ALGIERS • GRETNA • TERRYTOWN • HARVEY • WESTWEGO • WAGGAMAN • MARRERO • BRIDGE CITY • AVONDALE
WEST BANK
N O L A.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 26, 2025
1GN
Adventures on the water
St. Bernard couple uses shrimp boat to sail 6,000-mile Great Loop over 5 months BY BARRY LEMOINE Contributing writer
PROVIDED PHOTO
Stacie, left, and Tracy Alfonso sail to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
If this were a romantic comedy, it would be called “Tracy and Stacie’s Big Adventure.” If it were a seafaring adventure novel, the title could be “Around the Loop in 125 Days.” Whatever you call it, the five-month nautical journey that St. Bernard residents Tracy and Stacie Alfonso recently completed was the trip of a lifetime. Now the couple is home and their shrimp boat docked once again at Delacroix Island after completing the 6,000 mile Great Loop. Tracy Alfonso, who grew up in a commercial fishing family and shrimped all of his life, had dreamed of navigating the Great Loop since he heard about it. Called the greatest boat adventure in North America, the journey entails
circumnavigating much of the United States and parts of Canada. The route is in mostly protected waters. It includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, New York State canals, Canadian canals, the Great Lakes, inland rivers, and the Gulf. What makes the voyage so special is that “Loopers” take on this adventure using their own boats in their own time. Some have done it in as little as six weeks. Others have taken years to complete it. Stacie Alfonso, a retired principal from the St. Bernard Parish Public Schools, was intrigued by the challenge, but not as much as her husband. “I was hesitant to go, but in July 2023, Tracy got sick and went into cardiac arrest. After this life-changing experience, we decided it was time to do this,” she said.
Getting ready for the journey To prepare, the couple began researching the Great Loop, deciding on the right vessel for the journey. After much deliberation, they chose the boat they know best — the Stacie Lynn, a 41-foot Lafitte Skiff and the family shrimp boat. Stacie Alfonso said it had everything they needed. “We have a nice galley with a large booth to eat at, and we have a bedroom and bathroom downstairs in the V of the boat. The bedroom has two full-size bunks. We used one as a closet for the trip.” Her husband made improvements beforehand. Working with his son and other family and friends, he cleaned and painted it, installed a new generator, put the dinghy on deck, installed a washer/
ä See LOOP, page 2G
Safe, not sorry
New lumps on dog may be nothing, but see a vet to be sure Most of our animals love a good petting, and it is often during these instances that we discover a lump or bump that we may have not noticed before. It is common for pets to develop skin growths as they age. Some are raised and visible, and some may be under the skin. While a new growth might be easy to see on a shorthaired breed, they may not be as easy to identify on longhaired breeds. Traci In most cases, these Howerton growths are harmless. In fact, less than half of the lumps ANIMAL RESCUE and bumps found on the skin are something serious or cancerous. However, it is important to have a vet examine any new lumps and consider testing. When a suspicious bump appears, it needs to be examined. If it has fast growth, redness, swelling, pus, an opening, or if the pet
FILE PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
A rider passes a pineapple to a paradegoer as the St. Bernard Irish Italian Isleños Community Parade and Marching Club in Chalmette in 2024.
Parades just keep on coming
Irish, Italian and Isleños
ä See LUMPS, page 2G
IRISH CHANNEL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: The rescheduled Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Club’s parade will be March 29 at 1 p.m., starting at the corner of Magazine and Felicity streets, ending at Jackson Avenue and Magazine. www.irishchannelno.org. GRETNA IRISH-ITALIAN PARADE: The parade will roll March 30 at noon, starting at Burmaster and Franklin streets and ending at 4th Street and Huey P. Long Avenue. FILE PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD The afterparty, featuring live music, Roger Martin, of the Irish Channel will be held at the Gretna Market, Corner Club, marches as the between 3rd and 4th streets along FILE PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE Gretna Italian-Irish Parade rolls in Huey P. Long Avenue, 5-8 p.m. Shelley Farabee screams for cabbage as the St. 2024. ST. BERNARD IRISH ITALIAN Bernard Irish Italian Isleños parade makes its way ISLEÑOS PARADE: The parade starts at noon April 5 along the W. Judge through the streets of Chalmette celebrating the Perez Ave. route in Chalmette — from Meraux Drive down to Ventura and back. heritage of the area in 2022.
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
When you pet your dog, be on the lookout for suspicious lumps and bumps.
SAVE $ 00 3 LB
SAVE $ 12 00
SAVE $ 37 2
SAVE $ 11 2
When You Buy 3
LB
— ONLY —
— ONLY —
CUT & WRAPPED FREE! USDA PRIME BEEF
Whole Tenderloin
USDA PRIME BEEF
Tenderloin Steak
19 99
$
LB
14
$
99
SAVE $ 00 15 LB
LB
FARM RAISED JET-FRESH
Atlantic Salmon Fillet
7
$ 99 LB
— ONLY —
2 LB BAG DARLING
Easy Peel Mandarins
2
$ 88
— ONLY —
24 PACK HALF LITERS
Rouses Spring Water
visit rouses.com for more weekly ad specials!
9
3/$
Prices good at all New Orleans, Gretna, Kenner, Metairie, Marrero, Slidell, Mandeville and Covington stores March 26th - April 2nd, 2025.