PaddleWise by thread

From: firefly <firefly_at_eatel.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] LaCostaUpdate
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 08:42:46 -0600
Larry and Arthur made it to Burns Point, La, Friday night. I have no way of
being able to tell you where that is, except that it is to the east of the
middle point of the part of their voyage across the Louisiana "coast". I put
"coast" in quotation marks because it is not an even coastline at all, if
you've ever looked at a map of the area. It's estuary and marshland blending
into the Gulf.





A friend sent an RV down to meet them Friday night at a local park and they
had hot showers, hot food, refreshing beverages, and a night in real beds.
Yesterday, Larry's wife and Arthur's girlfriend went down and brought them a
fresh load of supplies and they are staying at a nearby fishing camp while
working on the boats.  I spoke to Larry by phone yesterday morning. He said
they had been paddling/sailing late into the night every night, under a moon
that gave them plenty of light. He sounded very happy. He said they are
becoming accustomed to being wet all the time. He is feeling much stronger.
This is a big relief. We had a big storm here yesterday so I am glad they were
off the water. I know seeing their loved ones will help, too.  Marsanne  





***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
From: firefly <firefly_at_eatel.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] LaCostaUpdate
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 11:21:19 -0600
Jolie,
They have paddled various spots on the Louisiana coastline over the years,
so they know what to look for. Since I started this answer Larry called
again. They are having the opportunity this weekend to do the kind of
non-pressure, no-deadline work they needed to do.  He told me they have not
yet had to camp on "muck". One night they stayed on a reef island that was
"3 feet high tiny shells". There are also many small sandy barrier islands
and bits of land. They are not in swamps, those are inland. They're between
open seas, bays, and saltwater marshes.

 I myself have not paddled down there, but I am looking forward to going
with them for shorter trips this time next year, when their journey is
complete. Very few area paddlers go down there because it is so untracked,
and with coastal erosion it is, as Larry just told me, "very hard to know
where you are", even with a GPS, because the erosion makes the maps out of
date. I have a feeling this could be paradise for certain kinds of paddlers,
and am  quite excited at the possibilities once I get more experience in my
boat.

As for snakes and gators, it is winter down here, too, and they are either
sluggish or hiding or in holes or just generally out of sight. The temps
today are mid to low 40s. A couple of weeks ago we had several nights of
temps in the 20s and that knocked the heck out of the mosquito population,
thankfully.

I will be happy to fill you in any time you ask. This is all a very nice
distraction from what's going on in the world right now.
Marsanne



> I was curious about how they will camp, as they move along these very
swampy
> area.  Do they worry about reptiles or Gators?

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:32 PDT