I had a pleasant experience the other day while mucking around off Tybee Island, Georgia, USA. I took a break and rested on my back deck with my paddle across my chest when I heard an unusual, almost haunting droning. I squinted North and saw a silver WWII B-17 Flying Fortress going South just a few hundred feet over my head! It was kind of surreal to lie there rocking slowly looking at that old plane go by. I gently waved my paddle. I was hoping for a wing waggle but didn't get my wish... Jim et al *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> I had a pleasant experience the other day while mucking around off > Tybee Island, Georgia, USA. I took a break and rested on my back deck > with my paddle across my chest when I heard an unusual, almost haunting > droning. I squinted North and saw a silver WWII B-17 Flying Fortress > going South just a few hundred feet over my head! It was kind of surreal > to lie there rocking slowly looking at that old plane go by. I gently > waved my paddle. I was hoping for a wing waggle but didn't get my wish... CAREFUL, Jim! I hear they like to drop nukes on unsuspecting paddlers down around Waussaw Bay! Well, at least they did back in the 50's :-) Seriously though, I've had some low flying planes pop up unexpectedly over the past few years (small single or twin engine private planes), but was always afraid to wave a paddle or something similar. I was afraid that within a short period of time afterwards, a Coast Guard boat or helicopter would appear after having had the plane report a distress signal. Did that ever enter your thoughts? Rick BTW - I dusted off my trip notes for Tybee a couple weeks ago. There may be a chance I can try it again this coming Mid April. This time, the wife may come along, but she's not overjoyed with camping or spending most of every day paddling (I know - it's hard to believe, isn't it!). If she goes, it may be a cheap hotel and only a couple paddles. I'm not going to even give it much thought until about February, though. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: > > >CAREFUL, Jim! I hear they like to drop nukes on unsuspecting paddlers >down around Waussaw Bay! Well, at least they did back in the 50's :-) > > I found the nuke they lost way back when....I am keeping the location a secret so I can dig it up and sell the casing at a flea market. I gotta bank roll this boat building itch somehow. Jim *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Sounds reminiscent of a day in 2002, when our local club (ConnYak) had Greg Stamer come up & do a weekend of demos and classes in Greenland style paddling. We were holding the events in a bay next to an airport in Groton, CT. Greg had to compete with the noise of a B-24 and a B-17 doing touch and go's about 500 yards away. It was quite a sight. Wayne > > From: Jim Farrelly <JFarrelly5_at_comcast.net> > Date: 2004/11/10 Wed PM 01:48:34 EST > To: Paddlewise <Paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net> > Subject: [Paddlewise] Bombers > > I had a pleasant experience the other day while mucking around off > Tybee Island, Georgia, USA. I took a break and rested on my back deck > with my paddle across my chest when I heard an unusual, almost haunting > droning. I squinted North and saw a silver WWII B-17 Flying Fortress > going South just a few hundred feet over my head! It was kind of surreal Wayne Smith wsmith16_at_charter.net Check out my website! http://webpages.charter.net/wsmith16/home.html *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 02:49 PM 11/10/2004 -0500, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: >BTW - I dusted off my trip notes for Tybee a couple weeks ago. There >may be a chance I can try it again this coming Mid April. This time, >the wife may come along, but she's not overjoyed with camping or >spending most of every day paddling (I know - it's hard to believe, >isn't it!). If she goes, it may be a cheap hotel and only a couple >paddles. I'm not going to even give it much thought until about >February, though. Hi Rick, You might want to check this out: http://www.theoutdoorinn.com/ The Inn is located right next door to Sea Kayak Georgia. I hear that that accommodations are a bit sparse but the location is ideal (at least for paddlers). I've also been thinking of taking some time off in the spring to do some Tybee island paddling. Perhaps a Paddlewisers rendevous might be fun. