RE: [Paddlewise] darn cold

I don't have much of a trip to report...just my typical weekend paddles:

Saturday: 

The extremely cold weather the last few days (60s at night) usually results
in bug free paddles in the Everglades. I rolled my Nordkapp up on the rack
and headed out to the Arthur S. Marshall Loxahatchee Reserve, about 1/2 hour
West of my home. The weather was mostly cloudy and a cool (70F) 10-15 kt
breeze was blowing from the East. 

The put-in was deserted. There is a shallow concrete ramp but it is
overgrown with water lettuce and water hyacinth, so it's barely visible. The
water seemed relatively cool (70s) as I headed out to explore the 5 mile
canoe trail through the reserve. I crossed the main canal and headed into
the trail. About 50 yard in I heard a large splash a few feet from the port
side of the boat and proceeded a few hundred yards further. At this point
the trail became totally overgrown, but was till passable. I felt a large
thump on the hill and decided that I'd probably be better off with a
paddling buddy in the event a startled Gator inadvertently capsized me. I
backed out and headed up the main canal. 

The canal is about 100 yards wide and clear of floating vegetation. I
paddled about 5 miles up and back. Besides the herons, egrets, ospreys ducks
and other Florida water fowl, there were large gators every 100 yards or so,
trying to warm up in the cool conditions. Occasionally one would cross in
front of the boat, but most were either shore bound or hiding.

I was the only boat on the water and the total absence of powered craft made
for a relaxing paddle.

Sunday:

Sunday was a beautiful day; clear blue skys, lighter winds (10 knots) and
the temperature was a comfortable 82F. I pulled the boat out of the garage,
attached my wheels and rolled the block or so to the intracoastal. It was
high tide and there was plenty of boat traffic, but I was able to board
between wakes. There is a nice beach at low tide, but at high tide there are
rocks covered by sharp oyster shells that make the put in a challenge,
especially with boat wakes. 

I paddled South enjoying the sunshine. Most boats attempt to be courteous,
but when the large (80') boats slow down in a narrow seawalled section they
send a 4-6 foot wake which quickly turns the area into a large Maytag. There
were lots of Canadian sailboats headed South, some beautiful wooden replica
boats and a few huge toys of the rich and famous. One boat had a helicopter
on board.

The scenery is one beautiful multimillion dollar mansion after the other,
punctuated by golf courses and sections of protected mangroves. There's a
draw bridge about every 1.5 miles and these give me the opportunity to catch
up and pass some of the larger craft who have to wait for an opening. There
are plenty of herons, ospreys and other bird life scattered amongst the
mansions and golf courses.

The 8 mile paddle lasted about an hour and 20 minutes and I consumed 1 1/2
bottles of Gatorade. I was sweating profusely under my skirt and my T-shirt
was pretty much drenched from sweating. 

Well, not too exciting, but I hope that makes you feel warmer!

cya

 

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