TT Kayaking Club

“Relentless rain and thunderstorms for more than a week have stopped me from taking out my yak.. but tomorrow is supposed to be clearer. I'll be glancing at my watch at work quite often tomorrow.”

“I took little bit out for her first ride yesterday. She sat still enough, (only got one small gasp from Tbull as water lapped over my rear hatch and threatened to spill into the cockpit), for a two year old. She loved watching the fishies and about halfway through cried because she didn't want to go home, lol.

I think we'll be going for more trips together soon. I'll see if I can link to the pictures that Tarabull took of us....”

“That's great Sass. Sounds like you 2 had fun”

“I would love to see the photos.

Maple”

“Okay, hope this works....Girls' day out”

“Hey, cool she could fit in the cockpit with you! Was it hard to paddle with her in there?

Nice Perception Carolina..”

“Why thanky!
Yes it was hard to paddle with her in there. At first she sat between my legs, but that was uncomfortable for her, (but worked best for me), so she kept squirming up onto my legs. I kept thunking her sweet little noggin with the shaft of my paddle on accident, but she didn't mind.
It was the hardest day of paddling I've done yet. Definately need some practice with a passenger.”

“that is terrific Sass!!...hee...get abby a little helmet so the paddles dont leave dents....:)

you have inspired me....i currently don't have any younguns but, i do feel guilty about leaving my dog by the shore when i take the yak out on the river,...not now! He fits pretty snug in front of me in the cockpit, i think i will take ole pirate for a sail next time.....if it would quit raining down here!

yo artex: this from an email i just got from madpaddlers

June 28th: Margarita Paddle 6:30pm
Come help us enjoy the night the Florida way! We will paddle out to a spoil island off beautiful Palm Harbor and enjoy the sunset while sipping on our frozen treats. Guaranteed to be fun for all! 21 and up only please.
We'll be paddling back at night so all paddlers must have two waterproof flashlights. We will meet at the boat launch at Pop Stansel Park at 6:30pm. Total trip time 3 hours-???

Pop Stansel Park
Florida Ave
Palm Harbor, FL 34683

Directions: Take Hillsborough Ave. (Tampa Rd.) to Alt. US 19
Turn right onto Alt. 19 to Florida Ave.
Turn Left on Florida Ave. and follow into park.

i am coming down to tampa this weekend for a party on saturday night. I am staying in palm harbor and was planning to do some paddling, weather permitting, out to honeymoon island earlier in the day.....unfortunately,.due to time conflicts....i may have to miss the margarita thing.....grrrr.......or show up late to the other one! ha.......(kinda like i roll into a campsite at midnite on bping trips...heh)....
carpe diem..and all that jazz.....interested in any of it...? email me. , ok?
.”

“I was wondering what kind everyone has. I need to get some and not sure if it's worth spending alot of money on.
This is the pair I had before they were stolen and I liked them.”

“Om, thanks for the heads up! That's a definite possibility, but I can't say for sure just yet. I'll drop you an email tonight or tomorrow.

Weather is finally nice, so I'm going paddling right now. Yahoooooooo! :-)”

“Mapleleaf, I was really skeptical about buying an expensive paddle also. But as with BP gear (in many cases) more money equals less weight. It was presented to me this way... paddle for 6 hrs with a 2.5lbs panel, do the same with a 2lbs paddle,then choose.

I own a "bending branches" paddle. It works for left or right handed,feathered or straight. Wood shaft and blade fiberglass connector to seperate into two pieces.”

“AquaBound paddle. The best, lightest I could afford. I held some real snazzy $350 paddles and they felt incredible, but that's just too much. Mine was less than half that.”

“aquabound...SeaClude
go as light as you can with the money you feel comfortable spending.

i also carry a small wooden paddle, cuz sometimes i just like to glide around and cruise the ole fashioned way and it feels good.....kinda like hitting the ball with a wooden bat instead of a metal one.”

“From my limited knowledge, Aquabound's seem like the best bargain. I have the Expedition. I got it used because I had already spent a boat load of money (pun intended) on the kayak and other accessories.

