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Number 23 newsletter.
Topics:
Outing Report: Suwannee
River Challenge; Edisto River, South Carolina; Meetup in
Orlando
Paddling News: New kayak shop in Tavares; Amazon
River Race interview; Paddling workouts
Clubs and Contacts:
A listing of new and existing paddler groups that may be of interest to
you
Events and Races: Paddle Florida on the Suwannee River;
FCPA races; several more events
Marty Sullivan
OUTING REPORTS:
The Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon
by Mabel Magarinos
(thanks, Mabel)
My sister, Sonia, and I arrived at
the beautiful peaceful town of White Springs, which lies along the Suwannee
River, the night before the Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon Race. As
we drove into the town, some hungry friends were already there. As soon as they
saw us, they pulled us over to the enticing buffet restaurant of the Telford
Hotel before we even had a chance to check in. More people coming for the race
started showing up at the hotel, and, when they saw us at the tables, they also
joined us for dinner. Soon, we had a lively social group laughing, eating,
joking and of course talking about kayaking. That evening, Rod conducted a
meeting to brief us about the race and went over the details, but we were all so
busy socializing that we almost forgot why we were there in the first place.
Saturday morning the group doing the Challenge went
up to Fargo very early in the morning. Twenty-seven paddlers in 22 canoes and
kayaks, 24 men and 3 women, started the 52-mile paddle in waves while it was
still dark. The group doing the 26-mile marathon, 11 men and 4 women, met
at the bridge on Route 6 and by the time Rod’s daughter, Chelsea, arrived to
start off the second race, we were ready to take off. We were so anxious to race
(or maybe get it over with), that we all asked Chelsea to start everyone
together. Thirteen kayaks, canoes, surf skiis, men, women… all lined up and down
the river we went.
The first paddler from the
Challenge to make it to the finish line, Carl Moore from Atlanta, completed it
in a blistering 6 hours 36 minutes. First woman in, Anita Allen of Miami,
finished in 7 hours 54 minutes. The first paddler from the Marathon to make it
to the finish line, Brint Adams from Auburndale, completed it in 3 hours 45
minutes. And the first woman to finish the Marathon, Jonnie Dawn of Orlando, was
in at 4 hours 10 minutes. And, the very last boat to finish arrived at 11 hours
57 minutes.
Those who successfully ran Big Shoals
were the sea kayaks with spray skirts. The kayaks became completely submerged as
they ran the Class III water, which had risen over a foot from the day
before. One DNF resulted from a failed attempt at Big Shoals, which lived
up to its name. A 24-foot Texas Water Safari tandem (low-freeboard, narrow
canoe) couldn't quite negotiate the 3-foot standing waves and couldn't maneuver
into the right slot.
Saturday evening, first ones
and last ones, friends and family, we all had energy to celebrate at the Telford
restaurant. With jokes, laughter, and fun, Rod gave out the awards and free beer
- Thanks, Rod. Some left Saturday night, some left Sunday, but we all left
hoping to see each other again next year. This was my first race and I learned
that coming in first or last really doesn't matter as much as the camaraderie
and having fun.
Edisto River, South Carolina
by Ted Greenberg (thanks,
Ted)
A couple Saturdays ago, Greg loaded up the
Adventures in Florida van with three friends, boats, and gear to go scout the
twists and turns of South Carolina’s Edisto River. The trip was a relaxing
four-day paddle of roughly 80 miles, stretching from the mild hills north of
Canadys down to the edge of Edisto Island, about another day’s float from the
Atlantic. Greg, Virginia, Marty, and I made up this small group; we all paddle
for a variety of reasons, and getting to know each other better adds flavor to
the adventure of climbing into a kayak and putting in some river
time.
Marty, who has built a half-dozen or so wooden
boats, was the most competitive, often paddling ahead and returning upstream to
visit the sweep craft; he is in training for his next race. Virginia, with
her ever-present red, white, and blue umbrella, used to canoe with her high
school team back in the days when Florida high schools did such things; now you
will find her on the water around Boca Grande several times a week. Greg’s
mother will probably deny this, but it seems certain he was born in some kind of
watercraft, and he is passing this tradition on to his two young boys who spent
ten days recently with him on the Green River in Utah. And I am the
laggard, glad for Virginia’s friendly smile and everyone’s patience, and willing
to squeeze in a trip whenever possible; including this one, my kayak-camping may
have reached a grand total of ten “sleepovers.”
On
the down side, the Edisto River vies with the Suwannee for the “most civilized
river” title, with more signs of man than I would like to see. But the old
Southern regalia hanging from several docks and homes made for interesting
comments and provided colorful accents to the many cypress and pine trees lining
the banks. The potential is certainly there for South Carolinians to
restore this state treasure and turn it into a resource that could bring caring,
spending eco-tourists while maintaining traditional uses like fishing and
hunting.
