Hands-Free Trip Log

Beat the Winter Blues

Located halfway between Tampa and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf coast, Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands is a cluster of nine coastal communities surrounding the state’s second largest harbor. Recognizing the potential of this year-round eco-tourism destination, the Charlotte Harbor Visitor Bureau has worked with the county to create nearly 200 miles of kayak- and canoe-friendly Blueway Trails. Escape the early spring slush season and explore backwater fishing, plentiful birdwatching, dolphin and manatee sightings, and mangrove tunnels on 53 easily accessible canoe and kayak trails. Via Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau

Marine Pollution Triple Whammy

As if you needed another reason to pass your aging paddling gear along to a friend rather than send it to the landfill… A new study highlights how plastic debris is introducing toxic chemicals of three sources into the ocean food web. The first source is monomers, the building blocks of plastic polymers, which can migrate into whatever the plastic comes into contact wtih, like the guts of a sea creature. Some monomers are known toxins, like the carcinogen vinyl chloride that makes up polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, or the endocrine disruptor bisphenol-A (BPA) that makes up polycarbonate plastics (remember that whole Nalgene scare?). The second source is the brew of additives that manufacturers mix in to impart plastics with desired properties.

The third source of toxic chemicals is external. The new study from the University of San Diego addresses these oily pollutants commonly found in seawater that glom onto the surface of plastic debris. A disturbing implication is that plastic debris can become progressively more chemically hazardous as weathering increases the surface area available for gathering pollutants. The findings also draw fire to the notion that developing marine biodegradable plastics will automatically eliminate chemical threats stemming from conventional plastics. The sole standard established for biodegradation of plastics in the marine environment allows that, at six months, plastic fragments up to two mm can remain and 30% of the original material needs have undergone biodegradation. Via E-The Envirionmental Magazine.

Watch for Adventure Kayak’s profile of paddling plastic fighters, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, in the May issue.

Heroic rescue efforts from fellow open boaters saw 65-year-old Dr. Steve Senior pulled from The Sinks section of the Lower Little River in Tennessee on Monday afternoon, according to local news services. The group was a part of Ain’t Louie Fest, the annual flocking of open boaters to rivers around Lenoir, Tennessee.

The Bridgenorth, Ontario, native apparently came out of his boat after going over a ledge and failed to resurface when rescuers sprung into action. Senior was allegedly underwater for approximately 30 minutes when paddlers plucked him from the water and commenced CPR. They were able to restore a spontaneous heartbeat, however Senior died Monday night in hospital.

Park Rangers, local sheriffs, paramedics and fire and rescue personnel also responded, arriving after the rescue efforts were already underway.

Local authorities applauded the paddlers’ rescue efforts.

“It was a large group of whitewater canoeists,” said Townsend fire chief Don Stallions, according to Blunt County’s Daily Times. “They have a strong skill set. They were in the middle of rescuing him when we got there. Not five minutes later, they got him freed and up out of the water.”

Unofficial reports suggest water levels were high due to runoff, but that the boaters were paddling within their ability levels. Details of the tragedy continue to emerge.

The following is a news report from Knoxville NBC news affiliate, WBIR.

Ain’t Louie Fest will continue through March 17th as planned.

For local news reports, read the Daily Times and WBIR news releases.

This week in canoeing news:  Canoeists discover 40,000 year old skeleton, Mississippi River paddle and new water trails in Rhode Island.  

Alaksan Canoeists Discover 40,000-year-old Steppe Bison Skeleton

As she scraped cold dirt from the remains of an extinct bison, Pam Groves wrinkled her nose at a rotten-egg smell wafting from gristle that still clung to the animal’s bones. She lifted her head to scan the horizon, wary of bears that might be attracted to the flesh of a creature that gasped its last breath 40,000 years ago. In the type of discovery they have dreamed about for years, Groves and Dan Mann, both researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in summer 2012 found in the thawing bank of a northern river almost the entire skeleton of a steppe bison that died during the last ice age. Via Alaska Disptach.

Mississippi River Run

Imagine fashioning your own boat out of scrap pieces of particleboard and duct tape and then paddling down the world’s fourth largest waterway—the Mississippi. Mountain Folk’s Mississippi River Run begins at Itasca State Park, Minnesota, USA. Through a series of creeks and channels, this year’s River Folk will meander across lakes and in to the heart of the US of A. 2,350 miles later you will dock in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, with more than a few stories to tell. Festivities start May 4. Via Mountain Folk. 

New Water Trails on Rhode Island

See the Water Trails page for 20 new paddle trail maps for paddling routes across Rhode Island. There are trips for all skill levels, all across the state, on rivers and lakes and salt ponds. The maps were created in partnership with ten watershed organizations across the state, with funding from the Rhode Island Foundation. Via ExploreRI.org