For those procrastinators out there, it looks like there may be an opening or two left for the overnight paddle to the Jug Lake platform this weekend. If you are interested, call Bob Andrews to sign up and get the latest information for meeting time and place. Here is the paddle information previously listed in the March calendar:
Overnight to Jug Lake
Date: March 19, 20
Time: TBA
Contact: Bob Andrews (251) 367-4144
Place: Call Bob
Comments: Camping on the platforms, limit six persons.
November Notes and Paddles
Friday, March 18, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Due to popular demand and since we are an all-inclusive club and do not want to leave out those who like the dining out experience, the new website previously named "MBCAKC Cookbook" has been expanded to include area restaurant reviews. This site is renamed "MBCAKC Recipes & Restaurant Reviews".
So, for those inclined to expound on the virtues of the local fare, whether or not with skewed thinking following a strenuous paddle, please opine and submit your reviews to either Julie or I, and we will post reviews, as well as those old family recipes you wish to share.
So, for those inclined to expound on the virtues of the local fare, whether or not with skewed thinking following a strenuous paddle, please opine and submit your reviews to either Julie or I, and we will post reviews, as well as those old family recipes you wish to share.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
***FLASH PADDLE - EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON***
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2005
Time: 12:30 PM
Place: Meet at Buzbee's on Hwy. 225, Spanish Fort, AL
Contact: Larry McDuff - 928-1582
Comments: Larry (the highly charismatic leader), who led last Sunday's successful trip for 21 paddlers, is back again a week later, to lead a beginner-friendly trip. Depending on the winds, he will either paddle up Bay Minette Creek, looking for Mountain Laurel and Bald Eagles, or out into Bay Minette Basin and the middle of the delta, on what appears to be another beautiful afternoon. Buzbee's requires a $3.00 put-in fee. It is located about 2 mi. north of Bruno's (intersection of Hwy. 31 & 225) in Spanish Fort, on Hwy. 225.
LINKS TO NEW MBCAKC SITES IN RIGHT COLUMN
Due to popular demand, we are trying out two new websites.
MBCAKC Cookbook is now starting to list all of those culinary treats you have prepared or tasted at club picnics, parties, potlucks, camping trips or just your favorite "can't miss" recipes in all food categories, from appetizers, salsas, main dishes, side dishes, salads, breads, desserts, etc. So, if you want to include some of your favorites, just email them to Brint and I will try to post them as soon as I can.
MBCAKC Prose and Poetry is ready to post all of those haiku, poems and fictional pieces hiding in the dark recesses of your minds. The intent is for entries to be generally related to kayak, canoe, camping, outdoors, water, oceans, earth, universe, etc. type subjects. So, dust off your keyboards, expand your minds and email any creative missives to Brint and I will try to post them as soon as I can.
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2005
Time: 12:30 PM
Place: Meet at Buzbee's on Hwy. 225, Spanish Fort, AL
Contact: Larry McDuff - 928-1582
Comments: Larry (the highly charismatic leader), who led last Sunday's successful trip for 21 paddlers, is back again a week later, to lead a beginner-friendly trip. Depending on the winds, he will either paddle up Bay Minette Creek, looking for Mountain Laurel and Bald Eagles, or out into Bay Minette Basin and the middle of the delta, on what appears to be another beautiful afternoon. Buzbee's requires a $3.00 put-in fee. It is located about 2 mi. north of Bruno's (intersection of Hwy. 31 & 225) in Spanish Fort, on Hwy. 225.
LINKS TO NEW MBCAKC SITES IN RIGHT COLUMN
Due to popular demand, we are trying out two new websites.
MBCAKC Cookbook is now starting to list all of those culinary treats you have prepared or tasted at club picnics, parties, potlucks, camping trips or just your favorite "can't miss" recipes in all food categories, from appetizers, salsas, main dishes, side dishes, salads, breads, desserts, etc. So, if you want to include some of your favorites, just email them to Brint and I will try to post them as soon as I can.
MBCAKC Prose and Poetry is ready to post all of those haiku, poems and fictional pieces hiding in the dark recesses of your minds. The intent is for entries to be generally related to kayak, canoe, camping, outdoors, water, oceans, earth, universe, etc. type subjects. So, dust off your keyboards, expand your minds and email any creative missives to Brint and I will try to post them as soon as I can.
Friday, March 11, 2005
////LATE BREAKING NEWS\\\\
FLASH PADDLE - SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Magnolia River, Magnolia Springs, AL
Date: March 12, 2005
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: Exxon @ Hwy 98 & Magnolia Springs Hwy (southeast of Fairhope)
Contact: Brint Adams - 251-583-9919
Comments: We will drive a few blocks to the County water access at the end of Rock St. Depending on group concensus and wind conditions, we will either paddle one-way out Magnolia River and up along the eastern shore of Weeks Bay to the take-out at the Hwy 98 bridge, or out Magnolia River and back to the put-in. The trip time should be about 2.5 hrs. Bring fluids, hat, sunscreen. This will be low-key and suitable for beginners and those wanting to see springtime flowers and wildlife on the Magnolia.
CANCELLED - SATURDAY, 3-12-2005 JOHNSON'S BEACH PADDLE
Due to anticipated strong SW winds, Larry McDuff has cancelled tomorrow's paddle.
FLASH PADDLE - SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Magnolia River, Magnolia Springs, AL
Date: March 12, 2005
Time: 1:00 PM
Place: Exxon @ Hwy 98 & Magnolia Springs Hwy (southeast of Fairhope)
Contact: Brint Adams - 251-583-9919
Comments: We will drive a few blocks to the County water access at the end of Rock St. Depending on group concensus and wind conditions, we will either paddle one-way out Magnolia River and up along the eastern shore of Weeks Bay to the take-out at the Hwy 98 bridge, or out Magnolia River and back to the put-in. The trip time should be about 2.5 hrs. Bring fluids, hat, sunscreen. This will be low-key and suitable for beginners and those wanting to see springtime flowers and wildlife on the Magnolia.
