TT Kayaking Club

“It was only a matter of time... and many of us seem to enjoy this sport.

Anyway, this evening I did my first open ocean paddle in the bay. When I pulled up to park, I wasn't so sure. There was a good 10 knot wind coming out of the east, and the seas were pretty choppy at 2-3 feet. Whitecaps could occasionally be seen. I'm new to the sport, so I thought it might be a bit much. But I decided to give it a shot, and if it was too rough, I could always turn around. I launched off the beach and into the small surf with no problem, and began paddling. I was amazed at how easily my kayak handled the chop. It plowed through the swells and breakers with ease, and I felt 100% comfortable. It was absolutely killer having the occasional wave break over the bow of the boat! I loved going with the ocean, and the feeling of the waves as I paddled along. I paddled into the wind for about a mile and a half and turned around and came back. I also saw three huge stingrays swim right by my 'yak, which was extremely cool. Great time, I can't wait to go out again tomorrow morning. :-)”

“Running Club - Ptooey
Biking Club - Who Cares?

Kayak Club - Now, that's what I'm talking about.

Count me in!!!

I've only taken my kayak out once, but there's lots of summer left! :-)”

“Wow! Another TT club I can join!!!!

Sass and I did a 3 day trip last wknd (45m or so) had a friggin blast. Hopin to get out sunday. Its amazing how easy it is to control a kayak and how efficient the paddlestrokes are (if done right lol). I hope to get another 3-5 day trip in this summer...”

“That's a long trip, birch! Cool deal. I can't wait to do some overnight trips with my yak. There are a few islands off the coast down here that you can camp on and they're only accessible by boat.”

“so birch, is there a trip report on that paddle trip? I'd love to hear how it went for you and sass.”

“LOW ER BUFF A LO


LOW ER BUFF A LO


i'm HAVE to take mine for it's initial run this weekend....hmmm...i think the middle mulberry....”

“I want to kayak...that is on the TO Do list for the summer. I am hoping to get a duckie on the Nantahala the end of June.

Sounds awesome Art!!”

“Where's the pic of 'Artexina'? I wanna see!”

“I'm in!

Pekka, We'll work on a report for you. My pictures turned out lousy, Birch's are yet undeveloped. Maybe his'll be better.”

“TT bikini club? I didn't know that existed Tara?

I'm in for kayaking. Finally picked up a spray skirt today.”

“Tango, this morning I posted a pic of Artexina on the "Artex's New Baby" thread. Check it out! If you view other photos in the album that picture is in, there are a few more photos of it as well.

I paddled again this morning, did about 7 miles and it was cake. I was in the bay, but right at the mouth to the Gulf. I took a side trip and explored some mangrove channels, and nearly got taken out by leaping mullet (the fish, not guys with the hairstyle.. the latter paints a scary picture). The wind picked up on the way back, and I was also out in the middle more so there was less protection from the wind. Had to deal with a good bit of weathercocking, making me wish I had dropped the rudder before I went out. Great trip though, my yak kicks arse!”

“Binks, what kind of spray skirt did you get?

I'm using a Harmony one, made out of nylon. Pretty hot down here to use neoprene.”

“Artex - I have nylon. All my kayaking buddies just turned their nylon in for neoprene. The nylon doesn't do much to keep me dry. When I dumped in order to practice the eskimo rescue, I had loads of water in my cockpit. Was only under water for 20 seconds or less. Seems neoprene is the way to go. Of course, it's much cooler in MI than FL. So, nylon might make more sense for you.”

“We need another website: www.thekayaker.com/paddletalk

Matt?

lol”

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WANT A KAYAK!!!!”

“I got the harmony nylon one as well.

Where is that TT bikini club at?”

“Don't hold your breath Binks. Anyways, the pfd and spray skirt would cover up the bikinis. ;)


here's the closest thing to a trip report from last weekend we have: manistee river trip, but it's not finished yet. Birch's pics are still undeveloped. I dropped them off for one hour processing last night and found them still undeveloped at pick up time, the machine broke. =( So, there will be additions w/in a few days.”

“What kind of paddle was that? Looks nice, made of wood, yet feathered. How's the weight for that paddle?

Nice pics!!”

“Artex, you figured out my secret identity...Joe. Drats!!!!!

The paddle is by Bending Branches, I dont know the weight but its only a few ounces more than Sass' carbon fiber paddle. It feathers for a lefty or righty. I like the feel of the wood (shut up you sicko perv LOL) and the looks nice too.”

“i need a skirt....how much should i expect to pay? i think neoprene is what i'd like.....it came with a paddle tyhat is marked $50 but i don't really like the feel of it that much. the sngle of the blades doesn't seem quite right. maybe i'll get use to it...”

“That's a sweet paddle, joe **cough, cough**, I mean birch. :-) I have a carbon fibre aquabound one, but I'm not so sure if I like the blade shape. My kayak instructor was saying the aquabounds were his least favorite for that reason. I went ahead and bought it though, because it was used and very cheap. I'll have to look into the Bending Branches if it's just a few ounces more.

Strat - Real men where skirts! From what I've seen so far, they seem to cost anywhere between $50-$100.”

“Neoprene ones start out at around 89. I got our harmony brand ones (neoprene around the cockpit and some european type goretex...pertex maybe? around the waist, comes with detachable suspenders too, and neoprene waistband.) for $100.


BTW, I dropped off Birch's pics again, today.”

“Nice pics yall.

I picked my nylon skirt for 40 bucks. i was looking at the neoprene ones last night and they were pricey”

“I forgot to add to what tarabull said about nylon skirts not beign as waterproof.. she's right.

