After the launch, the lack of wind was perfect for a kayak trip to Bull Island. These conditions were optimal too for spotting a loggerhead, or perhaps to hear its gasping exhalation. April is the month when I have observed these marine reptiles before the females begin their nesting in May. Paddling steady with the significant […]
Lookout for loggerheads Read More »
A morning with full sun, no-seeums, and without wind at the landing. A kingfisher flew by; the outgoing tide had two hours before dead low. I had a need to launch at that moment before the landing became dominated by pluff mud. I cast off without raising sail, and unconsciously began paddling while standing. Kingfisher
We returned to the Cape Trail at Santee Coastal Reserve, again. Groundhog Day? No. Was there anything new to see? Yes, always. At the parking area, my neighbor Brantley and I were the first arrivals, on this second day after the Cape Trail and its expanse of impoundments were open again to the public after
Rutledge Road was the last leg of the journey to the kayak launch. After Hampton Plantation, the road passed through the Germantown community before changing to dirt, and traversing Francis Marion National Forest and White Oak Forestry. Entering the swamp, I crossed the bridge over Wambaw Creek, and prepared for launching at the small landing.
I stepped onto a frosty deck at the landing, the air 34 degrees, before my neighbor Brian Doran arrived and launched his boat at 7AM. Stepping on to the likewise icy deck required care. We soon were motoring out for a smooth passage to Bull Island. We started our hike around 7:40, ahead of the
Frost, fur and feathers Read More »
As I prepared to launch Kingfisher and looked at the water on the ramp, I ran into my neighbor Yogi, and commented “Plenty of water there”. He exclaimed “But there is no wind. Look at the flag!” I did not look at the massive flagpole behind the landing. Instead my eye noticed the signs on
Movements of a flag Read More »
The ethereal morning fog was dissipating as I paddled across the Intracoastal Waterway heading for the entrance to Venning Creek. Actually, several entrances beckoned, and more channels split off, eventually all joining. Though the sun had shrugged off the fog, the marshes were swollen with the high tide, just beginning its ebb toward Bulls Bay
One decision made – the destination for the sail, a hammock south of the Bull Island public dock on Summerhouse Creek. The second decision – the course, as I headed out Anderson Creek toward Bulls Bay. The speed of the northeast wind had reached the predicted 14 -17 knots, so I took a peek out
Island in the Marsh Read More »
The kingfisher on a flyby rattled a call as I prepared Kingfisher for a sail out to Bulls Bay. With doubts about the weather and the all important wind, I would take the encounter as a positive sign, along with the breeze coming across the extensive marsh separating the mainland from the Bay. Completing the
A point on Bulls Bay Read More »
We motored slowly along the edge of the island, looking for a suitable landing place. There was no dock, and the bluff along the North Santee River was steep in places and thickly grown over. We considered fallen trees as possibilities, but looking further a tiny beach seemed the best option. I stepped off the
Santee Delta drop off Read More »
A resounding crack occurred at midnight, followed by an earth-shaking crash, overwhelming the sounds of the rushing waters of Bradley Fork and the wind-buffeted tent. It was clearly a tree fall, perhaps right in the Smokemont Campground. The temperatures were still in the 30s the next morning as Mike, Jim, Joel and I headed up
The hole was gaping, as were others where the pulleys were mounted on the boom for the line controlling the sail. It was way past time to replace these aging corroded aluminum booms, both upper and lower. I had convinced myself that replacement must happen before the next sail.
