The Twin Rivers Paddle Club on August 21 paddled from Beaufort’s Fisherman’s Park into Taylor Creek. Then we crossed the Creek to Carrot Island and Horse Island, part of the Rachel Carson Preserve. The time and location were based on tide researched done by Club Vice President Carolyn Borgert. The Park is located at the corner Front Street and Gordon Street. After unloading the boats, we parked on Gordon Street. Everybody helped each other unload and re-load their boats from the vehicles.
The paddlers were Suzanne Blais, Michael Murrie, Dan Malik and Bob Laney. Dan and Bob both had the same boat model the Eddyline Sitka XT. Suzanne had the same boat model as Bob’s girl-friend Janet Smith’s Wilderness Systems Tsunami 135. Several of the boats were purchased from the esteemed and highly regarded kayak purveyor Bill Webb. We recommend his services.
Upon arrival at the put-in we found we had no leader. The scuttlebutt we heard was that the first trip leader developed a conflict and found a second leader. The second leader received a message early that morning from somebody in the Club that the trip is cancelled. The second leader sent a message to the signed-up paddlers of the cancellation. Unfortunately, the four present paddlers present did not receive either message.
Three of us paddlers had never been to this location, and Michael had been there but did not have the route memorized. We huddled over the map attached to Carolyn’s original announcement and pieced together a truncated route. We shortened the trip by not circling Carrot Island. We took The Cut in between the islands and explored around the sea grass beds and beaches in the estuary.
Much of the trip we faced a 12-knot wind coming variously from in front, the side and behind us. Taylor Creek also had a strong current to the northeast. Everybody was able to handle the conditions without a problem.
We had great luck when we came upon three horses on Horse Island grazing right at the beach that we were paddling past. See a few of the following photos.
Our first difficulty was we had a couple of false starts paddling into small bays off Taylor Creek before we found The Cut. The second difficulty was finding our way back through the myriad sea grass beds with shallow water past Carrot Island to Taylor Creek. Dan served as our fearless leader in these searches.
We skipped the Beaufort Channel and did not stop to eat lunch or play on the beach. Then we returned the way we came (out and back) to the put-in where we performed our take-out.
This trip was my first paddle in salt water with my almost new Eddyline Sitka XT, and my first paddle in saltwater in any boat in about five years. I adjusted my seat back to raise it about 2 inches from the factory setting and it felt good. I felt comfortable and balanced throughout. The residual sciatica back pain from my recent spinal surgery did not make an appearance. I am really looking forward to my next salt water trip.
I am sorry all my photos of other paddlers are from the side or the back so you cannot see anybody’s face. I had to stay behind the group because I could not get in front since I did not know where we were going. On future paddles I plan to get out front more and take some better pictures of everybody else’s smiling faces.