At our campsites, we saw deer and boar
sign, but large wildlife was mostly bashful – only Marty saw a deer and Greg, a
boar. However flocks of bold wild turkeys were often feeding near shore and
roosting in overhanging branches, which allowed for some near approaches. And
one Great Blue Heron was so intent on finding breakfast that Virginia and I got
within 10 feet, thinking he was a decoy, until he startled and winged away,
croaking his displeasure. Little Blue Herons, Kingfishers, Wood Ducks, and
Pileated Woodpeckers were plentiful, as were many varieties of small songbirds.
And in the lower stretch of the Edisto, sturgeon up to four feet long startled
us by leaping from the river and crashing back down, once only feet from
Virginia’s boat. The other, unpleasant wildlife – mosquitoes and biting flies –
were thankfully few and far between, but there were some BIG hornet and paper
wasp nests, so we stayed clear of overhanging
branches.
The vegetation changed noticeably as we
progressed, with marsh plants replacing pines and hardwoods and the river’s edge
– and potential camping spots – becoming harder and harder to find, so it was
good that we took out at West Bank Wednesday afternoon. Our ride drove us
back to the park for quick hot showers, and then we enjoyed the All-You-Can-Eat
Bar-B-Cue at Duke’s before heading home to Orlando. In all, the Edisto was worth
the paddle, though next time maybe we should go all the way to the ocean.
Resources:
Carolina
Heritage Outfitters: River shuttles, canoe rental, and riverside tree house
rentals. ( 843) 563-5051, www.canoesc.com
Colleton State Park: Camping for your first night, Hot Showers, canoe launch,
And close to town. ( 843) 538-8206
Meetup at Union Park, Orlando
Greg Pflug
and I met with 20 or so canoers and kayakers for an introduction to paddling.
Greg taught some basic canoeing skills and got people onto the water to paddle
around the lovely, small lake in east Orlando. I took our 8 kayakers out onto
the lake for some instruction in kayak strokes, then we convened on the lake
shore to try out everyone's different kayaks. It was a terrific morning of
paddling and an excellent introduction for some of the beginning paddlers.
PADDLING NEWS:
New kayak shop in Tavares:
Lakeside Kayak & Outdoor Center,
Wooten Park on Main Street, Tavares, Florida 32778. Martha Carswell has opened
the "Lakeside Kayak and Outdoor Center" on Lake Dora. It's at the Tavares
Station, near Wooten Park in downtown Tavares, call 352-253-0900.
Paddling Workouts:
We continue our paddling workouts on the
Winter Park chain of lakes, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Email me for times.
These are workout paddles, however the range of abilities and speed is broad.
All are welcome. The number of paddlers joining us is growing. Right now we have
Mabel Magarinos, Steve Miller, Rod Price, Jonnie Dawn, Greg Stamer, Dave Knothe,
Marty Sullivan, and Maura Smith.
CLUBS AND CONTACTS:
The Florida Paddling Trails Association is looking for information
on coastal sites concerning:
-
Campsites
- Launch
Points
- Points of
Interest
- Facilities (including
outfitters)
- Trip Reports
The
Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, which circumnavigates all
of Florida, is being laid out and needs your help. For more information and to
become a member, see http://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/
.
EVENTS AND RACES:
November 8, 2008, Alafia River Challenge, Brandon, Florida, 9 miles.
The event is full and not accepting more entries. But, if you want to know more
about the event or check results, see http://www.alafiachallenge.com/
.
November 8 – 15, 2008 Paddle Florida canoe and kayak adventure
starts at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs and
finishes in Branford. As many as 200 paddlers will be going with the flow,
averaging 13 miles per day and camping on the banks of Florida 's beautiful
Suwannee River. Participants in Paddle Florida will arrive at Stephen Foster
Folk Culture Center State Park the day before the start for a night of camping
and orientation for the adventure to come. The trip ends in Branford finishing
the first 93 miles of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. For more information,
see last month's Newsletter writeup by Karen Holder. Web site http://www.paddleflorida.org/ ...
Florida Competition Paddlers Events:
Nov. 1, 9:00 am, Midpoint
Paddle Sprint, 10 and 4 miles, N. Shore Park, N. Ft. Myers, Contact Karen
Bickford 239-246-4460,
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Nov. 2, 9:00
am, Paddle of the Pass, 10 and 4 miles, Matlacha Park, Pine Island. Contact
Nancy MacPhee 239-707-7275,
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Dec. 6, 10:00 am,
Silver river Race (9.8 miles) and FCPA Awards Luncheon, Contact Bert and Dick
Kloss, 352-546-3950
Jan. 25, 2009, Estero River Race, Estero, FL. Contact
Paula at
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Mar. 14, 10:00 am,
Great Pickle Race (Hillsborough River), Tampa. Contact Glennis Williams,
727-455-9188,
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help people get together for
outings and to share information about gear, paddling locations and
events, and anything else of interest to the paddling community. There
will be no club, corporation, by-laws, or affiliation related to this
sharing of information. Postings will be non-solicitous. Email
addresses will not be shared without your individual, explicit
permission. This approach to information sharing has been wildly
successful in the bicycling community, and this newsletter is such an
attempt for the paddling community. You may subscribe by emailing
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Please include your first and last name with your request.
Thanks for your interest.
Marty Sullivan
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