Late summer flowers; early fall leaf colors; old, old grave sites; Janet; Gracie and live oak trees in Oakdale Cemetery, Wilmington, NC.  

Carolina Beach State Park Hike and Beach

On the nice, sunny, warm and breezy Labor Day of September 1, Janet, Gracie and I went for a hike and played on the little beach beside the Cape Fear River at the junction with Snows Cut in Carolina Beach State Park.

Being the Labor Day holiday, the park was packed with visitors and vehicles, mostly pickup trucks with motor boat trailers.  When we arrived, we joined a crowd of other vehicles parked beside a road near a parking lot.  Immediately, a Ranger walked up and said our space is illegal to park - we had to move to a paved, painted parking space. Of course, there were none open.  And, there were many other illegally parked vehicles scattered all over the park which did not move.  We eventually moved to a grass field with a sign, “Only For Boat Trailer Parking Overflow.” We parked there anyway and nobody bothered us.  Later that afternoon, when we returned to our vehicle, we saw that none of the illegally parked vehicles had been ticketed, towed or moved.

At the small beach beside the marina, there is a small Caribbean looking kayak and SUP rental business.  The manager very kindly placed in the front a bucket of sticks collected for dog owners to take and throw in the water to their dogs.  So, we took a few sticks and threw them in the Cape Fear River to Gracie, which she joyously retrieved.

We then took the Sugarloaf hiking trail through the center of the  park.  All went well.

When I was at our parking lot, I noticed that the water in Snows Cut was  flowing towards the southwest.  My GPS showed the tide was rising, which seemed backwards to me.  I sent an email query to several paddling friends, who informed me that the main flow of water into the Cut on a rising tide is from the Intercoastal Waterway to the northeast, rather from the Cape Fear River to the southwest.  Phenomenon explained. 

Fellow paddlers and campers.

For those outdoor adventurers who use gas canister stoves and lanterns, it can be difficult to know how much gas is left in a partially used canister.

Please see below a chart I made to show the amount.

You will need access to a small weigh scale which measures ounces or grams.

Canister fuel chart:

Small canister full = 7.4 oz / 210 grams

Small canister empty = 3.5 oz / 100 grams

Large canister full = 13.1 oz / 372 grams

Large canister empty = 5.3 oz / 150 grams

Bob.

Masonboro Island with Wilmington Paddlers

On August 30 I joined the Wilmington Paddlers club under the able leadership of Gabrielle on their trip from Trails End Park to Masonboro Island. Being as it was Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend, and the Trails End parking lot is usually packed with pickup trucks hauling motor boats and trailers, I arrived early, at 7:30 a.m.  I got lucky and found that nobody had parked in the best spot right beside the launch ramp, so I took it.

We put in right at the bottom of low tide. Most of our approximately ten paddlers were on stand up paddle boards.  There were two other kayaks, being a sit on top and a fishing boat, both with flat bottoms.  My kayak was the only one with a sharp V hull, which meant it took the most draft (water under the boat to float above the bottom). As a result, my boat dragged several times on the sand bars and mud flats at low tide. On one mud flat, I could see the bottom was several inches under water, but I kept having a very hard time pushing past the flat. After I got to the other side, I felt my rudder handle and realized it was down.  I had dragged my rudder through about 50 feet of mud. Duh!

We ventured into the Intracoastal Waterway, and turned south, paralleling the western edge of Masonboro Island. We passed two small sand beaches with trees behind them, which I noted as potential camping sites.  Then we turned east and entered the myriad narrow, winding water leads through about a mile of sea grass beds between us and the dry ground of the Atlantikc Ocean beach on the other side of the Island. Several paddlers made suggestions of where we should go.  But eventually we ran out of water and came to a dead end. 

Again, several paddlers made suggestions of where to go next, and the group agreed to return to the ICW the way we had come, then go north and play at some larger beaches.  Somebody named a fellow paddler (not Gabrielle) and jokingly said that she is now the leader.  The lady commented that she does not know this area, but she bravely stood tall on her SUP and scanned the horizon.  Soon she ventured in a chosen direction, and we all followed her. 

I had not memorized our route from the ICW into the estuary, since I intended to follow the leader, but my instincts told me we were going too far to the north, and not far enough to the west. So, I checked my GPS, and changed the screen from marking waypoints, to track back.  Sure enough, we had missed our first turn by about 150 yards and were going about 90 degrees too far north. In some open water situations, being 150  yards off course is not a big deal.  But in this sea grass estuary, where some of the channels are only 10 yards wide, 150 yards off course can mean being lost for a good while. 

The other boaters were about 75 yards ahead of me.  I blew my trusty whistle to get their attention, pointed with my paddle in the correct direction, and paddled that way.  To my somewhat surprise, they all followed me, since none of them knew me, or whether I was a good navigator.  After a while of leading the group, then I got into trouble. I reached a point where my GPS said to turn right, but there was no open water way that way – only grass and mud.  So, I kept going straight, and each time I came to a potential turn, I kept angling to the right to attempt to get back onto our route. 

