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Paddling Journal February 2004 The outage is coming up soon so I will try like hell to get out there this month Trips this month: 7
02/02/04
I was able to get off a little early today and so I thought I might squeeze a quick paddle in. Horrible weather had socked in the area for most of the day but by the time I got home it looked as though things might be clearing up. It was still quite ugly looking with dark low clouds blowing in from the ocean shrouding everything in a thick fog. As I set out from Heckscher drive the clouds started to break up a bit and some blue sky started to show through to the east. I headed north toward the place where Cedar Point branches off toward Hannah Mills and paddled around a Sea Daisy island hoping to find some bird life. The sky was terrific looking - lots of contrast between the dark clouds, lighter skies and the water which was reflecting all of it. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of birdlife to be found but the shots of the sky were interesting especially after I ran them through a watercolor filter in Photoshop. Good day to be out though - a very good day. See the Pictures From this Trip
02/06/04
My oldest, Hannah is here for a brief visit and we talked about going out early this morning but she decided to stay home and rest. I headed out by myself, therefore, and got in the water about 15 minutes prior to sunrise. The sunrise itself was without fanfare - the skies were slate grey and you could barely see the light breaking through on the horizon behind Mayport Naval base. It was a good day to be out however. Although the forecast said that it was going to be breezy and Weatherbug reported gusts in excess of 20 mph - a fact that was confirmed by the plume at SJRPP heading out a a 90 degree angle - it was actually pretty calm in Hannah Mills. I made a slight variation of one of my usual circuits. I headed to the old cedar and from there out to the ICW where I crossed over to the lagoon by the channel tower on Shad Creek. After seeing no birds in their usual roost I listened to reveille and the national anthem being played at Mayport and then headed south toward the Kingfish park. Instead of heading into the wind and current on the waterway, however, I followed the stream that runs south from Shad Creek and goes along the eastern edge of the islands on the east bank of the ICW. This put me back out on the waterway directly across from the old marina and from there I was able to take a leisurely return trip with the current and out of the wind. A couple of interesting notes - I saw a lone White Pelican circling overhead - lazily heading toward the hangout where I usually find them. I also saw a Northern Harrier fly directly overhead but my camera was stowed at the time. See the Pictures From this Trip
02/08/04 Am I hard core or what? Maybe just plain old insane but I had the opportunity to paddle and I took it in spite of the fact that the temperature was 34 degrees and the wind was gusting up to 30 knots. I'm not sure what the wind-chill calculated out to but let's just say -"fricking cold!". My hands were stinging just from unstrapping my boat and they stayed pretty numb for the first hour until my fleece gloves started to do their thing and insulate my fingers like they are supposed to. Actually, had I paid attention to the marine forecast I probably would have stayed home but I had to empty our "have-a-heart" rat trap at the Marsh (seems the marsh rats love our new floors as well - a last count we have killed or captured five of the little buggers). Anyway, I decided to bundle up and head into the wind and I decided to stay in the smaller streams as much as possible so that I could be out of the worst of the gale. I didn't even bother to get my camera out for most of the trip since my fingers were too numb to push the shutter button but I could have had some good shots as all of the bird life were huddling on the downwind banks of the grass. I eventually made my way over to the old cedar where I rested for a bit before heading over to the island at marker 82 on the ICW. By this time the wind had really picked up so I turned back towards home. As I did, the wind ripped my Tilly off of my head and deposited it in the water. I retrieved it and went hatless for the rest of the journey. I barely dipped a paddle the rest of the way home - 20-30 knot winds and two foot swells were more than enough motivation to get me home. I love being out on days like today. The wind and the water stinging my skin are a confirmation that I am alive and well. Surprisingly, I wasn't the only hard core boater out there - I saw four other pleasure boaters on the water.
