1000 Islands at Banana River Paddle - Banana River 1000 Islands was a great time for Rich, Curt & Jim. Jim had his newly purchased Anas Acuta which is always a joy to see on the water. The winds were out of the west at 5 to 10 but it was hard to tell that any winds were present at all. It was low tide at launch time and the tide so we set our course west towards the channel to get to deeper water. When we got to the deeper water we headed south along our plotted course to a small beach area on the south side of the islands. Heading east through a channel we came across some manatee and watched it for a while until we found ourselves being followed by a dolphin. The dolphin seemed disinterested and left the area. Farther along the way we spotted some more manatees. Coming along the final stretch a very large disturbance erupted in the water and the 3 of us were very close to a manatee ride. Back near the launch we walked out to some deeper water and worked a bit on sculling and rolling and called it a day. I just love the tropical sights and feel of this area and the aroma from the salt water filled the air. The fish were jumping from everywhere. Our paddle was pleasant and enjoyable and just a nice low key event. If you have not yet paddled this course it is a must do for manatee and dolhin.We had a great time!

Hosted by: Rich Miller
Co-Hosted by: Curt Gashlin

1000 Islands at Cocoa Beach paddle - We had another wonderful paddling experience as we paddled around the 1000 Islands area which is part of the Banana River near Cocoa Beach. The marine forecast called for morning winds from the west at 5 to 10 mph and from the northeast in the afternoon with moderate chop. There were no winds and no chop though we were hoping for some wind. If anyone wanted to see Manatee-today was the day. They were all over and each of us was visited by at least one. The scenery was beautiful and the atmosphere was perfect. We headed southwest at the put-in to stay out of shallow water and paddled over to a small beach area for a snack. On the way back we paddled over an area with many stingray and varieties of fish, the water was relatively clear making them easy to watch. We then headed under a bridge on route 520 and floated a bit on the other side before the final leg to the take-out. Vickie, Bill, Ken, Kirby and Curt had a relaxing paddle as the lack of wind or chop made for an easy trek. The weather was good, not too hot and we made it back by 1:00. This was another Wilderness-Trekkers outing ending with happy participants.

Hosted by: Bill Smith
Co-Hosted by: Curt Gashlin