A special thanks to Jim Landis and
Centex/Landis, Special Thanks to Senor Enrique Lima Zuno of Isla Mujeres Thanks to the Following: Eddyline Kayak Bayou Haystackers Paddling Club Jenifer
Clark's Gulf Stream Data Dane Clark Expert Weather Info. Trail
Expeditions City of Gretna Ralph
Brennan's Redfish Grill Dr. Lawrence Koenig Aaron
Hebert Andrew McAllister Hans Brandl Laurie Acosta, RD, LDN Shaklee Scandi Shake Thanks to WWL-TV4 for all their coverage. Thanks to WDSU
TV6 for Their Expedition Coverage Thanks to GulfSouth Internet for hosting this site. Thanks to all of the companies that donated equipment and supplies for the trip and that supported Arthur. And thanks to multitudes that have been working,
talking, laughing, crying Help Us Support
Arthur Hebert's "Yucatan to New Orleans
Expedition by Sea Kayak" is not only an expedition but a dream. A dream that is
coming true at this very moment. While you and I sit in the comfort of our office or home,
day and night Arthur is constantly paddling. Arthur's motive: to increase the public's
awareness of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), "I'm hoping to make more parents
aware of this disease and its symptoms. I want them to know if their child experiences
pain, they can't just pass it off as growing pains but must get it checked out." JRA
is a disease which can cause severe joint deformations in children. JRA is close to
Arthur's heart because his 19 year old daughter, Nichole, was diagnosed with it when she
was 9. Thanks to everyone who
contributed to the raffle. Old Reports Check out WWL-TV4 (New Orleans) during their morning
show (6-8AM) for updates. On the Westbank of New Orleans, the City of
Gretna's Electronic Bill Board, (near Mel Ott Park), will display daily updates.. Each day the Sports Section of Times Picayune has his location from the previous day. Wednesday, May 27th Issue of The Times Picayune - - - Feature
Article on The Hebert Family. At about 6:30pm, Saturday,
May 30th, Arthur was spotted by and spoke with Vera Quillan, while she was doing research
off the MV Western Monarch. Arthur gave Vera one of his business cards. She used the card
to call Debbie Hebert (Arthur's Wife) and told her that he is doing fine and he was
laughing and in good spirits. They gave him some water (less pumping more paddling) and
chocolate. They also reported that he is now moving into favorable currents. As of 11:15AM
CST, 6/1/98, Arthur was reportedly moored to a rig out in the Gulf. As of 4:15PM CST,
today, he was still at the same point and had taken on food and water. Arthur is waiting
for the winds to die down and then will take off towards Grand Isle. He said that he
anticipates landing on either Thursday or Friday. I am betting on Friday at 7:24AM CST,
but that is only because it is the time I picked on the Centex Landis pool. Watch out for
"Hurricane Arthur" Grand Isle! 6:30pm CST:, 6/1/98, Arthur's wife Debbie called a person on the rig and they reported that Arthur plans on leaving between 4 & 8am 6/2/82. They are feeding & giving him water. (Don't feed him too much, like a stray dog he might not want to leave . . .) Also, someone on the rig took some photo's with a digital camera. He will try to email them to us for posting on the Web site. 6/2/98 ~10:51am CST -- We have made visual contact with Arthur through a helicopter commissioned by WWL-TV4. WWL has a news anchor and camera man on board. Per the pilot of the helicopter, with whom we have cellular contact, the weather is great and the seas are calm. He commented that Arthur looked good and seemed to be making headway. At the time of our conversation Arthur was paddling away and, as I suspected, not attempting to make radio contact via his hand held VHF. Watch for news footage on WWL, probably on the 5:00PM show. If we know for sure when the story will be on, I will let everyone know. 6/2/98 ~ 11:13am CST -- Second report from the Helicopter pilot: They were able to get Arthur to talk to them via VHF! Apparently Eric Paulsen got a "good" interview. He reportedly had sores on his hands and rump. He relayed that he anticipated landing at the State Park on Grand Isle (East end) on Thursday Evening. Get your pickup trucks loaded with firewood so we can light him home and head to Grand Isle!6/3/98 5:07pm CST -- It
seems that Arthur has been making progress towards Grand Isle. We have a 33" Explorer
sailboat with a volunteer crew (thanks to both) that set sail at 5:00pm CST to Arthur's
position to escort him safely back. They are expected to reach Arthur sometime late this
evening. Arthur is in the most dangerous part of his trip, being near the mouth of the
