Enroute

Robert's location last night:
Latitude:33.0383 Longitude:-79.56089

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He said yesterday morning when breaking down his camp, he had to shake the bug parts out of his tent and there were blood splatters everywhere from smacking the beasts! All around his stove there was singed mosquito carnage.

Trek to Charleston -Night 1

Melissa reporting in:
Mother Nature has reminded Robert just how much he doesn't know!
He had high reviews for the staff at East Bay Park in Georgetown, SC. But tonight on Cedar Island is another story. He said he'd not see another boat or soul for hours. And as he landed and started setting up camp huge mosquitos descended. He was very nearly sucked to a dry husk before he managed to put on a storm cag to try and gain some protection as he got the tent up. At our last phone conversation he feared they would realize they could all team up and pick up the tent and carry him off like a giant burrito. He said there were so many hitting the tent that it sounded like rain! He pulled as many supplies as he could near the zipper so he could just dart a hand out for what he needed. Not sure this in the man alone communing with nature that he'd hoped for!
Last position: Latitude:33.13423 Longitude:-79.2472

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Trek to Charleston-Day 1

Melissa here, signing in for Robert.
Robert had to modify his original plan for the paddle to Charleston. Just after noon today he checked in at Latitude:33.35687 and Longitude:-79.28007

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He'll paddle out into Winyah bay and later the ocean.

W2C Postponed and Abbreviated

Hello all,
If you come to this blog to follow my paddle from Lake Waccamaw to Charleston I am sorry to disappoint you. Due to a death in my family I was unable to begin on schedule. Due to this delay I must shorten the trip and begin in Georgetown SC on Monday the 12th. This new starting point will alow me to paddle the second half of the original route, from Winyah Bay to James Island County Park in Charleston and still attend the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. You should still be able to follow me on this blog.

W2C, Waccamaw to Charleston

FYI, on April 9th, 2010 I will begin paddling from Lake Waccamaw NC to Charleston SC.

I will be doing this for the pleasure of it and hopefully to raise awareness in the region about the human impact on the Waccamaw River, Winyah Bay and the salt marshes and barrier islands of NC and SC. The trip will be approximately 200 nautical miles and take about a week at a moderate pace. Stay tuned for more info. and updates!

Wearing your PFD

Just a short rant.
Any rational paddler knows that not wearing a PFD is foolish, but did you know that it is also selfish and inconsiderate ?
Not wearing a PFD puts other members of a paddling group at higher risk during rescue for several reasons. Paddlers who suddenly become swimmers often panic. A panicked swimmer is one of the most dangerous things in the water. They may desperately grasp onto anything to save themselves, including a rescuer's boat, their paddle and even the rescuer. If the swimmer capsizes the rescuer they may push down on the rescuer to push themselves up. The swimmer is also not able to hold onto their gear while they are swimming adding these items to the list of things needing rescue. If their hands and legs are occupied with swimming, they can not assist in their own rescue. Unconscious swimmers not wearing PFDs sink, often leading to breathing of water (that's not a good thing). It is very difficult to rescue someone who has sunk. If you capsize in water that is 60 degrees or below you will probably experience "cold water shock". When this happens you hyperventilate uncontrollably for 3-5 minutes and lose motor control. If you cannot control your muscles, you cannot swim. If you uncontrollably inhale as water hits you in the face, you will inhale water, not good.

So, if you don't wear a PFD, don't paddle with other people. If you do wear one, don't paddle with people who don't. If you organize or lead trips, don't allow people to go bare back on your trips.

Guided trip on the Intracoastal

Hello All! Long time no talky.

I have recently returned from a very interesting and pleasant paddle down the coast. A local author and professor needed a guide for himself and a friend. "D", the author, had been commisioned to write an article that centered around the trip. The proposed trip would be from Wilmington, NC to Charleston, SC. After some discussion and research we decided to break the trip into two sections and skip the "ditch" west of Myrtle Beach, SC (possibly the most tacky strip of coast in the world). This ditch-like section of the ICWW is a narrow canal cut through the mainland and is continuously lined with houses, businesses and docks. South of Socastee the ICWW joins the Waccamaw River and returns to more natural waterways.

We left Wilmington on Thursday, the first day of October. The only word to describe the weather that day is perfect. This was fotunate for us, for logistical, lodging and tidal reasons this would be our longest day, slightly more than 26 nms. Our timing was perfect as well. We arrived at the infamous Provision Co. in Southport right at slack. After lunch there we paddled the last 4 nms. to our uber-quaint "shack" for cold beers and bed.