CANCELLED - SATURDAY, 3-12-2005 JOHNSON'S BEACH PADDLE
Due to anticipated strong SW winds, Larry McDuff has cancelled tomorrow's paddle.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
DUE TO LATE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES
The Saturday paddle to Red Maple Slough has been CANCELLED. If anyone is interested in leading a FLASH PADDLE on either Saturday or Sunday, please give me a call at 251-583-9919 or send me an email to brint and I will post it for you.
The Saturday paddle to Red Maple Slough has been CANCELLED. If anyone is interested in leading a FLASH PADDLE on either Saturday or Sunday, please give me a call at 251-583-9919 or send me an email to brint and I will post it for you.
GET OUT AND PADDLE THIS WEEKEND!!!
This weekend looks to have highs in the 70's with little chance of rain. It should be a great time to get out and see spring starting to bloom in the delta or along the coast. With scheduled paddles in both areas, you have no excuses... so, dust off your boat and head for the water.
Here are the paddles scheduled for this weekend so far:
Red Maple Slough CANCELLED
Date: March 12
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet 928-4568 Hvk1457@aol.com
Place: TBA
Comments: Red Maple Slough is between Little Bateau and Big Bateau Bays. Where the land is high enough, red maples grow tall and thick. Their red seeds are maturing this time of year giving the justification for the name Red Maple.
Johnson's Beach
Date: March 12, 13
Time: 1:30 PM
Contact: Larry McDuff 928-1582
Place: Put in Big Lagoon State Park
Comments: Overnight camping trip, beginner friendly, on a barrier island in the National Seashore system.
This weekend looks to have highs in the 70's with little chance of rain. It should be a great time to get out and see spring starting to bloom in the delta or along the coast. With scheduled paddles in both areas, you have no excuses... so, dust off your boat and head for the water.
Here are the paddles scheduled for this weekend so far:
Red Maple Slough CANCELLED
Date: March 12
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet 928-4568 Hvk1457@aol.com
Place: TBA
Comments: Red Maple Slough is between Little Bateau and Big Bateau Bays. Where the land is high enough, red maples grow tall and thick. Their red seeds are maturing this time of year giving the justification for the name Red Maple.
Johnson's Beach
Date: March 12, 13
Time: 1:30 PM
Contact: Larry McDuff 928-1582
Place: Put in Big Lagoon State Park
Comments: Overnight camping trip, beginner friendly, on a barrier island in the National Seashore system.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Wait no more, the highly anticipated Econfina Creek trip report, written by both Gary and Brint, is finally posted at MBCAKC Trip Reports, for your reading pleasure. Recent paddle trip reports into the Mobile Tensaw Delta, penned by Larry McDuff, Brian Westcott and Gary Worob, are posted as well.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Book Review: The Realm of Rivers: Alabama's Mobile-Tensaw Delta, by Sue Walker and Dennis Holt
As you know, Dennis and Sue came to our January meeting to show us their new book. I have just finished reading it, cover to cover, and I have to praise it even more enthusiastically than I did at the meeting.
We all saw and heard during the meeting that this book was a unique artistic achievement. The photography and the poetry capture, in exquisite detail, the experiences we've had as a club while paddling the Delta. The poetry and pictures are the soul of this book.
But wait! There's more! The book includes stories and legends of the Delta, including various perspectives on the Fort Mims Massacre. There is a brief chronology of the role of the Tensaw in Baldwin County history. There are delightful essays on the Delta experience, including quotations from writers from several centuries. A series of essays portrays the living -- human -- legends of Stockton and the Delta. The book closes with an informal "master class" in photography by Dennis Holt, explaining how he caught and produced a few of the dozens of unique Delta photographs included in the book.
The Realm of Rivers includes some errors that one would inevitably expect to find in a book published by a small press. Big publishing houses have an army of fact-checkers and proofreaders that were not available to these local authors. For example, the feeding habits of the white and brown pelicans are reversed in the book (whites feed passively, while browns dive for food). My copy of the book cut off the end of Dennis's notes on photographic methods. And I think the book's dates regarding the construction and dedication of the Causeway are inaccurate, but I can't figure out how to check them, so it's not surprising to me that the authors and editors couldn't do any better than I did.
The sweetest information of all, for me, was about the heritage of eating at the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton, which is described in poetry, narrative, photographic, and interview form in this book. I cannot guess how many pounds of food we have consumed at the Stagecoach before and after our club's Delta paddles, enjoying the excellent food and the companionship of our paddling buddies. But I never realized before reading this book what a venerable tradition such "pigging out at the Stagecoach" is, dating back to the days when it required nineteen stage horses to make the journey from Stockton to Montgomery. I now feel as privileged as I am pleased to partake of the Stagecoach's sumptuous seafood buffets and legendary corn pudding.
We are blessed indeed to have this vast wilderness in which to paddle and such artists to chronicle it. Personally, I'm sending a copy of this book to everyone I know who wonders why anybody would be crazy enough to go paddling with alligators. Now they can eat their hearts out wishing they were with us without my wasting my breath trying to explain it.
The Realm of Rivers is available at Dennis's gallery, the Morning Light Gallery & Studio, 410 Fairhope Avenue, Post Office Box 1272, Fairhope, AL, 26533, 251-990-6444, and at area bookstores.
As you know, Dennis and Sue came to our January meeting to show us their new book. I have just finished reading it, cover to cover, and I have to praise it even more enthusiastically than I did at the meeting.