It's a good paddle, but the sales guy.. who was also my sea kayak instructor and is an honest guy (he saved me a lot of money in other areas).. tried to talk me out of it. He says the blades on just about every Aquabound paddle are too small for his tastes. If you compare it with other paddles, he's right, it is much smaller. I think I'd be happier with a bigger blade. Depends on what you like. The advantage of a smaller blade is there's less wind resistance, but that's only really a concern for the ocean and big lakes. It's also lighter. Disadvantage: not as much power.

I'm probably getting a bending branches next. Awesome paddles. Probably not a wooden one since I want to save weight (though the wooden ones are very sweet). I'll use my Aquabound as a backup paddle.”

“thank you for all the good input. I will look into getting "bending branches" also. they seem to be the best bet.
Artex, you are right about some being smaller. that was a concern for me. I dont really go into large lakes or the ocean just yet.

But I did here about being able to kayak in Jamaica Bay. That is cloes to me and it's where the tree family saw some seals sunning themseves last winter. That would be soooo cool to see that from the water.
I have to tell you artex, you got me so stoked about wanting to go kayaking in the ocean. maybe someday soon!!”

“No prob Maple. Just be very careful about conditions. I'm not trying to be a butt here, but your kayak likely would not handle ocean conditions well at all, unless the conditions were perfect. Be sure to go on a day with very little wind at best and very calm seas. The inflatable you have would be very suspectable to weathercocking and would not be able to push through chop. With the ocean, you also have to take into account tides and currents, which can be VERY dangerous. Even if the weather was calm, you have to know how tides and currents affect the area you're paddling It's not something to F with. Many people get in big trouble and even die every year. Your inflatable would be much more suseptable to these factors. I only bring this up with your safety in mind.

I highly recommend this book if you are serious about sea kayaking. Even more importantly, take a sea kayaking class! :-)”

“thanks for the advice. everything you said is the reason why i have not even thought about renting one to go on the ocean with. too scary for this small town girl :)
but i will someday. still testing the water in lakes.
next is rivers!
look out fishies here i come!”

“Cool, good for you. I highly encorauge you to keep the ocean in mind for the future. Paddling in the open sea is AMAZING. You just have to take the proper precautions and have the right equipment. I even have a marine VHF 2-way that I can call the Coast Guard on in case of trouble, and having one is not overkill. But it's very exciting. There's nothing like having your kayak knife through the swells and chop with the occasional whitecap breaking over your bow. And the sea life is amazing to see from a kayak's perspective. I can go on and on here, but my blueberry pancakes are burning.”

“artex loves the slop...

his fadder wus a mudder....


his mudder was a mudder....


HIS MUDDER WAS A MUDDER?

his mudder was a mudder...









sorry, old seinfeld routine....”

“LOL @ strat!

Cool pic, mapleleaf.”

“lmao arty, everytime you say "the chop" i think of that seen....

maple, that picture sucked bad, you really don't have a clue do you?


























JOKING! I'm JOKING! lol!!!!!”

“Hey Artex! When are you having a TT Kayaking Trip in Florida?”

“Intriguing idea, dear Adventurist. A most intriguing idea.”

“I vote for November...:-)”

“Gee, I wonder why, tarabull? LOL!

Actually, a most excellent idea for November. I'll put something up on the trip page soon.”

“By the way. There are several options where we could make this a killer trip. There are quite a few islands we could kayak out to and camp out at.”

“Wanna see the dolphins and the manatees and the sharks? Check this out!”

“I'll stick with a real kayak, thank you very much! :-)”

“I was thinking about storing my gear for a weekend away on the kayak.
what do you think?
what do you use and what do you take for a 2 nighter.”

“storing=stowing??”

“Deck bags are nice, but is the deck of your inflatable sturdy enough to take the weight?

A cheaper and more better option might be some dry bags. You can get them for a little under 20 bucks.”

“it says that you can put gear on the deck. it has bungie cords for that.
i think im going to get a dry bag. i'll get small and med ones because i have no idea how much it can hold.”

“Cool choice.

Man, stupid thunderstorms popped up again this afternoon. No kayaking for me today. I love paddling on Fridays.. I'll have to make up for it over the weekend.”

“JULY 11TH BABAY!!!!!!!

