Dog Island Trip

Yesterday, Saturday, I paddled from Lanark Village to Dog Island (about 3.8 miles). The map shows a dotted line for the ferry from Carrabelle, but if you move a bit northeast on the coastline you will see Lanark Village. I put in there (at a very nice spot off the road at Connecticut Avenue) and paddled to the easternmost end of Dog Island.


Put-in at Lanark (Dog Island can barely be seen on the horizon looking from the end of the dock.)

I paddled along the northern coast to the little cut where I found the Dog Island Yacht Club -- basically a marina with a ferry landing from what I could see. I got out there, and walked across to the Gulf.

Landing at the Dog Island Yacht Club

Gulf views





When I returned to the bayside I found a small shelter at the ferry landing and had my lunch. I only saw two fishermen and a family unloading their boat while I was there, but there were a lot of boats moored and an airstrip nearby.

I paddled back to Lanark and then drove to St. George Island, where I camped and had a very nice dinner with Ellen at Eddy Teach's.

Sweetwater Kayak Symposium: 2/22-24

I spent the weekend in St. Petersburg at the Sweetwater Kayak Symposium. I took the following classes:

Core Paddling: Ben Lawry

Fun with Foster: Nigel & Kristin Foster

Rolling: Ben Lawry

3 Star Assessment: Andy Stamp

The campsite at Ft. Desoto Park was beautiful. I was supposed to be sharing the site with someone named Rudyard Curry but he never showed so I had it all to myself.

Pretty nice, huh?

Core paddling is the same class I took with Ben in October, but I got a lot more out of it this time. Fun with Foster really was. He is very funny and a great teacher. That's Nigel in the blue shirt with his hands in an exasperated gesture. His wife, Kristin, wearing a red hat is talking to the other group.

I actually rolled several times on my own at the end of the rolling class -- at least Ben said I did, but I'm not sure I believe him. I didn't pass the 3 Star assessment, but I know what I need to know if I try it again.

The evening presentations were great -- one by Leon Somme and Shawna Franklin about their trip around the Haida Gwaii and another by Russell Farrow and one of the other fellows going on the "Vacation to Hell" this summer.

I had a good time, and I learned a lot, and even though I was disappointed in myself that I wasn't prepared for the 3 Star assessment, it will be worth that much more to me if I ever do pass.