Intro: Venice to the Gulf of Mexico

As you paddle out of Venice bound for the Gulf of Mexico, you will want to have already settled a few important questions in your mind for a successful completion of you expedition. The Rivergator has attempted to be helpful in preparing you accordingly. But now you must have a game plan. Chief amongst these questions is 1) Which route will you follow to the Gulf? Next you will want to settle the question: 2) How will you return back from the Gulf? (Paddle or arrange a ride?) And lastly, you will want to have a meet place for your ride home: 3) Where is the best meet spot back in Venice?

One final consideration for some expeditions who are flying back home from New Orleans and have no room for their gear, 4) what will you do now with your vessel and expedition equipment? In this section, the Rivergator will try to provide enough information so that you, dear paddler, can make good decisions concerning these and other matters.

River Levels using the Venice Gage

The best time to paddle to the Gulf is during low or medium water levels (0-2 on the Venice Gage), which usually occurs in the late summer and fall. This is excellent timing for long-distance paddlers, most of whom begin in Minnesota or Montana in May or June, and 3-5 months later are approaching the Gulf of Mexico. Annually the water levels at Venice typically peak during the spring flood season (April-July) and trough in the fall/winter (Sept-February), with intermediate changes in between. The lowest recorded water level was -.77 on Christmas 1989, and the record high peaked at 9.11 when Camille hit, on August 17th, 1969. (Note: the gages were all blown out when Katrina hit, so there is no record of how high it got in 2005!).

To see water levels and estimate river flow below Venice in the Birdsfoot Delta, use the Rivergages.com station readings for Venice:

http://rivergages.mvr.usace.army.mil/WaterControl/stationinfo2?sid=01480&fid=&dt=S

Water levels according to the Venice Gage (VG):

Low Water = 0 to 1 VG

Medium Water = 1 to 2 VG

High Water = 2 to 4 VG

Bank Full = 1 VG

Flood Stage = 4 VG and above

(VG = Venice Gage)

Flood Stage Warning:

If the Venice Gage is 4VG (at slack tide) or above the river is in advanced flood stage, and paddlers are advised to stay off the water. Above 4VG paddlers will encounter fast and turbulent water conditions, especially around docks, pilings, and when attempting any bankside approaches or landings. Very limited access. Most landings and approach roads will be underwater. Most islands will be gone. No dry camping will be found. All sandbars and ocean spits will be underwater. All islands will be covered by flooded forests full of snags, strainers, sawyers and all other dangerous conditions associated with floodwater moving through trees. Docks, wharves, dikes and any other man-made objects will create strong whirlpools, violent boils, and fast eddies. Towboats and workboats will create larger waves than usual. Freighters will have to push harder to get upstream which results in even bigger waves. The Rivergator will not describe the river and its islands at any levels above flood stage 4VG.

Weather and Tides

In the week before reaching Venice for your final push to the Gulf paddlers would be well advised to monitor the weather and tides. Obviously you want to avoid paddling to the Gulf in oncoming severe weather, or hurricanes. Ideally you will want to make your final paddle in good weather and reasonable winds. You will also want to time your Gulf arrival as closely as possible for the benefit of the tides. Try and ride a low tide out, which will add to the descending speed of the river. And try to catch the high tide coming in, which will aid your paddle back upstream.

Wind Direction and Speed

For the weather.gov at Venice, go to: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=29.2772&lon=-89.3548#.Vl5p4CifM20

Pay particular attention to the wind speed and direction. As with other sections of the Mississippi, a good rule of thumb is stay on shore if the wind is blowing above 15 mph in your face, and 20 mph in any other directions. Wind direction might effect which Pass you take getting to the Gulf. In strong south winds you might want to avoid South Pass. Then again, you could battle south winds down South Pass and later enjoy a tail wind as you paddle back up to Venice. Ideally you would drop down into South Pass with a 10mph North wind, spend the night on the South Pass Island Beach, and then wake up the next morning the wind having shifted to the south, and paddle back with a 15mph South wind! If only paddlers were so lucky. Most likely you will have headwinds regardless of what you do. That’s the way it always seems to work out. Like bicyclists, we are sensitive to the air, and so any any slight motion seems to be a headwind.

