CASKA: Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association

Sea-Change and Sea Kayaking

By Mary Fairchild

 

Glacial polished dolostone on Schoolhouse Beach, Washington Island, WI.

  

At one time the whole middle of the North American Continent sank from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.  One of the most deeply sunken areas centered in the present middle of Lower Michigan.  Gradually this low spot was filled in with about two miles of sediment.  This layering of sediment was the accumulation of marine animals dying and it consisted primarily of the shells and skeletal parts of the sea invertebrates.  This layer of lime mud is referred to as the Niagara dolostone.  Dolostone is 54%  limestone and 46% dolomite. (8)

Full fathom five thy father lies:
Of his bones are coral made:
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

Shakespeare, The Tempest Act i., Scene 2.

Friday night I met with a group of geologists, educators, and fossil enthusiasts to celebrate the authoring and publishing of The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna by the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois at the home of Charles and Susan Shabica.  My husband and I hosted a similar party at our home for the publication of the Richardson's Guide to the Fossil and Fauna of Mazon Creek  by Charles W. Shabica and Andrew A. Hay.  Charlie and our family have fond memories of our times with the late Andrew Hay and Don Auler.  Our family enjoyed Mazon Creek events and many rock club field trips with Andy and Don.  Don Auler, whose illustrations fill Mazon Creek books, also came to our home to teach our 4 children how to paint.  

The earth is not static.  With shifting magnetic poles, a partially liquid core and mantle...massive mobile crustal plates, it is a dynamic evolving system.  Andrew Young, The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna, p. vii

At one time sea creatures flourished in a shallow inland sea where a long northern coastline arced through what is now Kankakee, Will, and Grundy counties in Illinois.  Mazon Creek fossils are named after the tributary of the Illinois River where they were first discovered.  More than 300 animal and 200 plants have been identified from the Mazon Creek area.  Because of the unique conditions of fossilization, many soft-bodied organisms that do not usually fossilize are preserved. (1)

Amid the circles of enthusiastic conversations about geology and ancient history, I kept injecting my own enthusiasm with, “I just kayaked there…”  I was reminded how much I appreciate being able to explore remote areas in my kayak.  Ironically, when we first started collecting the Mazon Creek fossils near the power plant in Braidwood we were never able to reach the islands because we did not have access to a boat.

 Charlie and I began to swap stories about our time on Cumberland Island as we visited with Susan who was putting the finishing touches on her homemade lasagna.  Charlie, a coastal geologist who taught for Northeastern Illinois University, has led geology groups on Cumberland Island and I have recently circumnavigated it by kayak.  Cumberland Island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island.  Its 9,800 acres of designated wilderness include pristine maritime forests undeveloped beaches.
 

Although the earliest records of the coastal environments in parts of the southeastern United States have been lost due to the continuing rise of the sea, in 1970 an extensive shell midden area with Spanish and historic Indian ceramics was found.  The center of the site is 3.6 miles from the NW tip of Amelia Island.  The shell midden runs almost a mile along the island’s edge with its south end on the Old Thomas Carnegie family estate of Dungeness on Cumberland Island.  (4)  

 

Gathering at the table now for a candle-lit dinner in Charlie and Susan’s charming 1800s home, the conversation of our group began to focus on Washington Island in Door County which also happened to be where I had recently kayaked.  Door County is named after the straight between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island; Porte des Morts, or “Death’s Door,” which links Lake Michigan and Green Bay between the northern tip of the Peninsula of Door County, Wisconsin, and a group of islands dominated by Washington Island.  The area is littered with shipwrecks and is notorious for unpredictable weather that can increase to gale forces and more almost without warning.      

 

Cave Point Park, Door County, WI.

Before making my way up to Northport Pier, I hiked the trails at Cave Point Park.  It is here that you can witness sea caves being formed today as bedrock dolostone is being eroded by crashing waves.   

About 5,000 years ago, Cave Point defined Clark Bay, but when the water levels rose the point was submerged and became a sand bar.  This slowed down water currents, causing the sand that water carried to deposit southwest of the point.  The accumulating sand created the Whitefish Dunes and Clark Lake.   

From south to north in Whitefish Bay, the geology shifts from dunes to mixed sand and stone and, at Cave Point, to exposed dolostone ledges which rise 50 feet above the water of the bedrock of the peninsula.    

All of the Door Peninsula is a classic example of a cuesta with an escarpment on the northwestern shore of the peninsula.  An escarpment is a steep cliff edge of a cuesta (Spanish for ‘slope;’ the land behind the escarpment.), which is formed from slightly tilted layers of rocks.  The steep cliff face forms when crumbly rocks, such as shale, are eroded from beneath erosion-resistant rocks like limestone or dolomite, which then break off to make the cliff face.

The rocks of the Niagara Cuesta were tilted when the Earth’s crust sagged, forming a bowl-shaped depression beneath Michigan.  The Niagara Escarpment is the exposed, up-tilted, outer edge of this feature.  The once-flat sea bottom deformed into a bowl and only the edges are seen above the ground.  The remainder lies buried below several layers of rock.  The giant bowl reaches from Wisconsin around the north end of Lake Michigan and Huron to Niagara Falls.  The Door County Peninsula and Niagara Falls lie opposite each other on the rim. (7)

 

Niagara Escarpment; Washington Island.

 

Beyond Washington Island is one of the Niagara Escarpment’s longest gaps as it stretches under the waters to Michigan and on to Ontario.  The escarpment is a mere 160’ above the lake’s surface, surrounding Washington Island’s wave-battered exterior.

The Escarpment is home to over 204 different rare, threatened, or endangered plant and animal species, including white cedar trees that are more than 1,000 years old.

(Cave Point Park.)

The Byron Dolostone is a basal unit of the Burnt Bluff Group in the Niagaran Series.  It is a white to light gray, dense, very finely grained, even-textured, sub-lithographic dolostone that reaches a maximum thickness of 130 feet.  Because the rock is so well stratified in even and regular beds, it breaks down into rectangular blocks. (9)  These blocks weather into brick-like cobbles such as those on the beach at Schoolhouse beach in Washington Harbor on Washington Island . 

 Schoolhouse Beach

   

Along with exploring the rocky shoreline on Rock Island, the Viking Hall on Rock Island displays Native American artifacts dating back to 1678.  Several stone houses can be found on the island, along with the old Stone Water Tower, which once served a fishing village that used to be located on the southeast corner of the island.  The campground is located in the area of an old Potawatomi Indian Village and some buildings constructed by the explorer LaSalle. A portion of an old Ottawa and Huron stockade is also located in the campground area.

The earliest permanent settlers in Northern Door County fished, hunted, and traded with local Indians.  In 1994 a dig at Nicolet Bay uncovered artifacts dated to the Early, Middle and Late Woodland and Oneota Native American cultures (400BC).  Mixed villages of Potawatomi and other native groups occupied Door County and its islands through the mid 1800s.

Modern man is often out of touch with the natural world.  We no longer interact with plants, animals, or the environment in ways that allow us to learn and apply scientific principles.  What former generations knew about animals because they kept livestock or about the weather because they spent a lot of time outdoors we now have to learn from books.

Scientists take things out of their natural setting and study their parts and details.  This fragmenting of something alive can strip it of its allure.  A naturalist can study plants, animals, rocks, in their natural settings where he can appreciate its uniqueness, learning its habits, its patterns, and its interaction with other created things. 

“The Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna is a complete and updated taxonomic guide that includes descriptions and color photos of species that collectors are likely to find in the field or see in most large collections.  This book was conceived by the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI) as a continuation of earlier publications on the subject.  It represents an evolution of Mazon Creek works published by ESCONI, including two books by George Langford, Sr. (1958 and 1963) and, more recently, Keys to Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Animals of the Mazon Creek Area, by Andrew A. Hay, et al. (1989).  For more than 60 years ESCONI has supported Mazon Creek collecting, museum accessions, and research.” 

 

 Forward by Charles W. Shabica, Emeritus Professor,
Northeastern Illinois University,
Chicago, Illinois

Study nature not books.  Louis Agassiz

Mfairlady

References
1.  Mike Sula, The Vanishing Mother Lode, Chicago Reader; 7/1/04.
2.  Elizabeth Harmon, Fossil Hunters Dig the Past in Illinois or out West, suburban residents seek bits of history, Arlington Heights Daily Herald; 7/3/03.

3.  Mazon Creek Fossils

4. AIPG, American Institute of Professional Geologists, Feild Trip Guide Book: Geology of Brown and Door Counties, WI; 5/30/09.
5.  Roy Lukes, Caves Give History, Geology Lessons, Door County Advocate; 9/10/99.



Kayaking Cumberland Island: Surf Workshop with Geneva Kayak

 By Mary Fairchild

(Dave Langowski; Stafford Beach, Cumberland Island. 11/2/12.)

Surfers on Amelia Island shared with me that there are consistent spots along the eastern seaboard that bring in solid waves for three out of the four seasons.  Although I was hoping that Hurricane Sandy, which had already delivered swell from Florida to the Great Lakes, would keep things interesting, conditions were very flat at the start of our trip. 

Our group met on Amelia Island and camped in Fort Clinch State Park for the first night. We had originally planned to paddle up to Stafford Beach on Cumberland Island, but due to the conditions we decided to drive north of Cumberland Island and set up camp on Jekyll Island for our second night instead.

 

(Hiking through maritime forests on Cumberland Island; Mary, Paul, Ryan, Dave.)

I teamed up with three men for this surf workshop who had prepared me for my first kayak expedition in 2007.   Ryan Rushton owner of Geneva Kayak, Paul Redzimski who taught me my first lesson L1-2, and David Langowski who paddled with me on my first expedition and then taught my son and his friends their first lesson that fall.  In 2011, Paul, Ryan, and I had some of the biggest surf and swell I've ever experienced off the coast of Maine, but this week on Georgia's coast I looked forward to the warm shallow rolling surf to play in.

