This was originally posted on Paddle Fishing.com. A member who goes by ShallowMinded II took part in this endurance event.
Truely an adventure!
Well I am back home in Sarasota & still among the living! First, let me say a big THANK YOU!!! for all your support & encourgement. I never really expected anything from my friends here on P-F and I was touched (I don't mean by Justabecup) that anyone would be excited about this little adventure of mine. Y'all done good, too!!!
For those who are not familiar with what WaterTribe is...... it is an adventure race that is in I think it's 6th year. The event is an unsupported, expedition style adventure race open to kayaks, sea-going canoes, sailboat and any other craft that can pass 2 tests. First, the start requires that only the contestents move their crafts from above the high water mark to the water on the beach at Fort Desoto campground on the north shore of Tampa Bay. And second, at the first checkpoint at Placida, one needs to pass under a fixed span bridge with a clearence of around 10', so the mast has to come down & be put back up while on the water. I would guess that 70% of the kayaks had downwind sails of some sort. The largest sailboat was a 21' SeaPearl that was sailed single-handed. (Of course no motors allowed). The course follows the coast line of SouthWest Florida from Tampa Bay south pass Sarasota, Fort Meyers, Marco Island, in to or around the Everglades & finished in Key Largo for a distance of around 310 miles (more or less). The time limit is 8 days, but the top finishers will take 3-4 days. The site WWW.WaterTribe.com contains information on the Challenge, including a discussion forum, a magazine section with a cool selection of articles that we call all learn from, and articles/trip reports from those who have completed past races.
I image that some of you might be wondering WTF would Ron want to go on a trip like this? Well, I think main reason is that as an avid reader/watcher of travel stories/shows I had always wanted to go on some type of travling vacation like ya read about in Outside Magazine. And having gotten to know what some of you have done for "adventure" (like summitting 5 of the 8 highest peaks in New Jersey) I saw the WaterTribe as a perfect event right in my own backyard. And since I discovered I liked to paddle almost as much as fishing, I thought I would give it a go.
Now I did not take my trusted ScupperPro with the tiki torches. My sea kayak is a model called a QCC600XL, that is 16'8"x21" Kevlar 44#. It is a kayak (along with its longer sister QCC700 18'x21") that is usually mentioned in the top 5 speed kayaks due to its design. It is not a barge by any means. Since I have a day job, like everyone else, my training during the past 3 months usually was taking weekend overnight trips whenever i could with a loaded kayak, usually 30-35 miles each way. Good example, weekend trips from Trutle Beach to Stump Pass.
Sorry in advance for no pictures at this time, most of the time my hands were kind of busy.
DAY 1 Start time was 7:00am Saturday 3/5 from the East Beach at Fort Desoto. There were around 43-45 crafts of all shapes and sizes. Winds were 5mph N/NE, conditions were pretty smooth on Tampa Bay around the shipping channel. OK, 7:00am rolls around & I am still loading my kayak, second to last off the beach at 7:20am, great start . I would guess that 2/3's of the fleet started out towards Egmont Key and the "outside" route along the beaches. I decided to take the "inside" route down the ICW of Sarasota Bay. As the day continued on, I could not believe how perfect the weather was as wind built into the low teens from the N/NE. Those who had 'em put up their downwind sails (that includes me). After the first 3-4 hours, I fell into a nice pace & since this area really is my back yard, I felt like I was just out for another afternoon paddle. By 4:30pm Saturday I had reached the Venice Jetties where I stopped to grab a couple a hamburgers with my brother at the North Jetty Fish Camp. Took maybe a 30-40 minute break. At this point I had a decision to make, stay