Thursday, November 4, 2021

Back In The Saddle...

The kayak saddle that is. We have already paddled Manatee Pocket to see what is new, which wasn't very much at this quiet time of year. This is still one of our favorite kayaking, sailing, and boating destinations though. We also paddled south from Sewell Point Park down to Boy Scout Island and a circumnavigation of Bird Island. It is not nesting season yet so there were only a handful of birds in the trees this this time. We will return in the spring. Today we completed the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve's kayak trail. What a fantastic time we had weaving our way through the mangroves, going with the outgoing tide, doing the trip from south to north. Once the trail opened up into a big bay with several cove options, it was a bit difficult finding the entrance to the tunnel and narrow part of the channel. Dave has a good sense about things like this, and found the way.



We saw all sorts of waterbirds on this trip, but this vulture was an ominous sign. It looked like he was just waiting for us as his next meal. 😉  It made us wonder if we were on the right trail, but then we met a lady paddling the other way (she was the only other person we saw until we got back to the ICW). 


We paddled under this bridge, which we have walked over several times when visiting the park's official trail to the beach.


The internet claims that this trip is almost 4 1/2 miles long and takes about 3 hours (you need to do this at 2 hours either side of high tide to be able to get through the shallow spots). We did it in a little over 2 hours, and we certainly didn't rush. I think that going with the tide was the key, although once we got out into the Intracoastal Waterway, the current was against us on the way back to the launching area on Cove Rd. No problem, we just paddled a little harder. We are getting our arms and shoulders back in shape for longer excursions. Another great start to the season and we are anxious to take fellow yakkers on this trip.



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