We arrived at Houma yesterday at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon. What a beautiful little marina! We were the only ones there and after securing everything, we gathered up the laundry and walked to the nearest laundromat which was about 1/2 mile. We found a restaurant down main street called Cafe Milano and enjoyed a great pizza and salad.
The only disadvantage about the marina is that it's quite close to the intercoastal and every time a barge goes by, it creates quite a wake and really rocks the boat! We left about 9:30 AM and had a relatively short day as we are anchored just off the intercoastal in Lake Salvador. We're preparing to go through the Harvey Lock tomorrow morning and are headed for Seabrook Marina in New Orleans where we hope to spend 2-3 days. We've ordered a new refrigerator and it's supposed to be delivered there and they'll help us get it installed. I have to say that I've been very concerned about the upcoming locks so I'm trying to stay calm until we get through it. More to come tomorrow.
Beginning in the Spring of 2011, this is a story of a journey in our 36' Heritage East Trawler as we cruise The Great Loop, a circumnavigation of Eastern North America, along the shoreline of the United States and Canada - truly a trip of a lifetime.
Some locks have a vertical pipe or cable you can ride up/down, so have a midships line ready as well as a bow and stern line. I also wore rubber gloves because most locks are pretty slimey, and make sure you have a couple of long boat hooks.
ReplyDeleteI remember my first time locking through. I had a bow and stern line but no midships line. I got ahold of the stern line but my wife missed the bow line and we got sideways in the lock!
Kathy,,, locks are a definite learning experience. Dave's advice is excellent, especially about the gloves! You will get the hang of it after a few locks. Not to worry, everyone has their first. I remember my knees knocking. When we go through a lock I (Elle) have the lines ready and a hook at the bow and stern ready. I understand that locks can also have ballards, which is most common on the river system in your area. Enjoy and relax,,
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