 

(Jekyll Island)

After setting up camp we circumnavigated Jekyll Island and worked in the strong west wind which had steepened up a nice tide race for us as we made our way up Jekyll Sound. We experienced sustained wind for most of our circumnavigation with some gusts up to 25mph. and we were all pretty salty afterwards.  It was interesting to watch the clusters of salt crumble out of my hair when I touched it that evening. 

We left our cars on Jekyll and ended up paddling Jekyll Sound three times and each time the conditions were very different.  Short, continual, breaking waves battered up against our boats on our first trip.  In the morning, as we headed down to Cumberland Island, the area was flooding and much of the shoreline was under water, creating very calm conditions like a big bathtub.  Then, as we returned on Sunday, I was reminded of the island's important archaeological sites when I was able to see the walls of oyster shells lining the west side of Jekyll Island as more land was exposed.

Jekyll, like Georgia's other barrier islands, was a popular hunting ground for Indians on the coast.  The construction of shell rings, or midden, is believed to symbolize the conversion of nomadic hunter-gatherers to coastal fisher folk and is considered a pivotal stage in the evolution of preEuropean contact culture in the United States.

Georgia's largest golf resort, is built on an ancient Indian mound on Jekyll.   Jekyll Island is also where, in 1910, draft legislation was written in secret to create a central bank by some of the world's richest men--the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Forbes magazine founder Bertie Charles Forbes wrote:  "Picture a party of the nation's greatest bankers stealing out of New York on a private railroad car under cover of darkness, stealthily riding hundred[s] of miles South, embarking on a mysterious launch, sneaking onto an island deserted by all but a few servants, living there a full week under such rigid secrecy that the names of not one of them was once mentioned, lest the servants learn the identity and disclose to the world this strangest, most secret expedition in the history of American finance. I am not romancing; I am giving to the world, for the first time, the real story of how the famous Aldrich currency report, the foundation of our new currency system, was written... The utmost secrecy was enjoined upon all. The public must not glean a hint of what was to be done." (7)

Congressman Charles Lindbergh, Sr.: "From now on, depressions will be scientifically created."

President Woodrow Wilson: "I am a most unhappy man.  I have unwittingly ruined my country... We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world.  No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." (8) 

 

The guys joked with me about  the time, on our circumnavigation of Isle Royale with them 2009, that I brazenly had attempted to follow them into some rock gardening that I was not supposed to.  Fortunately, I gracefully paid attention to their instructions to "turn around" at the right time and I didn't do anything "too stupid."

 

(Dave Langowski, Ryan Rushton.)

 If you want to be good at something you not only have to practice, but sample the work of other people who have been doing it for a long time.  It has been proven that most people are not very good at estimating their own competence and that ameteurs are much more likely to think they are the experts than the experts are.  The more skilled you are, the more experience you have, the better you can compare yourself to others. (2)

 

As we paddled down to Stafford Beach on Cumberland Island dolphins occasionally popped up along the way.  We had to keep an eye on boat traffic in St. Andrews Sound where the shrimp boats, in particular, seemed to change course and speed frequently. 

After we stopped for lunch we spotted a couple of horses that came down on the beach to nibble on seaweed as we continued to paddle south along Cumberland Island. 

 

(Ryan Rushton; Stafford Beach, Cumberland Island.)  

 

 

Where we once crossed with a smooth slack tide on our way down, nice 3-4' wave sets where rolling in continually across the shoals as we approached St. Andrews Sound on our way up to Jekyll on our last day.  

Travelling up to Jekyll proved to be a move "worth its salt"--something I've come to expect when paddling with Ryan Rushton and Geneva Kayak.  

References
1.   David McRaney, "You're Not So Smart."  Dutten, November, 2011.

2.  Jay DiMartino, "East Coast Surfers Dig Hurricanes," About.com .

3.  Sherpa Guides, "Jekyll Island State Park." Richard J. Lenz.
4.  Sherpa Guides, "Island Life and Culture: Tracing Georgia's Roots;" Beth A. Blaney.
5.  Wikipedia, "Jekyll Island."

 

Drawing a Line in the Sand: Adaptive Paddling

By Mary Fairchild

(L4 Apostle Islands Expedition coaches Ryan Rushton and Jim Tibensky.)

 

 A line in the sand is quickly erased by wind and water
Which brings nature back to perfect order,
Unblemished by those who use a stick
To draw an imaginary limit on an issue, they pick.

 

Ryan Rushton drawing in the sand for us to understand how to "avoid drift" as we paddled the Apostle Islands last week for our 8-day expedition. Jim Tibensky, who had polio as a child, and Ryan Rushton led the expedition.  They are both L5 Open Water Instructors at Geneva Kayak Center. 

Before heading to the Apostles, I spent a few days with Nancy Uschold of Sea Kayak Specialists at the Bay Cliff Health Camp assisting her in the kayak lessons for "Camp Yes I Can" tucked up in beautiful Big Bay, Michigan on Lake Superior.  Sam Crowley and Nancy Uschold of Sea Kayak Specialists, in nearby Marquette, have been a part of the Bay Cliff Health Camp kayaking program since 1994. In September they will be teaching a 4-day ACA Adaptive Paddling class there.

Kayaking, basketball, and even horseback riding were just some of the activities at Bay Cliff Health Camp last week for boys and girls age 7-17.  Forty campers and volunteer staff members participated this year, most were amputees. Through interacting with other amputees while enjoying the outdoors, the purpose of the camp is to help the campers gain confidence as well as become more comfortable with their prosthetic limbs. 

During the Great Depression, two female health professionals, one a nurse and the other a physician, traveled throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula caring for children who were malnourished and underweight due to the times. As they continued to see the effects of poor nutrition on the children's health, they conspired together to do more. They envisioned a place where the children could be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, be fed well three times a day, and be involved in camping experiences.... (Bay Cliff History)

Nearly 1 in every 3 Americans lived on the farm in 1930.  Due to the Great Depression, a dairy farm that had been abandoned was found just 27 miles northwest of Marquette, in Big Bay.  Contributions where raised and soon the farm was officially incorporated as Bay Cliff Health Camp, a non-profit, non-denominational camp for children.

In 1934, during the first program, the underweight children not only gained an average of 5 pounds, but through organized staff their summer was filled with camping fun.  Later, although nutritional needs eased a bit as the country moved out of the Great Depression, an outbreak of polio in the summer of 1940 rampaged through the Upper Peninsula leaving hundreds of children paralyzed and crowding the hospitals. The polio epidemic changed the focus of the camp to serve not only malnourished, but physically disabled children and it has been a therapy camp ever since.

Between 1940-1970 the increased use of machinery, new crop varieties, better pesticides and fertilizers all allowed more people to leave the farms. Before the 1950s, fresh vegetables had been only available during the short local growing season.  As more people began to own cars and new road systems allowed better transportation of produce and dairy products, new technology increased the production of food as well as better ways of preserving food.

The most feared public-health threat in the United States, polio, still hovered over every common activity during this time. In 1952, a record 57,628 cases were reported. It took more lives every year than any other communicable disease. Jonas Salk, a virologist working at the University of Pittsburgh with support from the Sarah Scaife Foundation, started testing a polio vaccine—bravely beginning with himself and his family. When he publicly announced his breakthrough, more than two million children signed up for the trial.  The vaccine was declared safe for the public in 1955. This polio vaccine ended the spread of polio and later, vaccines were developed against measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and other diseases.

Because children continue to face physical challenges either at birth or through their development today, Bay Cliff Health Camp serves them just the same.  Today, children with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, vision impairment, hearing loss, arthritis, joint deformities, limb loss, and disability due to accidents or trauma, to name a few, can all experience the Bay Cliff  Health Camp.

Kelly Allen, who was in our kayak classes last week, was born with a proximal femoral focal deficiency.  Kelly is a two-time gold medalist in women's kayaking:

"Allen’s athletic abilities have taken her to international competitions such as the Extremity Games.  'What they want it to be is like the equivalent of what the X-Games is for people with prosthetics or orthotics,' Allen said.  The Extremity Games host events in skateboarding, rock climbing, kayaking, wakeboarding, mountain biking, motocross and martial arts. When Allen began to attend the Extremity Games, she was the youngest competitor. Now, four years later, she has won a silver medal in rock climbing and is a two-time gold medalist in women’s kayaking.  The Extremity Games not only provide Allen with an opportunity to compete, but give her a chance to be with people and athletes who have limb deficiencies like hers." Marquette Monthly

Kelly is currently ranked 15th in the NASTAR Three Track Skier Division and working toward earning a spot at the 2014 Paralympics. She is a not only a well-rounded athlete, but a great role model for young girls everywhere. Story here.

(Jim Tibensky demonstrating how to skull with one hand; York Island.)

Jim Tibensky was named the "Paddler of the year in 2007" by the Illinois Paddling Council. He discovered paddling in Boy Scouts.  He also shared with me that, since he had polio, he was introduced to the pool and swimming at an early age and was a good swimmer due to that.

(Stuffed Green Peppers paired with Malbec for dinner; Rocky Island.)

Between 1968-1994 Jim won seven state championships, twenty-five Midwest division championships and eight national championships. He was the course designer for two World Cup races, three Champion International Slalom Series, and two National Championship races that were held in Wausau, Wisconsin and South Bend, Indiana.  

In 1996 he officiated as a Scribe at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Since 1998, he has been the head kayak guide for week long sea kayak trips offered through Omni Youth Services of Illinois, a wilderness therapy program that serves the youth and families of Chicago's Northwest suburbs.  He currently teaches paddling at the Geneva Kayak Center in Yorkville, IL.

(Going 'Sideways'; York Island lessons with Ryan and Jim.) 

A year ago in April, Jim co-authored an article for Sea Kayaker Magazine with Andrea Knepper about wilderness therapy for young people, "A Whole New World: Kayaking as Therapy For Kids."  Kayak trips provide a special environment for change that is not a part of other more land-based forms of wilderness therapy. 