Birdsfoot Delta Tides

While the Bay of Fundy tides vary up to 53 feet and the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel 50 feet, the Birdsfoot Delta tides normally only vary between 1/2 foot and a 1 foot, and might vary 2 feet in the highest tides of the year. (This change in levels is known as amplitude, and is described on charts by the term “tidal coeffecient;” see below for more discussion). But winds and storms can create higher tides, up to 5 feet higher at the ends of the passes, and up to 9 feet higher at Venice (as did Camille in Aug 1969).

Small changes in tides is good news for paddlers in this low flat landscape. You can find dry spots for camping on some beautiful low-lying flat beaches at the Gulf, and a few scattered low hummocks in between. However you also have to be very careful about incoming high tides, and make sure the place you choose is well above the forecast. Before paddling down one of the passes, or settling down in any certain campsite, check tidal reports. Also check weather.gov for any tide warnings. Tide warnings precede high winds or oncoming storms. High winds out of the east, south or west might add 3 to 4 feet to any tidal forecast, and hurricanes could add considerably more.

Warning: a high tide forecast of 3 feet or more would probably put all camp sites below Venice underwater!

Tide Reports Online

You can find many sources for tide reports. Include a visit to weather.gov for the Venice forecast to make sure there are no tide warnings.

A very comprehensive tidal report (with fishing information) for South Pass can be found here: http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/louisiana/south-pass

You can find current tidal reports for Head of Passes here: http://www.myforecast.com/bin/tide.m?city=K7R1&metric=false&tideLocationID=T8159

For the tides at other Passes in the Birdsfoot Delta, go to this site, chose your pass, and plug in your days of possible passage to the Gulf: http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/louisianasites.html

(The choices here include North Pass, Pass a Loutre, Venice, Grand Pass, Pilottown, Southeast Pass, Port Eads, South Pass, Joseph Bayou, Southwest Pass, South Pass Paris Road Bridge, Empire Jetty, Bastian Island, Quatre Bayous Pass, and Barataria Pass.)

Tidal Coefficient

On the Tide Tables there are tidal coefficients which tell us the amplitude of the tide forecast (difference in height between the consecutive high tides and low tides in any given area). The highest possible tidal coefficient is 118, corresponding to the greatest high or low tide there can be, excluding meteorological effects. Tidal coefficients are calculated from the following parameters or from the sun and the moon: straight ascension, declination, parallax and the distance between the Earth and the celestial body.

Despite tidal coefficients being the same for the whole planet, they affect the amplitude of the tides in a very different manner, depending on where we are. This variation in amplitude is almost null and void in closed seas, apart from where there is local resonance (e.g. it can be up to 3ft in Venice); it is weak in mid-ocean, but tends to be considerably amplified when extending to the continental coasts.

In Space: There are tides of weak intensity (in the areas close to the terrestrial equator, the tides barely reach tens of centimetres). In other places there are tides of high intensity (for example: the French coasts of the Saint-Malo Bay), where they regularly exceed 30 ft.

In Time: The coefficient and therefore the amplitude of the tides follow the phases of the moon with slight disparity during waxing and waning moons; and extensive disparity at times of new moon and full moon. The differences in amplitude between low tides and high tides present great contrasts. In Saint-Malo the difference in level between high tide and low tide is reduced to 10 ft in periods of low tides; and goes as high as 40 ft in periods of high tides.

Tides in Rivers

The tide reigning before a coast spreads upwards in rivers with identical periodicity, but the dissipation of the energy gradually reduces the amplitude and the tide ends up being imperceptible, with this being the boundary of the maritime part of the river. On the Mississippi this boundary is normally found around 100 miles upstream, in the New Orleans area (On the Amazon River is over 600 miles!).

Tidal bore

In normal conditions, the Mississippi does not experience tidal bores, although this phenomena might occur during hurricanes or periods of high southerly winds. What is a tidal bore? In an estuary and even more so in a river with a wide mouth, the high tide is of much shorter duration than the low tide; it may even be that the ascent of the water up-river is almost instantaneous, this is the moment of the tidal bore, breakwaters that enclose the whole bed of the river which in turn also surges quickly upwards. In Brazil, the tidal bore of the Amazon River is known as the pororoca. It comes from the Tupi language and means "great destructive noise". It occurs in spring tides, and waves of up to 12 feet in height are formed which are taken advantage of by surfers from around the world who come to the mouth of this river to surf tens of miles up the river with the waves.

