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12
May 2007 (SATURDAY) - A kayak trip from Fisher Street to Crab Point And Back.
The weather this morning was grand not a breath of wind and Calico
Bay was a flat as a pancake. I put the little wheels on the
back of the kayak and pulled it over to the brand new kayak
launching pier at the north end of 6th street just a block and a
half from Fisher St.
I'm not sure how to get in a kayak from a floating
dock so I got in my normal way, on the 'beach' (Read: oyster shell mud flat)
instead. The picture on the left side of this page is zoomed
in view of the GPS track while the picture on the right side of this
page is a bit zoomed out. I paddled across Calico Bay and up
beside Crab Point all the way to the Newport River before I turned
around. The tide was falling on the way out so on the way back
I was pushed along by the current. There are some very shallow
parts that were exposed as mud flats by the time I came back by them
(I actually got stuck, briefly on the way up). I think I may
eventually figure out how to 'read' the water to avoid them.
 My
eventual plan is to put in a ways up the Harlowe Canal and paddle
down and cross the Newport river to Crab Point
then on down to Fisher St and take out there.
The picture just to the left of this paragraph is a zoomed out view with the put in spot marked with an "X"
and then little yellow dots marking the paddle down
to Fisher Street. I think the trip is about 9 to 10 miles.
Certainly it can be done in a day.
I'll write a new page of the account of the trip when I make it.
This canal was dug back in the 1800s and was used to ship freight to
and from New Bern to the Beaufort, Morehead City ports. This
allowed seagoing vessels to put in at either Beaufort or Morehead
City and not have to navigate all the way across the sound from the
outer banks and then on the New Bern. After the canal was dug
I expect that New Bern suffered a decline in the number of vessels
that visited there to let off and pick up freight. The canal
was dug by slaves. Of course after the Inland Waterway was
constructed it made the Harlowe Canal completely obsolete.
13
May 2007 (SUNDAY) - A kayak trip from Fisher Street to Phosphate
Barge And Back.
On Sunday morning Ted and I decided to go for a short
paddle. We agreed to meet at 8AM. About 7:45AM I was out
back
getting the kayaks ready to go and Ted came out and said, you know
there is a squall line coming and it should arrive in the next hour.
I looked up into the sky and said, "Well if that forecast verifies
that will be something." The sky was completely blue with only a few
wispy cirrus clouds. Well Ted is a sailor not a kayaker and
when it comes to the weather if you have access to a sailor how says
"There is a squall line coming." you should listen.
We had the
kayaks on their little dollies and pulled them over to the new 6th
street launch site and noticed that the wind was picking up but
there were no white caps yet on Calico Bay.
We decided to go. The tide was falling and we did
pretty good until we got to the place where the phosphate barges
unload and the wind whipping around the corner was a good indication
to turn around and go back. We battled the the current going
back up toward the yacht basin and the Army piers and when we came
around the island the wind had really picked up ant the sky was dark
and grey and even darker in the direction of the wind. It
looked like a nor'easter was
starting to close in. The waves were very choppy when the wind
and current were across each other and we made a dash across an open
spot and got in the lee of an small island. We had one more
open stretch to go to get into the lee of a small marsh island just
opposite the 6th street putting in spot. We did it and when we
got back to the beach felt proud that we had braved the Nor'Easter
and made it back ok. By this time Calico Bay was full of white
caps.
02 JUNE 2007 (SATURDAY) - A kayak trip from Fisher Street to
Crab Point And Back.
Evelyn and I paddled across Calico
Bay and up to Crab Point and back. We saw a dolphin and made
good time going and coming this was the same paddle I did a few
weeks before and the second time around it seemed much better and
more doable.
09 JUNE 2007 (SATURDAY) - A kayak trip from
up the Newport River to Fisher St.
What I wanted to do was put in somewhere near the Harlowe Canal and
paddle up it a ways then back down the way I came and then across
the Newport River to the take out at the new 6th street pier.
Instead I found out that the put in point I chose was a good mile or
better up the Newport River from the Harlowe Canal than I thought.
You can see the GPS track and my intended track when you click on
the graphic to the left. The expanded graphic also has the details
of the paddle, how long it took and how long the actual paddle was.
I was pretty tired when I got back. I saw I think the same
dolphin that Evelyn and saw the previous weekend. And I met a
fellow who was out on his boat with his dog just doodling around.
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