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> The Inn is located right next door to Sea Kayak Georgia. I hear that that > accommodations are a bit sparse but the location is ideal (at least for > paddlers). I've also been thinking of taking some time off in the spring > to do some Tybee island paddling. Perhaps a Paddlewisers rendevous might > be fun. A rendevous would be great. The last one that I recall is the one in Florida that Sandy hosted a few years ago. I had intended to go, but had to bail out shortly beforehand. The nature of my job and family commitments is such that I can't commit until just a couple weeks beforehand. But, if the timing is good, I'd be very interested. Knowing what my current calendar looks like, my best opportunity would be April. When I go, I intend to go for a week, but if the rendevous were just a smaller portion of a week (I think the Florida one was 3 or 4 days) that would be fine. I could just come early or stay late. Tell you what. I'll post a separate message under a different subject for the folks who are blowing past the "Bomber" subject, and we'll see if there is any interest in a Spring rendevous at Tybee. Rick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Rick I'd be interested! Have paddled the TI area a number of times. It's a wonderful location for all experience levels. At the mouth of Tybee Creek [separates TI from Little TI] there's a huge sandbar. During high tide you'll have waves rolling in from all directions -- makes for some fabulous surfing and a great place to learn how to deal with four-star waters! Less experienced folks can stay on Tybee Creek and still get a wonderful paddle or three in! Weather and surf permitting, they would also be able to venture into the Atlantic via the creek and paddle the coastline. No doubt Dale Williams and the gang at Sea Kayak Georgia -- most all consummate sea kayakers -- would be happy to meet the Paddlewise crew. With advance notice, I'm sure they'd even be willing to provide BCU training for anyone interested, in addition to offering kayak rentals and quality gear. Great bunch of folks -- IMHO they are what a paddling "community" is all about! I also know from personal experience Dale could be easily persuaded to participate -- especially with a late-90s vintage Kendall-Jackson Merlot bribe!!! April sounds great too! Will look forward to meeting any of you who can make it!!! Cheers! Jim Tynan Pike Road, AL -----Original Message----- From: Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Bombers > The Inn is located right next door to Sea Kayak Georgia. I hear that that > accommodations are a bit sparse but the location is ideal (at least for > paddlers). I've also been thinking of taking some time off in the spring > to do some Tybee island paddling. Perhaps a Paddlewisers rendevous might > be fun. A rendevous would be great. The last one that I recall is the one in Florida that Sandy hosted a few years ago. I had intended to go, but had to bail out shortly beforehand. The nature of my job and family commitments is such that I can't commit until just a couple weeks beforehand. But, if the timing is good, I'd be very interested. Knowing what my current calendar looks like, my best opportunity would be April. When I go, I intend to go for a week, but if the rendevous were just a smaller portion of a week (I think the Florida one was 3 or 4 days) that would be fine. I could just come early or stay late. Tell you what. I'll post a separate message under a different subject for the folks who are blowing past the "Bomber" subject, and we'll see if there is any interest in a Spring rendevous at Tybee. Rick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 01:20 PM 11/11/2004 -0600, Jim Tynan wrote: >Rick > > >No doubt Dale Williams and the gang at Sea Kayak Georgia -- most all >consummate sea kayakers -- would be happy to meet the Paddlewise crew. With >advance notice, I'm sure they'd even be willing to provide BCU training for >anyone interested, in addition to offering kayak rentals and quality gear. That's what I was thinking. I met Dale (sat next to him at dinner one night) at the Sweetwater symposium a couple of years ago. At least one member of his staff was also in the BCU training/assessment I took. From a conversation I had last year it sounded like they were very flexible in any sort of training they might provide. I was considering a short vacation there last year and they basically said, "come on down, if you want BCU 4 star training we can do that, surf zone training...we can do that too". >Great bunch of folks -- IMHO they are what a paddling "community" is all >about! I also know from personal experience Dale could be easily persuaded >to participate -- especially with a late-90s vintage Kendall-Jackson Merlot >bribe!!! The local Merlots from the Finger Lakes region wineries have improved significantly in the past couple of years but the Rieslings compare quite favorably to anything in the world...on the other hand, Dale didn't exactly strike me as a white wine drinker. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 08:54 AM 11/11/2004 -0500, Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: > > > The Inn is located right next door to Sea Kayak Georgia. I hear that >that > > accommodations are a bit sparse but the location is ideal (at least >for > > paddlers). I've also been thinking of taking some time off in the >spring > > to do some Tybee island paddling. Perhaps a Paddlewisers rendevous >might > > be fun. > >A rendevous would be great. The last one that I recall is the one in >Florida that Sandy hosted a few years ago. I had intended to go, but >had to bail out shortly beforehand. You missed a fun trip. What I appreciated most about it was that it was in late January or early Feb. (can't recall), a time when the waters here are frozen. The water temperature there was around 70's (some of the locals claimed it was too cold to swim in) and air temps in the mid to high 70's. >The nature of my job and family >commitments is such that I can't commit until just a couple weeks >beforehand. But, if the timing is good, I'd be very interested. >Knowing what my current calendar looks like, my best opportunity would >be April. When I go, I intend to go for a week, but if the rendevous >were just a smaller portion of a week (I think the Florida one was 3 or >4 days) that would be fine. I could just come early or stay late. My guess is that 3-4 days would work best as well. >Tell you what. I'll post a separate message under a different subject >for the folks who are blowing past the "Bomber" subject, and we'll see >if there is any interest in a Spring rendevous at Tybee. Are you collecting email addresses of those that are expressing interest? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I never do this kind of stuff after a memorable encounter.... It was in 1990. I was doing category V white water rafting with my friends on a remote Siberian river that flows into the Lake Baikal in Russia. We were resting after a well-deserved lunch on a small pebble strip at the bottom of a river canyon. It was a very hot day; we felt exhausted after negotiating a bunch of demanding rapids, so we gave ourselves 20 minutes of a total relaxation before packing our scattered stuff and jumping back into the rafts. Suddenly someone spotted a heavy helicopter flying across the canyon very high above. May be because we were glad to see an unexpected sign of civilization in that tough surrounding or perhaps because we just felt friendly and relaxed, we waived to the pilots without much hope that they can even spot us. Well, that was a BIG mistake! In no time, the huge chopper literally dropped on our heads, causing a tornado in a relatively narrow canyon. Almost instantly all our utensils, the loose clothing, the helmets, the life jackets, the precious roll of toilet paper and everything else were blown away to the river stream. When they landed on the beach, the pebbles were flying like bullets. The worst of all we could not hide, because we had to hold on tight to our rafts before they were blown away. Once they landed, one of the pilots opened the door and without turning off the engines, roared - "What?" What could we say? The best we could come up with under the circumstances was - "Nothing!". Perhaps that was even BIGGER mistake. As I see it now, at least we could pretend that we called them for a good cause. They guy cursed us, the guy gave us a Russian analogy of a "bird", a very big one. From what we can see behind the glass cabin, the crew was debating on how to teach us the simple etiquette of the wild: "If you seek my attention, you need my help". Fortunately, the God decided to bestow His mercy upon us. A small group of backpackers emerged out of nowhere and headed straight to the chopper. They were offering a full bottle of vodka for taking them down the river. Once the pilots regained the purpose of their lives, they forgot about our existence and took off shortly after giving us a farewell "bird". How we managed to survive is another story, but I guess you can appreciate why I am not waiving to anything in the sky anymore if it is larger than a hummingbird :) Vic. On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 13:48:34 -0500, Jim Farrelly <jfarrelly5_at_comcast.net> wrote: > I had a pleasant experience the other day while mucking around off > Tybee Island, Georgia, USA. I took a break and rested on my back deck > with my paddle across my chest when I heard an unusual, almost haunting > droning. I squinted North and saw a silver WWII B-17 Flying Fortress > going South just a few hundred feet over my head! It was kind of surreal > to lie there rocking slowly looking at that old plane go by. I gently > waved my paddle. I was hoping for a wing waggle but didn't get my wish... *************************************************************************** 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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