Shell Island to Mermentau River May 26

We started to weigh anchor about 0645 and by shortly after 0700 were threading our way between tows on the ICW.  At 0720 we passed the Sabine River, the cutoff to Orange.  Just before 1000, we passed under the Ellender lift bridge.  Since this massive highway lift bridge requires a four-hour notice to be raised, we were grateful to be able to clear its 50-foot height without needing it lifted.  We had decided yesterday to bypass Lake Charles.  It is a good way off the ICW, and quite honestly none of the marinas there seemed to have both interest and capacity to accommodate us.  Some had one or the other, but it appeared that even by Thursday they were feeling overwhelmed about the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend.  We wound around Choupique Island and through Devil’s Elbow ahead of a ship coming up the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and hailed the Calcasieu Lock.  The lockmaster had the west gate open, and we motored slowly through, never stopping as he opened the east gate as we approached it at 1030.  Immediately beyond was the Black Bayou Pontoon Bridge, which had to be hailed on another channel, and it opened.  Since there is a cable that drapes across the channel, one must wait for the “all-clear” horn to affirm that the cable is on the bottom.  Swing bridges of this design are evidently being re-worked to eliminate the underwater cables--at least that is the information given us by the operator of the Grand Lake Pontoon Bridge when we finally “woke him” and passed through at 1125.  We passed under the high Creole Bridge at 1245, and departed the ICW to navigate up the Mermentau River at 1445.  By 1515 we were anchored in a beautiful ox-bow about 2 miles upriver, with a huge secluded anchorage to ourselves.  Most of today’s passage was through a national wildlife sanctuary, with beautiful trees and swamps.  We didn’t actually see much wildlife, but trust that there is a lot of it hiding in the thick foliage.  However, with half an hour of anchoring, the local hospitality committee (far more welcoming than the marinas in Lake Charles) sent forth an emissary to greet us.  A 7-8 foot alligator, obviously a juvenile by his lack of girth, swam out to eyeball us, and swam around about 15-20 feet from the boat for about 10 minutes.  That may have been because Kay, in her somewhat disrobed state having just showered, was gawking at him from the cockpit and appeared delectable.  Obviously his elders knew that we would not jump in, and saved their energy swimming out to check on us.