on the inside or go out the Jetties to the Gulf and head south to Stump Pass around Englewood. Well, since the wind was still out of the N/NW and I was feeling good I decided to head out to the Gulf. It was a decision that almost cost me. By this time the winds were constant in the mid-teens with honest 3-4 foot swells and breakers 1 mile off shore. I used only my paddle for a few miles till I got to the Venice fishing pier. When I first got out in the Gulf I saw a few miles ahead of me another sailing canoe, but with using only my paddle I was not able to close any distance on them. So, up goes my sail and I am off to the races. It soon becomes clear that I am way over powered, but at this point I really can't do anything about it. Within a short time I pass that other craft & continue south. On GPS, I was maintaining boatspeed of 5.5mph to 6.0 and surfing up to 8.5mph-9.0+. Then it happened. Around dusk I took a unexpected broach (is it ever expected?) that put my shoulder in the water and the sail was inches from hitting the water. I don't know how I managed to get a paddle brace out in time, but with everything I had I kept the kayak upright. My heart was jumping out of my chest! It would have been alot of fun in July with an empty kayak, but not in March with a 70 lb load and after sunset. I got to Stump Pass after dark, about 5 minutes ahead of the other boat with little left in my tank. Continued on towards cheackpoint #1 at Placida on the ICW under much more relaxed conditions. Reached CP #1 at 10:01pm, distance 67 miles. Got to sleep just before midnight in my tent. Happy with my first day, but really should haved pushed on to reach Bokeelia on the south side of Charlotte Harbor, but that would have to wait for DAY 2.
DAY 2 On the water by 6:00am and heading south towards Pine Island. My plan was to head towards to east side of Pine Island and go down Matlacha Pass to the south tip of Sanibel Island. Well, my heading was off and I ended up along the west side of Pine Island, so I just continued on south. Conditions were still in our favor with a light 5-8mph wind N/NE. Hard to kind of remember much about this section, just thats its a long way to the south tip of Pine Island @ 4.5 knots. Made it to San Carlos Pass between Capitva Island & F.M.Beach. Finally pulled ashore at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass, just south of F.M.Beach, around 5:30pm. Winds had increased in the afternoon, midteens NW. So I decided to fix dinner & hit the sack by 7:00pm, up by 11:30pm and back on the water at midnight to start my DAY 3.
DAY 3 It's now Sunday midnight. The winds have dropped to zero and the Gulf is flat calm, lucky, lucky me . Had a beautiful night paddle along the beach towards Naples. With only the sound of my paddle I was soon in a "zone". Passed Naples around 4:00am, had no idea they had so many huge condos, kind of like Clearwater Beach. Reached Gordon Pass around 7:15am. Just keep going, can just start to see Marco Island. Just keep going, reached the south end of Marco Island/Caxambas Pass by 1:30pm on Monday. The goal is to get to CP#2 at Chokoloskee before stopping for the night. Thought I could make it....could not. Finally pulled up on Tiger Key, just north of Picnic Key around 7:30pm. Still 3 hours to reach Chocko. Let's see, got on the water at midnight, paddled till 7:30pm, thats about 19 hours, with less than 1 hour spent on breaks. I should be in Key Largo by Wednesday . It didn't work out that way.
DAY 4 On the water by 8:00am, by now the cold/storm front had caught up to us with rain and winds from what seemed liked all directions. By the time the incoming tide popped me out of Indian Key Pass into Chokoloskee Bay the conditions had really turned to crap. With some effort, made it to CP#2 around 11:00am Tuesday. Stayed till early afternoon when the tide was outgoing. Headed out to the Gulf once again for the trip south to CP#3 at Flamingo, about 100 miles away. Pull onto a "no name" island south of Turkey Key campsite, most likely Plover Key, about 8-10 miles north of Lostmans River.
