Greetings Y'All!

They have ARRIVED in Gulfport, Mississippi! I got a message on my answering machine at 5:37pm last night and Rosi called back later in the evening. On the machine she sounded very excited and said they were happy to be back on land in the US - she said something about kissing the ground, but maybe that was going a bit too far. They had a good passage, but had to motor-sail for the last three days. They were hurrying to get in because of a storm that is currently picking up in the Gulf.

They aimed for Gulfport because they wanted a harbor that they could sail into if necessary. They are currently having some problems with the throttle. They will stay in Gulfport until this gets fixed and they move into Lake Pontchatrain. Charles and I will be leaving tonight to drive out to Gulfport (about 2 hours away), so I would be happy to print out and carry any emails you choose to send for Rosi and Jim. (They don't have internet access yet, and can't be reached by phone). We will probably spend most of the time visiting because the of the storm, but if things let up on Sunday we might go for a day sail to the barrier islands.

I don't think we'll go to New Orleans for Mardis Gras, but we might go to some of the hamlets in Cajun country and sample Cajun Mardis Gras. I have put a few links on the web page describing the Mardis Gras festivities here. I have also included a link to louisianaradio.com because this place lives for food ("Pass me someadat Tabasco, Cher"), and music!

Time to celebrate! and, as always,

Alles Gouda,

Yvonne