03/07/2009 – Red Maple Slough Club Paddle

Launch: Public boat ramps on the Causeway.
Cost: Free
Distance: Approx 14 miles.
Route: Paddle across Chocalata Bay, around the outer perimeter of Big Bateau, and up into Red Maple Slough, then took the north cut to Conway Creek, south to Savage Ditch and back down Chocalata Bay.
Pace: Leisurely to Moderate on the way back.
Average Speed: 2.7 mph.
Weather: Sunny, 65 degrees, incoming tide, winds out of the south 10-15 mph.

Luckily no one showed up for the club paddle I was leading today because a Fish'n Fever Tackle Tournament was going on and there was almost no place to park. Did manage to find a parking place and went on the paddle anyway.

Header Image

1) White Ibis with the RSA building in the background.

2) Pelican cruising just inches from the water.

3) A healthy looking osprey eagle standing on its nest.

4) This is the time of year to see alligators soaking up the sun on the banks. Saw over a dozen alligators today including a bunch of young ones.

5) Red maples were the highlight of today’s trip.

6) Red maples were the highlight of today’s trip.

7) Saw quite a few Teal.

8) Conway Creek on the way back.

9) There were some interesting clouds getting in the way of the setting sun on Chocalata Bay.

10) Had to wear a spray skirt on the way back because steady 10-15 mph winds kicked up a little chop. Sunny skies and warmer temperatures made this a wonderful trip. Spider Lilies are starting to come out already. Spring is here!

GPS gadgets

I do not normally do much product reviewing, but, a few things have caught my eye which might be of interest to kayakers. If you have a refund check coming in the mail, maybe some of the following products might be what you want. I am not promoting any brand over another, merely providing links to products that have the technology discussed. There may be other brands not listed that have the same technology.


GPS
A few months ago I commented on how the mapping end of GPS devices was lacking. The news I'm happy to report is there are now GPS devices that use aerial maps. That is a vast improvement over using USGS quad (topo) maps or the basic map that comes in the GPS. Now kayakers can look at an aerial image to determine where they are and where the stream goes. It is like using Google on the home computer, but on a smaller device. Better have some serious bucks though for these serious GPS units.



DeLorme (above image) is one of the manufacturers with Aerial mapping GPS units.



VHF

GPS has been incorporated into some of the VHF marine radio receivers and DSC technology has been included in several brands. DSC means Digital Selective Calling and it gives you the ability to press one button to call for help during an emergency and your precise location and is sent out during the call. The precise location comes from the built in GPS. This is a valuable safety feature for offshore paddlers and people on long expeditions.




Both Standard Horizon (above image) who got the SAIL Pittman innovation award in 2009 and Uniden (below image) make VHF receivers with internal GPS and DSC.

SPOT
One last gadget that has been on the market for a while now is called SPOT. This hand size device operates via satellite technology and it works whether there is a cell tower signal or not. There is an annual fee for being connected to the satellite communications center. One push of a button will send the nearest emergency squads your way no matter where you are in the world.



Spot also lets you leave a track record (markers on a google map) of where you have been. That way you can let family and friends know your location (via email or web links) and that you are okay even though you can't talk to them on the phone. Read the above kayaker's thoughts on Spot.

EPIRB, PLB, ELB, SART, and AIS

Going on a seriously long expedition in the middle of nowhere? Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), or Emergency Locator Beacon (ELB), and other marine emergency devices are becoming affordable and can even be rented. Click Here for more info.

Be safe and happy paddling to you!

Pink Dolphins and the NFL

This weekend was not the best for paddling conditions, with a storm front passing through and gale advisories issued, I stayed off the water even though Saturday did seem okay to paddle. Everyone does check the weather predictions before going kayaking, right?

A couple of NFL players apparently didn't check. Waves went from calm, to 7 feet, and were peaking at 15' on Sunday. Their 21' boat got overturned. It is interesting to note that the Coast Guard reported the NFL players finally decided to put on their life vests AFTER the boat overturned. Without knowing what the seas were like when the boat overturned, can you imagine being in 10-15 foot seas and trying to swim under the overturned boat looking for your lifejacket, then trying to put it on. I wonder how much energy that expended...and whether they got a small amount of water in the lungs and died later from dry drowning. Huh? Never heard of dry drowning? Is it a myth?

Anyways, what I wanted to say is there is a lot of bunk on the internet, so much so that it is hard to believe what is true and what is not true. By the way, dry drowning is a fact.



Do you ever stand a chance of seeing a pink dolphin or has the above photo been altered?

Here is what the United Kingdom news says about Pink Dolphins. According to Snopes (great myth busting site), yes, Pink Dolphins do exist and this one was seen about 320 miles west of Mobile in Calcasieu Lake, LA which is just south of Lake Charles, LA. The poor dolphin probably isn't getting enough oxygen because of the dead zone.

If you ever question whether photos have been altered in photoshop or some other way, TinEye is a website that searches the internet for images with the same likeness. Put in the URL of the image you suspect is bogus and see what TinEye comes up with. So, is the 100 foot long Borneo Snake real? 100 foot long snake? Ha! some things you don't even have to check to know it is fake...

Happy Paddling to you and may you get to see a Pink Dolphin on one of your paddling adventures!

Kayaking for Snow Birds

I like watching this video - it is what snow bird kayakers do when their rivers are frozen.

02/22/2009 – Bay Minette Creek

Launch: Buzbee’s in Spanish Fort, AL
Distance: Approx 14 miles
Route: Paddle up Bay Minette Creek to a log jam and back.
Pace: Moderate going up, easy on the way back.
Average Speed: 2.6 mph.Weather: Sunny, 45-55 degrees, very low tide, winds out of the north 10-15 mph.

Went up to Cliffs Landing and due to the gusting winds and choppy water, decided against launching. Didn't feel like getting wet from spray. Chose to paddle Bay Minette Creek as it is sheltered from the wind.

1) A cold front passed through last night and the cloud cover just opened up leaving cool crisp air and beautiful blue skies for today’s kayaking adventure.

2) This heron was catching a lot of minnows.

3) The glistening sparkles from these wet blobs caught my eye from across the creek.

4) Buckwheat trees along the bank were starting to bloom.

5) Toward sunset, some trees lining the bank of Bay Minette Basin were teeming with noisy song chatter coming from a mass of Red-wing Blackbirds.

6) It isn’t often I see a live deer. Being down wind during the breezy afternoon probably helped me get close without alarming the deer – this one was sure watching me.

Also got to see a wild pig today but it was lying dead on the creek bank. The gunshot wound was quite visible – looked like the hunter hit it too high. As far as I know, not a single bit of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is set aside as a wildlife sanctuary. Here are two PDFs to show you how extensive the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta hunting coverage is: Lower. Upper.

7) Saw lots of Osprey Eagles today. I always thought Robins were ground feeders. There were a group of Robins eating up the red berries on this shrub.

8) As I was paddling out to watch the sunset on Bay Minette Basin, one red maple tree was very red compared to the others and the way the sun was shining on it made it glowing red.

9) Sunset in Bay Minette Basin – the warm orange ripples along the cool blue sky waters are compliments of the kayak wake.

10) If trees have eyes, then this moss draped cypress has probably seen some spectacular sunsets.