Following seas and paddling backwards does the trick |
When the winds and the currents are against me, I suffer and can't make the distances I expect. Today I had the realization, that since Chris was driving me and my kayak to the put-in and picking us up at the take-out, that I could paddle either south or north. So now I switched direction and paddled from the planned end point to the starting point.
The wind was not as strong, but still enough to generate breaking waves. It was an up and down day, as I would be in tough conditions until I passed a causeway, and then I could tuck behind and be sheltered for a while.
At my last causeway of the day I was looking forward to tucking in and resting....
Power station with Keep Out signs |
Had lunch at Steve's Diner, and the staff there got very excited about the expedition and ended up telling lots of customers about me. Got to chat with lots of folks and tell Safe Passage stories, and ate free cake. Had to pose with my waitress outside.
In the evening we celebrated winter solstice by watching Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. We are camped right across the water from the launch pad and had a great view. The red flare of the rocket was reflected on the water. It seemed a long time before the sound reached us with the intense roar of the rockets. We could see the first stage of the rocket booster separate and come down. We heard a sonic boom when it returned. We saw some history, as this was the first time a rocket had been landed safely on land, upright. SpaceX plans to reuse the rocket. Exciting.
The best part of winter solstice is that the days will get longer, and I'll have more time to paddle with the currents and with the light
Deb and Waitress at Steve's Diner: Get Your First Lift! |
SpaceX Photo: Long exposure of launch, re-entry, and landing burns of Falcon 9 |
Gratitude List:
Start location: Cocoa, FL Launch time: 9:07 am
End location: Manatee Hammock Campground Land time: 11:56 am
Average speed: 4.1 mph Max Speed: 5.5 mph
Miles: 12
Total expedition miles with kayak: 2064 Motor-portage miles: 397
Kayak Storage: Manatee Hammock Campground
Host: Chris Percival
- Chris supporting me
- A tail wind
- Fins I saw being dolphins and not sharks
- Figured out how to dry my gear while camping
- Longer days
Start location: Cocoa, FL Launch time: 9:07 am
End location: Manatee Hammock Campground Land time: 11:56 am
Average speed: 4.1 mph Max Speed: 5.5 mph
Miles: 12
Total expedition miles with kayak: 2064 Motor-portage miles: 397
Kayak Storage: Manatee Hammock Campground
Host: Chris Percival
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