Second Annual Howl and Growl at the (almost) Full Moon Party

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Mark your calenders! No need for boats --- it will be too scary to venture into the marsh!

Sunday - October 12th -- 6pm to 9pm.

Come to the Beardsley Residence to meet other Club dismembers, er.... I mean members.

Enjoy some creepy rum punch and bring a snack to share!

RSVP by email or posting to the blog.

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Pumpkin Hill Preserve - A Location for the Season

.(The Rare American White Pelican)

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(White Pelicans in Pumpkin Hill Preserve)

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2008

Time: 7 am

Length: 3-4 hours

Difficulty: Intermediate/Moderate

Location: Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve; 13804 Pumpkin Hill Road. (An option is to meet at Queen's Harbour Real Estate Office Parking Lot and car pool to)

Leader: Lisa Beardsley

Gear: Be sure to bring your binoculars, plenty to drink, sun screen, bug spray and don't forget a hat and lunch. Also have your Coast Guard regulated PFD and whistle!

Cost: At this time, there is no cost to use the park, although a day use fee may be implemented as they have just upgraded the canoe/kayak launch site.

TRIP INFORMATION:

We will meet at the Queen's Harbour Real Estate office parking lot and carpool to the launch site as it is somewhat difficult to find. We should be at the dock by 8 am, get our gear ready and launch as soon as possible. High tide is around 8am and low tide will be around 2:15 pm so tides should not be a problem for this trip. This will be the first time at this location, so be ready for some adventure and exploration.

SITE FACTS/INFORMATION:

Pumpkin Hill Preserve covers 3,895 acres and adjoins the Timucuan Ecological Preserve, the Nassau River and the St. John's River Marsh Aquatic Preserve.

This area is one of the largest contiguous zones of uplands left in Duval County, and include mesic flat woods, xeric hammock, scrubby flat woods, dome swamp, tidal marshes, cypress domes and four different creek and marsh systems.

This is an extremely ecologically significant area. Wildlife viewing should be abundant and there will be many scenic natural Florida views!

The park is open from 8am until Sunset.

This will be the clubs first time at this location, so be ready for some exploring and adventure.

DIRECTIONS:

From either I-95 or State Road 9A, exit east onto Hecksher Drive. Turn left onto New Berlin Road. At a sharp right in the road, turn right onto Cedar Point Road. Turn left on Pumpkin Hill Road. Follow the road to the end to reach the launch site.

For more information:Call Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park at (904) 696-5980.

Please click "comment" below and leave a post if you are interested in participating.

See you on the water.


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September Full Moon Paddle

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***** 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/Intermediate

Location: 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

Sign up by posting a comment or e-mail the club at BackcountryKayakAdventures@yahoo.com

See you on the water!


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Need Gear for a Trip?

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GoGITTO.com rents paddle trip gear from dry bags to wine "glasses" to GPS units!

GITTO also specializes in the equipment needed to go Car Camping, Backpacking, Kayak or Canoe Camping or to have a family Backyard Campout or host a Backyard Birthday Campout.

Daily Gear Rental Rates have been arranged especially for Queen's Harbour Kayak Club Members! E-mail Lisa@GoGITTO.com with your equipment needs.

Full Moon Paddle for August

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Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008

Time: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Level: Moderate/Intermediate

Location: Queen's Harbour Lock Dock

Length of Trip: approximately 5 hours

Trip Leader: Shannon and Lisa Beardsley

Trip Info:

We will meet at the Queen's Harbour Lock Dock at 5pm, 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: 8:07 pm
Twilight ends: 8:32 pm
Moonrise: 8:05 pm

Sign up by posting a comment or e-mail the club at Queensharbourkayakclub@yahoo.com

See you on the water!