Any Gulf Coasters with recent GIWW advice?

[nolatom]

Meaning Mississippi Sound between Mobile Bay and Pearl River/Rigolets in Louisiana. Am helping my neighbor bring his C&C 34 back to (what's left of) West End in N.O. We draw 6'.

He said he'd heard of shoaling in the Sound. I figured the channel, which takes barges and small ships, should be the usual 12 feet. Anybody been there in the past year, or have any other advice? Been years since I did it, and then I didn't get east of Pascagoula.

We were also thinking of going outside the islands if conditions permit, then reenter at Ship I. Pass.

Thanks for any pointers.

[Jaxxon]

I just came through there about a month ago, going from Pensacola to Texas. The only trouble I had was around Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay. I was going to stop at the marina there but couldn't get through Billy Goat Pass on the east end, so I went around to the west side to anchor out for the night and ran aground right between the channel markers in the harbor. Fisherman helped pull me off and said it was shallow everywhere around there. So I wsent all the way to Biloxi that night. No trouble the rest of the way through the Sound, stayed in the channel all the way.

[Boasun]

Have sailed between New Orleans and Lake charles LA, No problems. Also around Port O'Conners TX had no problems... But most of the barges plying the GIWW draw up to 9 ft. and you shouldn't have any problems.