We all saw and heard during the meeting that this book was a unique artistic achievement. The photography and the poetry capture, in exquisite detail, the experiences we've had as a club while paddling the Delta. The poetry and pictures are the soul of this book.
But wait! There's more! The book includes stories and legends of the Delta, including various perspectives on the Fort Mims Massacre. There is a brief chronology of the role of the Tensaw in Baldwin County history. There are delightful essays on the Delta experience, including quotations from writers from several centuries. A series of essays portrays the living -- human -- legends of Stockton and the Delta. The book closes with an informal "master class" in photography by Dennis Holt, explaining how he caught and produced a few of the dozens of unique Delta photographs included in the book.
The Realm of Rivers includes some errors that one would inevitably expect to find in a book published by a small press. Big publishing houses have an army of fact-checkers and proofreaders that were not available to these local authors. For example, the feeding habits of the white and brown pelicans are reversed in the book (whites feed passively, while browns dive for food). My copy of the book cut off the end of Dennis's notes on photographic methods. And I think the book's dates regarding the construction and dedication of the Causeway are inaccurate, but I can't figure out how to check them, so it's not surprising to me that the authors and editors couldn't do any better than I did.
The sweetest information of all, for me, was about the heritage of eating at the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton, which is described in poetry, narrative, photographic, and interview form in this book. I cannot guess how many pounds of food we have consumed at the Stagecoach before and after our club's Delta paddles, enjoying the excellent food and the companionship of our paddling buddies. But I never realized before reading this book what a venerable tradition such "pigging out at the Stagecoach" is, dating back to the days when it required nineteen stage horses to make the journey from Stockton to Montgomery. I now feel as privileged as I am pleased to partake of the Stagecoach's sumptuous seafood buffets and legendary corn pudding.
We are blessed indeed to have this vast wilderness in which to paddle and such artists to chronicle it. Personally, I'm sending a copy of this book to everyone I know who wonders why anybody would be crazy enough to go paddling with alligators. Now they can eat their hearts out wishing they were with us without my wasting my breath trying to explain it.
The Realm of Rivers is available at Dennis's gallery, the Morning Light Gallery & Studio, 410 Fairhope Avenue, Post Office Box 1272, Fairhope, AL, 26533, 251-990-6444, and at area bookstores.
****FLASH PADDLE****RICE CREEK TO BIG CYPRESS TO JUG LAKE
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2005
Time: 9:00 AM
Place: meet at The Stagecoach Restaurant in Stockton
Directions: Take I-65 N to the Stockton exit 31 or Hwy. 225 north, cross I-65, and continue north to Stockton.
Contact: Gary 850-259-9337 cell or Tom 251-680-4445
Comments: Put in at Rice Creek Landing, paddle to Bayou Jessamine to marker 5 for short muddy trek to large Cypress, then on to the Jug Lake platform for lunch. Trip will be about 8 miles and 5 hours.
Date: Saturday, March 5, 2005
Time: 9:00 AM
Place: meet at The Stagecoach Restaurant in Stockton
Directions: Take I-65 N to the Stockton exit 31 or Hwy. 225 north, cross I-65, and continue north to Stockton.
Contact: Gary 850-259-9337 cell or Tom 251-680-4445
Comments: Put in at Rice Creek Landing, paddle to Bayou Jessamine to marker 5 for short muddy trek to large Cypress, then on to the Jug Lake platform for lunch. Trip will be about 8 miles and 5 hours.
\\\ANOTHER FLASH PADDLE\\\OLD RIVERDOC'S ON THE CAUSEWAY
Date: March 6, 2005
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: Meet at the old Riverdoc's parking lot on the north side of the Causeway about 100 meters west of Ed's Seafood Shed
Contact: Larry McDuff - 928-1582
Comments: This will be a beginner-friendly paddle in the delta, possibly to Whiskey Ditch, Chacaloochee Bay or parts unknown!
Date: March 6, 2005
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: Meet at the old Riverdoc's parking lot on the north side of the Causeway about 100 meters west of Ed's Seafood Shed
Contact: Larry McDuff - 928-1582
Comments: This will be a beginner-friendly paddle in the delta, possibly to Whiskey Ditch, Chacaloochee Bay or parts unknown!
March Club Calendar
by Bruce
Trip to Jug Lake, Jessamine Bayou
Date: March 5, 6
Time:TBA
Contact: Gary Worob or Tom Meyer
Place: Rice Creek Landing
Comments: Paddle to Jug Lake via Bayou Jessamine w/ a side hike to the big cypress. Need secure foot wear for the muddy hike. Tom (251) 680-4445 twmeyer@bellsouth.netGary Worob (850) 259-9337 gworob@yahoo.com
Maple Slough
Date: March 12
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet 928-4568 Hvk1457@aol.com
Place: TBA
Comments: Maple Slough is between Little Bateau and Big Bateau Bays. Where the land is high enough, red maples grow tall and thick. Their red seeds are maturing this time of year giving the justification for the name Red Maple.
Johnson's Beach
Date: March 12, 13
Time: TBA
Contact: Larry McDuff 928-1582
Place: Put in Big Lagoon State Park
Comments: Overnight camping trip, beginner friendly, on a barrier island in the National Seashore system.
Overnight to Jug Lake
Date: March 19, 20
Time: TBA
Contact: Bob Andrews (251) 367-4144
Place: Call Bob
Comments: Camping on the platforms, limit six persons.
Full Moon Float
Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 6:00 PM
Contact: Brint Adams 583-9919 brint.adams@us.army.mil
Place: Meaher State Park boat ramp
Comments: Paddle up the Blakely River to Sardine Pass to Justins Bay. Dinner at a restaurant afterwards.
