Kayaking Shell Beach, Fort Proctor, and St Malo

Lake Borgne is a hub for many paddling trips. On its north and west, it's adjacent to Bayou Bienvenue, Chef Pass, the Rigolets, and parts of the Pearl River get pretty close to the lake also. Further down, in the southwest corner of the lake, there's Fort Proctor and an area called St. Malo. And there's much more than this for me to explore still.

This post will talk about a trip I took with some friends on a very hot July day, in 2015. We met in Shell Beach, paddled through Bayou Yscloskey, and out onto Lake Borgne. All pictures that I took on this trip were lost on a failed hard drive, so I've borrowed some from my two friends, Terry and Sarah. 

First, two notes:

Lake Borgne is really a lagoon, with a pretty direct wind and water flow from the Mississippi Sound. Anytime you plan a trip onto Lake Borgne, do your homework, check the conditions.

Thanks to Terry Guilbeau for this picture.

And, on a lighter note, Fort Proctor is a popular "social" trip by itself. The fort was built in the 1850's but has been engulfed by Lake Borgne. It's maybe a mile from our launch spot, and just a quick jump across one pocket of the lake. People do this trip in all sorts of kayaks, and I imagine some of them struggle on windy days as they make the skip from the bayou to the fort. But it is really a pretty short jump--maybe a fifteenth of a mile. There's firm land, and the shell of the old fort to climb around on. Depending on conditions, you can play around in the lake.

Here's a nice article written by my friend, Whitney, about one such trip:

http://noadventure.com/2013/06/15/fort-proctor-by-kayak/

Thanks to Terry Guilbeau for this picture.

Thanks to Sarah Wilker for this picture

Thanks to Terry Guilbeau for this picture.

On our trip, in July 2015, we stopped for pictures at the fort, and then cut east across the edge of the lake, towards St Malo. One of our party, Nick, suggested the trip over to St. Malo. It's the spot of an old fishing settlement--the first Filipino settlement in the US--that persisted into the early 1900's. Google it, and read more than just the wikis, which are great, but leave out some of the more colorful parts of the area's history and characters.

Today, St. Malo is just a small breakwater and some shell beaches at the opening into a maze of waterways cutting through the marsh. No structures at all, just trees, shrubs, AND HORSEFLIES! (at least on this very hot July day). But, sitting out here on this piece of land in the middle of nowhere, it's interesting to imagine what life must've been like out here 100 years ago. And, looking at the satellite images, I think I'll have to do another trip out here to explore the maze of waterways that made up the once thriving community. I'll just wait for cooler weather, and I'll be sure to bring a GPS.

Thanks to Terry Guilbeau for this picture.

Thanks to Terry Guilbeau for this picture.

This route doesn't need much more description. It's a pretty easy route to follow, as it's almost entirely on Lake Borgne. We launched from the village of Shell Beach, crossed MrGo and went through Bayou Ycloskey, and then quickly over to Fort Proctor. From there, we headed nearly due east, cutting along the edge of the lake, until we saw the shell beaches and the gap in the breakwater. After a lunch break, we simply headed back the same way, but we cut through Doulats Canal, and followed a right hand turn, snaking our way back to MrGo and back over to Shell Beach. On the day of our trip, the wind was pretty mild and there was not much energy in the water. But remember, on a trip like this (skirting the edge of a lake), you will have some wave motion moving from one side or another, probably causing some weather-cocking, so a rudder or skeg could be useful. One member of our group did complain about this a little bit, since she was rudderless and having to compensate for it for almost the entire trip. 

We launched from Campo's Marine, and they very nicely declined our offer to pay the launch fee (but I'd always ask):

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8536001,-89.6786631,224m/data=!3m1!1e3