DAY 5 On the water before 8:00am. This was the biggest storm day of the trip. Winds in the low 20's N/NW seas 3-5. I double checked all my safety gear before leaving the beach....PFD, VHF, EPIRB, flares, whistle/mirror, dry box with cell phone (which had no coverage for 3 days), supply of Power Gels/Bars, water bottles in place. Off I headed South along the coast of the Everglades. Without using a GPS there was no way to tell where I really was. But it didn't matter. I was going to use the storm conditions to head as far south as i could. Lostsman, Broad, Harney, Shark Rivers all passed by, made it to the tip of Florida at East Cape campsite and continued on to stop for the night at Clubhouse Beach. I really didn't do justice to describing the storm conditions on DAY 5. But I do remember seeing just 2 other power boats all day long. And I couldn't help but thinking what fools they were to be out on a day like today. Set up my tent in 20 mph winds/rain. With only 8 miles or so to go to CP#3 at Flamingo I thought I would cover the final 40 miles before sunset to reach Key Largo. I was very, very wrong.
DAY 6 On water by 7:30am, with only a short distance to Flamingo I expected an easy day, it was not to be. The last of the storm winds had shifted to NE 20-25. The problem was that I was going NE to get to Flamingo. Long story short. It took me max effort to make Flamingo in 4 hours against the wind, boat speed well under 2mph. Twice I had my paddle blown out of my hands by gusts, only to have me catch it overhead like a marching band leader. By the time I left CP#3 around 2:00pm the winds had died down and i was on my way across Florida Bay to Key Largo, with only around 35 miles to go I was in high spirits. I should have known better. Even with using GPS, I managed to run out of water 3 times crossing F.B. Getting out of my kayak meant sinking up pass my knees with every step. But it had to be done. By now it was evening, and I decided just to take it easy at this point and head a little off course to spend the night on Nest Key campsite (about 12 miles N/NE of my campsite on Key Largo). Using GPS on a moonless night I found the rather large Nest Key. Long story short, after paddling around 70% of the island I could not find the campsite (you guessed it, the campsite was in the 30% I didn't check out). So what to do, it's now 11:30pm, no moon, no campsite, last meal was lunch at Flamingo. The lights of Key Largo were 12-13 miles in the distance, so that's the way I managed to finish at our Key Largo Campground at 2:30am. I was credited with a time of 5 days, 19 hours 30 minutes. I am already thinking how I can finish before sunset next year!
_________________
Truely an adventure!
Well I am back home in Sarasota & still among the living! First, let me say a big THANK YOU!!! for all your support & encourgement. I never really expected anything from my friends here on P-F and I was touched (I don't mean by Justabecup) that anyone would be excited about this little adventure of mine. Y'all done good, too!!!
For those who are not familiar with what WaterTribe is...... it is an adventure race that is in I think it's 6th year. The event is an unsupported, expedition style adventure race open to kayaks, sea-going canoes, sailboat and any other craft that can pass 2 tests. First, the start requires that only the contestents move their crafts from above the high water mark to the water on the beach at Fort Desoto campground on the north shore of Tampa Bay. And second, at the first checkpoint at Placida, one needs to pass under a fixed span bridge with a clearence of around 10', so the mast has to come down & be put back up while on the water. I would guess that 70% of the kayaks had downwind sails of some sort. The largest sailboat was a 21' SeaPearl that was sailed single-handed. (Of course no motors allowed). The course follows the coast line of SouthWest Florida from Tampa Bay south pass Sarasota, Fort Meyers, Marco Island, in to or around the Everglades & finished in Key Largo for a distance of around 310 miles (more or less). The time limit is 8 days, but the top finishers will take 3-4 days. The site WWW.WaterTribe.com contains information on the Challenge, including a discussion forum, a magazine section with a cool selection of articles that we call all learn from, and articles/trip reports from those who have completed past races.
I image that some of you might be wondering WTF would Ron want to go on a trip like this? Well, I think main reason is that as an avid reader/watcher of travel stories/shows I had always wanted to go on some type of travling vacation like ya read about in Outside Magazine. And having gotten to know what some of you have done for "adventure" (like summitting 5 of the 8 highest peaks in New Jersey) I saw the WaterTribe as a perfect event right in my own backyard. And since I discovered I liked to paddle almost as much as fishing, I thought I would give it a go.
