***** TRIP COMPLETED, SEE TRIP REPORT and PHOTOS*****.
TRIP REPORT:
One trout, one jack, and one ladyfish. The fish were…. wait a second, is this a fishing report or a kayak trip report? Somehow kayak fishermen have infiltrated our kayak club; four of the six participants were fishing along the way. Other than the occasional plunk, click, click click, splash and “I got one” it was a very peaceful evening kayaking towards the St. Johns River as the sunset in the west and the moon rose in the east.
There were six paddlers for the evening with two new members and two guests joining us. We launched at 6:30 from the lock dock and paddled across the intracoastal heading north under the Wonderwood Bridge. After about 2 miles, we beached the kayaks just south of the St. Johns River and watched the sunset over Florida while we nibbled on BBQ ribs and wings and sipped Tinto Verano – a Spanish summer wine spritzer. The moon rose with a brilliant yellow orange hue at the same time the sun was setting and a lightning display flashed to the west. Then after 30 minutes, the shy moon slipped behind a thin layer of clouds for the rest of the trip, remaining just out of view.
Having arrived to the launch site late, two of the paddlers joined the group after sunset and cocktails. We met up with them as they fished from an oyster bar puffing on cigars. We then deviated from our original float plan to paddle back to Queen’s Harbour via the Intracoastal and ducked into the marsh reemerging just south of Wonderwood. We crossed the intracoastal and returned to Queen’s Harbour. It was a perfect evening.
For those of you that were unable to join us, you missed a Perfect evening on the water.
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Date: Monday, September 15, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Level: Moderate/IntermediateLocation: Queen's Harbour Lock Dock
Length of Trip: approximately 4 hours
Trip Leader: Shannon and Lisa Beardsley
Gear: PDF, Flashlight, Whistle required
Trip Info:
We will meet at the Queen's Harbour Lock Dock at 6pm, paddle up the ICW to the St. John's river, exploring some estuaries along the way. We will take a break at a small beach just south of the St. John's River and have a snack and a drink while we watch the sunset over Florida. We will then paddle back to the Lock Dock, exploring some side marshes along the way, under the light of a full moon.
Sunset: 7:32 pm
Twilight ends: 7:56 pm
Moonrise: 7:36 pm
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See you on the water!
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