ICW from Pascagoula to Pensacola Bay

[Vincentc]

Unless I learn of a problem we can't overcome, we will be leaving today on Lilly Marie for a family vacation at Perdido Key Beach. We intend to travel via the ICW.

I do not expect that we will try to go outside, but would like to know about access through Pensacola and Perdiod Passes.

Please advise regarding the question of any issues re traveling the ICW between Pascagoula and Pensacola Bay and the area say 20 nm East of Pensacola Bay?

Thanks

 

[Genesis]

The local authorities are attempting to control oil ingress with boom in that area. Some areas may be closed from time to time and open at others.

I do not have up-to-date information on what's open and what's not in this regard, but the USCG in Mobile should, as that's where unified command is being run out of. Call them, and expect to check with them DAILY and perhaps get referred from one place to another, as the precise impacts and what booms are up where and whether passage is permitted at any given point may change from day-to-day.

IN GENERAL the ICW is open - they're trying to like hell to keep the obstructions at the various passes and leave the ditch itself but tensions with local EOC folks are getting VERY high as this approach has been ineffectual due to relatively stiff tidal flows. In particular Perdido got slimed REALLY BAD a couple of days ago. Pensacola had significant enforcement on the water the other day as well.

 

[captbuddy]

I've heard they were closing the Pensacola pass on incoming tide and opening it on outgoing. They have some of the coves boomed off. I'm currently in Lafette Cove behing Peg Leg Petes Oyster Bar. They have wet slips. The cove has been shut off with three booms. I'm currently locked in. Will try and find someone this week to open them up so I can get out. Do not want to stay locked up for a long time. Otherwise, I think the intercoastal is open like Genesis said.
captbuddy

 

[Vincentc]

Thanks,
We have a slip reserved at Holiday Marina at the East end of Perdido Key. I will check with USCG.

 

[bigbill]

vincent, check with rob at THE WHARF, he should know if the icw is open in the perdido pass area. bigbill

 

[YKnot]

Several weeks ago, I learned some of the Government "lingo" that I'll pass on.
The booms;
Staged ---Means still at the warehouse waiting to be deployed.
Deployed --Means on the shore waiting to be installed.
Installed --Means actually in the water hoping to block the oil.

So if you hear the booms are deployed, it doesn't mean they are installed.
Your tax dollars at work!

 

[Vincentc]

We had an excellent boat ride yesterday, only problem, we did not leave till 16:30 and didn't arrive at Holiday Harbor Marina until after midnight. We ran about 8+ knots the whole way but did have some current against us.

As far as the oil spill, looking out from the condo balcony this morning, the only evidence on the beach that I saw was 3 groups of oil spill clean up people standing around apparently not able to find anything to pick up. Also there were a number of double rig shrimp boat running parallel to the beach about a mile offshore. They were not pulling any kind of boom or collection device that I could see. It looked like they were dragging, but I doubt FL would let them shrimp.

Only possible evidence of the spill on our trip, other that the oil booms was a tide rip North of Dauphin Island. (most of our run was in the dark, so what I could see was limited. There was a tan foam in the rip which I guess, could have been from the spill, but there was no sheen or any indication of oil. Looking at Lilly Marie's waterline, I could not find any evidence of oil.

Thanks for the advice.
Regards,

 

[Genesis]

We took tarballs and some sheen here in Destin yesterday, and expect to today and tomorrow as well. Then it's likely to get pushed off a bit by the wind. I'd call it "light" to "very light" compared to what I've seen video of elsewhere.

The bad news is that we're now pretty much in the middle of the crap from Mobile east to Panama City, which means all we need is a south wind and we're screwed with the heavy mats and worse, dispersed oil all the way down the water column.

 

[Vincentc]

I heard it was moving to the East. Good for me, bad for you. It is gorgeous here.
Do you think the oil in the water column is influenced by wind or current?
One thing I read from the Noaa report was that the oil in the water colum, at least in deep water, was sampled and the concentration was less than 1/2 part per million oil to water.
Regards,

 

[Genesis]

Anyone that believes anything "official" they hear has rocks in their head.

My primary concern is the DISPERSED oil. The stuff on the surface you can see, skim off and clean up.

 

[Vincentc]

Genesis,
Re dispersed oil. Any facts to report or credible sources to reference?
I've seen photos of oil droplets, but not below 5-10 feet.
The ROV video feeds show the cloud of oil, gas, and dispersant rising.
Noaa located an oil plume at 3300 feet in the vicinity of DWH (perhaps but yet to be connected to the DWH leak) which sampled at less than 1/2 ppm. (< 3 oz oil per 40,000 gallons of water)
I have read of a report of a low O2 saturation in one location South of the AL coastline.
I am very interested in credible information re the extent and effects of the leaked oil.
Regards,

 

[Genesis]

Vincent, I have multiple uncorroborated sources at this point that are reporting "sand filter" type accumulations 6-18" under the surface of the beach sand as far east as Panama City, including one from someone with connections in the formal unified command structure.

This is consistent with what you'd EXPECT from dispersed oil - I am not (yet) writing articles on The Ticker about that, but if/when I can confirm it, you bet I will be.

There are also a couple of videos in the public (on Youtube, etc) from divers who have dove in what looked like clean water only to encounter what is clearly dispersed oil in the water column. Without PROOF of their coordinates I'm not going nuts over it - yet - but it does, once again, square with the intended outcome of using the dispersant.

 

[Vincentc]

Saturday,
We left Holiday Harbor Marina, a nice place, and traveled the ICW to Pensacola Bay and through the pass and into the Gulf. We only went out about 2 miles and turned around. Beautiful day, great water, occasional oil booms but nothing to interfere with anything you might want to do with a boat.

I would not hesitate to make a boat ride along the North Gulf East of Pascagoula. The closest I've seen to an oil sheen is when I dropped one of "Mr. Hollywood's" rib bones over the side. This ex-wrestler sells some excellent ribs here in Perdido Key, but they have enought fat to produce a "visible sheen", but I would buy them again.

There were a good number of pleasure boat anchored on the South side of the ICW just West of Pensacola Bay. I beleive I saw a 40 -50 something Hatteras Convertible off by itself. The only complaint is the number of pleasure boats, shrimp boats, and jack up work platforms running around or anchored up, apparently doing nothing productive except run the meter. I am trying to get over being bothered by seeing people being paid handsomly to do what I have to pay to do. At least I don't have to wear a pfd all the time.

Regards

 

[Genesis]

We've been pretty lucky the last couple of days on the oil - that luck is forecast to change, unfortunately, as the wind is supposed to shift to out of the SE to S for the first part of the week, and the oil is only a few miles offshore.

Glad you didn't get nailed by it.....

 

[Vincentc]

Me too,
All I can say we went 2 miles South of the pass and nothing was visible from the lower helm. I heard Ft Walton got some oil, but have no idea the extent.
Regards,