Demo Day
Date: March 26
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Contact: Pensacola Kayak & Sail or Fairhope Boat Store
Place: Pensacola
Comments: kayak vendors will have dozens of boats to try out on the water.
Boiling Creek
Date: March 26
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet and Fritz Ingraham
Place: TBA
Comments: You should get a recreation pass for Eglin Air Force Base now for the coming season. See the website for details.
Matt's Easter Sunday
Date: March 27
Time: 2 p.m.
Contact: Matt Darring iama@backpacker.com
Place: from Hurricane Landing to Six Bits Creek
Comments: Hurricane Landing has a $3 launch fee. Trip is about 10 miles, intermediate level. Leave Hurricane, cross the Tensaw River to Basin Negro. An island at the top of the basin marks a creek to the left.
Marilyn's Party
Date: April 9
Time: TBA
Contact: Marilyn Craig, marilyncraig@hotmail.com
Place: Fowl River
Comments: Marilyn hosted the club last year at her home, where we had a fine paddle on the river and potluck supper afterwards. She's going to do it again this year. Please let her know you are coming; she is providing chicken, sodas and paper plates.
At the meeting we had 37 people attending, including our guest speaker Casi Callaway, Executive Director, Mobile Baywatch. Ms. Callaway gave an overview of four projects Mobile Baywatch is doing now:
(1) Liquified Natural Gas,
(2) the Causeway and a Hydrological Modification Impact Study,
(3) Pritchard Sewer, and
(4) U.S. Highway 98 over Big Creek Lake.
Mobile Baywatch and the Waterkeeper Alliance benefit the State of Alabama. If you want to learn more see their website at http://www.mobilebaywatch.org or phone (251) 433-4BAY (4229)
by Bruce
Trip to Jug Lake, Jessamine Bayou
Date: March 5, 6
Time:TBA
Contact: Gary Worob or Tom Meyer
Place: Rice Creek Landing
Comments: Paddle to Jug Lake via Bayou Jessamine w/ a side hike to the big cypress. Need secure foot wear for the muddy hike. Tom (251) 680-4445 twmeyer@bellsouth.netGary Worob (850) 259-9337 gworob@yahoo.com
Maple Slough
Date: March 12
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet 928-4568 Hvk1457@aol.com
Place: TBA
Comments: Maple Slough is between Little Bateau and Big Bateau Bays. Where the land is high enough, red maples grow tall and thick. Their red seeds are maturing this time of year giving the justification for the name Red Maple.
Johnson's Beach
Date: March 12, 13
Time: TBA
Contact: Larry McDuff 928-1582
Place: Put in Big Lagoon State Park
Comments: Overnight camping trip, beginner friendly, on a barrier island in the National Seashore system.
Overnight to Jug Lake
Date: March 19, 20
Time: TBA
Contact: Bob Andrews (251) 367-4144
Place: Call Bob
Comments: Camping on the platforms, limit six persons.
Full Moon Float
Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 6:00 PM
Contact: Brint Adams 583-9919 brint.adams@us.army.mil
Place: Meaher State Park boat ramp
Comments: Paddle up the Blakely River to Sardine Pass to Justins Bay. Dinner at a restaurant afterwards.
Demo Day
Date: March 26
Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Contact: Pensacola Kayak & Sail or Fairhope Boat Store
Place: Pensacola
Comments: kayak vendors will have dozens of boats to try out on the water.
Boiling Creek
Date: March 26
Time: TBA
Contact: Harriet and Fritz Ingraham
Place: TBA
Comments: You should get a recreation pass for Eglin Air Force Base now for the coming season. See the website for details.
Matt's Easter Sunday
Date: March 27
Time: 2 p.m.
Contact: Matt Darring iama@backpacker.com
Place: from Hurricane Landing to Six Bits Creek
Comments: Hurricane Landing has a $3 launch fee. Trip is about 10 miles, intermediate level. Leave Hurricane, cross the Tensaw River to Basin Negro. An island at the top of the basin marks a creek to the left.
Marilyn's Party
Date: April 9
Time: TBA
Contact: Marilyn Craig, marilyncraig@hotmail.com
Place: Fowl River
Comments: Marilyn hosted the club last year at her home, where we had a fine paddle on the river and potluck supper afterwards. She's going to do it again this year. Please let her know you are coming; she is providing chicken, sodas and paper plates.
At the meeting we had 37 people attending, including our guest speaker Casi Callaway, Executive Director, Mobile Baywatch. Ms. Callaway gave an overview of four projects Mobile Baywatch is doing now:
(1) Liquified Natural Gas,
(2) the Causeway and a Hydrological Modification Impact Study,
(3) Pritchard Sewer, and
(4) U.S. Highway 98 over Big Creek Lake.
Mobile Baywatch and the Waterkeeper Alliance benefit the State of Alabama. If you want to learn more see their website at http://www.mobilebaywatch.org or phone (251) 433-4BAY (4229)
Friday, February 25, 2005
!!!!!!!!MEETING REMINDER!!!!!!!!
The next meeting of the Mobile Bay Canoe & Kayak Club will be on Tuesday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m., at the Fairhope Yacht Club. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month, same time, same place.
After the usual club business of reporting on and scheduling paddles, Casi (pronounced Casey) Callaway of Mobile Bay Watch will talk generally about the Mobile Bay Watch organization, and then focus on some of the many projects they are currently involved with, with a focus on the Causeway project. She welcomes questions about any or all projects.
The next meeting of the Mobile Bay Canoe & Kayak Club will be on Tuesday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m., at the Fairhope Yacht Club. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month, same time, same place.
