WCP Online Newsletter

Paddling the Gulf on Barrier Islands of Panhandle Florida post Hurricane
by Charlotte E Lackey

Contributed 03/30/2006  Responses:  0

CANOEING GULF OF MEXICO


In January and February 2006 Charlotte and I canoed several times on St Andrew Sound south from the Tyndall AFB wastewater treatment plant to explore new openings in Crooked Island West, the long barrier island which separates the Sound from the Gulf of Mexico. We found two new openings nearly a quarter mile wide, where the storms of 2005 had broken through narrow, sandbar parts of the island. Water in these openings was shallow, causing the Gulf swells to break, making a hazard for our partially-decked solo canoes. Between the openings remained a pine wooded section of the island about a mile long and half a mile wide, where we watched a pair of bald eagles soaring. On the Sound there were loons, mergansers, and buffleheads, and of course gulls and pelicans.
On Jan 4 the Gulf's breakers calmed down and we found a channel with no breakers and paddled out onto the Gulf of Mexico and returned in 10 minutes. On Feb 20 we canoed the sound past the newly separated wooded island then out through the second new opening onto the Gulf with its 1'6" swells then turned north and toured around the wooded island and returned to the Sound through the other opening. Our 37 minutes on the pretty Gulf water this grey day we felt a little tense without radios or rescue gear but we had no difficulties until returning when I felt a trailing breaking swell trying to surf me or turn my canoe to the side so I used my paddle as a rudder to keep the boat from turning too far. Total trip was 3 hours.

Don Barnett, age 69