Gumbopirate

We had a fantastic Mardi Gras this year.  For the past three years, we have missed Mardi Gras in New Orleans as we were sailing the blue waters of the Caribbean.  We wouldn’t trade that experience, but it was wonderful to be back home in New Orleans for Mardi Gras again.  And boy did we do it right- we marched in two parades, saw the Super-krewes of Bacchus and Orpheus right from our living room window, and costumed in the French Quarter on Mardi Gras day.  After all of that fun, we both caught the typical “Mardi Gras head-colds” and are in much need of some R&R time to regroup and get ready for our next adventure..

Pirate Princess for a Day and our friend Patrick

Cajun went as Little Red Riding Hood

They look like ladies from the back only...

A wild street party everywhere you look...

A scary looking Superman

Dancing as she walks on by...

Princess makes a friend...

Looking out on the craziness

Cajun also went as a cat... Meow!

Princess is glad Mardi Gras is over!

It's all about the Pink!!

Carnival Time in New Orleans!!!

We have been having an amazing time enjoying the Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans.  We even took part in our first Krewe of Cork Parade.  Cork is a krewe for all those who love wine and love drinking it out on the streets of the French Quarter. We heard about it from our friend Patrick who is owns Patrick’s Bar Vin (our second home where we watch all the Saints games).  Patrick started the Krewe around 10 years ago and is its perpetual King.  The crew now has over 300 members and they all like to have a good time.  While there are several member events throughout the year, the biggest is the annual costumed Mardi Gras walking parade through the French Quarter.  It begins early with a Bloody Mary party on Royal Street, continues on with a rowdy lunch at the Court of Two Sisters, then a walking parade through the streets of the French Quarter with stops at several “refilling stations” and culminates at the Royal Sonesta for a fabulous party with lots of dancing and of course more wine!   Our costume theme this year was Pink Champagne.  Everyone loved the Pirate’s pink pimp suit!  We met so many wonderful people and had a great time.  We are absolutely doing it again next year!

Canouan was a sleepy island with a large airport relative to the amount of people coming and going from this place.  The main reason for this is private jets fly in here to get people to Mustique (which does not allow jets to land at their small airport as the noise would spoil the ambiance for the rich and famous).  So, the ambiance is spoiled for the poor islanders next door and the rich are ferried from Canouan to Mustique in powerboats.  For a time they had the large Raffles resort in Canouan, a five star luxury hotel, golf course and casino.  We tried to visit it while we were there, but were informed that a “day pass” would set us back $500 per person, drinks were not included and shorts and flip flops were not allowed in the casino.   Needless to say, we did not go there for the day.  Not surprisingly, the resort closed down soon after opening and the island is sleepy once again.  It is a beautiful place to visit for a day or two anchored off by boat, but not a destination to fly to and stay for awhile.

A Fish Map for those who are lost and speak "fish"

Pretty views from the south side of Canouan

Our anchorage off of the sleepy Tamarind Hotel

In all of our travels, I don’t think we have seen a more pristine place than Barbuda.   Bring everything you need with you, because you won’t find much in Barbuda besides beautiful beaches, all the lobster you can eat and thousands and thousands of frigates.

At anchor in Barbuda

Our dinghy is parked in the "busy" area...

A 15 mile stretch of of undeveloped, pristine, pink sand beach