Lake Pontchartrain Sailors

[rgranger]

Hey Guys....

My daughter has just recently been accepted to graduate school at Tulane. So now I'm helping her with housing options. I see on Active Captain that there are quite a few marinas within 5 miles of Tulane ...

hehehe... I might be able to use her housing needs to fund my next toy....... and she will think I'm doing her a favor.

So.... anyone on here able to give me some local scoop?

1) Are live-a-boards welcome?
2) Is it a safe place to be a live-a-board?
3) Do you have a favorite marina you can recommend?

Thanks all....

r

 

[kloudie1]

The pickins' are actually kinda slim.. The Bucktown Marina is kinda nice but I don't know if they allow live aboards. 504-736-6999.. The old Municipal Marina is not taking tenants yet.. The South Shore Harbor Marina. is kinda nice but not really near much and living aboard might be a bit sketchy.. Dunno.. I am not much help on this one.

 

[BigEasy]

Got to agree with Claude, the pickings are very slim in the city of New Orleans.
All of the marinas at West End, that is the main hub for sailing in New Orleans, are still in a state of disrepair since hurricane Katrina. Many of the useable slips have no power and most of them are not usable with sunk boats still present. Sad but true, as negotiations between FEMA and New Orleans are ongoing. It will likely be a few years before the marinas are back on line. I considered placing my boat at South Shore Harbor Marina, on the east side of town. The marina has been refurbished; however, it isn't in an area that I would consider to be safe for myself and especially my daughter.
I would contend that the marinas on the North shore of the lake are safer; however, it would be a 45minute to one hour
commute to the Tulane Campus. My boat is located in the Anchorage Marina at Oak Harbor in Slidell. It is adjacent to interstate 10 immediately after crossing the I-10 twin bridges to the north side of the lake. Slip fees are only $150/ month (excluding power) for a 35 foot boat. I consider it safe as it is part of a condominium / apartment complex. The docks have locked access points and there is controlled access to the complex parking lot with a security guard on duty overnight and 24 hours on weekends. The guard patrols the complex parking lot and docks periodically to ensure all is well. The restroom & shower facilities are well maintained and I believe the laundry facility is functional. The docking arrangement is fixed piling finger piers. Not the best marina that I have been in; however, not bad--especially for the cost. Live a boards are definitely accepted. There is a good seafood restaurant on site The manager is Courtney Fricke , the contact number is 985-641-1044 Hope this helps.

 

[rgranger]

Thnx guys

 

[Jackdaw]

I'll second the comments on the South Shore Harbor Marina. On paper it look great, but amazingly still in recovery after Katrina. And the surrounding nabe is sketchy. Upside is a great break wall, and on the city side of the big puddle.

PS - were you thinking about your daughter living on this boat? That's a haul from the Tulane/Loyola area, and unless you have serious AC on the boat it will be quite literally living hell.

 

[rgranger]

Thanks Jackdaw

Sounds like a good idea that won't work out. I was hoping one of the marinas close by would be suitable but it seems that is not the case.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Almost inconceivable that the municipal marina is still mostly defunct. I stayed in there in 2009, the weekend before they moved all the boats out after Katrina. Got invited up to the club for drinks and was told nobody was taking money for the stay. And it's STILL not back up and running? wow!

 

[kloudie1]

Last time I was there was July, '08.. They were accepting transients and a guy took some dollars.. Note that there was (one of the endless) a meeting last week about rebuilding! http://nomunicipalharbor.com/faq
More info: http://www.marinasinneworleans.com/OM.htm
Note that the Muni-Yacht Harbor is different from the New Orleans Marina.. which is much further along in recovery..

 

[CapitalistSailor]

I lived in New Orleans for five years, and moved back north just before Katrina. I kept my boat at the above-mentioned marina at Oak Harbor in Slidell. It was a nice marina then, but back then they had floating piers with a >10' rise for storm surges. We had one tornado come through but the marina held together. It's a funny place to sail. The lake is 40 miles across but much of it is 8-11' deep. When the wind picks up, and the waves start to build, a boat with 5' draft can start banging on the bottom.

I'm not surprised at the lack of progress on the New Orleans marinas. The city government was dysfunctional, corrupt, and broke when I lived there, and most real progress occurred through private action.

Here's my best boating tip for Lake Pontchartrain: When the wind dies at dusk, which it often does, the biting gnats come out. Avon Skin So Soft works great on these gnats. It will be your most important boating accessory.