Water Speed in the Passes

In general the water slows the further outwards you go down any one pass towards the Gulf. Just like the river, in high water it’s faster and in low water it’s slower. Incoming and outgoing tides have their effect, as already described. Paddlers used to enjoying 3-5 mph in the main channel of the Mississippi can expect the water speed to gradually diminish as the river approaches the open waters of the ocean, down to 2-3 mph in the main passes, and maybe 1-2 in the smaller passes, and then maybe 1mph arpound the final island, to final calm completely when you paddle into the deep water of the Gulf. Not only is the water volume decreasing every time the river splinters into another pass, but it also reaches sea level, thereby losing all of the “pulling” effect of gravity.

The Joy of Reaching the Gulf

South Pass is the most popular route to complete the river. Imagine: it’s a calm day as you joyfully paddle down the full extent of the South Pass over 14 miles from Mile -0- and past the end of the East Jetty one mile from shore, something you would not be able to attempt in high winds or rough seas. As you paddle past the last pile of rock you will find yourself deep into the Gulf of Mexico with the full feeling of the ocean around you. Land is now a long line of green behind you, to the North. You are there. Nothing now between you and South America. If you were a songbird making its annual migration, you would feel similar elation. Congratulations paddler! You’ve made it! Flocks of brown pelicans, white pelicans, terns, sheerwaters, and other shore birds seem to share in your joy laughing and screaming and crying over the water and waves. You might see dolphins leaping along with your bounding heart and participating in the happiness and satisfaction of completing the long journey. Turn around only when you have fully delighted in the pleasure of the finish line, and paddle back the same way you came, or head in at a diagonal to one of the nearby beaches. If it’s a calm night, you can enjoy a night of camping on an ocean beach. The last night of your month’s long odyssey. You might as well drink it up to the fullest extent you can. This opportunity will not come again easily for the remainder of your life.

Camping on the Gulf at the end of the Passes

Many Mississippi paddlers plan their last day as a round trip from Venice, usually involving a return trip via powerboat. But why not slow down and spend a night or two at your much-anticipated final destination, the beautiful Gulf of Mexico? It seems a loss to have paddled in and out of several months and several thousands of miles to miss this golden opportunity you have very dearly paid for! Unless the wind is contrary, or there are incoming severe storms, or a hurricane, the Rivergator recommends adding at least one more camp to your itinerary, and that is a beach camp on salt water. You can find suitable beaches at the end of both South Pass, Pass a Loutre and Southeast Pass. Keep reading and make your preliminary plans for the grand finale of your expedition.

Open Water of the Gulf?

Dear paddler, when you reach the ocean you are probably expecting to be rewarded with a wide open view with a refreshing clear-sight view over the face of the earth towards the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico or Cuba. You will have at least on disappointment here. Don’t be dismayed when you discover that the ocean horizon is thick with derricks, platforms, wells, (and many abandoned relics of the same), and supply vessels and crew shift helicopters overhead.

Some Helpful Hints:

Some conditions to take into consideration for deciding which pass to follow include 1) the wind, 2) oncoming storms, 3) river level, and 4) hurricanes. Hurricanes: If there are any approaching hurricanes, you will need to carefully monitor their progress towards shore, and make some quick decisions before approach. There will be no dry ground, and you will possibly experience a big scale tidal surge in the presence of hurricanes. It would be best to either “hit & run” in one day, maybe down a pass close to Venice such as Tiger Pass, where you can quickly turn around and get back, or get a ride back with powerboat. Or, maybe wait it out. Or call your journey complete wherever you are at. I think its needless to say, but do not go past Venice if there is any hurricane within one day of making landing anywhere within 200 miles of the Mississippi River Delta. Also, keep in mind that hurricanes circulate counter-clockwise. The off-shore (southerly) winds will be worse with any hurricane west of the Delta. This will result in high storm surge. Camille produced the highest ever waters ever in Venice with a storm surge of 9.11 feet on the Venice Gage. During Katrina, which crossed over the Birdsfoot Delta and into the mouth of the Pearl River, the storm surge was 28 feet in places (further inland). On the other hand, the on-shore winds (northerly) will increase for any hurricane to the east of the Delta (while the tidal effect will be greatly diminished).

