Everglades Kayak Trip (2021 Season)
Camping 2021
It started out so well… then the wind and waves shut us down—again. I haven't had a normal
Everglades trip since 2017! I decided to try December to see if conditions would be better than the usual time in January. It did not make any difference in the end. On the plus side there were no bugs!
Day 1
The first day was low-key peddling the five miles out to Jewel Key. The day started warm and calm but by the time we arrived the wind was rising and the temperature was falling fast. We found a nice little place out the wind for our kitchen and I slept out in the open under the stars.
Rick slept in a small tent which we had to tie down to keep it from blowing away. We both used small cots to keep things comfortable. We saw over a hundred White Pelicans while we were there.
Day 2
The next day began sunny and cold. We decided to make an attempt to sail downwind. We didn't get very far because, even with reefed sails, there was so much wind we could not steer the boats!
We originally planned to do a big loop up the Lostmans River. But we decided to bail out at Rabbit Key after being pushed around by the following seas. The problem is you can't really see what's coming. When a big wave strikes you are forced off course or nearly pitched out of the boat!
What had been the main campsite was in bad shape due to recent storms and perhaps lack of maintenance (?), so we took what used to be the secondary site on the point. I've camped here several times over the years and it's only gotten better with powder-sugar sand and healthy mangroves for cover.
Fortunately for us Rick brought a box of Cabernet to fortify our bivouac. We even had time for a driftwood fire on the beach.
Rick stayed in his tent while I went back in the woods to hang my hammock.
Day 3
The next day the wind and waves were unabated so we sheltered in place. At low tide we walked the entire shore at low tide and met the local Ospreys nesting there.
Day 4
After two nights the wind calmed and we headed back to the take-out. We finally had a chance to sail and there was enough wind for Rick to flip over. He self-rescued quickly but we had to stop to pump water out of his boat. We got back to the car just as the sun was setting.
Rick's wife Beth had died the year before so he spread some of her ashes in the Gulf.