Just back from a foreshortened Everglades Trip due to adverse weather (thunderstorms, winds in excess of 30 knots). Had a great time in spite of the contingencies! [Gallery]
This was a proof-of-concept trip in many ways: first trip on a sailing kayak with akas (outriggers) and homemade hakas (benches) for hiking out and potentially sleeping on board.
The Federal Government was closed due to the #trumpshutdown so I had to self-register. Hats off to the National Park Staff who WERE working in the background to keep the place safe and clean. I assume they weren’t getting paid!
I happened to leave on the morning of the Super Blood Wolf Moon so the tides were extreme. This delayed my departure.
Once out in the Gulf the wind died and I peddled to the far end of Pavilion Key to make camp.
There were no bugs so I slept out under the stars on top of my benches. This worked remarkably well. Being four inches above the sand is much better than being down in it!
The wind rose the next day by the time the tide was coming in and I could set out. I estimate 20 knots or more with gusts above 30! I reefed in my sail by half and proceeded to have a wild ride across the gap between islands. My homemade hiking stick failed so I had to steer with my foot. It was only a little terrifying.
At that point I decided not to proceed down the coast and instead circle back to the relative shelter of Rabbit Key. I had taken on 3-4 gallons of water but my gear was remarkably dry.
I did some reading and exploring until dusk when I again slept under the stars on my benches.
The next day I was unwilling to wait for the afternoon tide so I portaged my gear out to the water. There were many tide pool critters crawling around including several large conchs.
At that point another sailing kayak (!) pulled up using a small motor and two folks from Wisconsin got out. We had a nice chat before I cast off. I got back to my car after some more hairy sailing and sheltering behind islands.
