Pasco County FL Kayak Trips 2012/2013

Pasco County Bluesway Program & Salt Springs Alliance Trips: 

Paddling Pasco - Bluesway Program
Do you own a canoe, kayak, K-1 or surfski? Have a really inexpensive composite kayak, a high-end sea kayak, SUP, outrigger or racing surfski? No matter what you're paddling, the Pasco County Bluesway Program has a slow pace fun tour of the local shoreline, islands, mangroves, local Pasco inlets and rivers. If you like the fellowship of traveling in a pack of 20-40 boats then join us every other month as we paddle.  The paddle is usually free or minimal parks department fee and free shuttle. We generally drive our cars to the end point then take the shuttle van back to the start point.  This one-way trip is much more enjoyable and easy for paddlers with little to no experience. The water is shallow 3-10 feet on most trips but please bring a life jacket to keep on board to be within the requirements of the law. Rick, Director of the Pasco County Parks Dept, tells us all about local history, fishing, wildlife, etc. The goal is to cover all the Pasco Bluesways so that kayakers are more aware of some of the great places to paddle in our county.

Salt Springs Alliance
The Salt Springs Alliance provides several Werner Boyce Salt Springs & Durney Key paddles a year as well as paddling festivals and races.  Each of the events are designed to accomodate paddlers of any level.  These unique guided group paddles show local paddling trails, springs, wildlife and unique features of the park & Durney Key.  To join go to www.saltspringsalliance.com.  Membership is only $25 per year or $5 per trip for non-members.  Members enjoy an annual breakfast, discounted days at the park and no-cost paddling trips.

Below is the schedule of proposed upcoming events for 2012 and 2013.  For all events, please preregister:

Salt Springs Alliance Saturday September 29th Durney Key Sunset Paddle 5-8pm.  Life vest and boat lighting required.

Bluesway Program Sunday October 28th 2012 Trip on Withlacoochee River with local guide out of Withlacoochee River Park 9am.

Bluesway Program Saturday November 3rd 2012 Sunset Trip from Eagle Point Park to Green Key/Robert Rees Memorial Park - bonfire on beach.

Ecofest November 9, 10, 11th 2012 Taking place over 3 days at eight different locations across west pasco.  www.pascoecofest.com  Includes: Live music, geocaching, birding, nature walks, educational workshops, stargazing, garden & home tours, indian drum circles, bon fire, eco market, fine arts show, food truck rally and yes SUP and Kayak paddling.

Bluesway Program Saturday December 1st 2012 New Port Richey Cotte River Christmas Boat Parade www.riverlightsboatparade.com to register.  Please register early.  Captains meeting November 26th to assign boat numbers.  A larger boat class & kayak class will both be judge for creativity supporting theme.  Lights, decorations encouraged or just paddle with the group.  We will all meet at Sims Park at 4pm to paddle downstream to Hooters where we will wait until our 530pm start.  Our kayak group will paddle up to Sims Park where judges will announce and judge boats.  Then we will exit water at the boat docks and the larger boats will start their circle of Millers Bayou at 6pm and follow about a 1/2 hour behind us to the same finish point.

Paddling Pasco - Bluesway Program Events 2013

January Anclotte Park offshore to several islands then landing in Park on Anclotte River.
February Paddle Cotee River Frances Ave Park to Roan & down to Sims Park 6.5 miles
March 17th Sunday (expert paddlers) "Paddy Paddle" Anclotte Park to Anclotte Key
March Paddle in the Chasco Fiesta Boat Parade - pets optional
April Trip from Sunset Park to Hudson Beach - lunch at Sams
April 28th Durney Key Challenge
June full moon paddle on the Cotee River lower section
July training and demo day at a pool or other location
August trip to Durney Key State Park - picnic and play on the island
September Kayak/Canoe fishing tournament - Anclotte Gulf Park or State Park
October sunset trip from Eagle Point Park to Green Key - bonfire on beach
November Withlacoochee River Trip based on water levels or alternative trip
December paddle kayaks & canoes in river lights boat parade Cotee River

Salt Springs Alliance Paddling Events 2013
February members appreciation breakfast 2/23
April 27th Salt Springs Classic 6.5 mile race from Werner Boyce Park to Sims Park (gulf & river)

...also look for a new Pasco race Durney Key Challenge listed in my blog Florida kayak racing 2013.

Comments

Post a Comment

Feel free to ask questions or share your knowledge

Popular posts from this blog

Surfski Repair

Image
Surfski Repair (Step by step guide) While standing on a floating dock and removing the boat from the water one evening, my grip slipped and it fell on a dock tie.  The impact placed a small indent in the ski.  I knew I was in trouble because I knew nothing about boat repair.  I immediately called my friend & surfski training partner Brent.  He offered to help each evening after work to repair the surfski.  I quickly realized that my seemingly bad situation had afforded me a great opportunity to learn from someone who has extensive experience in professional auto body repair and had repaired surfskis before.  If this ever happened again in the future, I would have the experience behind me to fix it myself.  In repairing the ski we wanted to create a solid repair that didn't add unnecessary weight, was easy on the budget and made the ski look like it did originally.  Below are the steps we took to repair it: 1.  Create cardboard cut out of the hull curve so that as we re
Read more

Outdoor storage of surfski

Image
I moved into a smaller house with a garage that is not big enough to store a 22' surfski. Here is how I properly stored my ski outdoors without sun or moisture damage in sunny high humidity Florida. I looked online and all the covers seem so expensive. I thought about it alot & finally got the perfect solution.  I picked up an industrial thickness white vinyl tarp cover.  Don't use the cheaper home depot variety.  Get the high quality thick industrial stuff in white.  I cut it in strips so that I could cover several boats.  I also found a silver/gray elasticized gray boat cover which someone got rid of (likely for a 20 foot boat) which I lay over the white vinyl.  Two layers of protection.  How fortunate!  Its elastic ends fit perfectly over my surfski. I use 4 straps to keep the cover firmly in place in high winds.  I store it in the shade of the trees and pool screen to keep it cool.  Finally, if you need to, you can run a combo lock cable thru the venturi port to protec
Read more

My first surfski a Futura sport

Image
I raced and surfed this boat for at least 5 years.  It's very tough.  I originally picked this up from a guy in Orlando.  I was looking for a retro Magnum P.I. type surfski.  I didn't know about the high-tech carbon fiber models at the time.  I later used it as a trainer for newbies.  My brother-in-law now owns it.  The stripes, handles, and seat padding I added to it.  It had metal rudder cables, aluminum kick-up rudder, and aluminum rudder pedals. Very durable to own for many years.  I'm glad to have owned a classic boat as well as the modern ones.  There are rivers I was able to race in this one that I wouldn't have considered bringing a more expensive lighter boat.
Read more