(Hermit Island, Brownstone Quarry remains.) 

Jim's interests in anthropology made our trip more interesting, too.  He shared a lot of information with us on many subjects, actually.  I did not prepare for this year's trip beyond getting the nautical map and focusing on my paddling, so it was refreshing to have him not only share his insights along the way, but instigate our exploring of the area more.  We purposefully stopped by the Hermit Island quarry because he was interested.  Sandstone from the Apostles helped rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire. Entire city blocks in Chicago and other Midwestern cities are constructed with the brownstone from quarries on some of the islands. Hermit Island has the best remaining quarry remnants.

Hermit and Stockton Islands are most noted for black bear in the Apostles, Stockton having the greatest concentration in the United States. Blueberries are abundant on the island and may be the reason why the bears like it there so well. They also love mealy ants and worms so if you see torn-up or turned-over logs most likey it was from a bear.

(Devils Island.) 

Devils Island is as far north as Wisconsin goes. Rough waters and pounding waves have created the Devils Island Cliffs State Natural Area. Five acres of exposed cliff include blowholes and bluff-top boreal forests.

(Tom Heineman, Joe Keller, Jim Tibensky, Ryan Rushton, Sue Gjerset, Rick Hoffman; Devils Island.) 

My brother was diagnosed with chronic Multiple Sclerosis when he was in his mid-30s.  I remember when he lived with my husband and I for a season while he was still able to drive and he was really excited about a man who was encouraging him to work to strengthen his muscles by doing exercises. Within ten years, my brother was not able to do that anymore.    

After helping my parents and brother move out to Arizona where they had decided to retire together, I was so amazed by the kindness of an early acquaintance there that my brother would make. She purchased a wetsuit to take my brother into the pool for exercises regularly.  Although it was too late for my brother to try kayaking, his caretaker/best friend eventually remodeled her home and purchased a van with a ramp for his wheelchair so she could take him out often.  They have been together for 14 years now and he's always smiling. 

Drawing A Line in the Sand

Did you ever think how meaningless it is
When someone has a cause
And says, 'I've drawn a line in the sand! '
As if this has meaning to their fellow man.

A line in the sand is quickly erased by wind and water
Which brings nature back to perfect order,
Unblemished by those who use a stick
To draw an imaginary limit on an issue, they pick.

They, like their cause will fade from sight
As the mark created for their own delight,
To impress like minded ones that they've been there,
And that they, 'Really Care! '

If they had the courage of their convictions,
It would be 'Etched in Stone' without correction.
There for all to see and remember that once
Passed this way was one, who now is gone,
But made a mark for others to see
That's recorded permanently.

A visit to the resting place
Of those who served in the Nation's grace.
Lived and died so that all could share
The freedom they gave up without a care.

Those stones that stand so silent and tall;
On them are etched words to remind us all
That freedom is not free
And another sacrificed his (or hers) for you and me.  

Sidi J. Mahtrow

 

Mfairlady

Sea Kayak Specialist's Sam Crowley of Marquette: Door County Instructor Development

By Mary Fairchild

Marquette's ACA L5 trainer Sam Crowley.

Here you will brush up on skills you should already know.

"Mary, do you think you can do an expedition solo?" was the question.  "No, I know I'm not ready yet. Don't ask me to lead a group yet either,"  I kept repeating when it came time to committing to the next level 4 expedition which always included having me lead one of the days.  It seemed everytime I began to gain confidence in my seamanship I'd then wait too long before I'd reinforce it and, well, ... I'd forget. 

When I saw the way the Instructor Development Workshop that was being offered by Sam Crowley was worded it seemed to make sense for me to check it out this year, "Here you will brush up on skills you should already know." "The IDW focuses on you obtaining coastal sea kayaking knowledge, experiencing various teaching techniques and modeling the paddling skills effectively.  You will have a great opportunity for critique of your personal skills, learn new information and find out the specific areas you need work on for eventual completion of your instructor certification."  ACA Instructor Criteria 

This was the year I decided I needed to start reviewing things and catching up on some things I may have missed.  I bought a new PFD so I could fit all of my "responsible things" on it including my new marine radio but I'm still breaking out of the initial stress with all the gadgets and safety issues surrounding them.  It had taken me about 5 times of totally taking my Hullivator off my car and back on before I finally could do it without question or looking back at instructions.  My new VHF radio, which did not have the easiest instruction manual,  if I didn't use it again for a few weeks I could forget some of it's functions, too.  

Here's Sam Crowley and Tim Pfleiger instructing as some nice waves begin to build at Portage Park in Door County.  Our class was able to surf a few waves there later that day.  Sam and Tim received their ACA training together in 1995 at nearby Rowley's Bay.   There are two components in the process to become an American Canoe Association certified Instructor: the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW - a three day event; the training) and the Instructor Certification Evaluation (ICE - a three day event; the testing).    

You're looking at kayak guides, parks and recreation organizers, adventurers, and future ACA instructors.  The ICE is designed to evaluate the instructor candidates regarding their skills as an instructor.  Candidates are assessed on their teaching ability on and off the water which includes kayak skills as well as professionalism, attitude, personal equipment and physical fitness.

 Recently, Connor had seen a video posted by Sam Crowley on how to do a self rescue if you lose your paddle and only have a half of your spare one to grab from your deck while capsized. Could you grab that half of your paddle and roll up? Connor could.

We all had topics to research and make 5-10 minute presentations on.  Tina, from Marquette, and I had related presentations on waves and surf and I asked her, since she likes to surf(surf board) Lake Superior in Marquette, what her favorite surf was and she answered with, "Usually 8' because anything bigger and you get really trashed."  She had an interesting perspective on ripe tides and how to purposefully find them and use them safely as well.  

My topic was "waves in deep water."  I used one of Sam's well-used maps (Apostle Islands) to discuss how I had learned to favor a couple of islands on that map.  The longer the wind blows and the larger the distance of open water(fetch) upwind, the bigger the waves become.

 Carly, from West Bend, led us in morning yoga stretching, something she likes to do.  Sam had organized activites that had us remembering our names, loosening up before we were tested on skills, and checking out our endurance like chariot paddling to shore after on-water practice.  The whole weekend was organzed very well.  Everyone had received a schedule in the mail the week before the class so we could prepare and know what would be expected of us. 

We were all video taped, even Sam as he demonstrated what we needed to do.  I got to see my roll on video for the first time.  I always wondered how my head looked. I'm looking forward to practicing in some shallow areas now, too.  I want to work on my balance and sculling more and I don't know why I had never thought about doing it in shallow water...  An intermediate paddler's rolls are successful 50% of the time and they can perform a re-enter and roll with a paddle float (Sea Kayaker Magazine's Handbook of Safety and Rescue, p.182). Check.

The weekend after my IDW I met Sue Gjerset, from Minnesota, at Northport Pier.  We eventually met up with a group of paddlers at Rock Island State Park for the weekend.  This year we both looked forward to getting more independent in our seamanship skills. Sue and I are planning to take some private training with Sam Crowley together and we are also looking into his Adaptive Paddling Workshops.

Northport exists solely to accommodate a ferry line to Washington Island. The pier was established as an escape from fierce prevailing winds on the Gills Rock side.  The legendary Death's Door is located here at Gills Rock between the mainland and Washington Island.  Death's Door is where both Door County and Door Peninsula got their names.

"So, what do you think Mary? We will be committed to our paddle back on Sunday if we launch from here without a ferry ticket," Sue reminded me as I rechecked the latest weather report. Storms brew up there quickly and there was a 70 % chance of thunderstorms on Sunday at that time.  The area was dry and they needed the storms and it seemed like they were due.  We reconsidered our options at least three times but always came down to not taking the risk.

Although "scattered," 70% and the word "thunder" could not be taken lightly at this time and as we boarded the ferry we had already shifted from disappointment to some of the options we had for that day now that we were not making the trip from the mainland. First thing off the ferry, I have Sue do a u-turn back to the kayak and bike rentals. "Let's ask the locals what we should see so we don't miss something," I explained after getting Sue to park with me for a quick stop. After a brief chat it appeared that we ought not miss Schoolhouse Beach so we winded our way through Washington Island and decided the picnic area would be a good place for lunch after a short exploratory paddle to get our feet wet.

Schoolhouse Beach, Washington Island.

As we got our gear ready to launch we were so taken by the beauty there. There was no sand only beautiful white smooth stones and crystal clear water in beautiful shades of blue like the Caribbean. You cannot see this from a distance, you need to be right on it is the thing. Had we just paddled by circumnavigating the island I don't know if we'd have thought to pull in the bay.

Winds were whipping up whitecaps and we felt our boats were being totally surfed in one huge glide out of the bay and we looked at each other and noted we'd need to allow some extra time to head into that to make our way back to our picnic site. I remember just ruddering and steering my whole way out and around the bend. Fun.

Washington Island, NW corner.  Niagra Escarpment.

Beyond Washington Island is one of the Niagara Escarpment's longest gaps (a cliff-like ridge of rock) as it stretches under the waters to Michigan and on to Ontario. The escarpment is a mere 160' above the lake's surface, surrounding Washington Island's wave-battered exterior.

That's Sue and I preparing to land on Rock Island State Park. Sue's checking out the surf behind us for later. Good girl. Photo courtesy of Ken Braband.

Paddling in a loaded kayak was not new for Sue and I. We met two years ago on a 9-day expedition that circumnavigated Isle Royale with Ryan Rushton of Geneva Kayak. We've both progressed past having to be towed in conditions with Ryan's trips.  Ryan was a good sport with us, and he actually let me "tow him" at the end of that Isle Royale trip when I joked about it.  Sue and I have had rough water rescue practice in the ocean and in the whitewater current and if I were to sum us up as a team I'd say Sue is the advancing athlete and I'm the one who unconsciously has good balance and takes advantage of it to have a lot of fun. We were in great company with Ken and Mary Braband, their daughter Jacey, Steve Landers and his girlfriend, Kris for our Rock Island trip.