See Rivergator custom Google map Mississippi Birdsfoot Delta for these and many more possibilities.M

Maps

The US Army Corps 2007 Maps of the Lower Mississippi River are fairly reliable in the Birdsfoot Delta, and yet vast changes have taken place in the years since, and many lights and landmarks are gone or pushed over, buried in the mud and sand. The 2011 flood was particularly damaging to much of the man-made navigation aids and infrastructure, and even to the shape of some of the passes themselves. Fresh passes have opened up (such as New Pass), and others seem to be closing (Main Pass). Google Maps convey more recent pictures of the true present-day shape, yet they are also unable to keep up with the changes year to year. And so as you paddle into the Birdsfoot Delta be prepared for anything. Paddlers, don’t worry too much about what should be there because you see it on the map. It’s best to make your route choices and campsite decisions based on what you actually see and experience in front of you versus what you think should be there based on outdated maps. The Mississippi Valley has always been a place of dynamic change, and the Birdsfoot Delta is even more so.

Getting Back

Whether you paddle back from the Gulf, or hitch a ride with a powerboat, Cypress Cove is the best place to return to, and meet your shuttle home. Venice Marina is a close second. Keep reading below for details about each, and contact info. A lot of paddlers in recent years have arranged for powerboats to shuttle them back from the ocean, or have hitched rides from passing fishing boats or workboats on their return to home port (which is almost always Venice for everyone in the Birdsfoot Delta). And you might decide the same, that you don’t want to paddle upstream. The current can sometimes be tough to paddle against, and the wind might be unfavorable. You are probably exhausted from your long day’s paddle to reach the coast, and really don’t have the energy to paddle back. But please know, dear paddler, that it isn’t too tough to paddle upstream. And you can make an extra campsite, and the take an extra day to paddle back to Venice. You will never be more than 25 miles from any given extremity of the Birdsfoot Delta. (The only exception would be the Southwest Pass, which is not recommended) The Quapaws are the downstream people, and the Omahas are the Upstream people. You have been a Quapaw for three months or more. Be an Omaha for a day or two. Anyone who has paddled the length of the Mississippi can surely paddle back upstream 25 miles! If the water is high and you have headwinds it might require 2 days of paddling. Lastly and most importantly, there is a distinct beauty in being an Omaha and making the upstream paddle home. You see the marshes and cane brakes and islands and and mudflats up close and intimately in a way that you never do paddling downstream. You get closer to birds and other wildlife. You might see (and take photos of) animals you have not been able to approach, like nutria, osprey, green tree frogs, and maybe even a gator.

Upstream Paddling

The trick to upstream paddling is to find the path of least resistance. On a river, that means staying as close to shore as possible without grounding out. It helps to hug the inside of long bends when possible. You will find it necessary to follow the long lines around wing dams, jetties and dikes, and paddle underneath docks or other man-made structures that get in the way. But the most important skill in being an Omaha is learning to dive in and out of eddies. Paddle like the French Voyageurs of the Lewis and Clark who paddled up the Missouri, and then later up the Columbia and Snake rivers. Watch carefully in front of you for eddies and slow places and use them to your advantage. Cut into every eddy you can find and relax when you can. As the water speed increases past points in between eddies paddle hard and tough with quick bursts of energy. Find the next slow place and take a break. If the wind is blowing, hug the shore, which offers the best protection.