Then I got lucky. I came to a long, straight channel and at the far end I could see the ICW. So down it we went. 

As we progressed north up the ICW, I passed one of the small beaches which may be a good camp site.  I paddled over to the edge of the water, parallel to the shore, and took some photos.  Unbeknownst to me, a large boat was fast approaching from my rear. When the first wave from its wake hit me, my boat rolled about 60 degrees and I nearly capsized. Two more waves rolled under me while I frantically hit the water with my paddle in a high brace.  In a few seconds, I turned my bow to meet the waves head on and get stable.  This event was the first time my boat had rolled far enough over for the water to go past the cockpit rim and get onto the spray skirt; and the first time I had prevented a capsize with a high brace. 

I was concerned that if we went back into the estuary later on the trip, my boat would continue dragging. So, as the group continued north, I turned off to the west and took out at the boat ramp.  Later in the day, several paddlers posted trip photos, showing they got to several nice beaches on a small island on the east side of the ICW, and then they made it to the ocean beach.  One of the posts showed their route. It was near what appeared to be a wide, straight channel from the ICW to the ocean beach, avoiding winding through the estuary. 

I plan to return soon to Masonboro and disembark at the two small beaches across the ICW from our launch site, to walk on the land and look for places to pitch a tent.  Then I will explore the larger beaches to the north which may have good camp sites. Then I will explore the large channel leading to the ocean beach for more camp sites.

Lees Cut Comfortable Paddle

On August 28, Janet Smith and Bob Laney drove with our kayaks to Lees Cut at the north end of Banks Channel on the sound side of Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Our put-in and take-out were the Wrightsville SUP shop beach.  My plan was to make it a quite comfortable paddle so as not to push Janet or me on a casual day.  My Montana GPS reported we traveled 1.8 miles in 1.5 hours.

Besides the short distance and time, another comfortable factor is that, unlike out last several trips to Lees Cut, the weather conditions were with us instead of against us.  The air was sunny and warm. The water was warm. We paddled at high tide, making for almost no current. The mud bottom paths through the sea grass estuary were full of water and traversable.  And the wind was a manageable 5 to 7 miles per hour.

Last year, I pushed Janet to stop paddling her Old Town 10 foot long and very wide fishing kayak. She let me get her a Wilderness Systems 13.5 foot long Tsunami, which is much sleeker and faster.  I wanted her to be able to keep up with my Eddyline Sitka XT 15.5 foot boat.  Unfortunately, Janet needs more room to stretch out her legs, and occasionally trail her feet in the water. So, for the first time in a year, she switched back to the Old Town. Things went well.  She paddled easily and dragged her feet in the water.  We stayed reasonably close together.

We lollygagged through and around the sea grass island in the middle of the Cut. Then we explored to the ends of several small bays on the north and east sides of the Cut. Everything was pleasant. On our way back to the Wrightsville SUP shop’s beach, we passed several seagulls floating on the seawater, which I had not seen before. 

Wrightsville Beach Swim and Bike

On August 27 Janet and Bob took a pleasant trip to Wrightsville beach at Johnny Mercer Pier with our chairs and bikes.  The conditions were the most gentle and  pleasant I have ever experienced on the ocean shore. 

The sky was blue with bright sunshine. The tide was a couple hours before low tide, so it was going out, and no problem with the waves getting up to our beach bags.  The water was quite clear and there was almost no wind.  The sea bed was firm sand with no drop offs and sloped down gradually towards the ocean for 100 yards.  There were no sharp shells, the waves were small, and the water was just cool enough to be refreshing.  Most of the area schools started this week so the beach was uncrowded.

After soaking in the water for a while, then soaking up some sun rays for a while, we rode our bikes on the sand southward to Crystal Pier. There we had a late afternoon supper of shrimp tacos with a Red Oak beer for Bob and a beef hamburger with lemon water for Janet. Due to the imminence of sunset, we rode our bikes on the road back to the parking lot with our Jeep. 

For sale.  Wilderness Systems Tsunami Pro 135 Kayak.  Spray skirt.  Cockpit cover.  Paddles.  Deck bag.  Life jacket.  Paddle float.  Bilge pump.  Full men’s wet suit.  All items except life jacket and paddle 1 year old, like new, rarely used, no damage or wear.  Life jacket & paddle some wear and fully functional.  All pieces new cost $2,120. Sale price $1,000.  Will sell individual pieces separately.

Moss covered ground and bricks and a box turtle at Oakdale Cemetery. 

PFD Leashes and Roof Rack Boat Lashes

Several weeks ago, at the Twin Rivers Paddle Club rescue and roll clinic in Martin Marietta Park Lake, I met several people who came to observe.  After the class, as I was loading my boat onto the Jeep, they asked me several equipment related questions.

PFD Leashes

The first question was about the hooks and leashes on my life jacket, or personal floatation device [PFD]. In the last four years, I have purchased four high quality PFD’s from Northwest River Supplies [NRS] in Idaho, all because I kept finding more advanced PFD features with better ways to fasten my electronic devices.  Of course, attached to the shoulder straps are the whistle and sheath knife. 

