02/24/2011 - Eastern Shore Mobile Bay

Launch: Volanta Avenue right of way access (next to Fairhope Yacht Club)
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Fly Creek and Mobile Bay
Distance: Approx 9 miles (round trip)
Paddle time: 2-1/2 hours
Weather: 65-70 degrees, cloudy becoming sunny. Winds 10-15 mph. Tide and current were minimal.

I picked up the replacement Mirage Adventure hull from Hobie at Fairhope Boat Company this afternoon and couldn't wait to test it out. If you want to buy a kayak from a company that stands behind their kayaks, you should buy a Hobie! I love the fact that this stable pedal kayak goes faster than a narrower paddle kayak.

1) It was totally cloudy at launch and a bit breezy out of the southeast. The horizon began to brighten down by Point Clear.

2) During the pedal trip, the clouds gave way to blue sky.

3) The new Hobie Adventure hull performed wonderfully in light choppy seas. Even though I was soaked from crashing waves, the inside of the hull was dry.

4) Under the Fly Creek Cafe sign it says, "Find Your Happy Place." Sitting in the seat of the Hobie Adventure is definitely one of my happy places. :) Hope you find your happy place.

5) A dog appeared out of thin air and about scared the poop out of me.

6) I later saw how the dog appeared out of thin air...

7) Pelicans hang out near the entrance to Fly Creek.

8) A lazy time for this pelican.

9) Odd looking clouds.

10) Sunset on Mobile Bay with the Fairhope Pier in the background.

01/14/2010 - Fairhope

Launch: Volanta Avenue access next to Fairhope Yacht Club

Header Image

1) Nice looking sailboat headed to Fairhope Yacht Club.

2) Couldn't pass up a day like this - temperature in the mid to upper 50s, mostly sunny, and no wind. What a great day to kayak on open waters.

3) Pelicans were generating more waves than the wind.

4) Brown Pelican about to take off.

5) No trees equals erosion.

6) Sailboats at Fairhope Yacht Club.

7) Not a single person was fishing from the pier.

8) The sun is setting later every day. With longer daylight hours, warmer weather can't be far behind.

9) Fairhope Pier lights reflecting off the water.

05/30/2009 - Fairhope

1) Getting to see the sunrise over the Fairhope Yacht Club required an early start in order to be at the Grandman Trialthon on time.

2) Triathlon participates are split up into seven waves to make it safer. If they all swam the 1/3 mile course at the same time it would be chaos.

3) Swimming in waters so shallow many racer simply bounce along the bottom instead of swimming. 

4) The Mobile Bay Canoe and Kayak Club had members stationed all along the swimming course to provide support for the swimmers. The Grandman Trialthon benefits Mobile Baykeeper, The Gulf Coast Area Triathletes, The Baldwin County Trailblazers, and Camp Rap-A-Hope.

5) The last of the swimmers make their way to the transition area where they hop on their bicycle for a 16 mile ride and then conclude with a 5k run.

6) After the all the swimmers were on land I headed over to Fly Creek. A Fly Creek group is suing over upstream construction activity that was polluting the waters. Ironically, this Fly Creek resident is polluting the air around the creek they want to protect.

7) Colorful sailboats on protected waters make for nice reflections.

8) The new Fairhope Yacht Club building can be seen in the background. The old building was destroyed by a hurricane.

12/31/2008 – Last Sunset of the Year Club Paddle

Launch: Fairhope Yacht Club
Kayak: Hobie Outback
Route: Club paddle lead by Gene - no route – just paddle out into Mobile Bay to experience the last sunset of the year from the kayak.
Pace: Leisurely to drifting.
Weather: Sunny, 55 degrees, bay waters with a small chop. Conditions were calmer than forecast.

1) Every now and then a few 1-2 foot waves would come rolling in keeping everyone on their guard for small breakers.

2) Six kayakers braved the cool conditions to celebrate the end 2008.

3) There was a cool wind gently blowing into our faces while we watch the evening’s light show. It felt good.

4) It was a pleasure to see the last day of the year colorized.

5) The last hues of sunlight and the year 2008 fade into the past. I shan’t mention who the kayakers are in these photos because that was not common bay water in those glasses. Cheers!

