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April Club Calendar

Boiling Creek - upper section
Date: Friday, April 8, 2005
Time: 8:00 AM
Contact: Bob Andrews 251-367-4144
Place: meet at BP Truckstop at I-10 Wilcox Rd exit
Comments: Call ahead to Bob if you plan to go, so he will have a count and be able to get back to you if any plans change, such as weather.

Lower Delta (maybe Whiskey Ditch)
Date: Sunday, April 10, 2005
Time: afternoon
Contact: Bob Andrews 251-367-4144
Place: maybe old Riverdocs parking lot
Comments: Call ahead to Bob if you plan to go, so he will have a count and be able to get back to you if any plans change, such as weather.

Whiskey Ditch
Date: Sunday, April 17, 2005
Time: 1:30 PM
Contact: Gary Worob (850) 259-9337 gworob@yahoo.com
Place: From Spanish Fort, go west towards Mobile on the Causeway, to 100 meters past Ed's Seafood Shed. The gravel/dirt free parking lot put-in area is on the north side of the highway.
Comments: This will be a beginner-friendly paddle of about 4 miles up/back east on Pass Picada, north on Apalachee River and west into Whiskey Ditch. The spider lilies should be blooming and possibly blue flag iris as well. For those interested, some may go to dinner afterwards somewhere on the Causeway.

Fairhope Boat Demo Day at Earth Day
Date: Sunday, April 17, 2005
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Contact: Fairhope Boat Co - 251-928-3417
Place: Fairhope Municipal Pier, Fairhope Ave on Mobile Bay
Comments: Come and check out and test ride many different types of kayaks and canoes. Mention that you are a MBCAKC member for free admission. Come early, buy a boat and head for the Whiskey Ditch paddle in the afternoon.

Moonlight Paddle - Byrne's Lake to Gravine Island
Date: Friday, April 22, 2005
Time: 5:45 PM (or 6:00 PM if you go directly to Byrne's Lake)
Contact: Brint Adams 251-583-9919 or email
Place: Bruno's, Spanish Fort - Hwy 31 & Hwy 225, we will caravan from there
Comments: We will paddle out Byrne's Lake, cross Tensaw River and stop up at the north end of Gravine Island on the high sand dune. We will have potluck hors d'oevres and drinks under the moonlight and then back by the same route. Bring a flashlight for safety, blanket or chairs, and some food to share.

Blessing of the Fleet
Date: Sunday, May 1, 2005
Time: 9:00 AM
Contact: Rob Nykvist kayaker@mchsi.com Phone: 460-4646 Work, 423-0015 Cell
Place: Public Boat Ramp, Bayou La Batre, AL
Directions: For those of you not sure where the public boat ramp is, meet in the parking lot just south of Hardees in Theodore. That is at the NW corner of the intersection of Hwy 90 @ Island Rd/Hamilton Blvd. Be there before 8:15 AM and I will lead you 15 miles south to the launch site.
Distance: 8-10 Miles at a leisurely 2-3 mph pace.
Route: Start at the Bayou La Batre public boat ramp and go upstream. At about 2.5 miles, we'll go under the Lift Bridge. From there, we'll continue upstream away from the industrial areas for another 1-2 miles. There are a few areas we might consider getting out at to take a snack break. There are a few short side streams to explore. At about 11:00 we'll turn around and start the return trip.
Comments: If you like seeing shrimp boats, you'll enjoy this trip. There will be more boat traffic than normal, but most operate at idle speeds in Bayou La Batre. I'm trying to time this trip to avoid traffic shut down, because there is a land parade at 3:00 PM and a boat parade after that. If you are interested in both kayaking and attending the Festival, check out this link for more Blessing of the Fleet info: http://www.fleetblessing.org/fb.html


There were about 30 people in attendance. After paddle announcements, Tom Meyer gave an outline of his preliminary discussions with leaders from Mobile Bay National Estuary Program about holding a spring paddling/camping event in the Mobile Tensaw Delta area. This would have similarities to the successfully run Paddle Bayou La Fourche, held for the past four years. The 2004 event was held on November 12-15 as an initiative of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and supported by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Coastal Restoration and Management.

Here is the link for the 2004 Paddle Bayou La Fourche event, the link for the Barataria-Terrebonne NEP and the link for the Mobile Bay NEP. Tom is looking for local club interest and support in helping the Mobile Bay NEP organize an event in our area. If you are interested in helping make this happen, come to the next MBCAKC meeting or contact Tom at (251)680-4445 or email Tom