After the usual club business of reporting on and scheduling paddles, Casi (pronounced Casey) Callaway of Mobile Bay Watch will talk generally about the Mobile Bay Watch organization, and then focus on some of the many projects they are currently involved with, with a focus on the Causeway project. She welcomes questions about any or all projects.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
________________________________________
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
General Information:
1. Our monthly meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center. Anybody and everybody is welcome to attend. There is no charge. The typical meeting lasts less than two hours. We start with a review of the previous month’s paddles, continue with plans for and announcements of paddles for the next month, and end with a presentation. Presentations may include slide shows of past paddling trips by club members, member reviews of paddling gear, and safety and skills presentations.
View Larger Map
2. Mass emailing of club activities typically occurs through our Yahoo Groups site. We encourage all members to consider joining the Yahoo Groups as the mass e-mails may be more timely than the website. However, the webmaster makes every effort to place all information pertaining to the club on the website, so please check the website often for late breaking news. To join the Yahoo Group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mbcakc/ and select the Join This Group button.
3. We regularly post “want ads” for individuals seeking and selling used boats. E-mail a description of the boat desired or for sale (type, make, model, length, weight, age, condition, accessories included, etc.) to the webmaster listed at the top right hand column of the website and they will post your “want ad” to the website. We get a lot of inquiries about where to buy a used boat – the answer is that if we know about a used boat for sale, we post it on the website. If it’s not posted, we don’t know about it.
4. Apart from “want ads” from individuals, we don’t advertise. We mention a few businesses in these FAQs because those businesses actively support our club, are owned by and employ club members, and/or are the only local sources we know about for particular paddling products.
5. People frequently ask “where is a good place to paddle?” The answer is “just about anywhere.” The best single source of print information about put-ins and paddling trips in this area is this club’s separate website for paddle reports, http://www.paddlereport.blogspot.com/. The best way to get acquainted with local paddling destinations is to come paddling with us. Keith Map Service in Mobile is the most comprehensive source of maps and charts, but Fairhope Boat Co. and Pensacola Kayak and Sail also carry some maps and charts.
6. Another FAQ is “where can I buy or rent a boat?” Sunshine Canoes in Mobile rent kayaks and canoes. Fairhope Boat Company (251)928-3417, Five Rivers Outfitters (251)626-8464, and Pensacola Kayak and Sail (850)456-5856 sell and rent boats.
7. We are a group of people who enjoy paddling and sharing our experiences with others. We are not a formal organization. There are no dues, no application forms, no membership lists. All you have to do to "join" our "club" is show up at a paddle, come to a meeting, or just decide you're a member.
8. We have over 200 interested people locally who actively participate, or occasionally paddle, or just come to meetings or picnics. We receive dozens of inquiries from newbies and journalists via e-mail each month about our club, where to paddle, where to buy a boat, etc. So please be patient with us if we can’t respond in detail to every e-mail we get. But if whatever you need to know is not in these FAQs, please feel free to e-mail the webmaster with any additional questions you may have. If they can't answer your question, they will try to find somebody who can.
9. Our intention is for safety to always be the first priority. It is up to each individual to decide for him/herself whether the paddling conditions for each event are within their enjoyment and skill range. Each person is responsible for their own decision about whether to participate in each event. The leader of any given paddle can tell you about the expected paddling conditions, duration, level of difficulty, etc. However, always remember that the weather and other conditions can, and quite often do, change both quickly and dramatically. (In other words, paddle at your own risk.)
10. It is usually a good idea to contact the trip leader for any paddling trip to let them know if you plan to join the paddle and to get directions to the meeting place and/or put-in. If they don’t know you are coming, trip leaders cannot contact you with changes in plans or cancellations, and you may find yourself waiting alone in a parking lot while the rest of us are off having fun somewhere else.
11. What should you bring? You should bring a PFD and drinking water on every paddle. You should also bring whatever you think you’ll need in the way of snacks or meals, if anything. If we will be on the water after dark, you are required by law to bring a single, white light. (But don’t turn it on unless you need it for safety and/or the trip leader tells you to. White lights ruin night vision.) We also appreciate paddlers who choose to carry a trash bag to collect litter along the way. They make it nicer for everyone.
____________________________
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH US
The volume of information and e-mails we receive in connection with the club websites and e-mails is very high. Here are some ways you can make all our paddling lives a little easier. :-)
Checklist for announcing paddling trips
We suggest you print the following checklist, keep it near your computer, and bring it to meetings so you can refer to it if you plan to announce a paddle at that meeting.
If you e-mail a trip announcement to us, and if that trip announcement is longer than three sentences, please list the requested information in the following order so we don't have to sift through your creative writing to find the basic information we need to know to join your paddle. Items marked with an asterisk/star are always "required." The last few, un-starred items of information are not "required," but it helps all of us if you let us know whether they are relevant to your particular paddling plans.
We encourage anyone who can paddle a boat to lead trips consistent with their skill level, but it helps everybody if you communicate your plans clearly -- regardless of how skilled you are! (Remember, paddlers on all club paddles always paddle "at their own risk." Each club member is responsible for getting the information they need to make their own decision whether they will enjoy or can safely participate in any given trip, based on their personal paddling skills.)
*Date: [And day of the week.]
*Time: [Or, just say a general time of day (afternoon, evening, and "Call the trip leader for the exact time." Some trip leaders like to do this so all participants will have to contact them and they will know for sure who is planning to come.]
*Place: [Meeting place, put-in, and/or destination, described in such a way that people either know how to get there or know they should call you for driving directions. If you don't write out your driving directions or explain them at the monthly meeting, we won't publish any driving directions.]
*Fee: [If you are launching from a private facility that charges a nominal fee for launching kayaks.]
*Contact/Leader: [Regardless of whether you want folks to let you know they are coming, we need your phone number and/or e-mail address so we won't be bombarded with questions members should be asking you.]
