Saturday morning I was able to get out for my first paddle of 2008. Last weekend would have been good but we had activities scheduled for both days. This Saturday however everything lined up - the water temperature was good, nothing planned and the weather was fine.
A little too fine in fact. 70+ degrees. I wore my Hydroskin top and the splash pants and when I took them off the insides were drenched in sweat. Besides that, however, it was a good first day out.
Started out from the wildlife area on the Manasquan at around 9am into a full tide and paddled downstream. The vegetation is still very grey and sparse and very few animals were around. Predominantly geese and ducks. Just before the marina however I saw an animal swimming across the river. Ah hah! I slowed down and cautiously closed in. I really wanted to watch it climb out so I could see whether it was a beaver, a groundhog or a nutria. Boy was I surprised when it got close to the southern bank - it dived under the water!
Now I know it's not a groundhog. So it has to be a beaver or a nutria. I paddled around the area for a few minutes but I could not see a traditional beaver lodge so I continued down to the marina. Guess what! I saw another animal do exactly the same thing!
After this exciting start to the season I headed back upstream. I went past the launch site to explore the wooded section of the river. Not much there. A few new fallen trees and I did scare the heck out of a huge blue heron.
Total time on the water 2 hours.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Coypu?
In July I spoke with a paddler who said she had seen beaver on the Manasquan River. I was skeptical since there were no signs of beaver activity and I assumed she had actually seen a groundhog. In September I saw a large brown rodent like animal near the marina on the Manasquan. I watched it climb out of the water but didn't see a large flat tail, so again I assumed it was a groundhog.
Now I read that coypu, also known in the USA as Nutria, are believed to be present in New Jersey. I also hear that groundhogs very rarely swim.
Now I read that coypu, also known in the USA as Nutria, are believed to be present in New Jersey. I also hear that groundhogs very rarely swim.
Monday, December 3, 2007
End of Season Notes
I had hoped to be able to make some late autumn paddles along the sheltered local rivers, but the air and water temperatures at the weekends were just too low. The one day that was perfect was thanksgiving.
So I've taken the rack off the car and laid the kayak up for the season. Over the winter I'll work on fixing the leaking seal around the hatch.
According to my personal log I spent a total of 56 hours on the water from June 24th through October 28th. I paddled on the Manasquan eight times and the Metedeconk/Forge Pond six times.
I've seen jellyfish, kingfishers, night herons, plovers, osprey, terrapins, snapping turtles, fiddler crabs, swans, egrets, great herons and one oystercatcher.
So I've taken the rack off the car and laid the kayak up for the season. Over the winter I'll work on fixing the leaking seal around the hatch.
According to my personal log I spent a total of 56 hours on the water from June 24th through October 28th. I paddled on the Manasquan eight times and the Metedeconk/Forge Pond six times.
I've seen jellyfish, kingfishers, night herons, plovers, osprey, terrapins, snapping turtles, fiddler crabs, swans, egrets, great herons and one oystercatcher.
Monday, November 12, 2007
No Paddling Recently
Weekends have been somewhat busy the past two weeks, what with soccer coaching, family functions and yard-work to attend to. Saturday morning was quite cold (35F at around 8am) and being cautious about the cold I decided not to venture out.
I'm planning on sticking to the sheltered rivers if I do go out during the remainder of autumn. I will probably stick to the Manasquan, Metedeconk and Swimming rivers. At this point I'm starting to think about when I'll hang up the paddle for the season.
I'm planning on sticking to the sheltered rivers if I do go out during the remainder of autumn. I will probably stick to the Manasquan, Metedeconk and Swimming rivers. At this point I'm starting to think about when I'll hang up the paddle for the season.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Wind!
If I were to sum up my Sunday paddle in one word that word would be: wind!
One boat (me) launched from the wildlife area at about 7:45am. There were two osprey circling above the put-in and I surprised a few herons and ducks going through the marshes. The trip down to Osborn Island was pretty uneventful. I did discover one universal truth though: if you paddle east just after a cloudless dawn you *will* need your sunglasses. The water under the route 70 bridge was pretty confused - due the westerly wind beating against the incoming tide. I landed on Osborn Island a little after 9am and took the opportunity to stretch my legs and look around.
