Tell a Friend
| Florida Paddling Bulletin, 5/31/2009 |
 |
 |
 |
View Comments
| Written by admin | |||
| Sunday, 31 May 2009 00:00 | |||
|
Number 29 newsletter
Topics:
Local Events of Note: Paddling clinic; Full Moon Paddle; Thursday morning "social" paddle Paddling News: "Listening Sessions, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission; Paddling workouts; the Cedar Key Marathon race report; a trip on the Silver and Oklawaha rivers Events and Races: FCPA races; St. Johns River Cleanup; Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon, Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival; West and East Coast Offshore Series and more Check this one out! WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge, September 24, 2009
Marty Sullivan
------------------------------
LOCAL EVENTS OF NOTE:
Paddling Clinic
Forward stroke clinic and rescue demonstrations Sunday, June 21, 9:00 am - 12:00 Greg Stamer and Marty Sullivan, instructors Fleet Peeples Park, Winter Park 2000 South Lakemont Avenue PFD must be worn, and whistle required Limited to 12 students, so RSVP soon. Greg and Marty will concentrate on forward stroke efficiency. The stroke will be broken down into components through demonstrations, dry-land practice, and on-the-water instruction and critique. Teaching will be directed towards using a standard flat-blade or spoon-blade paddle ("Euro" paddle), however some attention will be paid to using a wing (racing) or Greenland paddle if there is interest. Emphasis will be on posture, rotation, and using the whole body for comfortable, enduring, and efficient propulsion. Following the clinic will be a short assisted rescue demonstration and, for those so interested, instruction on performing a rescue assist. About the instructors: Greg Stamer is well-known world-wide for his technical expertise and is sought after as a seminar instructor in Europe as well as the U.S. His many paddling exploits include most recently circumnavigation of Iceland, published in Sea Kayaker magazine (October 2008), and his record solo circumnavigation of Newfoundland last summer. Marty Sullivan paddles, camps, and kayak-fishes mostly around Florida. He has raced in events from the Yukon to New York to Florida ranging up to 460 miles distance. He has won his class in the Adirondack 90-miler, the Michigan Challenge (300 miles), the Cross-Florida Challenge (370 miles), and the Everglades Challenge (270) miles, in which he holds the Class 1 record. Full Moon Paddle
Greg Pflug is again offering his popular Full Moon Paddle outing on the night of the full moon, of course, June 7. Greg says, "Its been to long since we CELEBRATED the arrival of the full moon. Everyone needs to be on time so we leave out as a group." This will be a 3-hour night-time paddle with refreshment stop on Dog Island. Location: Fort Maitland Park, 900 South Orlando Ave. (17-92), Maitland, FL 32751 When: June 7, 7:30 p.m. Questions, call Greg at 407-924-3375 Required equipment: A headlamp (note: you must make yourself visible to motor boats!) a few glow sticks for the bow and stern of each boat kayak and kayaking gear a wine glass (travel country sells collapsable lexan models) some finger food to share (please be creative) swim suit and towel if your planning on swimming Full information and RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/ Thursday Morning "Social" Paddle
This Thursday, June 4, and every first Thursday we're going to do a "social" paddle instead of our normal gonzo workout paddles. Any and all are welcome. We'll meet at Dinky Dock, Winter Park Ollie Avenue, at 7:15 am. If you've been hesitant to come with your recreational boat or just want to meet up with other paddlers, here's your chance. Greg Pflug will rent kayaks at a very reasonable price for this event, so if you need a boat, call Greg at 407-924-3375. PADDLING NEWS: "Listening Sessions"
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Office of Recreation Services and Division of Law Enforcement, Boating and Waterways Section, will be holding three listening sessions designed to learn about issues of concern to paddlers and others who use small non-motorized watercraft. June 4 - Tallahassee, June 15 - St. Petersburg, June 23 - West Palm Beach. See http://www...myfwc.com/ Paddling Workouts
Our normal paddling workouts on the Winter Park chain of lakes from Dinky Dock are at 7:00 am on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Email me to check time. These are workout paddles, however the range of abilities and speed varies. Bring your own boat. Outing Reports
A special thanks to Eddie and Lynette for their outing reports that follow. WaterTribe Cedar Key Marathon, by Ed Francavilla, aka Frogy130
For those interested here are the unofficial results from this years WaterTribe Cedar Key challenges. 1st and second was a close race with the Brint Adams and Marty Sullivan coming in sometime after 12 noon with Brint finishing first, 4 minutes ahead of Marty. Shari [CatLady] and I came in a distant third after 3PM (can/t recall the exact time I was still delirious at the finish). Pelican [Nick Hall] and Falcon [Mark] (the young man with all the jokes) was not far behind (about 30 min) and Tom Kay toughed the hot Florida sun and came in around 4:30. [for full results see www.watertribe.com, results, Cedar Key Marathon]. I know now why Chief [WaterTribe Commodore, Steve Isaac] holds most of his FL races in cooler times; this race was harder than the 68 mile Ultra Marathon I did in March [St. Pete Fort Desoto to Placida]. The sun does strange things to you, and lack of sleep does not help much either. The winds were very light (aka none) the first 5 hours of the race with it picking up just in