6) There was a cool wind gently blowing into our faces while we watch the evening’s light show. It felt good.

01/20/2007 – Fly Creek - Fairhope Pier

Launch: Fairhope Yacht Club.
Launch Cost: Free.
Route: Northeast into Fly Creek, aka Devils Hole to a log jam and back. Then out into Mobile Bay, south to Fairhope Pier and back.
Distance: Approx 6.2 miles round trip.
Average Speed: 2.4 mph.
Time: Approx 3 hrs.
Pace: Slow.
Weather: Cloudy, 55 degrees, winds from the east 10 mph to calm, incoming tide, very little current.

Statistics indicate that only 7 percent of the viewers of this blog are using 800 x 600 resolution screens, the majority being 1024 x 768 or higher resolution. Therefore, I'll be uploading photos in the 1024 x 768 size from now on. As always, you can click on a thumbnail photo to see the higher resolution photo.

1) There were quite a few lazy pelicans on the rock jetties at Fly Creek.

2) A little ways up Fly Creek, it looked like this Duck was waving at me as I paddled by. Then again, it also looked like it was about to pass the gas. Those webbed feet are so thin that you can see the blood vessels in them.

3) A confused Cormorant cannot decide what to do with kayaks coming at it from both directions.

4) Kayaking is becoming more popular.

5) This log jam, about a mile up Fly Creek, is the turn around point.

6) Out in Mobile Bay, near the Fairhope Pier park, seagulls fight over a piece of bread which one of them just dropped.

7) The sun was shining 5 miles to the south. Over by the Fairhope Pier I met David who was fishing from his green Prowler ocean kayak. Interest in kayak fishing is picking up. If you are interested in fishing from a kayak, here are two links to check out – Mobile Bay Kayak Fishing Association and Forgotten Coast Kayak Anglers (Tallahassee area). There are some good photos on those sites.

8) Even though the sunset was hidden by the clouds, as the waters laid down the hues of blue and gray were beautiful as the reflections slowly swayed in the waters.

9) The new Fairhope Pier is sturdy enough for a pickup truck. A new roof was being put on the Yardarm Restaurant. Note that the old July 4th gathering point now has a row of rocks between the water and the yacht club pier.

10) Dusk at the Fairhope Pier. Why wasn't anyone fishing off the pier? Oh, that's right - the smart ones are fishing from their kayak.

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."
- Henry David Thoreau

06/03/2006 – Fairhope (Grandman Trialthon)

Launch: Fairhope Yacht Club. Launch Cost: Free. Route: South about 1.2 miles to Fairhope Pier where I had volunteered to help out with the Grandman Triathlon. Distance: 6 miles. Average Speed: 2.6 mph. Time: Approx 3 hrs. Pace: Leisurely. Weather: Warm and hazy.

(1) Above left. Salmon colored sunrise from near the Fairhope Yacht Club. (2) Above right. Another early morning photo from the Eastern Shore near Fairhope.

(3) Above left. Steve in his sharp looking homemade kayak gets into position as race time nears. The swimming portion of the race is broken up into different groups, each group wearing a different colored swimming cap. (4) Above right. Harriet, coordinator for the kayak volunteers, keeps her eye out for any struggling swimmers. Kayakers approach struggling swimmers and let them grab onto the end of the kayak until they are rested enough to start swimming again.

(5) Above left. Since a large portion of the swimming event is in shallow water, many swimmers walk or bounce most of the distance. Here, several kayakers are following the last wave of swimmers who are walking in waist deep water. (6) Above right. Two kayakers are heading south after the event, passing the Martin House Condominiums. The pier in the background, damaged by last year’s hurricanes, is still being repaired.

I started surfing some small waves on the way back to the Fairhope Yacht Club in my Hobie Mirage pedal boat, with the brand new Turbo flippers. Sadly, the composite plastic housing on the pedal unit broke during a quick sprint to catch a wave. The stainless steel shaft is eroded and squealing. The pedal unit, rusted, is also worn out. It is quite disappointing to have to be replacing half the parts on the pedal unit when it is only a year old. The new unit had already broken several times in the past. 5 weeks later, and I’m still waiting on parts. Hobie Mirage owners, beware – you better take along a spare drive unit or be prepared to paddle back.