For the most part paddling up the passes from the ocean will be enjoyable and not too tough. The water is slow in most passes (unless in flood). Try to time your return with the incoming tide. The most challenging portion of your return paddle to Venice will be the 10 mile stretch of the main channel from Mile -0- up to Venice. The currents are almost always strong here, even with the tide in your favor. Also, you will have to make a channel crossing somewhere along the way (since all the attractive passes except SW pass are found flowing from the East Bank opposite Venice). This might be a dangerous crossing with the frequent freighter traffic moving up and down the river through here. But with careful examination, and monitoring your VHF marine radio on channel 67 you will be fine. Make your crossing as quick as possible, in a perpendicular run straight for the opposite shore, even if it means losing some ground due to river flow. You will quickly regain any lost ground once you resume paddling back up the other shore.

In general the East Bank will be easier to paddle alongside going upstream since it has slower flowing water. You will have to maneuver around some of the docking and port facilities surrounding Pilottown, but these obstructions further slow the current and make the upstream haul a little easier. Furthermore, the East bank features more inlets, passes, and other breaks that offer more opportunities for rest stops along the way. In contrast, the West Bank between Mile -0- and Venice is an almost contiguous line of rip rap and caged rock. There are only a few openings, and none of them except one (New Pass) with attractive landings. Even though the distance might be a little shorter (depending on what pass you take) the current is faster along the West Bank. All in all East Bank seems to be the best choice for the upstream paddle. The one factor that might change your decision is the wind speed and direction. In a strong west wind or southwest wind you would certainly do better hugging the West Bank.

After ten miles of upstream paddling (from Head of Passes) you will reach the top end of Grand Pass Island, and your long climb will be over. Paddle into the gentle current flowing down Grand Pass, and follow it one mile to Tiger Pass, one mile further to take out at Cypress cove. This short downstream paddle is doubly delicious: the end of your upstream travail, and the end of your expedition. Now you are rewarded by one last little piece of downstream muddy waters, the same muddy waters that you started on in St. Louis, or Minneapolis, or Sioux City, or Three Forks, or wherever it is that you first set your vessel into the river and started your first paddle stroke downstream to reach this point.

LiNKS = Leave No Kid on Shore

Leave no Kids on Shore (LiNKS) is an after-school environmental conservation/stewardship program for youth from the Lower Mississippi Valley to learn the skills of carving canoes, safe paddling on the big river, and wilderness survival. LiNKS is a natural continuation of the successful Mighty Quapaw Apprenticeship Program which has been active since 1998. LiNKS will focus on long-term solutions over short term fixes, in particular by applying long-term attention to our youth, and fostering mentorship relationships that last a decade or longer. See end of this section for more information about LiNKS, and making plans to donate your vessel. Or contact John Ruskey, Director, Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Clarksdale, MS 38614, 662-627-4070, john@island63.com.

Summary of Passes in Birdsfoot Delta

Baptiste Collette Bayou

• Fimbel Pass
• Emeline Pass

Grand Pass

• U.S. Coast Guard Station
• US Fish & Wildlife Station

Grand Pass: Tiger Pass

• Cypress Cove Marina
• Venice Marina

Cubit’s Gap: Main Pass:

• Delta Pass
• Cottam Pass

Cubit’s Gap: Octave Pass:

• Savage Island
• Brant Island
• Contrariete Pass
• Spanish Island
• Dead Woman Pass
• Dead Woman island
• Twenty Seven Pass
• Bienvenue Pass

Cubit’s Gap: Brant Bayou

• Albert’s Pond
• French Duck Pond
• Pintail Pond
• Dave Inside Pond
• Coule Pond
• and many others...

Cubit’s Gap: Raphael Pass

• Martins Pass
• Round Pond

South Pass

• Port Eads
• North South Pass Island
• South South Pass Island
• South Pass Beaches

Pass a Loutre

• Sawdust Bend Bayou
• Loomis Pass
• Cognevich Pass
• Southeast Pass
• Southeast Pass Island
• Redfish Bay
• Blind Bay
• North Pass

Southwest Pass

• Burrwood Bayou
• Pogo Producing Co (Last Refinery on Lower Miss)
• Southwest Pass Bar Pilot’s Standby Station
• Southwest Pass Lighthouse

Go on to next section for complete descriptions. All of these passes will be reported on in detail in the next section of the Rivergator, the River Log: Venice to Gulf of Mexico. Also, go to Rivergator custom Google map “Paddling the Mississippi Birdsfoot Delta” for these and many more possibilities.