Kris, Steve, Sue, Mary and Ken Braband gearing up for Saturday's paddle. Rock Island State Park.

If you look closely you will see some of our tents on the bluff behind everyone in the picture above.  The wind was mostly out of the south and west and we had waves crashing in on the shoals that sounded, looked, and felt like camping by the ocean.

 

Sue double-checking our bearings that were plotted for our paddle from Rock Island to the mainland.

It's always good to double-check your plans.  I found Sam Crowley's blog very interesting when he reported mapping out a route to the wrong island one day.  I thought those things only would happen to me.  Sam has some nice surf stories from Marquette on his blog as well:  April 2010.

This past March Sue and I went on a trip with Geneva Kayak that circumnavigated Cumberland Island for our second time. It was a great place to work on navigation in tides and current and catch some nice surf as well.

Sue and I heading out on our last day from Rock Island to Northport Pier!  Picture courtesy of Ken Braband.

Sunday turned out to be a good day after all--thanks to Ken, Mary, and Jacey who drove our cars onto the ferry so Sue and I could paddle back to the mainland.  We did have wind and it had been windy the day and night before.  On our perfectly sunny morning we safely paddled in 2' surf and swell with some whitecaps and some spray.  Loved it. 

Mfairlady

Kayaking With Altamaha Coastal Tours: Ancient Tidal Forests to Ocean Renewables

By Mary Fairchild

(Buffalo Swamp Natural Area/Cathead Creek,a tributary of Georgia’s Altamaha River.)

“Mary, can you smell that?  ... it’s sweet and fresh,” Danny Grissette, owner of Altamaha Coastal Tours incited with a deep breath.  “You’re right.  It’s fresh and not what you’d expect in a swamp,” I added as we paddled deeper into the ancient tidal forest along the Altamaha River.

(Paddling between ancient cypress trees in a globally rare tidal forest.)

My first time paddling in Georgia, two years ago now, was focused solely on ocean paddling with plans to attend a “surf week” with Geneva Kayak and a couple of days at a symposium with Sea Kayak Georgia on Tybee Island.  This year, I was re-visiting Cumberland Island  before heading up to the Buffalo Swamp Natural Area with Altamaha Coastal Tours.

(Ryan Rushton, owner of Geneva Kayak, looking cool as he punches out in the Cumberland surf.)

As we were finishing up our last stretch off Cumberland Island, Ryan, who will have taken on paddling Cape Horn by this time next year, asked me, “What was your most memorable moment and what did you learn on this trip?”  I answered, reflecting on what I must have looked like keeping up with him that week, “I learned that I have a lot to learn.”  

Although my final answer for Ryan included discussion on kayaking skills and speed, my discussion with Danny was about “an ecologically important place that you need a boat to see” and the pace was purposefully slow…. 

(Danny Grissette; Altamaha Coastal Tours, Darien Georgia.)

“Mary, this area was once a rice plantation..,” Danny began describing the plants and the history and I stopped him with, “I always pictured rice in other countries not here.” 

 The tidewater ecosystem was perfect for the production of rice. Tides flooded the fields twice a day and the fresh water from the river protected the crops from the saltwater.  The abandoned irrigation canals of the old rice plantations provide miles of waterways to paddle.  Danny was pointing out a peculiar grass next, "That's bulrush... are you familiar with that?"  "Oh, yeah... the story of Moses," I replied as I began to look around for the alligators... thinking of the Nile now and it's crocodiles. 

 
(Rifle Cut:  Follow the tip of my kayak and you’ll see how far down the clearing went.)

Just as Egypt used slave labor, the channel pictured above(Rifle Cut) was dug out in the 1820s by slaves to shorten the water route to Darien:  “Straight as a rifle shot through the cypress swamp and just as narrow.”
Over 130 rare and endangered species of plants and animals, some found no where else, find refuge among the swamps which totally surround and insulate the Altamaha River.  The Altamaha River has been compared to the Nile by its impresssive volume which pumps 100,000 gallons of fresh water every second into the sea.  Much depends on that amount of water that flows downstream...  If there's too much withdrawal, either due to large municipal wells, or even the cumulative combination of smaller withdrawals, there may be serious problems for the natural vegetation in the area.

(Picture was taken 20 yrs. ago—“Amazing to be on this river and having it to yourself.  It’s still the same today! Some things don’t change.”  Altamaha Coastal Tours Facebook )

The best advocate to Georgia's environment is the stewardship of citizens who are suspicious of developers and commercialism.  As more projects go to sea for renewable energy sources, questions of how wave and tidal power devices might affect marine life are being discussed along Georgia's coast.  Currently, Jekyll Island and Tybee Island are the two locations with the best potential for connecting power from an offshore wind farm to a transmission grid. 

 Aspen Skiing Company's Auden Schendler, also a kayaker, reports that he has rethought his position on renewable-energy credits because he believes that RECs do little to encourage new clean-energy development.  Most ski resorts make money on real estate today not on lift tickets. (7)

“We need to be careful not to just do things when they truly don’t do environmental good, just because we have that message out there… this lacks integrity.  If you bring more people into these natural areas you’ll have more traffic.  Do we really want urban sprawl in a rural pristine environment?  Soon you will also have water quality issues and air-quality issues there...”  Auden Schendler

Plans that truly respect the latest scientific research as well as firsthand experience of local residents should be reflected in support from the central government.  It will be an interesting and often contentious challenge ahead as scientists, planners, policymakers, and everyday citizens create and enact plans that truly live up to their green claims.  We need to allow more time for thorough review by the local communities and by relevant experts. 

(Shrimp Boats on the Darien River, Darien Georgia.)

In Georgia, data collected by Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientists indicates an average wind speed of about 16 mph offshore. That's enough for the Georgia coast to score a respectable four on the seven-point scale used to rank wind.  Modern wind turbines are larger than previous generations, some as tall as small skyscrapers. That height makes them an eyesore to some and consequently a sitting challenge.  But Georgia's gently sloping coast (the continental shelf stretches 80 miles off Georgia) offers an offshore solution.  The waters 10-20 miles off the coast are still shallow enough to allow the building of turbines, but that distance would put a wind farm out of view from shore.  The U.S. has no offshore wind farms yet. Large wind projects proposed near Cape Cod and Long Island are farther along than is Georgia Tech's but have met with concerns about ruined views and injuries to birds. (1)

 

The "Environmentally Responsible Wind Power Act of 2005," proposed to eliminate federal tax incentives for the development of wind power within 20 miles (which is the horizon of a national seashore, a national lakeshore or a national wildlife refuge) of a "highly scenic" area, including all offshore projects.  The bill was set up to protect America's most scenic treasures – national parks, world heritage sites, national lakeshore and seashore sites.  The act does not stop construction of the wind power just the federal subsidy of it for giant wind turbines within 20 miles.  This helps us to re-think what we are doing to some of our most pristine coastlines.

Freshwater tidal marshes are globally rare and occur along free-flowing coastal rivers and they are vital to sustaining all life on earth.  The Altamaha River and its swamps play a vital role in supporting the rich estuary downstream.

Beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean exists a thriving ecosystem of fish, invertebrates, seal, and whales.  The North Atlantic Ocean has one of the largest plankton blooms in the world every spring.  The change in color of water due to plankton bloom can be seen by NASA satelites.  Plankton is one of the most important organisms in the ocean.  Although usually quite small, anything that drifts in the ocean's currents is technically considered planktonic.  Jellyfish are considered plankton.  If plankton where unable to grow for some reason all life in the ocean would suffer.

The bays, estuaries, and salt marsh along our coasts are considered nurseries for commercial fisheries.  The larvae of fish, crustaceans and other marine animals, called meroplankton, if they survive, they will grow into nekton or free-swimming organisms. 

"Anytime you alter something that's so important as a habitat and as a source of nutrients for the other commercial fisheries you're really playing with fire."  Roylan Hadworth Sealy, Sr. Research Assistant Shoals Marine Laboratory of Cornell University (8)

(Freighter headed for Savannah off the northern tip of Tybee Island; a roosting area for shorebirds.)
 

On the northern coast of Georgia, the Tybee Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 100-acre home to waterfowl, crustaceans and marine reptiles. The refuge is not open to the public, but many of the wildlife species from the island are seen near the tourist areas on the island.  

(Local Tybee Island resident watching the trapped cannonball jellyfish during low tide a few weeks ago.)

“Jellyfish thrive in all of the world’s oceans, and there is mounting evidence that human activity in coastal zones, like overfishing, is creating conditions that could cause populations to skyrocket.”  The Living Sea (6)

The city of Tybee Island said “yes” to wind energythis past February. A windmill farm with its flashing red lights will be seen from the beach at only 6.8 miles Southeast off Tybee Island.  Local communities need some time to stop and think about the locations for clean energy.  Usually wind turbines are located in wind farms containing 20 or more, but some can exceed 100.  At night, the flashing red lights can be seen for 20 miles.  Unfortunately, they work best along scenic coastlines and ridge tops…  What do you think?  Just 7 miles off the coast of Kent, England, is Thanet Wind Farm, the world’s second largest offshore wind farm since February 2012.

We don’t know whether the underwater acoustics of the turbines harm marine life or how fish and marine mammals might interact with the turbine's rotors.  Many marine species rely on the earth's magnetic fields for migrating and searching for food and we don't know yet if electromagnetic fields will repel or attract certain species. Wave, tidal, and hydrokinetic power devices, and the cables that bring electricity they generate to shore produce similar electromagnetic fields and there has not been a lot of research on whether or not marine life might be affected.

By 2020, the state of Maine hopes to produce thousands of megawatts of wind power from turbines on and off shore.  The National Wildlife Refuge System hopes to monitor the flight and feeding habits of birds and bats to help with the placement of ocean energy projects.

