Out of the Bayou 3

The bell hung silent as one prolonged blast signaled departure, and today’s post, a slow one, covers just the two first hours heading out of port of Iberia into the NISDC, as explained here a few weeks ago.  Also check part 1 and part 2 of this title. 

That morning a local toothy critter gave us the send off.

Behold the many fingers of the Port of Iberia, as witnessed by the screen. We had been the red X. 

Traffic was quite heavy, with Full Steam and others shuttling aggregate barges past us.

Note the many legs we left behind in the yard where many were built and more are serviced.

More legs are visible as we head south on the NISDC. 

Our heading south meant this photo of these miles and miles of pipes is backlit.  Feel the heat and humidity in the air.

The number of OSVs in the port astonished me. 

When did Abigail Claire last crew up and depart, or

ditto Seacor Washington?  There were other OSVs up various waterway fingers as well.

Around the very first bend, we came upon a dredging operation.

Small tug named Mudd Tug 7 was tending

Magnolia‘s dredge called Grand Terre.

A ways farther, a memorial along the west side of NISDC caught my attention, and of course I had to look it up.  I’ve seen these along roads, but this is a first along a waterway for me.

Then the canal was straight as “land cuts” in any canal, like portions of the Erie Canal.

Dead ahead is the intersection of NISDC and the Gulf ICW.  A right turn here leads to Texas and a left to points east as far as Florida, my destination. 

Ambre Lynn Settoon tends the dredge and crew boat Mr Isaac assists with crew change and supplies.

All photos, WVD, during the first 10 or so miles of a thousand-mile journey, and not yet two hours have elapsed. 

Other posts will cover more more territory, but you have to admit that the first few steps of a hike sometimes feel the best.

Out of the Bayou 2

The cane is still growing,

the chili is heating up, along with the air.  

This is jump-starting the weather,

 and fast-moving winds brings buckets of unforecasted rain.  This rain, not predicted, dropped the temperature 20 degrees in fewer than 20 minutes!

Alligator patrols, by mostly submerged A. mississippiensis, never stop.

You know what they say about “red in morning…”

sailor take warning, I’ll add [and gators come swarming.]

All that has postponed our leaving in the way in the way I anticipated.

Enjoy views of the vessel above the water, and from

below.

Hope springs.

And how did I get out of the bayou this time? With a toast.  The JT Meleck I’ll have to try another time.

I got out by plane.

Google a St James LA map and you’ll see exactly where we crossed the Mississippi heading back NE. 

After some delays, this series will be continued, even if I need to do it this way.

All photos, WVD, who’s happy to be out of the heat dome. 

Out of the Bayou 1

Well . .  or with an accent, I’d say whale . . .  I’m not out of the bayous and sugar fields yet, but it’s getting closer.  When we do leave the dock, there may be several days that not even the robots will be posting, so be patient if this doesn’t update.  Either that, or you could do searches in the archives of  5200+ tugster posts for your favorite photos of who knows what.

Some day soon, we’ll leave the NISDC and the land of … legs, alligators, mullet, gar . . . . and start toward the sixth boro. 

Here are some recent photos of Superior Attitude, Gar, 

beautiful dawns and dusks,

and the neighbors Maggie Kay and 

Red Fin.  The image below inspired me to rewrite the words to wimoweh . . . “in the bayou the murky bayou the gator lurks tonight . . .  ”  and you can imagine or freestyle the rest . . .

All photos, WVD, who posts when possible, with assistance from the robots of tugster tower.

 

Critters 5

Full disclosure:  Years ago I was showing friends from Germany around the city, and chuckled when they stopped to take photos of squirrels.  Squirrels were a novelty, they said, because they’d never seen one in Germany.

The closest thing to an alligator I’ve seen in the sixth boro is this plastic toy that lay along the KVK a long time this winter;  I took the photo then because NYC’s terra- and sub-terra boros have their own alligator tales–with some basis in fact– like here. 

Given all that, I’m pleasantly surprised to have seen at least two alligators now, differing in size, alongside the vessel we’re readying to move.  More info on that that later. 

Yesterday I  managed to see the gator coming our way with enough advance warning that I had time to grab my real camera. 

This photo I took shooting straight down from wheelhouse . . .  about 35′ above the water.  I’d estimate this “el lagarto” to be 6′ to 8′.

No, I would not want to be in the water with this Alligator mississippiensis.

 

All photos, WVD, who apologizes to the robots for interjecting this post into their orderly queue.

Along NISDC

As the robots diligently do their thing in the tower, I’ve been out gallivanting, as you likely know.  The where and the how long . . . you might not know.  Answer:  I’m in the New Iberia South Drainage Canal, aka NISDC, kinda sorta between the fascinating home of Tabasco on Avery Island and the bayou still as uncharted (well . . . not really) as in the days of Jean Lafitte and his Baratarians, and of course some of their descendants. 

From a distance, you know the locations of waterways and ports from hundreds of spuds, three per vessel. More on this indigenous species of technology can be seen here (published 1985) and here. 

This one was supposed to have departed a week ago, but “boat time” says it leaves–as I do–when the work is complete, maybe a week from now. 

Meanwhile, the delay means I get to see a series of sunrises and sunsets

and the light effects on the bottom of hulls, something not otherwise visible except with a snorkel mask–at least–in the realm of the alligators.

No, I’m not going in here. 

Work on other lift boats ends, and new ones arrive and get snagged near our dock.

Others pass by on fingers of the NISDC to elevate themselves elsewhere. 

And when rain comes, it’s intense but cooling.

All photos, WVD, who arrived here too late for the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival (yup… that’s the name)  and too early for the Sugar Festival. Guess I’ll have to return for that. Of course, today is Creole Culture Day not far from NISDC.

Previous tugster posts from this area can be seen here, here, and here. With denser populations, places east of here have figured in posts like here and here. 

And just for context, the NISDC heads south to the Gulf ICW. More on this section of the ICW can be seen here.