Length: [Give a rough estimate or a firm deadline, as you please. If you don't know (or care) how long the paddle will last, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Directions: [Provide directions to the launch site, address, or request that paddlers contact you as trip leader for more info.]
Skill level: [Beginner, moderate, or strenuous? Big-boy or sissy :-)? Speed/training or leisurely? Are any special skills required, such as self- or assisted-rescue? A minimum speed? A maximum speed :-)? Is there anything folks might like to know about the expected conditions or environment? If you don't know (or care) about the expected skill-level, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Special gear or supplies: [--If any. You don't have to tell us about the "usual" gear. The "usual" gear is a boat, a paddle, a PFD, and drinking water. But if the paddle should not be undertaken without a touring boat and spray-skirt, or if paddlers should bring self-rescue devices, swimsuits, sleeping gear, hiking boots, lights, lunch, potluck, etc., please say so.]
Comments: [--If any. This is where you get to include all the "creative writing" you want -- at the end of the paddle announcement, please. Do you want to brag about any expected highlights of the paddle (the x-flowers are in bloom, the current is swift, the water is clear, it was fun last time, we've never paddled here before, etc.)? Dinner plans for after the paddle? Is it likely you will make a last-minute changes in paddling plans? Is there a limit on the number of paddlers who can participate (due to camping space or leader preference)?]
Please don't be offended if we change the first-person singular ("I") to plural ("we") or third-person ("Ellen led a paddle here last month"). Readers tend to assume that a written "I" refers to me (Brint), then they correspond with me instead of with you, which is a hassle for everybody. We will do our best to convey trip leaders' enthusiasm and details while maintaining a consistent editorial style. We recommend against your saying "I" when you write paddle announcements.
__________________________________
EDITORIAL POLICY
We are happy to fix spelling, grammar, structure, and formatting but anything you can do in the way of saving us some work in this regard is always appreciated. We try to keep the editorial style of the websites and e-mails fairly consistent for the sake of overall appearance and as a courtesy to our readers, so please don't take it personally if we don't publish exactly what you write.
We love fan mail! Keep those letters and raves about the kayaking experience coming. We treasure this club, the paddling experience, and correspondence with you. Please forgive us, however, if we don't respond to or publish all the dozens of e-mails we get each week from our 200+ members. You'd probably be surprised by how many judgment calls we have to make each week about whether club correspondents intend to communicate with personally, or with the club as a whole. It helps if you tell Brint, when you e-mail him, whether your e-mail is intended for publication to the club.
We will remove any special formatting, such as hard returns, hanging indents, tab stops, fancy fonts, colors, graphics, tables, etc., so do us a favor and leave them out in the first place. The reasons? (1) Special formatting just doesn't work on our websites, which we diligently strive to keep as low-tech as possible, so people with low-end computers can read them. (2) Many of our members don't have the technology for high-bandwidth e-mails, many members' ISP spam filters reject attachments, and not all members have compatible text-editing/word-processing software.
We appreciate plain-text e-mails, HTML e-mails, rich-text attachments, MS Word attachments, or WordPerfect attachments -- all with minimal formatting. If I don't have the software with which you write your e-mail attachment, I can't read it, and I can't pass it on to the membership.
We prefer that you send us links to photo's hosted on a separate website, many of our members have a dial-up connection. If you send photos to be attached to a trip report or for sale advertisement, do not be surprised if the photo is cropped and reduced in size, if it is included at all.
____________________________________
QUESTIONS?
Don't hesitate to ask the webmaster, if they don't have an answer, they will try to find someone who does. Remember that trip leaders can always tell you more about a particular trip than the webmaster. Please ask the trip leader any questions you have about any particular paddle.
____________________________
CONTACT LIST AND LINKS:
Click here to go to the MBCAKC’s weblog of “trip reports” on past paddles. You are encouraged to submit trip reports of whatever genre, as well as your favorite links. Also, check individual club members' blogs, which are listed below, for trip reports.
__________________________
CLUB MEMBER BLOGS
Brint Adams, http://www.kayakadams.blogspot.com/.
Ian Brosnan, http://www.out2sea03.blogspot.com/
It would be great if more club members would start individual blogs and group blogs about their paddling adventures. Send your blog address to the webmaster for inclusion on the website.
____________________________
HOW TO GET A PERMIT TO PADDLE BOILING CREEK
To apply for or to renew your Eglin Air Force Base Recreation Permit, here is the information. You can obtain the permit by mail (recommended) or you can apply in person at the Jackson Guard at Eglin (you will be required to watch a movie about unexploded ordnance). Please call the the number listed below to confirm that you enclose everything they need in your request. If you hear anything other than what is posted below, please let me know!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
General Information:
1. Our monthly meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center. Anybody and everybody is welcome to attend. There is no charge. The typical meeting lasts less than two hours. We start with a review of the previous month’s paddles, continue with plans for and announcements of paddles for the next month, and end with a presentation. Presentations may include slide shows of past paddling trips by club members, member reviews of paddling gear, and safety and skills presentations.
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2. Mass emailing of club activities typically occurs through our Yahoo Groups site. We encourage all members to consider joining the Yahoo Groups as the mass e-mails may be more timely than the website. However, the webmaster makes every effort to place all information pertaining to the club on the website, so please check the website often for late breaking news. To join the Yahoo Group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mbcakc/ and select the Join This Group button.
3. We regularly post “want ads” for individuals seeking and selling used boats. E-mail a description of the boat desired or for sale (type, make, model, length, weight, age, condition, accessories included, etc.) to the webmaster listed at the top right hand column of the website and they will post your “want ad” to the website. We get a lot of inquiries about where to buy a used boat – the answer is that if we know about a used boat for sale, we post it on the website. If it’s not posted, we don’t know about it.