"Seabird productivity periodically declines on some islands, because the herring disappear and chicks starve.  We want to understand where birds are foraging, and what's going on with fish in the Gulf of Maine."  Beth Goettel

This is a picture at low tide(picture above) in Cobscook Bay, Maine, when I was kayaking there last September. Nearby, Ocean Renewable tidal power was just getting settled in.  They have described their tidal turbine as "a giant lawnmower."

  

Cobscook Bay  is a semi-enclosed sea that extends almost 200 miles.  The highly convoluted shorelines, intense tidal currents, and the cold waters all contribute to the areas diverse marine inhabitants.  Local fishermen wonder if the areas will be closed off to fishing around the turbines since no one has answered that yet.  Another unanswered question is why wind turbines are placed only 10 miles offshore when the University of Maine experts suggested 20-50’ was less likely to interfere with coastal marine fisheries. (Fisherman’s Voice, 9/11; Vol. 16, No. 9) Noise Problems on Maine's Fox Islands ; YouTube:  Offshore Windmills Could Harm Maine Lobster.

When the Maine coastal current meets low pressure zones created by the wind energy extraction around the turbines, seafloor water is pulled to the surface and is partly diverted around the upwelling of the cold water taking the lobster larvae with it.

From the mid-19th century through the late 20th century, more than a third of the San Francisco Bay was filled and often built on.  The state and federal governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars since 1996 on projects to restore tidal wetlands and only 1% has been restored so far.  It is difficult and expensive to reverse mistakes. 

San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta remain perhaps California's most important ecological habitats.  California's Dungeness crab, California halibut, and Pacific Salmon fisheries rely on the bay as a nursery. The few remaining salt marshes now represent most of California's remaining salt marsh, supporting a number of endangered species and providing key ecosystem services such as filtering pollutants and sediments from the rivers. 

Estimates of the value of tidal flats have been increasing as scientists understand more about the vital role that tidal flats play in sustaining urban areas as well as marine ecosystems. We have to be stewards of our own resource.  We have to look after it and be interested in it.  It all depends on how we view things....

I had started “forest gardening” years ago when I had some serious issues with the poison oak on our wooded lot.  We don’t have grass to fertilize and cut anymore!  I was so impressed with the natural vegetation and trees that, when we purchased our cabin in Wisconsin I dug up any existing grass and filled it in with native plants and trees as well.

Not only is forest gardening much less labor intensive, perennials reseed themselves and the soil enriches itself just like it does in the natural forests with fallen fruit, leaf litter, and other organic matter.  I planted clumps of wildflowers in patches of sunlight and researched types of flowers native to my area and planted them.  Woodland gardens require relatively low maintenance and falling leaves add to rather than detract from the appearance.

Ocean renewables, which may seem to be an ideal source of non-polluting energy, are appearing to be a much more complicated issue.  The debate between ethics and economics, when human activity threatens the existence of species and their habitats, could go on and on.

Mfairlady 

 References

1)       Wind Project Picks up Speed , Savannah Morning News; 2012.

2)     Severn Barrage , Wikipedia.

3)     The Altamaha River Bioreserve, Sherpa Guides; Richard J. Lenz.

4)     “The Full Circle: A Historical Context for Urban Salt Marsh Restoration,” David G. Casagrande; Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences.

5)     “Georgia,” Kap Stann, Moon Books.

6)     Exposure Special, “The Living Sea,” Outside Magazine; May 2012; p. 82. 

7)      “Snow Job,” by Elizabeth Hightower, Outside Magazine; Nov. 4, 2008.

8)  Rockweed Coalition, Roylan Hadworth Sealy, Sr. Research Assistant, Shoals Marine Laboratory of Cornell University.

9)    Mfairlady Categories:  List of All Posts

10)  Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling:  Altamaha River

Kayaking Georgia's Coast: Tidal Flat Ecosystems, Ancient History, and Stewardship

By Mary Fairchild

(Razor sharp clusters of oysters exposed during low tide at Skidaway Narrows across from Skidaway Island State Park.)

Once a narrow, shallow tidal creek, Skidaway Narrows is now dredged and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway which stretches from Virginia to Florida and on the Gulf side all the way around to Texas.

Over the years, Georgia's oyster fishery has greatly declined due to pollution and the introduction of minimum wage laws. In the early 1900s, Georgia produced more oysters commercially than any other state. Before the minimum wage laws went into effect, oyster pickers were paid by the number of oysters picked; with the new law, the incentive to harvest great numbers of oysters greatly decreased. Today it is rare to find Georgia oysters offered on the menu in coastal restaurants, and usually the oysters are brought in from Florida, Texas, or Louisiana.

Kayaking Coastal Georgia has opened my eyes to the fact that there is so much that we do not know about the delicate ecological balance that needs to be maintained and how intertwined we are with it. Georgia was among the first states in the nation to pass legislation protecting its tidal marshlands, which are the most extensive and productive of any on the East Coast--yet it still confronts many challenges.

Three ceremonial shell rings, dating back to 1750 B.C., have been found on Skidaway Island. There have been fewer than 20 of them discovered and all but one are in the southeastern United States, the other is in Ecuador. 56 ancient Timucua Indian sites have been found on the island. The Timucua were targets of mission activities by the Spanish in the 1630s, and became extinct by the 1760s from European plagues and English-sponsored slaving. Also found on the island are fossil mastodons, mammoths, giant sloths, and native horses, which became extinct.

Shell midden (rings or heaps) are refuse piles consisting mostly of oyster shells which are found throughout the world on coastlines, major rivers, and tidewater flats indicating the favorite localities where Indians subsisted upon oysters, clams, conches, fishes, and animals and birds native to the region. Investigation of these sites is important for understanding how cultures change and for determining the future of such environments.

(Fort McAllister is south of Savannah on the Ogeechee River.)

One of the few untamed rivers in America, the Ogeechee River basin and its drainage to the coast plays a significant role in forming Wassaw, Ossabaw, St. Catherines, Blackbeard, and Sapelo Islands.

Available online, the Georgia Coast Saltwater Paddle Trial 2010 is designed to provide paddlers with a preliminary planning document for paddling trips on the Georgia Coast. The regional outfitters that provided valuable input for this guide include Up the Creek Expeditions, Southeast Adventure, Ocean Motion Surf Co., Altamaha Coastal Tours, Coffee Bluff Marina, Savannah Canoe and Kayak, and Sea Kayak Georgia.

"We use our paddling adventures as a tool to educate and inform others on our dynamic marine environment. No trip to Savannah is complete until you've experienced the unique culture and natural beauty of the Georgia Coast!" Kristin and Nigel Law of Savannah Canoe & Kayak

(Sea Kayak Georgia nature kayak tour on Little Tybee Island with my daughter.)

"Our seasoned guides and naturalists love to interpret the beautiful Georgia coast.." Marsha Henson and Ronnie Kemp of Sea Kayak Georgia

In July of 1968, Kerr-McGee Corporation submitted a bid to lease 25,000 acres of Georgia's offshore land for phosphate mining. They also planned to use dredge from the mining operation to fill and develop 20 square miles of "high grounds" on Little Tybee and Cabbage Islands. At that time, filling was driven by the dominant cultural worldview which had its roots in the industrial era. Today, our ecological worldview has reclaimed our respect for tidal wetlands as a life supporting resource.

Fort Morris is surrounded by marsh. There is an approximate 2 mile hike to the the campground from the boat dock on the Medway River.

Although most see the salt marsh as a mere "sea of grass" it is actually considered to be the most valuable land in the world. It provides food for infant shrimp, oysters, clams and and many baby fish. Not only is an estimated 20 percent of the oxygen in the air is produced by this zone, but the marsh also helps to purify the waste waters from the cities.

Earth works at Fort Morris where built to defend the site during the Revolutionary War. Shell midden is scattered along the trail behind the earthworks (pictured). When I inquired about shell midden, the park host told me that it is not labeled because it has not been studied yet.

At the University of Alabama, T. Fred T. Andrus, Dept. of Geological Sciences, has had long standing collaborative projects in the Georgia Bight investigating Midden Geoarchaeology. His goal is to assess past human subsistence strategies, season of occupation and resource use, site formation processes, and other questions relating to archaeology. The shell rings of Georgia are the best indicator that complex hunter-gatherers were present on the coast during the Late Archaic.

(Following feral hog hoof prints through R.J. Reynolds Wildlife Refuge.)

I rented a bike to ride out to see the ancient shell rings on Sapelo island. Archeologists have found pottery shards on the island that date back 4,500 years, making them some of the oldest artifacts ever found in North America. In 1969, the widow of tobacco millionaire R.J. Reynolds sold 8,240 acres of the island to the state, which became the R.J. Reynolds (Sapelo Island) Wildlife Refuge.

"The truth is, nearly every island on the Georgia coast, ... having been considerably altered by humans over the past 4,500 years, whether these were Native Americans, Europeans, or Americans..... denoted by the loss of original habitats and native species or the addition of non-native species....Perhaps the most charismatic yet problematic of non-native animals on any of the Georgia barrier islands are the wild horses of Cumberland Island. These horses are the source of much controversy, which becomes even more apparent whenever anyone tries to apply some actual science to them..." T. Martin

(RJ Reynolds Wildlife Management Area, maritime forest , Sapelo Island, GA.)

(Darien, shrimp boats at sunrise on the Darien River.)

The town of Darien lies just north of the Altamaha River's mouth. Several miles to the south lies the larger city of Brunswick. St. Simons Island lies on the south side of the Altamaha estuary.

The estuary of the Altamaha River, where fresh and salt water mix, is about 26 square miles in size, one of the largest intact, relatively non-degraded estuary on the Atlantic coast and most of it is easily visited by canoe or kayak year round. Altamaha River Bioreserve is the Nature Conservancy's protection of the rich biodiversity of the largest undammed river on the Southeast Coast. Included in the BioReserve is the River, tidal freshwater, brackish and saltwater eco-systems.

(Historic Darien, GA, view from Darien River.)

