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EC Scouting Trip

(13 posts) (6 voices)

Started 5 years ago by Bones
Latest reply from Chekika

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Bones
Member

I am in the process of planning a scouting trip on my Hobie AI from an undetermined starting point to the checkpoints at Choko, Flamingo and across Florida Bay to Key Largo in December or January.

Further I am looking for someone who might be interested in scouting these routes with me in their boat. I am pretty open to timing and arrangements. Slow or fast, inside or outside, north or south we can work out details and needs together

Since I live about a thousand miles away my single criteria is to do it in one time span.

Contact me THIS WEEK at captbonespirate@gmail.com and lets see what we can put together. I need to talk this week because if there is no interest I will consider doing it on my own after the WaterTribe gathering on December 17th.

Look forward to hearing from someone.

Bones

Posted 5 years ago #
MicroTom
Key Master

Hey Bones, I will not be able to join you but I have local knowledge. Since you are willing to put a 1000 to come scout the course feel free to reach out to me for help with planning. Happy to answer any questions. tom@dyll.com

Posted 5 years ago #
Chekika
Member

Bones, Rick Parks, Debbie Turner, and myself are doing Flamingo to Key Largo on Jan 5 using my 2014 Tandem and Rick's 2015 AI. We will camp at FLM on Jan 4. You are welcome to join us. My email is kwellma at gmail.com We just completed a training trip starting from Bokeelia on Pine Island to Everglades City--we traveled 110 miles including tacking. So far, we have done lot of pedaling during these trips. Generally, we've had light winds.

Keith

Posted 5 years ago #
Chekika
Member

Correction: the Jan 5 trip has been changed to a full-fledged camping trip. Here are the details.

·       Jan 13             Assemble in Flamingo at the Group site (near the toilet building)

·       Jan 14             Get out reasonably early (for some of us that means by 9 AM) and head to North Nest Key (32 miles) We plan to go through Crocodile Drag Over today. Camp on NNK.

·       Jan 15             Break camp, pass through Twisty Channel today, and return to FLM campground. No group site, so those staying overnight will use the walk-in sites.

·       Jan 16 At Flamingo: Fishing, fish fry, tall tales.

So far the people planning to do this trip are

1.     Alex Oancea (AlexO)

2.     Debbie Turner (WyomingWolf)

3.     Paul Links (Aero70)

4.     Randy Smith (Bacon)

5.     Tom Lachner (BidGood)

6.     Wayne Flatt (CaptBones)

7.     Me (Keith Wellman, Chekika)

Posted 5 years ago #
Aero70
Member

Keith.

Unfortunately I will not be able to make it down for this trip.

I will be coming down a different week (TBD) to scout the area. I need to wrap a weekend around a week off to maximize my vacation time.

I am trying to work out the week of the 19th or 26th.

Paul

Posted 5 years ago #
Chekika
Member

Paul, sorry to hear you can make our Jan 13-16 trip, but we are planning our "leisure" trip, Ckpt 2 to Ckpt 3 Jan 29-Feb 4. Last year this trip was anything but leisure--instead, a difficult trip. Still, this is always a fun trip with fun people. Maybe you can fit that into you plans.

Keith

Posted 5 years ago #
Scareman
Member

Bones, that is quite the plan. Good luck! Make sure that you get your permits for Everglades National Park at either Flamingo or Everglades City (Choko)

You may want to consider Marco Island to Choko, but stop to scout Panther Key and other Islands just outside of the Park boundaries just so you can get a feel for the low and high tide appearance of these areas before you encounter them in the EC. Maybe leave Choko and head out and in various Passes to learn your options.

Try running against the tide in these Passes so you will learn what to expect, and how to make progress in the event you must move against the tides here.

I have Florida Bay photos online from an out and back out of Flamingo to Key Largo. Click here to go to Florida Bay Loop at photobucket.com/scareman. I went the Southern route out, and back along the Northern route. I left Flamingo at a low tide to see what it looked like and also feel the effects of the ebbing tide leaving Florida Bay as I left. Flamingo. After a good day's paddle-sail, I landed at the Finish after sunset, I ordered spaghetti at Mrs. Macs, went across to CVS to freshen-up, then back Mrs. Macs to get my dinner, then ate dinner at the Finish at the picnic table, then off to North Nest Key for camping. The next Day I returned to Flamingo via the Norther route over Crocodile Dragover.

If you plan to rest at a Chickee, then you should make sure you can land with your vessel and get what you need while leaning over a platform or hanging onto the ladder. Many ECers lift their kayaks onto the chickees while they wait, but I leave my tandem tied-off in the water while visiting a chickee.

Get out there at night, against the tides, check out landings at both high and low tides because you will be amazed what is uncovered. This knowledge will help you decide when and where to land in your journeys.Tou may be amazed at the flats that leave you hundreds of yards high and dry after you wake up to a low tide. Maybe you will discover submerged trees at beaches during low tide.

Keep us posted!

Posted 5 years ago #
Scareman
Member

Here is a good comparison of two BigAgnes tents - Copper Spur (s side doors, center pole to support sides of tent, and tent poles at each corner through two hubs) and Fly Creek (front entry, 3 poles with two front entry and one to middle of footbox).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTStZ1yI_Tg

Posted 5 years ago #
Bones
Member

Scareman,

Thank you for the extensive suggestions from the voice of experience. I have taken your ideas and will incorporate them into my explorations.

Comments, suggestions, ideas gleaned from experienced WT members are so very important to those of us with no Tribal experience. I value all information shared with me.

Thank you again,

Bones

Posted 5 years ago #
Wisenber
Member

Chekika wrote:

Paul, sorry to hear you can make our Jan 13-16 trip, but we are planning our "leisure" trip, Ckpt 2 to Ckpt 3 Jan 29-Feb 4. Last year this trip was anything but leisure--instead, a difficult trip. Still, this is always a fun trip with fun people. Maybe you can fit that into you plans.

Keith

Would you be amenable to adding another for this trip? Were you looking at WW or another route?

Thanks!

Wisenber

Posted 5 years ago #
Chekika
Member

Wisenber, you are certainly welcome to join us. What kind of a boat do you have? We only do the outside, i.e., once we make our way through the passes from Chokoloskee to the Gulf of Mexico, we stay on the Gulf. Our camping sites are usually Pavilion Key, maybe Hog (good fishing), Highland Beach, Graveyard, Mid-Cape. We end in Flamingo about a week after we start. Depending on the winds and the weather, we usually do 10-18 miles per day. In recent years, everyone doing this trip has a Hobie Island, either an AI or tandem. This year we may do Nightmare, just for a change of pace.

You can read about last year's trip here: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276&start=855

Keith

Posted 5 years ago #
Wisenber
Member

Keith,

I currently have Class 1 boats with a Falcon sail. I'm torn between the bow, surfing ability and speed of my Epic 18X versus the stability, comfort, foot room and rudder of my CLC 17. I doubt I could keep up with your Hobie Islands in the race, but 12-18 miles/day would be easy enough. I've done the WW solo in a Folbot tandem, but don't have any experience with the outer routes. I'm mainly looking for some scouting opportunities and doing some paddling on bigger water versus the cold rivers and lakes near me in Tennessee this time of year.

It would be great to capture some experience from more seasoned members, and sharing logistics would be great too.

Walter (aka Wisenber)

Posted 5 years ago #
Chekika
Member

Walter, send an email to kwellma@gmail.com and I'll add you to my mailing list so you know what is going on. Wayne Flatt, CaptBones, is also from Tennesee. He is doing our FLM to North Nest Key in a couple weeks.

Keith

Posted 5 years ago #

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