02/09/04
I bought Hopey a spray skirt for Xmas and finally, we got a chance to use it. The weather forecast called for temperature in the mid to upper 60's but that never happened and it turned out to be a dull gray cold day. We put-in at the Kingfish Park so that we could head up to the last island we camped on - where Shad Creek enters the ICW. We decided to put-in on the ICW so that we wouldn't have to worry about the tides in Hannah Mills in case we wanted to stay longer. We used the little wharf located on the north end of the pier since it has a nice little beach to launch from. We then headed directly across the waterway and took the stream I took last Friday that goes behind the islands south of Shad Creek. We were heading into the wind and it was slow going but not too bad as we made it to the lagoon in about 30 minutes. We explored the island for a while and marveled at the huge cedars gnarled by the wind. We also found the complete skeleton of a small mammal - probably a raccoon - that had obviously been there for some time. We found a skull some distance away and we also found the partial skeletons of some other mammals. We wondered who the consumer had been but since this island is so popular with so many types of birds it would be hard to say. After eating lunch and reading in our hammocks for a while we got tired of the cold weather and decided to head back. We had an uneventful trip back with a strong current pushing us along without any effort. Just as we were about to enter the ICW and make the crossing, we spotted a group of four Dolphins that were entering the stream we were in. We stopped to watch them cavort and listen to their puffs. At one point one of them took off in such a hurry a few feet from me that he raised a large wake that traveled across the pool in at incredible speed. They then moved over toward where Hope was watching and all four of them rose up within a few feet from her boat. It was the closest that she had ever been to Dolphins in the wild and she was close enough to see their eyes as they rose from the water. Needless to say, she was pleased. As we went ahead and made our crossing we watched as the group entered Hannah Mills by the old marina and headed upstream. See the Pictures From this Trip
02/18/04
The weather has been rotten lately - cold, windy and wet. I probably would have forced myself out but the tides were never quite right either so I just stayed indoors for the last week or so. Today, the weather cleared and I saw a window of opportunity with the tides and with the sun now setting around 6:15, I knew I could get a good couple of hours in. I managed to get in the water close to 5 and set out toward the old cedar against a strong incoming current at mid-tide. The wind was calm and the water was glassy which makes it a wonderful reflector of the evening colors out in the preserve. A pure blue sky, gold and brown grasses and the water that is mirroring all of that makes for a visual treat. I had a good workout getting to the cedar and I was about to pull up to take a break when I saw a dolphin rise out in the middle of the channel. I paddled over to him and saw him rise one more time before losing track of him so I headed over to the old cedar and sipped a Perrier. At one point, a Great Blue came swooping over the grass on the opposite bank and was headed right at me for a few seconds before he realized I was there and veered off. I paddled out to the ICW from there against an incredibly strong current and then bucked the tide until I reached the Kingfish Park where I caught a pair of White Pelicans hanging out on the bank opposite the pier with the usual assortment of Cormorrants, Herons and one rather forlorn looking Brown Pelican. The sun was just starting to set behind them and it made for a nice backdrop. By this time, the tide had started to slack off - at least in this branch of the Mills so rather than have a free trip home, I actually had to paddle - just a little. But I made it back after a good workout which was capped off by a nice dip in our new hot tub - every paddler should have one of those! See the Pictures From this Trip
02/20/04
Well, as I was contemplating where to go on my last Friday off for a long while, I realized that it was exactly one year ago this week that I did my initial circumnavigation of Ft. George Island. A check of the tide charts revealed, as I suspected, that it would be ideal for a another attempt at the trip. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was a little colder than the forecast of 55 but with a calm wind and temperatures that promised to be in the 70's by the end of the day I set out from Alimacani just as the sun rose over Hugenot Park. As soon as I hit the water, I got an unexpected treat when I saw the unmistakable sleek form of an otter swimming just off the beach east of Haulover. He was popping his head up frequently to check what was on shore and as I scrambled to get my camera out, I was caught in an eddy and slung back toward the boat ramp. In doing so, I found myself in between the otter and the shoreline and as soon as he detected my presence his head came shooting out of the water with a look of utter (should I say "otter"....?) surprise. He immediately disappeared but the look on his face made me laugh out loud. I followed him as he headed out toward the bridge and he appeared to be checking out all of the construction activity going on there with a great deal of interest. Finally, about the time I decided I should head on, he changed course and started toward Haulover. I paddled quickly so that I could stay right behind him and for several yards it appeared he was unaware of me. He was constantly popping his head out of the water and turning it side to side as he looked things over. As I got closer to him, I could tell that he had something in his mouth that he was intensely chewing on with great gusto. Finally he popped his head out of the water a few feet from me - this time facing me with a large fish or oyster in his mouth and that same look of surprise as before and then he disappeared with a splash. He quickly reappeared a few feet further away but still looking right at me. He continued to do this as the current carried us into Haulover. I followed him down a branch that I knew would soon dead-end and he waited on me - checked me out again and then disappeared. I next saw him