"Time & Tide Wait For No Man"

Or woman! This was so true yesterday on our kayak trip in the backwaters of Fort Pierce. We knew the tide would be going out, but we never expected it to be flowing as hard as it was. What a fun time going with the current, but I was quite apprehensive as to whether I would be able to paddle back to the launch ramp. I tested it by going up-current when we left the dock and it seemed doable at the time. We decided to do our trip opposite of our usual agenda, which worked well, but being in all the mangroves, we got a bit disoriented. That was okay though, because when I found one of several cuts towards the inlet, cruising with the tide, I also spotted the perfect little beach for a lunch spot. We pulled the kayaks up under the shade of the mangroves, and sat in them while eating and watching the dolphins and boats go by in the inlet. It all looked so placid and you would never know that the current was flying out. 

We felt that we could sit there for hours in our own little piece of paradise, but we knew we had to keep going. The tide was getting low and the one section we had to get through actually dries out. Paddling really hard against the current, we had to cross one of the main channels. At first I felt like we were not making any headway at all, almost like going backwards. We did make it across and what a good workout we had! As we entered the last of the shallow spots, we barely had enough water to float, but as Dave told me, "we'll just get out and walk if we can't make it." It was so worth it all though, because I spotted three white pelicans on an exposed sandbar. We are used to seeing them on Florida's west coast and in the Cape Canaveral area, and I am so glad they are venturing to the Treasure Coast. You can see in my first photo, how much bigger they are compared to the brown pelicans (which are on the left). White pelicans fish different than brown pelicans and a flock will use teamwork and corral the fish, instead of diving like the brown ones do. 

I sure was relieved when we got to the mangrove tunnels and channels, and the current eased a bit. 

Then it was one last up-current sprint in order to cross over the channel to the launch ramp across from Little Jim Island. I made sure that I paddled way further than need be, because the current coming under the bridge was screaming out and would push me past the ramp if I tried to go straight across. Thankfully we are experienced paddlers and know how to deal with conditions like this. I think we are now even more experienced after this adventure!