time for Shari and me to paddle all the way back against a headwind. Between the heat, headwind, having to drive 3.5 hours after work then getting up at the crack of dawn to take care of our special needs cat (she has Spineabifada), Shari was getting very haggard from about 11:30 on and was complaining that she is going to fall asleep. The whole last week she had not gotten much sleep. The race course rounded the point of Cedar Key and ran north to the mouth of the Suwannee river; the shortest distance is a bee line about 2 miles off the coast. On the way north it was not too bad since we were fresh, but the return south was tough, after being stuck in the boat for many hours with nowhere to get out and stretch our legs or rest our backs. This made for a tortuous crossing that was worse than waterboarding. Shari threw up twice on the southern leg of the race. We stopped at the first place we could to rest our weary bones, as Shari was sitting in the cool water and was falling asleep sitting up. I asked her if she wanted to stop and sleep on the island for a bit, but she declined and wanted to get this over with. With her as sick and tired as she was I had her sit in the front of the boat so I could keep an eye on her and do all the navigating from the rear with the rudder controls. While paddling the last 3.5 miles she literally fell asleep a dozen times or more before we nosed our kayak onto the beach at Cedar Key. While asleep she still paddled but the paddle did not hit the water very much, then she would snap out of it and start paddling hard again. I have read the account of Wayfarer [Marik Uliaz] paddling asleep for hours out on Florida bay, but only half believed it until now, I thought you would just fall out of the boat. tk [Tommy Kay] had similar problem as well, but that is his story to tell. Thanks to every one responsible for putting on this race Marty, Maura, Dennise, Leon, Chief and anyone else involved with putting on this race. (Next time let's move it back to a cooler month). Special thanks to Maura for giving me a ride back to the mobile home where Shari accidentally fell asleep and in doing so left me stranded on the beach. Silver and Oklawaha Rivers Trip, by Lynette Newman Foster
I and my favorite paddling companion (these past 25+ years) decided to explore the Oklawaha River and Silver River on a balmy May weekend. We had perfect weather. We started our weekend trip at a campground, Gore's landing [Gores Landing Recreation Site,13750 NE 98 St.,Ft. McCoy, FL, http://www.marioncountyfl.org/ Saturday, we paddled the Silver River. We paddled upstream to the spring source in 5 hours. This was done purposely. We dawdled to watch birds and butterflies and to seek otters. We were successful in sighting an otter, as well as many alligators, ibis, anhingas, cormorants, sparrows, great blue herons, little blue herons, bees, and butterflies. The butterflies really put on a show. There is a large colony of monkeys in this area and we also enjoyed watching them at intervals. Rumor is, they will jump onto boats and steal food. Maybe. There are many, many anhingas and cormorants including a nesting colony near the spring. We also stopped twice to swim and snack. The return trip was equally entertaining. Just for fun, we increased our speed and completed the 4 mile return trip in 105 minutes. Sunday, we paddled 10 miles of the Oklawaha River (Ray's Wayside Park to Gore's Landing). Bird activity on this day was diminished. Many, many large fish of several varieties were observed, as well as some shockingly large alligators and many turtles sunning themselves. It was very peaceful and quiet and took us 3 hours and 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. Overall, very different from the nearby Silver River. I did not swim because I was intimidated by the gators. One of them made a growling noise in our direction. See you on the water!! Lynette EVENTS AND RACES: Florida Competition Paddlers Events:
* June 7, 2009, 10 am, Wascissa River Race, Tallahassee, 10 miles, Contact George Blakely, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 850-385-4974 * June 11-14, 2009, Sunshine State Games, Winter Haven, FL, sprint Saturday, marathon Sunday. Contact John Edwards, 727-459-6366 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it * July 12, 2009, Mere Mortals Race, Suwannee River Park, FL, 10 miles. Contact Larry Frederick, 352-495-9846 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it * August 11-17, 2009, USCA Canoe/Kayak Nationals, Warren, PA. Contact Jim Decker www.wccbi.org, uscanoe.com * Sep. 19, 2009, Tarpon Springs Puffer Fish Race, Tarpon Spr., FL, Contact Karl/Cindy Vogel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-938-7685 * Oct. 4, 2009, 10 am, Santa Fe River Canoe & Kayak Race, Rum Island Park, FL (near White Springs), 12 or 6 miles, Contact Tim Dodge, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 352-371-9428, 352-318-5877 * Nov. 1, 2009, 10 am, Paddle of the Pass, Matlacha Park, Pine Island, FL, 10 or 4 miles, Contact Nancy MacPhee 239-707-7275 * Dec 5, 2009, Silver River Race/Annual Awards, Silver Springs, FL, 10 miles. Contact Bert and Dick Kloss, 352-546-3950 * January 24, 2010, Estero River Race, Estero, FL, 10 miles. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Paula, 239-992-4050 12th St Johns River Cleanup, June 6, in conjunction with National River Cleanup Week. For more information please see: http://volusia.org/cleanup/
Florida First Coast Offshore Race Series, 2009, Surf Ski, Outrigger Canoe & Sea Kayak Divisions. Contact Ormond Beach Kayak Center: 386-441-0111. $10 Registration Fee for FCPA members; $15.00 non-members. Beach start; PFD, leash, whistle or flare required.