In the morning we were joined by "R", who drove down from Wilmington. As usual, the hardest parts of a kayak expedition are the boat packing and the unique landing and launching scenarios. That morning was no exception as we did not launch 'til 1000, but we did have fresh coffee due to R (someone had forgot to bring the coffee makings).

Once again we had near perfect weather, enduring the only 20 min.s of rain for the three day trip. This day we were to paddle from eastern Oak Is. to an island near the Shalotte River Inlet.

We also had to make an important side trip up the Lockwood's Folly River to Sunset Harbor and Varnam Town, two small villages traditionally dependent on commercial fishing. In Sunset Harbor we visited the seafood market of Yankee Dave and picked up some crab meat and the best cocktail sauce ever. Yankee Dave is a commercial fisherman who is very environmentally aware and concerned about sustainability and impact. He and Ray had visited us just after dawn at the shack and we had a very informative and interesting conversation, I'm sure they were very beneficial to D's article.

Varnam Town was our second stop on our Lockwood's Folly River detour. To say that Varnam Town has.....character, is putting it lightly. VT is home to about ten floating shrimp boats and several others up to their gunwales in marsh mud. We had lunch and took a break here while D roamed about town on foot, bike and golf cart doing interviews and research. D has an innate ability to draw assistance from locals. An ability that has served him well in his many writing related journeys.

We left Lockwood's and continued west to our next campsite. With help from some of the many gill netters we found a legal and beautiful site on the west end of Ocean Isle Beach. After a dinner of fresh shrimp from Varnam Town we took a stroll along the strand. As we reached our landing cove we could barely see a small boat at anchor. In hushed tones we wondered who it was and where they were. We were answered from the dark, "We're over here!", in a distinct local dialect. Three young, local gill netters (probably unlicensed) had come to shore to smoke their mullet. I know what your thinking, yes, at least one of them had a "mullet" hair cut, but the mullet they were attempting to smoke were fish. These boys were classic stereotypes of the region, but friendly as could be and drunk. Everyone introduced themselves and answered the standard questions that strangers who meet in the dark on a barrier island ask. A few moments after they asked us if we had any beer, which we did not, R asked if they did. The least brightest of the group jumped up from his sand bath (apparently this cures poison ivy) and said, "sure, we got it right over here in this bucket". R and D gladly accepted and I declined because I kept hearing banjo music in my head and told them I thought I would head back to my tent. Quite suddenly, after only one swig of beer, D says he would head back to camp as well and offered his beer to the boys. As we walked back I thought it odd that D didn't stay since he is usually very social and looking for anecdotal experiences. I expressed as much to him, he said he had a sudden urge to brush his teeth. I pressed further, apparently the boys kept their beer in the same bucket of ice and water as their recently caught fish! D felt like he had just licked a mullet.

The next morning we were glad to discover R had returned and none of our belongings or boats had left. R had to come to no harm even after Mr. Jagermeister had shown up. The day began beautifully as we watched the deer grazing in a nearby salt barren and we ate breakfast and had cowboy coffee. We were in no rush for we would have to take a long lunch at Little River Inlet to wait for a favorable tide. The area behind Sunset Beach and Bird Island was tranquil and only lightly travelled due to repairs to their draw bridge.

Beyond Sunset and Bird we paddled into the largely protected Little River Inlet marshes. We gladly ate, napped and explored this area while we waited for the tide to change. Our last leg of our journey would take us into the most urban and artificial area we had paddled since leaving down town Wilmington. Little River SC and Cherry Grove SC are now contiguous with that bastion of summer vacations, Myrtle Beach.

As our journey neared it's end, D was becoming desperate for an experience he had hoped to have during our trip. D wanted to see and photograph dolphins. Just as we became completely surrounded by developement he got his wish. We watched 4 Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins feeding in the ICW for about 30 minutes, capturing the experience in still photos and video. 15 minutes later we watched as two Bald Eagles soared on thermals a thousand feet above us.

We were very fortunate people that day. Not only did we have a wonderful natural experience, but our vehicle was still at the take-out and it cranked. We also learned a valuable lesson about the absence of something making it more precious. This was made clear to us as we enjoyed cold cans of beer on the way home.