Along Bayou Lafourche

At my age . . . I’ve come to some places where –at each–I could spend a lifetime;  choices need to be made.  And if I can’t spend that much time at each, the alternative might be to just keep moving . . . since it’s too hard to figure out how

to get access.  Those do look like parts of the superstructure of USS New York, which makes the Avondale Shipyard over there somewhere.  In the sixth boro, tugboat Dorothy Elizabeth and prison barge Vernon C. Bain come out of Avondale, along with this huge international list.

Bayou Lafourche along 308 sports signs like this, birthplace of lots of Vane Brothers tugs, a Gellatly & Criscione, and several Penn Maritimes.

A couple of twists and turns later, there’s this Bollinger yard, home to the Sentinel-class of Coast Guard cutter.  Consider this, two major US shipyards in a town of  less than 3000!!  Here’s more info on those cutters.

Continue south for 12 miles and you’ll see North American Shipbuilding, one of several Edison-Chouest Offshore facilities.  Provider was delivered in 1999.

Manufacturing and then . . . those are banana “trees.”   And in this tropical waterway, a cornucopia of boats can be found like

Victor J. Curole, (1979)

as well as

Capt. Thuan, (1987)

Squeegee and Sponge,  (turns out they’re oil recovery vessels or were at one time, 1966)

Wyoming, (1940 fishing vessel)

nameless and Big Tattoo,  (1981)

a floating home?

Mia Molloy bow and

stern,

Winds of Change . . . (2002) which appears to have a pusher knee integrated into its bow,

Mr Russell,  (1995)

and I’d love to know more about this one,

Capt. Manuel,  (1982)

this nameless variation on Lil Rip,

lots of dipnetters,

nameless, Carissa Breigh, (1980)  and Junie Bop, (1981)

Lugger Tug,  (maybe 1981)

swarms of swamp fans,

… let me stop here on this post which breaks my record for number of fotos . . .  nameless, but I can almost make out the spelling of TUGSTER on the stern.  Is it possible I’ve found myself and my place to settle here?  She looks to have some pedigree . . . 1940s lines?  Can anyone help with a bit of history here?

Time for tugster  (1952) to stop this trip and contemplate and refresh with some Bayou Teche biere pale . . . .   For more on Bayou Teche, the place, click here.

I intend to return to the Bayou soon, spend more time, and  . . . who knows what might transpire.

All fotos here by either Will or Christina, partners in this jaunt-within-a-gallivant.

For a waterman’s view of the general area, click here.