Now I did not take my trusted ScupperPro with the tiki torches. My sea kayak is a model called a QCC600XL, that is 16'8"x21" Kevlar 44#. It is a kayak (along with its longer sister QCC700 18'x21") that is usually mentioned in the top 5 speed kayaks due to its design. It is not a barge by any means. Since I have a day job, like everyone else, my training during the past 3 months usually was taking weekend overnight trips whenever i could with a loaded kayak, usually 30-35 miles each way. Good example, weekend trips from Trutle Beach to Stump Pass.
Sorry in advance for no pictures at this time, most of the time my hands were kind of busy.
DAY 1 Start time was 7:00am Saturday 3/5 from the East Beach at Fort Desoto. There were around 43-45 crafts of all shapes and sizes. Winds were 5mph N/NE, conditions were pretty smooth on Tampa Bay around the shipping channel. OK, 7:00am rolls around & I am still loading my kayak, second to last off the beach at 7:20am, great start . I would guess that 2/3's of the fleet started out towards Egmont Key and the "outside" route along the beaches. I decided to take the "inside" route down the ICW of Sarasota Bay. As the day continued on, I could not believe how perfect the weather was as wind built into the low teens from the N/NE. Those who had 'em put up their downwind sails (that includes me). After the first 3-4 hours, I fell into a nice pace & since this area really is my back yard, I felt like I was just out for another afternoon paddle. By 4:30pm Saturday I had reached the Venice Jetties where I stopped to grab a couple a hamburgers with my brother at the North Jetty Fish Camp. Took maybe a 30-40 minute break. At this point I had a decision to make, stay on the inside or go out the Jetties to the Gulf and head south to Stump Pass around Englewood. Well, since the wind was still out of the N/NW and I was feeling good I decided to head out to the Gulf. It was a decision that almost cost me. By this time the winds were constant in the mid-teens with honest 3-4 foot swells and breakers 1 mile off shore. I used only my paddle for a few miles till I got to the Venice fishing pier. When I first got out in the Gulf I saw a few miles ahead of me another sailing canoe, but with using only my paddle I was not able to close any distance on them. So, up goes my sail and I am off to the races. It soon becomes clear that I am way over powered, but at this point I really can't do anything about it. Within a short time I pass that other craft & continue south. On GPS, I was maintaining boatspeed of 5.5mph to 6.0 and surfing up to 8.5mph-9.0+. Then it happened. Around dusk I took a unexpected broach (is it ever expected?) that put my shoulder in the water and the sail was inches from hitting the water. I don't know how I managed to get a paddle brace out in time, but with everything I had I kept the kayak upright. My heart was jumping out of my chest! It would have been alot of fun in July with an empty kayak, but not in March with a 70 lb load and after sunset. I got to Stump Pass after dark, about 5 minutes ahead of the other boat with little left in my tank. Continued on towards cheackpoint #1 at Placida on the ICW under much more relaxed conditions. Reached CP #1 at 10:01pm, distance 67 miles. Got to sleep just before midnight in my tent. Happy with my first day, but really should haved pushed on to reach Bokeelia on the south side of Charlotte Harbor, but that would have to wait for DAY 2.
DAY 2 On the water by 6:00am and heading south towards Pine Island. My plan was to head towards to east side of Pine Island and go down Matlacha Pass to the south tip of Sanibel Island. Well, my heading was off and I ended up along the west side of Pine Island, so I just continued on south. Conditions were still in our favor with a light 5-8mph wind N/NE. Hard to kind of remember much about this section, just thats its a long way to the south tip of Pine Island @ 4.5 knots. Made it to San Carlos Pass between Capitva Island & F.M.Beach. Finally pulled ashore at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass, just south of F.M.Beach, around 5:30pm. Winds had increased in the afternoon, midteens NW. So I decided to fix dinner & hit the sack by 7:00pm, up by 11:30pm and back on the water at midnight to start my DAY 3.