heading back into the branch I needed to take so I took a shortcut across a thin barrier of grass and as soon as I popped my boat through - there he was - waiting for me with his head raised up high enough so that he could peer across the grass to see where I was. Finally, we parted company - I was reluctant but I had to move on to catch the tide and I am sure that he was getting tired of our game. I should mention that early on in this encounter I was trying to adjust my seat and felt a sharp pop in my SI joint which concerned me a lot initially but it wasn't bothering me too much so I decided to go ahead and at least paddle out to the river where I was going to take a break anyway and I could stretch and determine whether I should go on. Once I got there (just in time for reveille at Mayport), I decided to push on - I have a hot tub now, after all, so I can be stupid if I want to be. Unlike the last time I did this trip the water was glassy but there were still some areas along the river from Haulover to Shad Creek that have some very tricky eddies. Nothing too difficult but you just have to keep on your toes. The bridge at Shad Creek is also an area you have to be careful with and it made me wonder about the Sierra Clubs plans to do their Poker Run next month using Shad Creek as their route instead of Sisters Creek. A lot of boats will have a hard time going through the pilings at the same time. Once through the bridge, I made good time to the place where Deep Creek joins Shad and I decided to make a small adjustment in my route, taking a right turn into Deep instead of heading out to the ICW by the channel tower. It was a good way to go and probably saved me quite a bit of time and effort by staying away from the ICW current which was heading south by this time. As soon as I got to the waterway, I headed to opposite bank where the island that is located in front of the White Pelican's pool is located - just to the south of Cedar Point Creek. As I crossed, I noticed an Osprey flying across the water carrying a large stick in his claws. He flew up to channel marker 79 where he was in the beginning stages of building a nest. I pulled off at the island and watched the Osprey for several minutes. He would fly over the banks of the waterway circling as if hunting for food. Once he spotted the nesting material he wanted he would make a quick spiraling turn and dive to the ground and pick the stick up without actually landing. He would then head to the channel marker chirping happily about his find - likely to any potential mate who happened to be watching (and there were a few). Hey - having just done an extensive remodel of my own nest - I can relate to the need to chirp about it once in a while. I walked back to the mudflat that leads out to the White's pool and also checked out the other pool that is adjacent to the island that is usually occupied by Dowitchers. There were also some ducks and Wood Storks in there today and at one point the Dowitchers were scattered by what looked like a Northern Harrier who swooped in on them. I walked very slowly toward the White's pool and as I did I could see that my presence, while not causing a panic among these majestic birds, was causing a bit of a conversation to ensue which initiated a very slow and orderly exodus to the other side of the pool. I retreated carefully back to my boat where I snacked a bit, called my wife and then watched the Osprey some more. Finally, I was ready for the final leg and pushed off. The east bank seemed to offer the least current on this day so I crossed and soon after doing so, I heard an Osprey chirping. It took me a while to locate him but when I did I could see him perched on a dead palm with a huge red fish in his claws. Soon after I saw a Northern Harrier swooping over the grass and several times he actually lighted on the grass which I had never seen before. From that point on it was a pretty uneventful trip. It was warm enough by now that I had removed the spray skirt but when I entered Ft. George River I was hit in the face by a wind that had picked up considerably and was blowing in from the ocean making things quite a bit cooler than it had been on the west side of the island. No matter - it was still a nice day and I stopped at point Isabella for lunch and then headed on back to Alimacani and my put-in - and my hot tub - CHIRP! CHIRP! See the Pictures From this Trip
02/22/04
I woke up yesterday feeling pretty good in spite of my pulled SI muscle and was making plans to explore Deep Creek more extensively today. When I awoke this morning, however, I was a bit gimpy - I guess lifting those 50 pound bags of concrete was not such a good idea after all! Stubbornly, I went ahead with my plans but as soon as I set out from the shore I knew that I would need to scale things back a bit and after I reached the old cedar I headed east instead of north and crossed the ICW at Shad Creek. I was about to turn south and complete my circuit when I saw an Osprey flying across with a large branch in his feet and I watched as he flew to the top of the channel marker tower where his mate was waiting to greet him noisily. I sat and watched them for several minutes as he flew back and forth with nesting material and proceeded to arrange it in their home which was still in its early stages. I edged a bit closer at one point and the female, who had the most distinctive necklace I've ever seen, let me know that this was not to her liking and as the male approached chirping happily about the really superior branch he had just found she continued to complain loudly about my presence - "I thought you said this was a secluded water front condo! Look at that guy with the camera - he looks like a cross between an otter and a manatee - and look at our neighbors - cormorants for chrissakes! Think of the children!" Poor guy - and he was so happy about that cool stick he has just brought her. Anyway, I left them to their domestic squabble and pushed on south and re-entered Hannah Mills where the usual group of Cormorants and Pelicans was accompanied by a few Oyster Catchers and some Ruddy Turnstones. I was about to drift in for a nice picture when a jet took off from Mayport and scared the whole lot away. About this time my SI joint and pulled muscle were complaining loudly so I headed more or less straight home. |
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