June 16-22 is the date for 8th annual Paddle Georgia 2012 which is a fundraiser for Georgia River Network and Altahama Riverkeeper. You can join 350 paddle enthusiasts paddle 108 miles, averaging 15 miles a day, for seven days on the Ohooppe and Altamaha Rivers from Reidsville to Darien. There will be food, camping, tours of historic sites, entertainment and educational programs.

(Jonesport, Maine coastal kayak trip with Geneva Kayak 2011.)

Walking along the pristine, rocky coast of Maine like explorers from another land (pictured). Earlier, as we paddled out from the harbor, small rocks would begin to move with groups of seals diving in as we approached them. Seals prefer to live in isolation.

Just in the last few years wind and tidal turbines have been introduced to the beautiful Atlantic Coast of Maine....not everyone believes this is a sound idea.

Harbor seal mating occurs here in the water during the summer months. The pups are born almost a year later in late spring. When the cow is done nursing, she leaves her pup, and goes off to mate again. A little under 3 feet long, the pup has to fend for itself. In about 4 to 6 years, when it is fully grown, it will be about 5 feet long and about 250 lbs. By 1972 seals were almost gone from most of New England. This was the year that the U.S. marine mammal protection act was passed.

This is a picture at low tide in Cobscook Bay, Maine, when I was kayaking there last September. Nearby, Ocean Renewable tidal power was just getting settled in. They have described their tidal turbine as "a giant lawnmower."

Collision Risk Assessment
Eagle Accidents at Altamont Pass
Tidal Turbines
Noise Problems on Maine's Fox Islands

In spite of the projected benefits, various environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)--local, national, and international--and local fishermen's groups strongly oppose the tidal power plants at this time. Those groups anticipate deep and lasting harm to the tidal flat ecosystem, fisheries, and landscape. Whether the underwater acoustics of the turbines harm marine life and how fish and marine mammals might interact with the turbine's rotors... many marine species rely on the earth's magnetic fields for migrating and searching for food and we don't know yet if electromagnetic fields will repel or attract certain species.... Wave, tidal, and hydrokinetic power devices, and the cables that bring electricity they generate to shore produce similar electromagnetic fields and there has not been a lot of research on whether or not marine life might be affected.

References
(Mfairlady)

1. Lost Worlds: Sapelo Shell Rings
2. Charles C. Jones, Jr., "Antiquities of the Southern Indians, Particularly of the Georgia Tribes." University of Alabama Press 1999; p. 201.
3. David Hurst Thomas, "St. Catherines: An Island in Time." Georgia Endowment for the Humanities; 1988; p. 21-23.
4. Scientific American, 12/6/10, Testing the Waters with Tidal Energy by Bruce Dorminey and the Daily Climate
5. Balancing Human and Enviromental Issues in Tidal Power Development, U of Maine.
6. University of Alabama, T. Fred T. Andrus, Dept. of Geological Sciences. Midden Geoarchaeology.
7. Vast St. Simons Island Property in Georgia to Become Nature Preserve
References
8. Cobscook Bay Resource Center: Modeling in Cobscook Bay, Maine: A Summary, Perspective, and Look Forward
9. South Korea's Plans For Tidal Power: When a Green Solution Creates More Problems
10. Ogeechee River; Sherpa Guides.  
11. DAR Digital Archaeolical Record
12. Feral Horses by T. Martin
13. Kap Stann, "Georgia." Avalon Travel Publishing, 1995.　
14. Robert Hellmann, "Archaeological Investigations at Dungeness Historic District Cumberland Island National Seashore;" p. 24, 2007.
15. Collision Risks Between Marine Renewable Energy Devices and Mamals, Fish and Diving Birds.
16. Smart Planet, “Animal Magnetism: How Wave, Tidal Energy Devices Affect Sea Life,” Melissa Mahony; 9/21/10.

CASKA’s 2012 Trip-Planning Meeting and Safety Presentation

Approximately 30 Chicago-area paddlers were on hand for a two-part meeting for CASKA members and invitees this past Saturday, March 2, 2012.  Paddlers were wielding pens and paper, not paddles and PFDs, and dressing for immersion was not required. 

The meeting started with a hearty discussion about trip-planning and upcoming CASKA events.  The votes were tallied from two CASKA polls that gave members the ability to voice their opinions on official CASKA paddles prior to the meeting.  Longer, multi-day camping trips emerged as the voters’ favorite, but members are also interested in a variety of shorter paddles. 

Voting Results 

The focal point of the trip-planning portion of the meeting was filling CASKA’s official calendar, which can be found at the CASKA website.  Recent events posted include: the world’s largest paddlesport expo – Canoecopia; the St. Patrick’s Day Chicago River paddle co-sponsored by CASKA, Geneva Kayak Center (GKC), and Paddle and Trail; and a smorgasbord of Midwest sea kayak symposia.  As far as CASKA-specific paddles, Tom Heinemann and Bill Burton have graciously agreed to host monthly Wednesday night paddles. 

There are sure to be many more CASKA and non-CASKA events that will be posted.  Please stay tuned for details, and if you have any ideas, contact a board member or share them as a comment to this post, on Facebook, or on the CASKA YahooGroup.

After the trip-planning portion of the meeting, Police Chief Larry Pitchford of New Buffalo, Michigan gave a first-hand account of the tragic event that occurred in October 2011, where one young kayaker lost his life and two others were rescued.  Chief Pitchford shared the details that were lost in the news accounts of the incident.  Ryan Rushton of GKC was also present to share his perspective.  Ken Stetler of the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association (NWIPA), our sister club to the south, has a detailed write-up of Chief Pitchford’s presentation posted on the CASKA blog. 

Rescue helicopter and break wall  at mouth of Galien River

The Chief’s presentation is an important reminder that the sport we love and enjoy brings with it risks that we are obligated to understand and appreciate each time we launch.

 

Cold Water Trumps Young Hot Blood

by Haris

Two Young Men

Two young Midwest men, Kevin and Mitchell, what do they have in common? In 2011 they were both on the verge of adulthood; healthy, active, athletic, and well liked by peers. That's not it, though. The two share spots #47 and #77 on the list of 86 drowning victims on the Great Lakes in 2011. Rest in peace fellow kayakers! My heart goes out to the families and friends.

It's chilling to realize how similar the stories of these two young men are and how eerily alike are the circumstances in which they ended. Both involved kayaks not well equipped for paddling the conditions they faced, these conditions exceeded the paddlers' abilities and, in the end, the water temperatures proved too cold to sustain blossoming human life. A group of kayakers has gotten into trouble in both cases but only one in each group ended up lost. Kevin waved off the help of his two friends and sent them to shore with another friend in trouble. Mitchell re-entered his boat after all three in his group capsized. He attempted to help his friends back into their boats as the waters around them raged. Both of the guys who tried to help their peers in trouble had perished themselves.

In many critical ways the accidents so similar in outcome were very different. In the early summer when Kevin's group set off form Little Sand Bay to Sand Island of the Apostles archipelago, the water was deceptively calm at the launch site. The day was beautiful and so warm that the group decided not to wear the wetsuits they brought along. There was a small craft advisory in effect but the youths were either unaware of it or did not know what the warning meant face-to-face. The group did not heed the water temperature below 50 degrees. Undiscriminating power of the waves and life-draining water temperatures were probably abstract concepts to them, not real and present danger. The group paddled out enthusiastic and inspired by their youthful energy.

Before long, once the protection of the island was lost and the wind got a hold of them, they met conditions they could not handle. Two of them capsized and could not get back into their boats. The body of Kevin was found several hours after he entered the 47-degree water. Nobody is expected to last one hour in water that cold without thermal protection. Given the time it took for Kevin's friends to notify the rescuers and time it took for the rescuers to find Kevin, the tragic outcome was horrible but hardly unexpected. What happened in the Apostles did not raise many questions or threaten the sea kayaking community. It only brought sadness to our hearts.

The conditions into which Mitchell and his two friends ventured were black-and-white different. The trio launched into the mouth of a raging maelstrom. The waves were over 10'—at least two or three times larger than what should have scared the living daylights out of them in the first place. The wind gusts topped at 40 knots or close to the limit beyond which even the most efficient sea kayakers can no longer hold their ground. There was nothing ambiguous or abstract about what awaited them beyond the break walls protecting the mouth of the Galien River in New Buffalo, MI.

Witnesses reported that the three put up a heroic fight against the raging Mother Nature just to get out through the protected river mouth into the open water. They were pushed back into the harbor by the storm but the more the Lake resisted them the more determined seemed their efforts to prevail. Just painting a picture of this in my head I can taste their zeal, ambition, the tunnel vision developing with a singular focus on overcoming the force that stood between them and their target.

Once they made it out through the mouth and turned north, sideways to the waves, in the words of New Buffalo Police Chief "They were done for." All three boys capsized immediately just to the west of the northern arm of the sea wall. Back in his kayak, Mitchell attempted to help his friends re-enter their boats but was unsuccessful and, eventually, all three were helpless and thrashing in the waves.

The water in Lake Michigan on that day was around 60 degrees—definitely cold and unpleasant but a long way from 47 degrees. The accident took place in front of multiple witnesses on shore who immediately called 911 and the rescuers were on site within minutes. One of the boys drifted to the east just north of the sea wall and reached the sandy shore on the other side. Another one caught a rescue line thrown to him from the tip of the break wall. Otherwise, he was "on his way to Wisconsin" according to the rescuers. Whether he would have made it to shore or shared the fate of Mitchell we will never know. The last of the three was pushed out into the open water north of the break wall. There, mysteriously stuck to one spot, the rescuers were trying to reach him with safety lines from the sea wall. Mitchell was swimming for safety with all he had for a full hour and a half! All of thirty feet separated him from solid ground.

How is this Possible?

