For one thing, the modern and comfortable facility set in the middle of the world’s most fertile fishing grounds is not simply Port Eads. It’s now called the Port Eads Marina.
It was born in $12 million construction dollars the Feds shelled out to the Plaquemines Parish government to make the parish whole again after Hurricane Katrina erased the historical structure that stood on the current location’s footprint.
With a brand spanking new facility in hand, the parish sagely sought out professional management, settling on John Burrell’s High Adventure Company, LLC out of Woodstock, Georgia.
The firm, said brother Drew Burrell, is involved in a host of lodges, outposts, ranches and safari operations specializing in world class fishing, wing shooting, deer hunting and big game hunting.
“Some, such as Port Eads,” he explained, “are managed and operated on a day-to-day basis by High Adventure. For others, we hold exclusive booking rights. As an outfitter, our connections reach around the globe: South America, Europe, Africa, Russia and the Yukon.
“People don’t really know that we are open yet, but it is open to the public for anyone. We call ourselves a hotel and a restaurant, as well as a marina, 23 miles from civilization.”
He ticked off the amenities: eight rooms with three bunks (six beds) and a private bath per room, a dining room and bar, two living rooms, Direct TV, WiFi, 18,000 square feet of dock space, 60 boat slips with electrical and water service with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual rates, annual slips for houseboats, live and frozen bait, non-ethanol gas and diesel, a fish cleaning station, ice and a 2,000 foot airstrip.
“You don’t have to rent a room to enjoy Port Eads,” added Burrell. “You can come in the middle of the day to take a break in the air conditioning, get something to eat or get a drink.
“Port Eads is more than just for people with yachts. It’s for everyday people, as well as members of the New Orleans Big Game Fishing Club, which still holds tournaments here.”
Information about reservations and the marina’s services is available by phone at 504-308-1602, or by e-mail at porteads@highadventurecompany.com.