By about 9:20 I started feeling some stronger gusts and decided it was time to leave. By the time I got back to route 70 the wind was whipping under the bridge so hard I literally crawled past the bridge supports one paddle stroke at a time. 'Phew,'. I thought, 'I'm glad the windy part is done with'.
Wrong! Out into the open part of the river the wind was blowing unrestricted down the length of the river. The strength seemed to increase minute by minute, the gusts blew harder and all I could do was just keep plodding ahead. I considered pulling over to the shore and calling my wife to come get me. The only reason I didn't was that to do so I would have had to paddle beam on to the wind and waves.
It got worse before it got better. Coming up to the final point before the river narrows, the waves were close to two feet high and breaking over the deck. I was starting to wonder if I had the strength to make it back to the WMA when I noticed two other paddlers ahead of me and off to my left in the main channel.
At first I thought how pathetic I was that these guys had caught me up and passed me while I was just flailing at the water. After a few minutes though I realized that wasn't the case at all. In fact I was passing them. Hah! Not long after this, as we approached the WMA, the waves began to diminsh due to the reduced fetch and I regained some steam.
After a quick stop, with my bow buried in the reeds, for a drink and a rest the paddle upstream to the launch site went quickly. I had some time left over so I explored upstream to Brice park to check out the clearing work Jim has done. Nice job there Jim!
Back off the water at 11:45am. Very Tired. The effect of the wind can be seen in my times for the WMA to Osborn Island and back.
Time from WMA to Osborn Is : 1 hour 20 minutes.
Time from Osborn Is to WMA : 2 hours.
One boat (me) launched from the wildlife area at about 7:45am. There were two osprey circling above the put-in and I surprised a few herons and ducks going through the marshes. The trip down to Osborn Island was pretty uneventful. I did discover one universal truth though: if you paddle east just after a cloudless dawn you *will* need your sunglasses. The water under the route 70 bridge was pretty confused - due the westerly wind beating against the incoming tide. I landed on Osborn Island a little after 9am and took the opportunity to stretch my legs and look around.
By about 9:20 I started feeling some stronger gusts and decided it was time to leave. By the time I got back to route 70 the wind was whipping under the bridge so hard I literally crawled past the bridge supports one paddle stroke at a time. 'Phew,'. I thought, 'I'm glad the windy part is done with'.
Wrong! Out into the open part of the river the wind was blowing unrestricted down the length of the river. The strength seemed to increase minute by minute, the gusts blew harder and all I could do was just keep plodding ahead. I considered pulling over to the shore and calling my wife to come get me. The only reason I didn't was that to do so I would have had to paddle beam on to the wind and waves.
It got worse before it got better. Coming up to the final point before the river narrows, the waves were close to two feet high and breaking over the deck. I was starting to wonder if I had the strength to make it back to the WMA when I noticed two other paddlers ahead of me and off to my left in the main channel.
At first I thought how pathetic I was that these guys had caught me up and passed me while I was just flailing at the water. After a few minutes though I realized that wasn't the case at all. In fact I was passing them. Hah! Not long after this, as we approached the WMA, the waves began to diminsh due to the reduced fetch and I regained some steam.
After a quick stop, with my bow buried in the reeds, for a drink and a rest the paddle upstream to the launch site went quickly. I had some time left over so I explored upstream to Brice park to check out the clearing work Jim has done. Nice job there Jim!
Back off the water at 11:45am. Very Tired. The effect of the wind can be seen in my times for the WMA to Osborn Island and back.
Time from WMA to Osborn Is : 1 hour 20 minutes.
Time from Osborn Is to WMA : 2 hours.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Island Beach State Park
This was one of those trips that made me want to take up sea-kayaking in the first place. The sedge islands at the southern tip of Island Beach State Park (IBSP). It's a bit of a drive from my house - about 45 minutes one way. But worth every minute because the sedge islands are at the bottom of six miles of a (mostly) unspoiled barrier island. They're a major stop-over point for migrating birds and home to many shore birds over the summer.
I launched from IBSP area 21 around 8:15am. The funny thing about paddling here is that there is no set direction to go. Paddling on a river, like last weekend, gives you two choices: upstream or downstream. As soon as I pushed off from shore I was overwhelmed with choices. I had a full 180 degrees of freedom. The only direction I could not go was west.
I elected to head south into the heart of the islands and the area known as 'Little Bay'. I saw plenty of osprey poles, now abandoned for the winter. Birds were all around including canada geese, cormorants, ducks and gulls, even a couple of egrets.