Those of us who kayak in rough waters of Lake Michigan were unable to comprehend: How is it possible that someone can perish with so much time available to swim to safety and professional help on the scene? At the time, also, we were operating based in information from the USCG news brief which clearly stated that the accident took place inside the harbor walls. Wind, waves and current was pushing everything to the east-southeast or back into the river mouth and onto the shore. According to the news reports all three boys were wearing flotation aids, helmets, and wetsuits. Local rescue crews were on site and USCG helicopter was shown in the pictures hovering above. So how is it possible that a healthy, athletic young man can be lost in this after the rescue effort that lasted for well over an hour!? The unknown, what we can't understand, is the ultimate fright.

We know now that Mitchell was not inside the harbor when he capsized. Second, the media was also wrong about the wetsuit—as far as I could find out he didn't have a waterproof jacket either. And the USCG helicopter arrived on the scene after Mitchell disappeared under the surface. It was summoned from Traverse City, MI where the rescue choppers go to stay in the off-season. During the season they keep watch from Muskegon and Chicago—much closer to the scene of the accident. The New Buffalo rescue services did not have divers or anybody who could safely enter the water in the raging conditions. The storm was so severe, in fact, that the USCG did not even launch their 47' Search-and-Rescue ship—the state of the lake exceeded its operating limits. New Buffalo police tried to reach the open water with their brand-new smaller rescue craft but the boat was not able to exit through the harbor mouth. The rescuers on the seawall throw ropes to Mitchell who was 'stuck' right in front of them only feet away. With the winds over 30 knots blowing at the time it is easy to understand why they were not successful in hitting their target.

So why wasn't Mitch able swim to safety or wash out on shore!? I've taken my boat and other paddlers into similar conditions many times and, until this incident, I had not even considered doing so as all that dangerous, much less deadly! It was hard to reconcile the personal history of safe high octane fun with a cold fact of a young man in his prime, someone familiar with the kayak safety protocol, cut down in his prime. Mitchell worked at a local kayak business, so he knew a fair amount about kayaking and had seen how kayak rescues are done.

A step back: I am fully aware that there are many things that can quickly go south when a huge body of water like Lake Michigan goes wild. I think of the risks in terms of crossing the street. Surely, a speeding car can send you across the river Styx but do we really consider crossing the street dangerous because of that? No we don't! We prepare and take precautions—pick or spot, time, and look both ways before we cross. It does not really take a rocket scientist to figure out the basic rules.

The acute risks when you take your vessel into rough water are any hard things around you: other boats, floating wood, ice, sea walls, and so on. After capsize, even your own boat is a hazard. In shallower water, the sea floor, even if it's gentle sand, can hurt you. The shoreline is even more dangerous as you lose the cushion of the water and the landing spots are often littered with rocks and ubiquitous hard and sharp man-made objects. If you decide to fight the water in the ways that your body cannot support, you can pull out your shoulder of twist your back or cause a hernia. Offshore wind and currents can briskly take you out to sea much faster than you can swim against them. Your ability to return to shore is severely compromised if you find yourself out of the boat.

Last by definitely not least, once out there, your worst enemy is cooling—a combination of temperature, insulation, and exposure time. The water is almost always too cold and the human body is just not naturally insulated against its life-sucking effect. Given enough time, you will cool to the point where, muscle control, consciousness and, soon thereafter, life itself will leave you. When the water is 60, it's not that much time. Once you lose consciousness, most likely you will inhale water and drown.

The list of things waiting to get a kayaker out there may sound long and daunting. Luckily, though, if you are aware of these dangers, protecting yourself against them is not much harder than crossing a busy street. Aiming your bow into the storm is more fun than dangerous. Water itself can't really hurt you—10-15' waves are sparing partners, not deadly killers. As long as you can get out of the water relatively fast, you should be safe. So I keep asking myself again and again and again—why did Mitchell die? Why wasn't he just washed ashore like I and many others have been time after time?

Possibly the most suggestive and at the same time most mysterious circumstance revealed by New Buffalo Police Chief was information about a strange spot to which Mitchell was repeatedly deposited after he capsized. According to this officer, when waves, winds and current align just right, they conspire to hold anything that gets to this mystical spot in place. Mitchell tried desperately to swim toward safety but he was not able to make progress against the forces of nature. Time after time he would swim, get exhausted and be promptly returned to the place from which he started—just out of rescuers' reach.

In the beginning Mitchell held on to his capsized boat adhering to the sea kayaking safety protocol. Eventually the sea separated the two. He was not in danger of being overlooked by rescuers, though, and he had adequate flotation on his body. There was no way he was paddling out of the situation so the loss of contact with the boat was not all that important.

Well over an hour had passed in desperate struggle until, eventually, all the strength left Mitchell's body. He went unconscious. Shortly thereafter the waves slipped his PFD over his limp arms and he disappeared under the surface. The police described Mitchell's life vest as "appropriate and well-fitting."

So this is the best I can report—Mitchell was not able to swim the short distance to safety and paid the ultimate price for the risks he took because there is a "weird" spot just north of the tip of the seawall in New Buffalo, a spot that tends to suck and hold everything in when stars line up and Lake Michigan feels like it. Personally, I have never heard of anything like this on our tideless sea before. It does sound a lot like an eddy in the river, a recirculating rip current perhaps, or a whirlpool, or a vortex in the title race. Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System reported a slow 1-1.5 knot current flowing to the northeast past the seawall at the time. As this current encountered the obstacle on its way, it somehow created a death grip that clutched Mitchell in its vice. Rest in peace!

Risk Assessment

Can sea kayaking safety protocol shed some light in evaluating this tragedy? Stripped down to its pure essence, risk assessment is deceptively simple: before you head out (1) find out what you're up against, (2) evaluate your personal skills, equipment, and group assets and liabilities against the challenges identified in step one; and (3) act based on how well you are prepared to meet the challenges and what consequences you're willing to endure. There are always alternatives. Your actions can include proceeding as planned, changing your plans to mitigate the risks, or cancelling the plans altogether.

One of the big items on the risk assessment inventory is checking the weather forecast to make sure that you don't end up in conditions you're not ready to face. In the case at hand, I cannot imagine what additional information the boys could have gleaned from any forecast source. All they needed to know was right in front of their eyes and ears. Deaf and blind they would have sensed the power of the storm on their faces. With winds that strong, simply standing straight up requires conscious effort. The inevitability of capsize should have been blatantly obvious. I can't imagine that the young men did not know they will swim. Seems more likely that they just accepted such contingency as part of the deal.

With the obvious risk of capsize facing them, the trio must have assessed their abilities and their options. Anybody who's been there would tell you that self or assisted rescues in 10-foot breaking waves are not really feasible or extremely difficult and dangerous at best. Swim (drift, more like it) to safety is just about the only option. I can't think of any other abilities that would have mattered. I know I would not count on my roll on the best of days.

Launching from the safety of the river is appealing; however, entering the raging storm right next to a huge pile of sharp boulders and no safe place to land safely was a puzzling choice. The sandy beach just to the northeast was a far safer option. The wind at the time was blowing predominantly onshore and a steady current flowed parallel to it. In the case of capsize everything would have been blown back onto the harmless sand. Had the group launched from the sandy beach to the northeast, not only would have they been safer, most likely they would have never gotten far from shore to begin with. Rather than protect them from the storm, launching from the river mouth was a Trojan horse that lured them from safety into the heart of darkness.

Next on the list of checks are your gear and clothing. All three were paddling plastic kayaks in 10-foot range with a closed compartment in the back—bigger than the whitewater boats but shorter and wider than the sea kayak—most likely a variety of "recreational" kayak. Not the best tools for the job. No spray skirts or hatch covers were found in the evidence locker; however, Mitchell's boat did not sink after capsize and he held on to it for some time. The hatches must have been lost after capsize. I suspect that the spray skirts were also ripped off their bodies by the waves.

I'm not convinced that even the best boat for these conditions could have prevented the tragedy. The chances of capsizing in waves that big were very high even for the most experienced rough water paddler in the most sea-worthy kayak. A proper sea kayak would have offered more positive contact with the boat for improved bracing. It would have had more dynamic stability in turbulent water. Sea kayaks are also faster and have more flotation. Nevertheless, none of these boat characteristics would have kept Mitchell upright or in his boat. It does not seem like any of these boat properties mattered after the capsize either.

Sea kayaks are significantly easier to roll compared to 'wreck' boats. In theory, with a spray deck, one could resurface and continue paddling after capsizing without taking on much water. In the real world, no one would look down on even the most experienced roller for wet-exiting in conditions as extreme as we had this past October. The three paddlers with no rough water experience were doomed to end up in the water even if they knew how to roll.

I was not able to ascertain for sure if the boys wore the spray skirts when they headed out. This article of equipment was not found with other gear in the evidence. First, without spray decks the boats should have flooded and submerged preventing any further forward progress long before the paddlers got out of the harbor. Additionally, the spray skirt does one no good once in the water out of the boat. Paradoxically, I would count the presence of the spray skirts in the strike column in the present scenario. Without them the boys should have flooded their cockpits which would have forced them to turn around prevented them from clearing the mouth of the harbor.

Tow lines, pumps, paddle floats, rescue slings, signaling devices, float plans, etc. would they have done any good in this situation? Maybe a pair of diver's fins could have helped Mitchell swim faster, maybe they would have enabled him to escape the vortex.

To the best of my knowledge, all three boys wore PFD's, helmets, but only minimal thermal protection such as rash guards and fleece. Based on the description, it did not sound like there was any neoprene or even a waterproof outer layer. A wet or dry suit on Mitchell would not have helped him swim to shore. It may have allowed him to remain conscious and floating on the surface until the helicopter arrived about 30 minutes after he disappeared. One would have to be a very conservative paddler, however, to conclude that Mitchell was critically underdressed. This fit young man continued to fight for well over an hour after he capsized. Personally, I know I don't dress for more than that when I go out paddling in cold waters. The lack of insulation was another small detail that, when combined with others, brought about the outcome.