My GPS is a Garmin Montana 750i, which is abnormally big. I also carry an iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is the largest available cell phone.  For carrying pockets, I first used heavy, bulky Army surplus ammunition pouches, because the pockets available on most PFD’s, and the after-market add-on pouches, were too small. I tried attaching the ammo pouches to my PFD, to my deck bag, and to the front deck rigging, but each system did not work in some way.

Every year or so, NRS would come out with a new style PFD with different pockets, and I would buy another one. But the attachment points were weak and poorly designed. 

My current (and hopefully last) PFD from NRS is the C-Vest. It is designed for fishing, with two medium size pockets, and two large pockets. Most importantly, it has two sturdy D-rings attached to the two shoulder straps.  For anybody wanting to buy a C-Vest, they are now discontinued and selling out.  There are a few left in stock.  See the picture attached to this article.

I use the D-rings to attach heavy duty brass double clips, and attached to those are springy, expandable leashes.  The leashes end in small carabiners which clip to the GPS and phone.  The Garmin has a hook built into the case for the carabiner, But for the phone, I had to glue another D-ring to the phone case.  While paddling, the two electronic devices ride in the PFD front pockets, and the leashes allow me to pull them out and navigate with them, while protecting them from the risk of me dropping them into deep water and getting lost. 

I also carry a VHF marine radio, but only as an emergency backup, so I do not need to pull it out and consult it while paddling.  I carry it in my deck bag, with my snack food, water, and poop and pee kit.

Roof Rack Boat Lashes 

The rescue class observers’ next questions were about how to load a 50 pound boat over my head onto the Jeep roof racks.  I have loaded canoes and kayaks onto vehicle roof racks for 50 years, using about 20 different systems.  For my current and best system,  see the sequence of pictures attached to this article.  Importantly, all the painters (bow and stern ropes) and cross-boat straps are exactly measured, cut and tied or buckled to fit.  To move the boats, I do not have to tie or untie any more knots.

First, I lay the boat on the ground with the bow a foot past the Jeep rear tire and the stern directly behind the Jeep. I only lift up one end of the boat at a time, so I only have to deal with half the weight. I set the bow on the rear cross bar kayak saddle, then lift the stern and push the boat forward, until it is even with the front of the Jeep. You can buy roof devices which roll easier, called Hully Rollers. But, I find the boats slide easily enough on the saddles, without the rollers.

The painters are circular loops, which clip into carabiners that I attached permanently to the Jeep front and rear bumper hooks, using metal clamps and plastic zip ties. The length of the painters fit exactly into the carabiners. The cross-boat straps use Ancra buckles, which allow the straps to feed through easily, and then grip like shark teeth, so there is no give and no tightening needed.  For extra security, the straps cross over the top of the boat twice, and cross under the racks twice. 

While the boat is in use, I run the painters and straps under the bow and stern deck rigging.  By good luck – not something that I designed – the ropes and straps fit the length of the bow and stern decks, then clip into the carabiners, without having double wrap them or tie any knots.  The same system works on my solo / tandem Dagger canoe.

Shell Island

Very early on Friday morning, August 15, Janet, Gracie and I drove to Shell Island at the north end of Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Shell Island used to be a real barrier island, but a couple decades ago a hurricane shifted the sand, filled in the southern channel, and made it a peninsula. 

We got up at 6 a.m., before day light, because we did not want to go to just any beach.  For several years, a few years ago, Janet frequently brought Gracie to Shell Island to play in the surf on the ocean side, and sim in the channels on the estuary side.  Now, after a few years of missing it, she wanted to come back.

But now, there has been so much tourist growth and beach house growth, that the last several times we came here, every public beach access parking lot on the north end of Wrightsville Beach island was full, with a couple cars waiting in line, at 6:30 a.m., on a weekend.  Most of the beach goers were surfers and stand-up-paddle boarders. This time we went on a week day to see if our luck would be better. 

We went to the northern most parking lot at the end of the road, [strangely labeled Lot #2, instead of Lot #1] and it was already 90% full. This lot is the most popular in the area, because it has a nice bath house with an outdoor shower, and the breach is the least crowded.  We just squeezed in before several more cars showed up. 

The weather was over cast and somewhat dreary looking, but at least we had a break from the nearly non-stop rain of the last couple weeks.  We walked north up the beach with Gracie playing in the surf and chasing sea shells. Technically that was illegal, since dogs are banned from the Wrightsville Beach shores all spring, summer, and fall, even on a leash. Fortunately, a town employee drove past and did not give us a citation. Rather, he warned us that another employee who would give us a citation was coming at 8 a.m.   

We made it to the north end of the beach and looked across the inlet to the big, expensive houses on Figure Eight Island. Janet considered walking westward around the end of the peninsula and southward following a path through the estuary back to our parking lot, which she used to do.  No go.  Now there were signs saying Private Property and No Trespassing blocking paths through the estuary. Bummer. I though the estuaries are public places, like the beaches, so I don’t see how they can be marked No Trespassing.  So, we walked back down the beach at 7:50 a.m.