06/17/2010 - Bayou La Batre (2 of 2)

Launch: Was going to launch free at Bayou La Batre but it was bustling with oil spill related activity so I launched at nearby Bayou Coden. Launch cost had gone up from $3 to $5 thanks to the oil spill profiteering opportunities.
Destination: Bayou Coden, Bayou La Batre and Coffee Island.
Distance: Approx 16 miles.
Paddle time: Approx 6 hours.
Weather: Hot and humid (90s) with nearby thunderstorms.
Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

1) Just south of Bayou La Batre is a some sort of waste water outlet that attracts fish and birds. Booms that have failed have washed ashore. I did walk some of the shoreline and saw no oil or tar balls.

2) BP is good for the economy. I've never seen so many working boats in the Bayou La Batre area. A steady stream of boats were coming in and they definitely did not care about their wakes nor how close they come to kayakers.

The new Looksha 17 Outfitter kayak rode the waves very well but the rear hatch had water in it at the end of the day - no doubt due to the poorly sealed rudder lines. The quality of workmanship on my last two Necky kayaks has been very poor with reference to leaking hatches - this will be the last Necky I ever buy.

3) As usual, it didn't take long to smell petroleum fumes and see petroleum sheen on the water in Bayou La Batre (not related to the Gulf oil spill). Ironically, there are dozens of environmental response boats about a mile away, oblivious to the petroleum pollution already present in Bayou La Batre. Why is BP's money being wasted to protect the most polluted waterway that Alabama does not one cares about? 

4) Guess they are waiting for the oil to coat the shorelines or the next hurricane to hit before bothering to pick up the trash in the Bayou La Batre shorelines - the nastiest place I have ever kayaked. No wonder why there is no tourism here.

5) Bayou La Batre is one staging area for the oil spill crisis equipment. Here are anchors ready to be used with the oil booms. Notice what is used as a surface float - plastic Gatorade bottles held in place with a zip-tie. This has to be a joke, right?

6) Here is where you can expect to eventually find the plastic Gatorade bottles - the shoreline of Bayou La Batre.

7) Despite all the trash and petroleum spills in Bayou La Batre, you can still manage to find pleasant things to look at. Shoreline asters were abundant.

8) A mimosa tree added to the beauty of the shoreline.

9) One minute it was sunny, the next minute the sun disappeared. I looked up and discovered why.

10) Sea roaches are commonly seen scurrying along the waterside docks.

06/17/2010 - Bayou Coden (1 of 2)

Launch: Was going to launch free at Bayou La Batre but it was bustling with oil spill related activity so I launched at nearby Bayou Coden. Launch cost had gone up from $3 to $5 thanks to the oil spill profiteering opportunities.
Destination: Bayou Coden, Bayou La Batre and Coffee Island.
Distance: Approx 16 miles.
Paddle time: Approx 6 hours.
Weather: Hot and humid (90s) with nearby thunderstorms.
Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

1) While at Coffee Island, an oil spill worker on a boat called me over and advised me that although it was okay to be padding inside the booms today, tomorrow all this area may be off limits to recreational boat use.

2) When these oil booms get coated with oil, kayakers will have to find somewhere else to paddle. I saw streams of light brown particles getting past these booms but it didn't appear to be oil so I didn't take a photo. According to another photo seen on the web on this web page, the light brown substance is indeed oil related. No petroleum fumes could be smelled.

3) Like Bayou La Batre, Bayou Coden is another waterway that leaves boat wrecks in their waterway that are navigational hazards.

4) An abandoned building is slowly overtaken by growing vegetation.

5) A photo taken along Bayou Coden's shoreline. I recently paddled in the northeast and never saw trashy shorelines like this, even in working harbors.

6) A shorebird feeds among crab trap material, plastic trash and rope. Bayou Coden was very trashy.

7) A crab feeds along the edge of a pier.

8) A cat looking for fresh fish.

9) Swallows in their protective nest under a bridge.

10) Further up in Bayou Coden, it is much prettier.

06/15/2010 - Whiskey Ditch

Launch: Riverdocs on the Causeway
Destination: Whiskey Ditch
Distance: Approx 5 miles
Paddle time: Approx 2 hours
Weather: Hot and humid (90s) with nearby thunderstorms.
Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

Header Image

1) Picked up the Necky Looksha 17 Outfitter kayak that I ordered back in March today and had to try it out despite nearby thunderstorms. There was a distinct and sickening smell of petroleum in the air related to the BP oil spill.

