Dredge tender Tar River onboard for the trip

Allie B getting ready to put up her bridles. The Bayou Royal is standing by to hold her into the current.

Delta Ruler heading north

Backing the crane barge away from the dredge

Bayou Royal pushing the Allie B's bow upstream as the spuds are lifted. The Chester Cheramie and Artic Dawn are pushing the dredge up into the current

Stretching out her wire and heading for the SW Pass

Junior G heading down Pass A Loutre

Once the dredge was gone the remainder of the pipeline had to be made ready for towing

Triumph heading down the river for the gulf with four barges onboard

Our last move of the day was to take the quarters barge out to deep water for the Chester Cheramie to tow her up river to Baptiste Collette Bayou and then out into Breton Sound and on up to Gulfport. This is my view from the wheelhouse. The barge sleeps 40 people and has a full kitchen complete with chef's that cook three meals a day for each shift and supply snacks for the off watch. It also has a large tv lounge and the crew of 4 takes care of house-keeping and the residents' laundry.

Baptiste Collette Bayou is an 11 mile pass that connects the Mississippi River at about Mile 11 to Breton Sound. It is a good shortcut for shallow draft vessels traveling east from the lower river or provides another way east and west when the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock is closed.

Chester Cheramie getting her towline up. Once she was secured, we made up on the other end and tailed her into Baptiste Collette Bayou. The downbound river current makes the turn from the Mississippi into Baptiste Collette Bayou tricky.

First State and Bayou Royal standby as the quarters barge is dropped behind the Chester Cheramie. The First State came alongside and made the trip around on the quarters barge.