DAY 3 It's now Sunday midnight. The winds have dropped to zero and the Gulf is flat calm, lucky, lucky me . Had a beautiful night paddle along the beach towards Naples. With only the sound of my paddle I was soon in a "zone". Passed Naples around 4:00am, had no idea they had so many huge condos, kind of like Clearwater Beach. Reached Gordon Pass around 7:15am. Just keep going, can just start to see Marco Island. Just keep going, reached the south end of Marco Island/Caxambas Pass by 1:30pm on Monday. The goal is to get to CP#2 at Chokoloskee before stopping for the night. Thought I could make it....could not. Finally pulled up on Tiger Key, just north of Picnic Key around 7:30pm. Still 3 hours to reach Chocko. Let's see, got on the water at midnight, paddled till 7:30pm, thats about 19 hours, with less than 1 hour spent on breaks. I should be in Key Largo by Wednesday . It didn't work out that way.
DAY 4 On the water by 8:00am, by now the cold/storm front had caught up to us with rain and winds from what seemed liked all directions. By the time the incoming tide popped me out of Indian Key Pass into Chokoloskee Bay the conditions had really turned to crap. With some effort, made it to CP#2 around 11:00am Tuesday. Stayed till early afternoon when the tide was outgoing. Headed out to the Gulf once again for the trip south to CP#3 at Flamingo, about 100 miles away. Pull onto a "no name" island south of Turkey Key campsite, most likely Plover Key, about 8-10 miles north of Lostmans River.
DAY 5 On the water before 8:00am. This was the biggest storm day of the trip. Winds in the low 20's N/NW seas 3-5. I double checked all my safety gear before leaving the beach....PFD, VHF, EPIRB, flares, whistle/mirror, dry box with cell phone (which had no coverage for 3 days), supply of Power Gels/Bars, water bottles in place. Off I headed South along the coast of the Everglades. Without using a GPS there was no way to tell where I really was. But it didn't matter. I was going to use the storm conditions to head as far south as i could. Lostsman, Broad, Harney, Shark Rivers all passed by, made it to the tip of Florida at East Cape campsite and continued on to stop for the night at Clubhouse Beach. I really didn't do justice to describing the storm conditions on DAY 5. But I do remember seeing just 2 other power boats all day long. And I couldn't help but thinking what fools they were to be out on a day like today. Set up my tent in 20 mph winds/rain. With only 8 miles or so to go to CP#3 at Flamingo I thought I would cover the final 40 miles before sunset to reach Key Largo. I was very, very wrong.
DAY 6 On water by 7:30am, with only a short distance to Flamingo I expected an easy day, it was not to be. The last of the storm winds had shifted to NE 20-25. The problem was that I was going NE to get to Flamingo. Long story short. It took me max effort to make Flamingo in 4 hours against the wind, boat speed well under 2mph. Twice I had my paddle blown out of my hands by gusts, only to have me catch it overhead like a marching band leader. By the time I left CP#3 around 2:00pm the winds had died down and i was on my way across Florida Bay to Key Largo, with only around 35 miles to go I was in high spirits. I should have known better. Even with using GPS, I managed to run out of water 3 times crossing F.B. Getting out of my kayak meant sinking up pass my knees with every step. But it had to be done. By now it was evening, and I decided just to take it easy at this point and head a little off course to spend the night on Nest Key campsite (about 12 miles N/NE of my campsite on Key Largo). Using GPS on a moonless night I found the rather large Nest Key. Long story short, after paddling around 70% of the island I could not find the campsite (you guessed it, the campsite was in the 30% I didn't check out). So what to do, it's now 11:30pm, no moon, no campsite, last meal was lunch at Flamingo. The lights of Key Largo were 12-13 miles in the distance, so that's the way I managed to finish at our Key Largo Campground at 2:30am. I was credited with a time of 5 days, 19 hours 30 minutes. I am already thinking how I can finish before sunset next year!
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