2) A yellow crowned night heron on a post in Pass Picada with the Oyster House Restaurant in the background.

3) An eye catching wildflower in the Pea Family on the bank of Pass Picada. 

4) The flower of the Swamp Dock in the Buckwheat Family (Rumex verticillatus) which had many medicinal purposes in the past.

5) Higher up on the stream bank the white flowers of the Crimsoneyed Rosemallow are visible.

6) A closer look at the Crimsoneyed Rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos). It is a large sized flower.

7) Peering inside the flower, you can see where the Crimsoneyed Rosemallow gets its name.

9) Floating Primrosewillow or Water Primrose (Ludwigia peploides) - this plant can literally clog streams. The color of the Water Primrose flower matches the color of the new kayak.

10) At the end of Whiskey Ditch is a small pond and at times it is full of surface scum that is teaming with microscopic life.

11) Another thunderstorm forming nearby meant it was time to head back to the launch site. Overall the Looksha Outfitter handled well although I need to make some adjustments to improve seat comfort. I got this kayak to use in open waters with larger waves. It is suppose to handle a 4 foot chop.

06/09/2010 - Nauset Harbor, Cape Cod, MA

Vacation Paddle Trip
Launch: I wanted to paddle to Martha's Vineyard from the Falmouth area but never did find a kayak rental place in Falmouth. Drove back to where I kayaked before and this time rented a kayak from Goose Hummock in Orleans, on Cape Cod, MA.
Destination: Explore the area around Nauset Harbor/Bay, again.
Weather: Sunny eventually giving way to clouds. 70s. Nice paddling weather.
To see or download the track of this trip, Click Here.

1) The kayak launching dock at Goose Hummock. Nice low dock and if you notice, there is an individual leaning over holding the kayak while the person gets situated in it. Look at that smooth water!

2) Lots of blue sky and warmer temperatures made this a nice kayaking day.

3) This dock extending into the water was a rare thing to see. The majority of waterfront homes had no dock. Another interesting thing is there were no jet skis to be seen in this area.

4) A green heron. 

5) Current going through the cut to the Atlantic Ocean.

6) As the tide went down, where the water was ripping through earlier was now just sand. Much more tide up here than in Mobile. Gotta be careful.

7) Water is very clear and trash free. There wasn't a junked boat to be seen much less any beer cans or floating plastic bottles.

8) An oyster catcher and a gull eating a meal.

9) My paddle wouldn't reach the bottom here even though the bottom was still visible. That says how clear the water was.

10) Horseshoe crabs are not crabs and they can live a year without eating. These two horseshoe crabs appear to be in love.

06/02/2010 - Nauset Harbor, Cape Cod, MA

Vacation Paddle Trip
Launch: Rented a kayak from a place in North Cape Cod (can't remember the name) and they transported the kayak to the put in at Hemenway Road Public Launch north of Orleans, Cape Cod, MA
Destination: Explore the area around Nauset Harbor/Bay.
Weather: Was suppose to be sunny and 70 degrees so I wore a t-shirt. It stayed foggy and cloudy and the temperature never rose above 57 degrees. Brrrr.
To see or download the track of this trip, Click Here.

1) It is always a concern when kayaking in a new area, especially with low visibility. I did take a GPS, map and compass.

2) Standard shore birds - gulls.

3) A big white swan paddling at 4 mph.

4) Geese paddling much slower.

5) A lobster boat. Boats are anchored in the harbor, not at docks.

6) Lobster trap markers.

7) Rental kayak. I stayed on the inland side opting to play it safe rather than deal with unknown currents at the opening to the Atlantic.

8) Was surprised to see about a half dozen seals closely monitoring my activity from a distance.

9) Snails dotting the bottom of the harbor.

10) Met two kayakers that had been kayaking out in Atlantic and I tagged along with them on the way back to the launch site.

A brief note about renting kayaks in New England. Kayak rental places do not provide paddle floats, pumps, or spray skirts. If you plan on doing any serious kayaking while traveling, take your own gear - even if you plan on renting a kayak.