Topics:
Articles of Interest: Local paddlers signed up for Yukon River Quest; Web site for world-wide paddling events and more
Events and Races: FCPA races; "Florida Challenge"; WaterTribe Challenges; and more
Article: "A Chilly Everglades trip"

Two of our local paddlers are signed up for the June 2010 Yukon River Quest, Anita Allen and Rod Price. Anita is asking for training partners, and I'm sure Rod would appreciate training company too. Anita says, "I am looking for kayak paddling partners to go on long distance (or portions thereof) training runs on weekends fron now until the end of June. Want to maintain a consistent speed between 4.5 to 6+ mph on these training sessions. I want to work up to going 12 hours or more and need company. I’ll be paddling an Epic 18. Anyone with GPS experience would also be greatly appreciated. Located in Broward County but willing to travel around Florida for training sessions. If interested call (954) 803-0028 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  (Note: Not here from Feb 27 to March 15. I’ll be in Antarctica.)"

See the Worldwide Event Calendar, on the USCA web site, for a list of events, http://www.uscanoe.com/eventsSearchRegions.cfm. Select a state, and all upcoming events for that area are listed.

For local and other regions routes and other paddling information, see the KayakGuide, http://www.kayakguide.com/index.htm. It has some good information on local paddling routes, primarily central Florida east coast.

EVENTS AND RACES:

Florida Competition Paddlers Events:
February 13, 2010, Jensen Classic, Weeki Wachee, FL, approx. 10 miles, contact Karl or Cindy Vogel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-938-7685
February 27, 2010, Crisp Park Race, St. Petersburg, FL, 11 or 6 miles, contact John Edwards, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-459-6366
March 13, 2010, Great Pickle Race, Tampa, FL, 11.4 or 5 miles. Contact Glennis Williams, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-455-9188
March 20, 2010, Manatee Run, N. Ft. Myers, FL, 10 or 4 miles.
April 3, 2010, Rainbow River Race, Dunellon, FL, 12 or 6 miles.
May 16, 2010, Wekiva River Race, Sanford, FL, 14 or 7 miles. Contact Martha Carswell, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 407-321-7188

Larry Frederick's Florida Challenge Series
Larry has set up a series of races on central and north Florida waters with a target length of 6 hours. Entry fee is $10. The purpose is to provide training runs for longer races. Finishers of each race will receive a medallion depicting a Florida Indian tribe. For more information on each race, see http://www.fcpacanoe.org/chsr_0.html or contact Larry at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 352.318.1702.
Races:
February 2010 ... Weeki Wachee River ..... Spirit Woman medallion
March 2010 ...... Hillsborough River ............. Tocobaga medallion
April 1010 ...... Rainbow/Withlacoochee Rivers ... Outina medallion

West Coast Point Series Races, Clearwater/Honeymoon Island. Info and details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-403-1903.
Doubles races: 2/14, 3/14, 4/4.
Singles races: 2/28, 3/27, 4/18

Sweetwater Symposium will be Feb. 26,27 and 28, 2010 at Fort Desoto Park, St. Petersburg. Also BCU/ACA/Greenland Week - Mon, 2/22 - Fri, 2/26. Confirmed coaches include: Nigel Foster, Ben Lawry, Russell Farrow, Greg Stamer, and many more. See http://www.sweetwaterkayaks.com/symposiums.html for details. In addition, Sweetwater is having a "demo day" on February 6.

WaterTribe Challenges, March 6, 2010,  Ultramarathon (65 miles), Everglades Challenge (300 miles), and Ultimate Florida Challenge (1200 miles). These expedition-style races are epic events for kayaks, canoes, sailing craft, any non-motorized craft hand-launched off the beach. Check it out at www.watertribe.com.

Lula Bridge Race, March 20, Gainesville, FL, 10K and 20K. Contact Brenda Miller, 770-287-7888, www.lckc.org

Coosa River Basin, April 17, Rome, GA, 13 miles. contact Joe Cook, 706-232-2724, www.coosa.org

2nd annual Sweetwater Paddle for the Cure, April 24, downtown Tampa, 5-mile and 2-mile family fun races, www.beatcancerwithapaddle.org

Back to the Chattahoochee Race and Festival, June 12, Atlanta, GA. 8 and 10 miles. contact Tammy Bates, 404-352-9828 ext. 12, www.chattahoochee.org.