On the other side of Little Bay is the dike that protects the islands from the wakes of boats moving through Barnegat Inlet and from the storms that occasionally hit New Jersey. I stopped here for a quick break and to stretch my legs. Barnegat lighthouse dominated the skyline, just the other side of the inlet.
This was pretty close to low tide and many of the channels I was trying to navigate had only inches of water in them. Several times I had to climb out of the kayak and trudge through a few inches of water to get to a deeper channel. It was down one of these channels that I came across the oystercatcher. No mistaking the brilliant orange bill, at first he was startled and flew down the channel a bit. I quietly put my paddle down and just let myself drift past him with the current.
I eventually came up to a point where the trail ran completely dry, the bottom was completely dry - low tide remember. So I forced out of the shelter of the islands and into the main part of the bay. Here the boat channel ran extremely close to the islands and power boats were zipping along it at a fairly fast clip. Their powerful wakes were breaking at the mouth of the channel exit to the bay which was about 30 feet wide. I had to wait for several minutes for a gap in the procession. Even so I had several waves break over my bow and wash a considerable amount of water into the cockpit. I can attest that my dry-pants are, in fact, quite waterproof.
I turned right at the next available entrance to the islands area and continued in more tranquil waters. A little later I noticed that the tide was returning and the current was quite strong in places. I played in an interesting little eddy where two incoming tidal currents met.
Before heading back to the launch site I paddled out of the sheltered area and more into the bay where I just let myself drift along with the current. One of the astounding features about this trip was how clear the water was. I could the bottom even if was five feet down. By the time I got back to the launch site there were three people just pushing off, two more getting their boats ready and two more showed up to take their boats off their car. Can't blame them, it was a perfect day.
I launched from IBSP area 21 around 8:15am. The funny thing about paddling here is that there is no set direction to go. Paddling on a river, like last weekend, gives you two choices: upstream or downstream. As soon as I pushed off from shore I was overwhelmed with choices. I had a full 180 degrees of freedom. The only direction I could not go was west.
I elected to head south into the heart of the islands and the area known as 'Little Bay'. I saw plenty of osprey poles, now abandoned for the winter. Birds were all around including canada geese, cormorants, ducks and gulls, even a couple of egrets.
On the other side of Little Bay is the dike that protects the islands from the wakes of boats moving through Barnegat Inlet and from the storms that occasionally hit New Jersey. I stopped here for a quick break and to stretch my legs. Barnegat lighthouse dominated the skyline, just the other side of the inlet.
This was pretty close to low tide and many of the channels I was trying to navigate had only inches of water in them. Several times I had to climb out of the kayak and trudge through a few inches of water to get to a deeper channel. It was down one of these channels that I came across the oystercatcher. No mistaking the brilliant orange bill, at first he was startled and flew down the channel a bit. I quietly put my paddle down and just let myself drift past him with the current.
I eventually came up to a point where the trail ran completely dry, the bottom was completely dry - low tide remember. So I forced out of the shelter of the islands and into the main part of the bay. Here the boat channel ran extremely close to the islands and power boats were zipping along it at a fairly fast clip. Their powerful wakes were breaking at the mouth of the channel exit to the bay which was about 30 feet wide. I had to wait for several minutes for a gap in the procession. Even so I had several waves break over my bow and wash a considerable amount of water into the cockpit. I can attest that my dry-pants are, in fact, quite waterproof.
I turned right at the next available entrance to the islands area and continued in more tranquil waters. A little later I noticed that the tide was returning and the current was quite strong in places. I played in an interesting little eddy where two incoming tidal currents met.
Before heading back to the launch site I paddled out of the sheltered area and more into the bay where I just let myself drift along with the current. One of the astounding features about this trip was how clear the water was. I could the bottom even if was five feet down. By the time I got back to the launch site there were three people just pushing off, two more getting their boats ready and two more showed up to take their boats off their car. Can't blame them, it was a perfect day.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Cold
Besides the obvious one of drowning, the key danger faced by kayakers is hypothermia. Even assuming a capsized paddler climbs back into their boat or makes it to shore, if the water temperature is much lower than 60F they are still at risk of 'freezing to death'.
The ultimate in cold weather protection is the dry-suit. With sufficient insulation a dry-suit will keep you alive even in, literally, freezing water. A decent dry-suit costs around $500+. I don't have $500.