4. Apart from “want ads” from individuals, we don’t advertise. We mention a few businesses in these FAQs because those businesses actively support our club, are owned by and employ club members, and/or are the only local sources we know about for particular paddling products.
5. People frequently ask “where is a good place to paddle?” The answer is “just about anywhere.” The best single source of print information about put-ins and paddling trips in this area is this club’s separate website for paddle reports, http://www.paddlereport.blogspot.com/. The best way to get acquainted with local paddling destinations is to come paddling with us. Keith Map Service in Mobile is the most comprehensive source of maps and charts, but Fairhope Boat Co. and Pensacola Kayak and Sail also carry some maps and charts.
6. Another FAQ is “where can I buy or rent a boat?” Sunshine Canoes in Mobile rent kayaks and canoes. Fairhope Boat Company (251)928-3417, Five Rivers Outfitters (251)626-8464, and Pensacola Kayak and Sail (850)456-5856 sell and rent boats.
7. We are a group of people who enjoy paddling and sharing our experiences with others. We are not a formal organization. There are no dues, no application forms, no membership lists. All you have to do to "join" our "club" is show up at a paddle, come to a meeting, or just decide you're a member.
8. We have over 200 interested people locally who actively participate, or occasionally paddle, or just come to meetings or picnics. We receive dozens of inquiries from newbies and journalists via e-mail each month about our club, where to paddle, where to buy a boat, etc. So please be patient with us if we can’t respond in detail to every e-mail we get. But if whatever you need to know is not in these FAQs, please feel free to e-mail the webmaster with any additional questions you may have. If they can't answer your question, they will try to find somebody who can.
9. Our intention is for safety to always be the first priority. It is up to each individual to decide for him/herself whether the paddling conditions for each event are within their enjoyment and skill range. Each person is responsible for their own decision about whether to participate in each event. The leader of any given paddle can tell you about the expected paddling conditions, duration, level of difficulty, etc. However, always remember that the weather and other conditions can, and quite often do, change both quickly and dramatically. (In other words, paddle at your own risk.)
10. It is usually a good idea to contact the trip leader for any paddling trip to let them know if you plan to join the paddle and to get directions to the meeting place and/or put-in. If they don’t know you are coming, trip leaders cannot contact you with changes in plans or cancellations, and you may find yourself waiting alone in a parking lot while the rest of us are off having fun somewhere else.
11. What should you bring? You should bring a PFD and drinking water on every paddle. You should also bring whatever you think you’ll need in the way of snacks or meals, if anything. If we will be on the water after dark, you are required by law to bring a single, white light. (But don’t turn it on unless you need it for safety and/or the trip leader tells you to. White lights ruin night vision.) We also appreciate paddlers who choose to carry a trash bag to collect litter along the way. They make it nicer for everyone.
____________________________
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH US
The volume of information and e-mails we receive in connection with the club websites and e-mails is very high. Here are some ways you can make all our paddling lives a little easier. :-)
Checklist for announcing paddling trips
We suggest you print the following checklist, keep it near your computer, and bring it to meetings so you can refer to it if you plan to announce a paddle at that meeting.
If you e-mail a trip announcement to us, and if that trip announcement is longer than three sentences, please list the requested information in the following order so we don't have to sift through your creative writing to find the basic information we need to know to join your paddle. Items marked with an asterisk/star are always "required." The last few, un-starred items of information are not "required," but it helps all of us if you let us know whether they are relevant to your particular paddling plans.
We encourage anyone who can paddle a boat to lead trips consistent with their skill level, but it helps everybody if you communicate your plans clearly -- regardless of how skilled you are! (Remember, paddlers on all club paddles always paddle "at their own risk." Each club member is responsible for getting the information they need to make their own decision whether they will enjoy or can safely participate in any given trip, based on their personal paddling skills.)
*Date: [And day of the week.]
*Time: [Or, just say a general time of day (afternoon, evening, and "Call the trip leader for the exact time." Some trip leaders like to do this so all participants will have to contact them and they will know for sure who is planning to come.]
*Place: [Meeting place, put-in, and/or destination, described in such a way that people either know how to get there or know they should call you for driving directions. If you don't write out your driving directions or explain them at the monthly meeting, we won't publish any driving directions.]
*Fee: [If you are launching from a private facility that charges a nominal fee for launching kayaks.]
*Contact/Leader: [Regardless of whether you want folks to let you know they are coming, we need your phone number and/or e-mail address so we won't be bombarded with questions members should be asking you.]
Length: [Give a rough estimate or a firm deadline, as you please. If you don't know (or care) how long the paddle will last, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Directions: [Provide directions to the launch site, address, or request that paddlers contact you as trip leader for more info.]
Skill level: [Beginner, moderate, or strenuous? Big-boy or sissy :-)? Speed/training or leisurely? Are any special skills required, such as self- or assisted-rescue? A minimum speed? A maximum speed :-)? Is there anything folks might like to know about the expected conditions or environment? If you don't know (or care) about the expected skill-level, just say so! It will save us a lot of questions.]
Special gear or supplies: [--If any. You don't have to tell us about the "usual" gear. The "usual" gear is a boat, a paddle, a PFD, and drinking water. But if the paddle should not be undertaken without a touring boat and spray-skirt, or if paddlers should bring self-rescue devices, swimsuits, sleeping gear, hiking boots, lights, lunch, potluck, etc., please say so.]
Comments: [--If any. This is where you get to include all the "creative writing" you want -- at the end of the paddle announcement, please. Do you want to brag about any expected highlights of the paddle (the x-flowers are in bloom, the current is swift, the water is clear, it was fun last time, we've never paddled here before, etc.)? Dinner plans for after the paddle? Is it likely you will make a last-minute changes in paddling plans? Is there a limit on the number of paddlers who can participate (due to camping space or leader preference)?]
