We left Galveston Bay early in the morning January 26, 2006 to begin the Great Loop. Our good friends Jerry and Cristina Kemper, were up to wave goodbye. We were so nervous, this is quite a trip we were planning, not too sure we could manage this new sea going home of ours. A good friend from our marina, Jim Monahan, traveled with us around the Gulf of Mexico to Clearwater, FL. Jim has years of boating experience and knows his way around a boat. We were very lucky he decided to make this first part of the trip with us. This trip to Clearwater, FL will be made in the Intercoastal Waterway around the Gulf. We spent the first five days from Houston to New Orleans traveling up to eleven hours a day. (We move at about 7-8 knots which is equivalent to about 8 miles per hour. a nice slo-o-o-ow pace) This part of the Intercoastal Waterway was litered with the remnants of Hurricane Katrina so there were very few marinas and anchorages left undamaged. The trip through New Orleans was very emotional, seeing the aftermath of such destruction, and just traveling through this famous city was something we had been dreaming about for a long time.
Even after leaving New Orleans, we were still confronting signs of the hurricane all along the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coast. We did find a brand new or should I say rebuilt marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama called LuLu's. The owner is Jimmy Buffets' sister, so much of his memorabelia and music there. Was a fun and very nice stop.
This is just one of the many beautifull sunsets we see from the back of our boat.