June 6 - Ormond Beach, FL / host: OBKC (followed by banquet at River Grille) Demo day, Deerfield Beach, June 7, (just north of Fort Lauderdale). From Bruce Gipson (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
): Just received a 40 ft container of Fenn Elites,Mako 6, Elite Doubles, Red 7 Surf 70, Maok Xt s, Custom Kayak Synergies , Titan spec skis, Honcho Gurus, and Kaskazi Dorados.
Back to the Chattahoochee, June 13, Race and Festival Atlanta, Ga 8 & 10 miles. Contact: Tammy Morrissey 404-352-9828 ext.12 www.chattahoochee.org
“Kayak (or Canoe) for a Cause”, Sat, Sept 19, Dunnellon Boys&Girls Club, Rainbow River - Dunnellon, FL Regist: 8:00 am First start: 9:00 am . $50 Entry Fee / Lunch incl/ Many prizes. Contact: Nathan Whitt info@
Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon, October 10, 2009, 52 or 26 miles. This is a fun one. White Springs, FL. More info contact Rod Price 407-227-5606
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
PaddleFest in 2009, October 17, 2009, part of 150th Lighthouse Celebration at Hunting Island State Park, SC. IN THE PARK at the Lagoon at Parking Lot J. contact:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fourth annual Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2009, Where: Activities countywide; hubs at Mound House, Fort Myers Beach, and Randell Research Center Pineland. Two weekends of activities with eco-offerings in between, including canoe/kayak regattas, kayak fishing tournament, guided paddling trips, club picnics and outings, archeological activities and cultural sites, learning opportunities, guided walks and bird-watching trips, family fun days, and waterway cleanups and green activities. Web: www.
West Coast Offshore Series for OC1, OC6 and Surfskis: contact Rob Mirlenbrink,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. Short races, generally downwind, in open water.
East Coast Offshore Series, every Saturday, Miami. Contact Tim Streeter
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
786-208-845
WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge September 24-27, 2009 Event: • 100-mile circuit race • Entry fee: $150 (non-refundable) • All standard WaterTribe classes and rules apply • Spot Required Schedule: • Captain's meeting 1500hrs, Thurs Sept 24 • Race starts 0700hrs, Fri Sept 25 • One checkpoint: Beaufort's Graden Paul Park, by 1400hrs, Sat Sept 26 • Race finishes 1400hrs, Sun Sept 27 • Awards and Banquet 1300hrs Sept 27 Route: Starting on the beach on Pamlico Sound at the Cedar Island Driftwood Motel and Campground, around Cedar Island to the north, west to the Neuse River, enter Clubfoot Creek and south through the abandoned Harlow Canal (was dug by slaves) to the Newport River, take Gallants Channel to Beaufort, check in at Graden Paul Park on Taylor’s Creek downtown Beufort, east to Harkers Island (can be passed on either side depending on weather), north through Core Sound to Cedar Island. Waypoints for start, CP, and finish to be provided. Recommended Chart: TOPSPOT Chart N 239 Pamlico Sound To Morehead City Inshore - www.bluewaterweb.com/ Accommodations: Camping at Driftwood Campground at Cedar Island (no reservations: first-come, first-served); or reserve a room at The Driftwood Motel, www.clis.com/deg/ Bring all the family! While you're racing, there will be plenty of activities available for all the family, including day ferry trips to Ocracoke and visits to Beaufort (maritime museum, wooden boat shop, aquarium) etc… More details to come!
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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please include your first and last name with your request. Thanks for your interest. Marty Sullivan
|