I can't wait..
is it wrong to have a framed pic of your kayak on your desk at work?”

“Yessssssss...me and the 'yak are headed to the lake this weekend. Mother Goose, unfortunately, will have to stay ashore. She just had carpal tunnel surgery and can't risk getting wet. Just as well, I can take my solo boat and she and her girlfriend can keep the blender warmed up...”

“Cool deal Papa Goose. Have a good time.

I just got done doing a 8-10 mile solo paddle in the bay. I'm supposed to meet up with Om to do another paddle later today, should the weather hold. Unfortunately, weather is starting to turn bad, as forecasted.”

“Sorry to hear that, Artie. Stormy weather makes for bad paddling. I might get to do some paddling down around Pensacola next weekend. Uh oh, Mother G just bellowed. Gotta go!”

“Yeah, it stinks, but at least I was able to get in a paddle before the storms are supposed to hit. The seas started to get a bit choppy towards the end as the winds picked up, but I love that. I actually prefer it over glassy conditions most of the time.”

“Wow, Arty, I was watching the weather channel today. You've got lots and lots of rain, eh?

I know whatcha mean about the choppy water. Sass and I took our boats out last week. Water was calm. Only a couple boats out to create a wake. We were glad, at first. Then, we found we were actually looking for the waves. So, that weekend, we took the boats out again, on a very warm, very busy Sunday afternoon, and had a great time w/ the waves!”

“Yeah, it's the best!!!! :-)”

“yo artex.....sheesh....! needless to say...... i am not at honemoon island....heh
i called madpaddlers before i left for palm harbor and they said that the morning races were cancelled due to high waves and wind and that i should cover my cockpit ,,,,lol and most likely their trip was getting cancelled....i can take a hint....
mebbe nex time!”

“Artex, do you live right on the water, being in Florida? How far is it to H2O?”

“That's cool, Om.. yes, there'll be plenty of other chances. Did you get my message?

Monkeyboy, I live on a canal, and only have to portage my kayak a few hundred yards to the water. From the canal, it's about a mile of paddling until I reach the bay, but pretty scenic along the way. There are also lots of great spots around here, many of them a short drive away. I'm pretty lucky. :-)”

“i got to yak on the biffalo yesterday. i let the boys play around in it alot. my 5 yr old is a natural....

then today we took it out on a lake for the first time. there were baots everywhere and lots of big waves. the liquidlogic tuxedo loves the chop.....”

“Artex, you gottin me droolin there. You live in a nice spot and are able to enjoy it to it's fullest. Now for a reality check for me. What are the temps, humidity and bugs like? To cool off, have you learned the eskimo roll?”

“Temps, humidity and bugs are a bear... on land. I don't overheat out in the water like I do on land for some reason. It's just a bit cooler out on the water I guess. Heat and humidity aren't even an issue for kayaking. I can't roll yet, but sometimes I'll just scoop up some water splash my head if I want to cool down. I'm going to take a roll class soon though, I've tried it a few times but with no success. I can cowboy entry no prob though, and I hear that's supposed to be harder than rolling. Bugs usually aren't out in the ocean, not even in the mangrove swamps along the shorelines.

Damn, break in the rain now, and I could paddle.. but I have a pulled shoulder muscle and am feeling a bit sick again today (upper resp. infection). Drat! Oh well, good day for reading, especially when the rains kick back this afternoon.

Monkeyboy, what kind of yak do you have? I think I remember you saying that you and Skeetah Bait have a couple? If so, where do you paddle?”

“artex mounts his philly....[bow chika bow bow]

INNUENDO!


that's a new onw on me...wtf's IS it?

did you pull your shoulder yakking?
while i was out yesterday i noticed that your posture makes a big difference on how you move in there and the strains on different areas......err....sumpthin like that...”

“LOL @ strat! Cowbow entry is where you straddle your kayak like you were sitting on a horse, then work your way into the cockpit. It sounds simple enough, but is pretty tricky for a narrow, traditional SINK (Sit IN Kayak).

Yep, I pulled the shoulder muscle while paddling. It was my own fault, I didn't stretch before, and I am pretty suseptable to pulled shoulder muscles to begin with.”