However I would like to keep paddling as long as possible this autumn. Therefore I need some form of protection. Bearing in mind the budget limits I have purchased what I would categorize as some minimal cold-water gear.
Top : NRS Hydroskin G2, long sleeve.
On the chance I do fall in, protecting my core is the most important consideration. So the top is the most expensive piece of paddle wear I've bought. I spent $73 at Jersey Paddler. The Hydroskin material works like neoprene in a wet-suit, holding a thin layer of water against the skin. It's not as warm as a wet-suit but it flexes and wears easier.
I found this past weekend that the Hydroskin is not inherently very warm when dry. Without the layer of water there's not much insulation. I may have to wear a sweatshirt over it. Unfortunately, keeping my arms dry was a really nice side-effect of the jacket. If I put on a sweatshirt I'll lose that benefit.
Bottom : Splash pants from REI with poly thermal long-johns from Sports Authority.
I could have gone with the Hydroskin pants, but I didn't feel that insulating my butt was as important. Plus it would be great if some of the gear could be usable when I do buy a dry-suit. The splash pants keep water off my skin, the long-johns provide insulation.
This combination worked well. I'm a fairly 'wet' paddler and I drip a lot of water into the cockpit. The splash pants kept the water away from my skin and most of it just rolled straight off. The long-johns were quite warm enough.
Hands: NRS warm water paddling gloves
Still wearing my warm water paddling gloves. So long as I don't put my hands in the water they're fine. The EMS water-proof paddling gloves look like a good deal at $25.
Feet: Seal skinz waterproof socks
$40 from Jersey Paddler. Worn with my normal paddling sandals. Insulated enough that it was difficult to feel a temperature change even when standing in the water. One tip I learned: tuck the long-johns into the socks, otherwise the bottom of the LJs get wet.
Head: Woollen cap.
Not cold enough yet to wear this.
As I said this is minimal cold water gear, and is probably good for use in water down to 50F - provided I don't spend too long in the water. So from this point I will definitely be keeping to the rivers where I can swim (or wade) to the bank.
The ultimate in cold weather protection is the dry-suit. With sufficient insulation a dry-suit will keep you alive even in, literally, freezing water. A decent dry-suit costs around $500+. I don't have $500.
However I would like to keep paddling as long as possible this autumn. Therefore I need some form of protection. Bearing in mind the budget limits I have purchased what I would categorize as some minimal cold-water gear.
Top : NRS Hydroskin G2, long sleeve.
On the chance I do fall in, protecting my core is the most important consideration. So the top is the most expensive piece of paddle wear I've bought. I spent $73 at Jersey Paddler. The Hydroskin material works like neoprene in a wet-suit, holding a thin layer of water against the skin. It's not as warm as a wet-suit but it flexes and wears easier.
I found this past weekend that the Hydroskin is not inherently very warm when dry. Without the layer of water there's not much insulation. I may have to wear a sweatshirt over it. Unfortunately, keeping my arms dry was a really nice side-effect of the jacket. If I put on a sweatshirt I'll lose that benefit.
Bottom : Splash pants from REI with poly thermal long-johns from Sports Authority.
I could have gone with the Hydroskin pants, but I didn't feel that insulating my butt was as important. Plus it would be great if some of the gear could be usable when I do buy a dry-suit. The splash pants keep water off my skin, the long-johns provide insulation.
This combination worked well. I'm a fairly 'wet' paddler and I drip a lot of water into the cockpit. The splash pants kept the water away from my skin and most of it just rolled straight off. The long-johns were quite warm enough.
Hands: NRS warm water paddling gloves
Still wearing my warm water paddling gloves. So long as I don't put my hands in the water they're fine. The EMS water-proof paddling gloves look like a good deal at $25.
Feet: Seal skinz waterproof socks
$40 from Jersey Paddler. Worn with my normal paddling sandals. Insulated enough that it was difficult to feel a temperature change even when standing in the water. One tip I learned: tuck the long-johns into the socks, otherwise the bottom of the LJs get wet.
Head: Woollen cap.
Not cold enough yet to wear this.
As I said this is minimal cold water gear, and is probably good for use in water down to 50F - provided I don't spend too long in the water. So from this point I will definitely be keeping to the rivers where I can swim (or wade) to the bank.
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