Yukon River Quest, June 30, 2010, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. 460 miles. Registration just opened Nov.1 and the race fills up very quickly, even though deadline is April 15, 2010. Terrific race with tremendous community support, an event of a lifetime. Check it out at www.yukonriverquest.com.

Savannah Paddlefest, August 21, Augusta, GA, 8.5 miles. contact Andy Weed, 706-826-8991, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Florida Paddlers' Rendezvous, October 21 - 24, 2010, Silver River State Park campground. Day trips, potluck dinners, campfires. Make camping reservations at the State Park. Sponsored by CentralFloridaSeaKayakers@yahoogroups.com.

Alafia River Challenge, November 13, 2010, See http://www.alafiachallenge.com/ for details. This is a fun, 9-mile run from Lithia Springs, near

A CHILLY EVERGLADES TRIP:

Our annual Everglades coastal paddling and camping trip turned out differently that what we had planned. The usual suspects arrived midday at the Everglades Ranger Station to unload kayaks and pack the boats for the intended week-long trip to Flamingo. I had made this trip many times, casually paddling, fishing and camping on the barrier island along the southwest coast between Flamingo and Everglades City. With me were Nic Andreyev, an engineer who grew up on a subsistence farm in Patagonia and was always good to have along in the wilderness; Virginia Fortney, who has paddled and camped just about every river and section of coast of Florida; Trey Merrick, a firefighter/EMT who's at home in the woods, on the water, or hiking the AT; Cliff Alfiche, a parachute rigger and jump trainer who winters in Florida; and Warren Richey, a journalist and author publishing his book Without a Paddle about his epic 1200-mile Ultimate Florida Challenge. 

We had planned to paddle Everglades City to Flamingo, a one-way trip of 80 or so miles that we had done many times before, but the weather dictacted otherwise. Our first night on Picnic Key was slightly breezy, mild, and with a beautiful sunset through broken clouds; not at all foreboding except for the marine weather forecast. Warren treated us to a reading of the first 13 pages of his book.

From Picnic Key we paddled the 18 miles south the next day into a mild southerly breeze to New Turkey Key with a brief rest stop at the Rabbit Key halfway point. The only weather warning were the classical mare's tails in the high atmosphere, that is besides the NOAA marine forecast. Trolling for fish the entire distance, we never got even a ladyfish or jack, quite unusual.

We camped on the south end of New Turkey Key and subsisted on canned meats since there were no fish. This portion of the island gave us shelter from the predicted north winds and rain and provided lots of firewood, thanks to Wilma in 2005. That second night the rain started and continued the entire next day and into the next night. Warren had planned to return on the fourth day for work but wisely decided it would be better to return the third day rather than wait for the colder, windier fourth day. We kept the fire going all day and tried to dry out our clothes as rain continued into the next night. Before daybreak of the fourth day, I heard the frontal boundary pass and was thankful I was cozy and dry in my tent. The wind howled for an hour or so then settled down to a steady 20-knot north breeze. Warren's decision to leave the day before was confirmed as a good one. We had considered leaving on that fourth day but decided against it because of the wind and cold.

Although we caught no fish on a line, the cold weather gave us stunned sail cats, pin fish, mullet, and one unnamed species washed up on shore. We had sufficient fried and grilled fish for all. On our return paddle back to Everglades City we saw snook, sharks, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, catfish, and small tarpon stunned or dead.

By the fifth day the wind had subsided, even though the cold weather left ice and frost on our tents. After the three nights on New Turkey Key we returned to Everglades City via Huston and Lopez rivers. The 23-mile route was slightly longer than open water but gave us some wind protection. The wind died to 5 -10 knots during the day, ending the day as a long but pleasant paddle.

We stayed that night at the Ivey House lodge in Everglades City, $100/room, baths down the hall, and no heat. The temperature had warmed to 40 degrees by the next morning when we drove out of Everglades City.