There is reason to think that Mitchell might have been better off had he done absolutely nothing but hang on to his boat after a few failed attempts to reach the rescuers. Young men are normally blessed with high metabolism rates and thin layers of their own fat insulation. While desirable on land, in cold water, these ingredients make up the recipe for deadly accelerated loss of body heat. Simply curling up in a defensive heat-saving position, covering his groin, armpits, and neck may have bought Mitchell those precious 30 extra minutes of consciousness. Second, if what stood between him and the rescuers was a re-circulating rip current, by threading water Mitchell would have been taken farther from shore first but eventually the current would have deposited him on the sandy beach where one of his friends got out from the water. Peaceful defensive resignation in the face of the raging storm is easier said than done, however—especially if one is as invincible as I know I was as a teenager.

Conclusion

In the end, I have to conclude that, despite several questionable choices, the major factor in this tragedy was just luck. Had the boys launched from another location only steps away, had Mitchell not been able to remount his kayak after the initial capsize, had they capsized just a few second earlier, had the waves been just a hair stronger and kept them in the harbor the story would have ended with three cold wet boys chattering their teeth and having some quality laughs while sipping hot chocolate at McDonalds somewhere. A capsize and a long swim in cold water were not risks for this company—it was a certainty that they embraced going in. Landing on the rocks in 10' waves is a bit more risk than I would have agreed to but that was the risk the group accepted.

What really led to the tragedy was something they were not prepared for—the inexplicable black hole just to the north of the tip of the break wall. The trio clearly did not anticipate the invisible hand of the Lake that will demand one of them as a sacrifice. In my opinion, every one of the debatable choices this company had made would have been forgiven if not for the deadly grip of the angry lake. As it often is in kayaking, however, drop after seemingly insignificant drop finally make a crack big enough for a dreadful tragedy to sneak in. Lake Michigan can be fun to play with. "You must have healthy respect for the big water," resound the words of the New Buffalo Police Chief to summarize the ordeal.

P.S. I wish to thank Chief Larry Pitchford of the New Buffalo Police for his assistance in gather this information and showing me an example of what a public servant should be to his constituents.

Additional related reading:

• Tom Bamonte's Post about Kevin Dammen's death on CASKA Blog
• Keith Wikle's Blog post on New Buffalo accident
• Discussion of New Buffalo accident on CASKA Yahoo! Group

Sea Kayaking: Calculated, Responsible, Purposeful, Adventurous and Relatively Safe Risk

By Mary Fairchild

(Careful inspection and gearing up for a day on Lake Superior:  Nigel Dennis and Eila Wilkinson.)

Life is full of dangers. As more people are exposed to a given risk, whether we're talking about driving a car, playing football, snowboarding, rock climbing or kayaking, more will be injured or killed.  There's no such thing as a risk-free environment, especially in the outdoors.

(Costa Concordia, Giglio, Italy; Associated Press, 2/15/12)

National Geographic covered last month’s Italian cruise ship disaster on Sunday night. The documentary wove together in-depth stories from passengers and staff on board as well as Coast Guard rescuers.

The Malta Press, “Maritime consultant Reuben Lanfranco said, ‘Cruise liners had a relatively good track record in terms of safety. After 9/11, the numbers shot up, with tourists preferring to avoid flying.’”

“…Ray Gregory, who also enjoys his yearly cruises, is ‘not at all put off’ either. ‘You have to take into account the thousands of vessels that sail the seas and consider that the sinking of the Costa Concordia boils down to human error,’ he said.”(7)

Kayakers are often thought of as being irresponsible mostly because the average person is not particularly active or adventurous. The public at large rarely appreciates the technical skills that underlie kayaking, nor do they acknowledge the large numbers of people who participate in the sport without problems.

Menominee River/Piers Gorge, Michigan.  Level 4 sea kayak training in current:

Learning paddling skills and executing them under pressure helps people develop courage--safety depends on individual judgment. 

Level 4 sea kayak training in Coastal Maine: 

 

"...the most important thing you will need in order to kayak to Cumberland Island is common sense. If you are not at least an Intermediate-level kayaker, you do not need to attempt this trip without a professional guide – not just a buddy who did it last year. So, if you don’t want to hire a guide, simply take a couple kayak classes and learn the basics and some advanced essential skills for paddling in open-water – like kayak re-entries, assists and rescues, for instance." (2)

Cumberland Island kayaking: 

The most important factor to safe sea kayaking is having the knowledge and experience to judge the level of potential danger and the ability to accurately compare it to your group’s capabilities leaving adequate margin for error.

“Since it was brought up in the coaches’ meeting that the tide was going to be ebbing that afternoon, I was concerned, since river mouths are known to be unfriendly places to be on an ebb tide….. I should have realized that I didn’t need to be an expert kayak surfer to know that the mouth of a river or bay is a dangerous place to be on an ebb…Even though I didn’t speak up out loud, in my head I was already getting concerned.. I ended up second guessing my own knowledge and experience, and automatically deferring to people of a higher skill level than I thought myself to be. I should have challenged this plan, based only on the simple fact that the mouth of a river or bay is a dangerous place to be on a strong ebb tide. I shouldn’t have needed to say anything more than that.” Mark Whitaker (8)

Tybee Island, Georgia(above): South Beach is where the action and crowds are. Here you find the Tybee Pavilion and Pier.  Tides move quickly up and down the broad flat beach twice a day—6 to 9 feet vertically, and up to 300 feet horizontally.

At low tide, where South Beach wraps around to the Back River area, sand bars or shoals become exposed, stretching southward toward Little Tybee. From the far end, it looks like an easy swim to Little Tybee, but don't try it. Every year someone drowns in the attempt, underestimating the outgoing tides and currents. Where longshore currents meet outgoing and incoming tides in the sounds, tremendous turbulence is created, making for dangerous conditions. Keep a watchful eye on incoming tides so you don't become trapped on a quickly disappearing sand bar.

The pier south to the main jetty is officially approved for surfing. On days with good wave action, you will see quite a few trying their luck. Surfers also try the waves on the north side of the pier, but officially are not supposed to. (3)

Mfairlady

1. Terry Smith, Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club, "Cumberland Island Georgia"

2. Up The Creek Expeditions, "Kayaking to Cumberland Island: What You Need to Know"; http://upthecreekx.com/2011/04/kayaking-to-cumberland-island-what-you-need-to-know-2/

3. Sherpa Guides, "Tybee Island South Beach Area"; http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/tybee_south_beach.html .

4. Matt Broze and George Gronseth, “Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble,” Ragged Mountain Press.

5. Gregorio Borgia, Associated Press, Nicole Winfiled: “Divers in Italy Ship Wreck Find Two More Bodies.” 

6. Risk, Safety, and Personal Responsibility; American Whitewater. 

7. The Malta Times, 1/12/12: “Concordia Tragedy May Lead to Better Price Deals.” 

8. Mark Whitaker, “Incident report, October 14th, 2011, mouth of Netarts Bay,” Lumpy Waters Symposium .

9. Geneva Kayak Center

10. Sea Kayak Georgia

Sarah Hartman Great Slave Lake Solo Adventure: The Trailer

I'm sure that we will hear much more from Sarah Hartman about her recent adventure on the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake. She has a standing invitation to do a presentation at the 2012 edition of Canoecopia, for example. Just to tantilize us, Sarah sent the following dispatch, likely composed during her long flight back from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories via Toronto. Consider it a preview of coming attractions.

 

East Arm Great Slave Lake: Trip Summary

By: Sarah Hartman

 

If Ontario is the Boundary Waters on steroids, Great Slave Lake is Canada on steroids. I've fished some fabulous Canadian wilderness; this is beyond anything I've seen. It's easy to see why McLeod Bay is under consideration to become a national park.

 

The decision to go solo was made deliberatively and with consultation with friends, coaches, paddling mentors, and authorities (and locals) in Yellowknife.  Tom Bamonte had warned me a couple months prior to the trip that things might not align for him. I had a lot of time to think, work through the 'what-ifs', and come to a decision that was right for me.

 

I discovered I DO enjoy kayak touring. My longest day was a little over 20 nm (all my measurements were as-the-crow-flies). My best average speed was 3.5 knots/hr. Camp chores, boat maintenance, chart work, personal care, and journaling took 5-6 hours each day. I have NO desire to take off to Australia to break Freya's record any time soon.

 

Most days McLeod Bay was flat to 6" chop. Two days I had to pull off early due to building sea state. Four days were spent in camp due to conditions, and the trip ended a day early due to those same conditions.  If I had been on the familiar waters of Lake Michigan, or had the luxury of marine weather forecasts, or had been with a companion, my decisions may have been different. For the time and the circumstances, they were the right decisions for me.

 

Fourteen days out was wonderful. I really got disconnected from Chicago life but felt like I was too long away from the responsibilities left behind. I was ready to come home but with mixed feelings. I certainly needed another five days to see all McLeod Bay had to offer.

 

Learnings:

- It's ok to be by yourself. Just be smart about it.

- It's easier with others though because you can split up the work (and/or have somone to chat with on the weather days).

- I'll for sure go solo again.

 

Gear I'm expecially glad I had:

- Silk Coccoon sleeping bag liner. Worth the price!

- Storm Cag: great wind breaker for around camp and also to protect the dry suit from rough rocks while doing the morning cooking.

- Dry suit: It was really too warm most days but a wet suit would have been too cold.

- Detailed topo maps to fill in the missing info on the nautical chart of the East Arm and the Snowdrift and Reliance area maps.

- A fleece layer for wearing around camp.

Gear that I wish I had brought:

- Toe nail clippers will be added to the kit

 

Gear that I forgot that I wish I hadn't:

- Thermos for hot water. (Have no idea how I forgot that one but I felt not quite properly equipped without it.)

 

New piece of gear that I tried and liked:

- Liqui-Bait Wallet by Plano. Less expensive than a Pelican case and just as water proof.

 

Paddle hard, learn well, follow your passions wherever they lead.

 

Sarah