Kayaking at Sandy Island - Saturday, Oct 9, 2010

I rode with the bicycle group this morning. It was so foggy we only rode 15 miles instead of our normal 25 miles.  The temperature was in the high 50's and supposed to get near 80 degrees today so Nancy and I decided to get the kayak out.

We headed down to the Sandy Island Boat Landing. 

It takes us about 10 minutes to pump up the kayak and get all our gear ready.  The last time we went kayaking, we decided Nancy needed to sit higher....yes, she needs a booster seat!! 

We bought a flotation cushion and put it under her kayak seat to raise her up 2-3". What a difference....she said it's perfect!!

We put the kayak in at the Channel leading to Sandy Island. 

 Our plan was to paddle out almost to the Intercoastal waterway, then meander our way through the channels in and around Brookgreen Gardens.  (green lines on the map)

The plan had one problem.  Brookgreen Gardens has constructed a fence across the waterway to prevent boats from accessing those channels.

I guess they must have had some issues with boat traffic in the past.  So instead we paddled out to the intercoastal waterway and headed south to go around a small island and then back to the channel heading back to where we started. (red lines on the map)

Not nearly as long a paddle as we had expected to do, but we learned one important thing....  Next time we will plan our route on the Intercoastal Waterway so we paddle north...WITH THE CURRENT...instead of heading south against the current.  Oh well, we are new at this kayaking thing and as you know better, you do better.

We did have a nice paddle on a beautiful day.  Nancy had her new camera clicking away and got some nice pictures.

Approaching the Intercoastal Waterway

Entering Intercoastal Waterway at Buoy 67

Sandy Island Boat Dock with School Boat on the right.

Pretty Floating Flowers

Enjoying this Pretty Place to Paddle.

We did see a couple of small motor boats in our travels.  This one, in particular, past us several times.

It looked as though it was serving as a boat taxi for those that live on Sandy Island.  The Island is only accessible by boat -- no bridges, roads, etc. -- just the boat landing.

Our paddle ended too soon.  It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the Sea Eagle.

Approaching the end of the trip.

This is where we take the Sea Eagle out of the water.

If we luck out with more beautiful weather next weekend, we plan to kayak at Cheraw State Park.  We have our fingers crossed!  But, one thing we know --  Nancy's Booster Seat -- was a great success!!