01/30/2011 - Bay Grass

Launch: Shirley's (US Hwy 90 across from battleship USS Alabama)
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Bay Grass Bay and Tributaries
Distance: 10.7 miles (round trip)
Paddle time: 4 hours
Weather: Cloudy with occasional light rain, 58 degrees, winds calm. Tide rising.
GPS Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

Header Image

1) The sandy shoreline at Shirley's is a great place to launch kayaks from - directly across from the entrance to the USS Alabama.

2) Not far away is the Maritime Training Center where potential employees are trained to work at the Austal USA shipbuilding facility, for FREE.

3) Calm waters and ever changing skies provided for some beautiful reflections.

4) It rained intermittently but a rain jacket kept me dry.

5) The narrows in the back of a Bay Grass tributary was challenging to back out of.

6) No worries about turning around in the wide open waters of Bay Grass and Spanish River.

7) There were a lot White Ibis seen on this trip.

8) This large bird was preparing for launch.

9) Just before sunset, a small hole opened in the clouds which added some color to the gray sky. It was like a reward for going kayaking on a dreary day. My thanks to the controller of the big light in the sky.

10) Paddles don't get much better than this.