degrees and
clear skies
Notes: Yesterday, Mojito moved to her
new home on Bayou Castine in
Mandeville, LA. I moved to Mandeville
mid-summer and, given the distance
and time constraints, I haven't been to
the boat nearly as often as I would like.
After some searching, I found a slip in
Colbert Cove Marina, which is about
10 minutes under motor from Lake
Pontchartrain.
The forecast called for Northeast winds
10 - 15 knots, becoming easterly in the
afternoon. When we started out, the
forecast seemed reasonably accurate,
the breeze was due North blowing a
solid 15. The seas were very choppy
and we started off with good speed
beating upwind. Our destination was
24 miles away, the heading was 009
degrees - which was precisely the
direction the wind was blowing from.
We pointed as high as possible and,
when we got to close to Causeway
bridge, we would head east without
gaining much ground towards the mark.
At about 1230, the forecasted breeze
disappeared and the wind went to
nothing. The photo to the left shows
the water, flat with just the residual
waves fading away. Before long, the
Lake looked like a pane of glass.
So much for a quick sail. After bobbing
and cooking for awhile, we fired up the
motor to go in search of breeze.
The breeze filled in at 3 - 5 kts for the
last four miles. We sailed slowly to the
mouth of Bayou Castine, which
empties into the Lake. While the
Northshore has some real shallow
areas, the entrance to the Bayou is an
easy approach and the first markers
are at the small seawalls marking the
entrance.
The ride into the marina was longer
than I expected - a good ten minutes
under power at about 3 knots.
However, the ride is beautiful and pure
Louisiana. The Bayou twists quite a bit
as it winds its way inland and is lined
with Cypress trees, ancient live oaks
dangling moss, dense swamp, and an
abundance of wildlife. As we entered
the Bayou, we were greeted by a good
size alligator and snapped the photo at
the bottom of this screen.
The Bayou has a number of small
marinas lining it; they all lie on the
North and West side of the channel.
There are an incredible amount of
sailboats, many very large, tucked
away. Powerboats are a definite
minority.
I am thrilled to have the boat here. It is
only minutes from our new house and
is within an easy bicycle ride. My slip
sits right by land so I can pull the car
literally right up to the boat. It also has
power, something I've gone without
since August. This means that I will be
able to get to many small projects, and
some large ones, that are definitely
overdue. It will also mean spending
more time on my own boat, which has
proved difficult after moving relatively
far away from her.