The other day when I was out in choppy conditions and waves were occasionally breaking over my bow, I got some water in the cockpit. Probably wouldn't have had nearly as much if I had a neoprene one.. but it's pretty darn hot here this time of the year, so I'd rather have the trade-off of it being cooler and maybe having to use my pump every once in a while.”

“yeah artey, prolly be good to have both....i'd just neoprine for extreme whitewater conditions, which of corse i TOTALLY plan to do alot of....heh heh....


i just want to sit up high on the water and getting bogged down would hamper that and draining it looks like a hassle. it has a drain plug in the tip.”

“So, when's the christening, Strat?”

“addicted....uh huh! i knew it....you have been led down to the water .. ...to restoreth yer sole!lol paddle mad!
sounds as if you are having a grand time
soo........, i grew up down there....on da bay....where did you put in? causeway?”

“Om, Friday evening I put in right off the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Saturday morning I put in off Gandy. Yes, I am truly hooked!!! :-)”

“Okay, the rest of the pics are loaded, or at least as many as will fit in the album.

Re: neoprene being hot...I was told by our instructor that if it gets hot ya just splash water on it and it cools ya down. No water gets through w/ it. It doesn't get as hot here as it does down there though, and the water may well be cooler too.

Birch and I returned our nylon skirts because they weren't even water resistant, much less proof.”

“Cool pics!!! I can't wait to do some overnighters with my yak.

That makes sense about wetting down a neoprene skirt to cool it off. The water is piss warm down here (last I checked the Gulf was 85 degrees), but I bet it still might help.”

“Enjoyed the pics, Sass. Don't be so hard on your photography skills! Made me envious to see you guys on the water -- our canoes are still on the saw horses in the backyard. Now that school's out, that may change soon.

As for nylon spray skirts, that is all they are really for, keeping out spray and the drips from your paddle. Even the latter likes to pool in your lap. I remember on our Namakagon trip in our little yaks that I'd pop the water off with my knee every so often. But they did the main job, which was to keep most of the dripping stuff out of the cockpit and away from gear (and the hassle of emptying the boat).”

“Thanks Pekka. It's not so much my skills I'm not feeling so good about but the cameras we used. We got those little disposable water proof ones and they just didn't like the grey days.

Funny thing, when I scanned the pictures most of them automatically went to "best black and white pictures" instead of color. Some of them look like black and white pics, except for the yellow kayak bow in them.”

“looks like a killer trip sassy.

well arty, i took her out on yher maiden voyage this afternoon on the west fork of the white river. i shuttled myself with a mountain bike. i didn't have a champaign bottle to break on the bow so i just peed on it. she handles like a dream although it'll take some practice to get good at it.


I'M HOOKED!”

“I had my first dolphin sighting while paddling today! It was awesome! I was reentering a very wide mangrove trail from the bay, when I saw one surface for air at my 2 o'clock and 30 feet away. Then, I heard another surface for air about the same distance directly behind me. By the time I turned around, all I saw a break in the water where it was. I hung out for a bit, waiting to see them resurface, but alas, they were gone. I've heard that some of the dolphins around here like to get very close to check you out. I can't wait for that to happen!

Overall, it was a very good afternoon paddle. I was only out for a couple of hours, because some thunderstorms seemed to be growing a few miles away. Awesome time, and great exercise! :-)”

“So much for Maine! I knew you'd fall pray to the beauties of FL!!!

What a cool experience - congrats for you...”

“NO WAY.... are you kidding me?


tree can we go to FLA ASAP to kayak with the dolphins?

PLEASEEEEEEE”

“i want a kayak, both whitewater and flatwater”

“Artex, that sounds like a wonderful afternoon trip. I am envious of your proximity to big water. Enjoy it!!!”

“Thanks guys. It was pretty wicked, I can't wait to see more.

Hey strat, congrats bud! :-)”

“I allus did think that there hog killin boy wuz a good yakker!”

“:)

getting up close and personal with the marine mammals and hearing there breath is quite an epiphany.....
s'nice to get out for a couple of hours these summer afternoons isn't it?
once while kayaking with arclite at crystal river, when we were heading back in, a manatee got under my kayak and the boat went straight up out of the water completely and then back down....no tilt or flipping over , just vertical up and back down...whoa.....as exciting as any disney ride ...:)”

“WOW! How cool. We're going to come to FLA and pester you two to take us out to all the beautiful spots.”

“twist my arm ....
one thing for sure Sass, you would get to see the real wild "other" florida”

“Om's right.. Florida has a lot to offer. What it lacks in mountains, it makes up for in oceans and unique wildlife (land and water). Sass, you and birch are welcome down anytime. Feel free to bring that kooky Tarabull with you as well. :-)

Hey Om, I can't wait for winter when the manatees migrate to Crystal River and other hotspots. I've been snorkeling with them before, it was an experience I'll never forget. We've got to go paddling sometime! :-)”

“wow, we just have copperheads in the rivers.....”

“MAN! how can i ever get into a canoe again? i LOVE this thing! got alot of practice on the buffalo today anad confirmed that this is a killer little boat.

liquidlogid tuxedo touring kayak, .....check it out now...”

“I just ordered a dolly for my yak, it'll make transporting it easier. I live a couple of hundred yards from a canal, and it's just a short paddle out to the bay from there. Before, it was too far to carry my kayak, and too short to go through the trouble of loading it up on my car. The dolly should take care of that, and now I can kayak in the ocean from my backyard with ease! :-)”

“Cool Artex! Maybe with a little more global warming you'll have oceanfront property some day!”

“It wouldn't take much, I think my area is in a flood zone. If a hurricane comes... buh-bye!

How many miles you been paddling, strat? I'm at the point now where I can paddle 7 or so miles, and only be a little soar. I got my technique down pact!”

“Paddle, soar? You kayaking or paragliding?”