Please don't be offended if we change the first-person singular ("I") to plural ("we") or third-person ("Ellen led a paddle here last month"). Readers tend to assume that a written "I" refers to me (Brint), then they correspond with me instead of with you, which is a hassle for everybody. We will do our best to convey trip leaders' enthusiasm and details while maintaining a consistent editorial style. We recommend against your saying "I" when you write paddle announcements.
__________________________________
EDITORIAL POLICY
We are happy to fix spelling, grammar, structure, and formatting but anything you can do in the way of saving us some work in this regard is always appreciated. We try to keep the editorial style of the websites and e-mails fairly consistent for the sake of overall appearance and as a courtesy to our readers, so please don't take it personally if we don't publish exactly what you write.
We love fan mail! Keep those letters and raves about the kayaking experience coming. We treasure this club, the paddling experience, and correspondence with you. Please forgive us, however, if we don't respond to or publish all the dozens of e-mails we get each week from our 200+ members. You'd probably be surprised by how many judgment calls we have to make each week about whether club correspondents intend to communicate with personally, or with the club as a whole. It helps if you tell Brint, when you e-mail him, whether your e-mail is intended for publication to the club.
We will remove any special formatting, such as hard returns, hanging indents, tab stops, fancy fonts, colors, graphics, tables, etc., so do us a favor and leave them out in the first place. The reasons? (1) Special formatting just doesn't work on our websites, which we diligently strive to keep as low-tech as possible, so people with low-end computers can read them. (2) Many of our members don't have the technology for high-bandwidth e-mails, many members' ISP spam filters reject attachments, and not all members have compatible text-editing/word-processing software.
We appreciate plain-text e-mails, HTML e-mails, rich-text attachments, MS Word attachments, or WordPerfect attachments -- all with minimal formatting. If I don't have the software with which you write your e-mail attachment, I can't read it, and I can't pass it on to the membership.
We prefer that you send us links to photo's hosted on a separate website, many of our members have a dial-up connection. If you send photos to be attached to a trip report or for sale advertisement, do not be surprised if the photo is cropped and reduced in size, if it is included at all.
____________________________________
QUESTIONS?
Don't hesitate to ask the webmaster, if they don't have an answer, they will try to find someone who does. Remember that trip leaders can always tell you more about a particular trip than the webmaster. Please ask the trip leader any questions you have about any particular paddle.
____________________________
CONTACT LIST AND LINKS:
Click here to go to the MBCAKC’s weblog of “trip reports” on past paddles. You are encouraged to submit trip reports of whatever genre, as well as your favorite links. Also, check individual club members' blogs, which are listed below, for trip reports.
__________________________
CLUB MEMBER BLOGS
Brint Adams, http://www.kayakadams.blogspot.com/.
Ian Brosnan, http://www.out2sea03.blogspot.com/
It would be great if more club members would start individual blogs and group blogs about their paddling adventures. Send your blog address to the webmaster for inclusion on the website.
____________________________
HOW TO GET A PERMIT TO PADDLE BOILING CREEK
To apply for or to renew your Eglin Air Force Base Recreation Permit, here is the information. You can obtain the permit by mail (recommended) or you can apply in person at the Jackson Guard at Eglin (you will be required to watch a movie about unexploded ordnance). Please call the the number listed below to confirm that you enclose everything they need in your request. If you hear anything other than what is posted below, please let me know!
Please note that permits are valid from Oct.1 thru Sept. 30 of each year. When ordering permits by mail, please allow three weeks for delivery (ed. note, I usually see them in about a week). Send your requests to:
Eglin Air Force Base
Natural Resources Division, ACC/EMSN
107 Highway 85N
Niceville, FL 32578
Specify the number and type of permits desired together with the proper payment and proper identification, or a copy of anything with a date of birth on it, or your old permit. Payment of $10 should be made by money order, certified or cashier's check payable to AFO Eglin AFB, Florida. Personal checks are also accepted, with proper identification.
The Natural Resources Branch of Eglin is open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. only. They are closed on Sundays and all Federal Holidays. Information may be obtained by calling Jackson Guard at (850) 882-4164.
Econfina Update
There was a typo in one of the many recent posts and e-mails about the Econfina trip. As you know, the designated campsite is full. Gary recommended the Ebro Motel as alternative lodging, but we got the phone number wrong. The correct number is 850-535-2499.
Thanks to Mary King for getting the correct number. She advises there are just a few rooms left if anyone is interested, at reasonable rates under 35 dollars. So make a reservation now if you're interested.
For further information contact Gary Worob, gworob@yahoo.com or 850-259-9337 cell, or Bob Andrews: 251-367-4144.
There was a typo in one of the many recent posts and e-mails about the Econfina trip. As you know, the designated campsite is full. Gary recommended the Ebro Motel as alternative lodging, but we got the phone number wrong. The correct number is 850-535-2499.
Thanks to Mary King for getting the correct number. She advises there are just a few rooms left if anyone is interested, at reasonable rates under 35 dollars. So make a reservation now if you're interested.
For further information contact Gary Worob, gworob@yahoo.com or 850-259-9337 cell, or Bob Andrews: 251-367-4144.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
REMINDER
There are going to be opportunities coming up this spring and summer to visit Boiling Creek and other paddles in Eglin AFB, FL. If you have not applied for a permit to use the Eglin property, click here and scan down for all the details necessary to get a current recreation use permit. The cost is $7.00.
There are going to be opportunities coming up this spring and summer to visit Boiling Creek and other paddles in Eglin AFB, FL. If you have not applied for a permit to use the Eglin property, click here and scan down for all the details necessary to get a current recreation use permit. The cost is $7.00.
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