Mississippi River with heavy boat & ship traffic. Please, keep him in your prayers. As of 6:20AM on June 4, 1998...We do know that Arthur is tied up to Texaco Rig #109 which is approximately 8 miles south of Southwest Pass. I don't have the coordinates on the rig, sorry. They have given him some food and Gatorade. Reports are that he has been fighting the currents all night and seemed tired. Hopefully he will be able to get some rest and make good headway later today or this evening. 6/4/98 -- Today should be an exciting day with meetings planned with, among others, the Mayor of Grand Isle and the Mayor of Gretna (Arthur's hometown). Today (6/3/98) we had word from Governor Foster's Press Secretary that he is following Arthur's trip closely and wishes him much success. Keep your eyes open for news updates, but remember if you didn't hear it from Andy McAllister or the web site, it could be wrong!He Made It!!! 6/4/98 ~10:15
am Arthur paddled to the Southwest Pass jetties near the mouth of the
Mississippi River. He then got aboard a Coast Guard vessel which brought him to the Coast
Guard Station in Venice. Arthur is in very good shape and even put his own kayak on his
truck for the drive home. His kayaking buddy, who is a physician, looked him over and
stated that Arthur is in 10 times better shape than he expected him to be in. The next day
6/5/98, he went to West Jefferson Medical Center for a Lifestyle Inventory & Fitness
Evaluation. This evaluation with the one he had before the trip will be used as a
comparison of his before & after fitness levels. Arthur finally made it to Grand Isle! Arthur finally made it to Grand Isle on June 23rd on the way Sheriff Craig Webre of LaFourche Parish Sheriff's Office was kind enough to have Deputy Jean Carriere and Deputy Harry Guillot on motorcycle waiting for Arthur and his family under the Highway 90 bridge on La. Highway 1. They provided an escort all the way to Grand Isle. Thanks Sheriff Webre! A group of well wishers was on the side of the road in Lockport. The Sheriff Deputies stopped at the LaFourche Gazette for a quick interview.The slide show went well. Arthur particularly enjoyed speaking to a small group of teenagers prior to the slide show. He was happy to meet the many supporters in Grand Isle. The Mayor of Grand Isle presented Arthur with the key to the city, honorary citizenship and Jose Chermie presented a flag of Grand Isle. Arthur informed the people of Grand Isle that although his home is Gretna. He felt like he was coming home to Grand Isle. He lived in Grand Isle for a short time as a child and has many fond memories of the island. Many thanks to all the supporters! Return Trip to Isla Mujeres(July 1998) Friends, I along with my wife Debbie, daughters Nichole and Brooke and Nicholes friend Rachel Pagan, just returned on July 20th from five truly enjoyable and relaxing days on Isla Mujeres (just five miles north of Cancun). The people and atmosphere of Isla captured my heart before I departed on May 16th on the Gulf Expedition. Now after the time my family spent on Isla, their hearts are also held captured by this beautiful island. Walking on the beautiful, soft white sand beach and swimming in the crystal clear water at Playa Norte ( North Point Beach) captures part of your soul, then you must experience the southern most point of Isla. On the south point your soul feels the history of Isla as you gaze at the ruins of the Mayan Temple high above the sea, looking down at the sea washing around and through the coral below is totally relaxing. I for one could sit there for hours and become one with the Island. Gretnas mayor, Ronnie Harris, his wife Donna and friends George Rojas and girlfriend Jennifer arrived a day later but also had a fantastic stay. Mayor Harris stated how impressed he was not only with the enjoyable activities Isla had to offer but the hospitality and kindness of the people. Although we experienced much of the fun, food and activities, there was still much more to enjoy that time did not allow. My sponsor, Senor Enrique Lima Zuno once again was a gracious host at the Cabanas Maria del Mar Hotel. Senor Enriques son, Pepe Chudeo, also proved to be a gentleman and gracious host. He obviously has much of his fathers warm personality. Their generosity and kindness will always be remembered. Originally, this trip was to be in connection with a celebration to honor the expedition but prior to leaving for Mexico I was informed that the formal celebration with the local officials was postponed till August 16th. At that time, there will be an official celebration of the 100th anniversary of "Chetumal" the state of Quintana Roo's capital. The governor of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the mayor of the state capitol and mayor of Isla Mujeres will take part in honoring the Gulf Expedition. I feel a special privilege to have the Gulf Expedition acknowledged during their state special celebration. Mayor Harris and I will make the trip again to Isla Mujeres. This will be worth the wait! Arthur Hebert, Jr. |Home|Latest
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