I am heading over to Southern Florida in about 2 weeks. I plan to spend 15-17 days paddling and site-seeing in the Ten Thousand Islands Area (4-5 days), Flamingo area (5-6) days, Biscayne Bay N.P. (4 days) and upper Keys (2 days). I need a little information to help in my planning. What water temps can I expect in these areas? (I could not access my usual marine bouy info site) What prevailing winds or wind patterns (if any) can I expect? Are 4 day weather forecasts very dependable at this time of year? Will Racoons rip/chew VCP hatch covers (rubber) to get to food and water? If so how should I go about storing food and water in camp? I would appreciate answers to these questions and any other information you thing would make a difference in making this a more enjoyable trip. Sincerely Mark J. Arnold *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>> What water temps can I expect in these areas? (I could not access my usual marine bouy info site) >> Mid to low 70s at the Keys and cooler in Gulf >> What prevailing winds or wind patterns (if any) can I expect? >> Here it's been 10 miles out of the North or North East almost daily. >> Are 4 day weather forecasts very dependable at this time of year? >> Yes >> Will Racoons rip/chew VCP hatch covers (rubber) to get to food and water? If so how should I go about storing food and water in camp? >> I haven't had that problem but some have. Keep your water hanging from the trees and you can keep your boats hull up at night. The raccoons are BRAZEN! You might want to bring some behaviour modification equipment, like a slingshot or pepper spray, if you're going to be in one place for a while. >> I would appreciate answers to these questions and any other information you thing would make a difference in making this a more enjoyable trip. >> Bug Suit, Bug Suit, Bug Suit. Another useful item is a Garmin GPS with the Topo CD ROM. A wing type tarp is very handy. You could encounter very hot days during this time of year, especially if you are one of those fluorescent pink snow birds... cu Bob Denton Delray Beach *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Mark, I have house guests at the moment and past couple of weeks so haven't answered your e-mail re: S-FL. Do call and make reservations if you haven't already done so as every snow-bird imaginable is in S-FL right now. I have been having a lot of trouble the last 6 weeks getting camp sites. Also, I have found pockets of mosquitoes during January (which is odd, as they are usually gone after the first cold snap.) so bring a good mosquito netting hat, the best I've found fit over your regular hat and have a couple of circular battens to keep the screen from your face. Mosquito repellant will help, but not with the no-see-ums as Skin-So-Soft is the only thing I've found to discourage them. Re: Raccoons can be a nuisance, my hatch covers are fg so I don't have that problem, however they will chew the soft parts of rubber hatches. If you keep the roll the kayak upside down and keep it near your tent, where you can scare them off if they get to rambunctious you should be OK. If you fish, Snook and redfish seem to be running in the West Coast- Everglades area. Last week near Everglades City a guy in a canoe had caught 2 redfish and one snook in an hour. If you don't know how to fish forget it as casting around the mangroves will be frustrating. You will really appreciate your GPS and tide charts. Cell phones are not always be reliable in most remote areas like Everglades and Big Cypress and even some areas of the Keys. Your VHF can be of some use, even in remote areas as you can usually have emergency message relayed by a boat that has a taller antenna. I don't know your age or skill level but the Wilderness Waterway is right in the area you are talking about, you might check it out as this is the best month of the year to do it. But not with out a lot of preparation as it is REALLY over 100 miles of primitive paddling/camping. Anyway have loads of fun. Pat Moss Subject: [Paddlewise] Everglades Trip > I am heading over to Southern Florida in about 2 weeks. I plan to spend > 15-17 days paddling and site-seeing in the Ten Thousand Islands Area (4-5 > days), Flamingo area (5-6) days, Biscayne Bay N.P. (4 days) and upper Keys (2 > days). I need a little information to help in my planning. > > What water temps can I expect in these areas? > (I could not access my usual marine bouy info site) > > What prevailing winds or wind patterns (if any) can I expect? > > Are 4 day weather forecasts very dependable at this time of year? > > Will Raccoons rip/chew VCP hatch covers (rubber) to get to food and water? > If so how should I go about storing food and water in camp? > > thing would make a difference in making this a more enjoyable trip. > >> Mark J *************************************************************************** > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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