Fitness, Adventure and Art on Florida Bay!
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My 27 mile fitness paddling triangle loop on a western Florida Bay day trip. High tide only!
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In the fall of 2021, I decided to do another extended day trip on Florida Bay. As with most of my own trips there is always an “experimental” factor involved, whether it be new paddling or camping gear, photographic lens, etc. On this trip the experiment as it were would be a brand new wing paddle I acquired – an Orka paddles “Super Flex” model. This is a tear drop wing paddle loosely grouped in the so called “Gamma” shape, after a famous paddle design from Jantex. It’s a nicely finished paddle, feels stout and slightly heavier than Jantex or Brača – but also half the price!
What attracted me to this blade is the versatility of the design. It generates it’s power peak in mid-stroke and has a very smooth entry and exit. The catch is strong, but not overwhelmingly technical. It almost doesn’t care how you handle it and seemingly auto-corrects any sloppiness. Of course good technique never hurts! Also the blade is speed sensitive, so that the faster your cadence, the more power (lift) it generates. There is almost no cavitation! Mine came as a adjustable 210-220cm, which I found too long for my anatomy and style of paddling. So I cut off the ferrule and shortened it down to a 204cm. With a heat gun I was then able to cleanly separate the metal locking ferrule and re-epoxy it back on to the shortened paddle shaft.
The manufacturer’s specs on the
Orka Super Flex wing paddle:
Medium blade is 50.5 x 16cm, for an area of 730 cm squared.
Total length (final) = 204cm (adjusts 204 -214).
This is my personal magic formula!
The Super Flex contrasts with my previous wing that I had been using, the Accent Paddles “Sprint” model (an oddball to be honest). Strangely enough, the Accent paddle has an even stronger and much more technical catch, and isn’t nearly as smooth to fly. At higher cadences, the “Sprint” paddle would unfortunately begin to cavitate and that’s what started my quest for a new blade shape. However, having mastered it’s technical catch, I kinda got to like it and even depend on it, especially in my skinniest boats in choppy waters! So with the switch to the Orka and it’s mid stroke power curve – I myself had a new learning curve to overcome!
On this trip, I wanted to paddle a good 27 miles with my
new blade for a thorough testing!
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The boat launch ramps at Flamingo – gateway to Florida Bay.
Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
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On this trip I paired my new wing with “RGB” (I am a photographer) which is my older Kirton Tercel. Her nominal dimensions are 17 feet by 19.5 inches wide, weighing in at about 25 lbs! This type of kayak is called a K1 trainer – presumably to prepare a paddler for an actual K1 Olympic level type kayak for sprint racing on flat water. I am not going in the sprint direction myself, but it turns out that she’s a fantastic paddling boat – as long as one stays within the limits of this type of design!
RGB has a large open cockpit with tiller steering working an understern rudder. This is meant to enable excellent leg drive and proper paddling technique with a suitable wing paddle. It’s most definitely not a beginner kayak, but I would rate the stability as ‘great’ on flat water since I am now used to paddling a 16.4″ wide surfski – the Stellar SES aka Grey Ghost. Of course stability is a relative term, and I think RGB would rate close to intermediate surskis, not unlike my old Findeisen Shearwater aka One Way. I actually use foam booster pads from one to three inches when working out.
I like this boat a lot – something about the very light weight and the nice paddling manners. For use in coastal open waters, I’ve adapted her with the addition of extra foam in the bow and a foam bulkhead in the stern for safety! I’ve found that RGB makes a great day tripping boat in protected waters and maybe even up to 2 – 3 foot seas with the addition of a half or full skirt.
On this trip I would take her out into coastal open water conditions.
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Heading out due SW, approaching Murray and Oyster Keys on a fine day.
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The trip was a straightforward triangular route that would take me SW about 9 miles from Flamingo out to a small island called Carl Ross Key. The second segment of about 7 miles due north over deeper water with swells and chop over to East Cape. After a lunch break, there’d be the 11 miles left back to Flamingo due east. This is actually the same route I had wanted to do on a previous variation of this trip but was forced to scale back due to conditions.
A nice mix of conditions and sights on a calm day on Florida Bay!
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Aerial view of the Oyster Keys in Florida Bay.
Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
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This is what low tide looks like on First National Bank in western Florida Bay.
The hold up at First National Bank in Florida Bay!
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Pro tip:
Never paddle Florida Bay nearing low on a dropping tide.
You will be sorry!
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Kayakfari ART photography – “Flying over Florida Bay”
ART of the Bay – Florida Bay Landscapes.
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Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
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After the Oyster Keys, there’s about 6 miles of nothing but shallow water.
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The first 9 miles out to Carl Ross Key in western Florida Bay were quick and fun with the new paddle. There’s a geographical feature called First National Bank which stretches for many miles that must be crossed. This flats bank is impassable on low tide as the water is drained out. Even on high tide it’s only a couple of feet deep and these shallow areas slowed me down some.
Upon arrival in the vicinity, I came upon a startling scene. Where once a small island had been was now completely underwater! The only thing left to give it away was a sandy shoal and some dead mangrove remnants.
Things are always changing, but this one looks gone for good!
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What’s left of what was once a tiny island is just some dead mangrove wood.
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This is the same tiny island only three years ago in summer of 2018.
Everglades hot summer camping and cruising – the Central & Western Florida Bay loop!
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Paddling over the spot where I once sheltered from a raging thunderstorm for hours in 2018.
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Little Carl Ross Key is getting smaller and smaller as years go by.
Until 1960 this was the northern tip of a very large Sandy Key!
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Landed on a tiny strip of beach at high tide on Carl Ross Key.
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My versatile K1 trainer “RGB” at rest.
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The rudder on my K1 trainer is one of the qualities that makes this boat well suited to paddling shallow waters!
Easter 4/20 exploratory coastal fitness paddling a K1 trainer on Florida Bay.
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My most used photography and paddling implements: Poles, sticks and wings!
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Aerial view of Carl Ross Key at high tide, fall 2021.
The island in the background is Sandy Key, which is a bird sanctuary.
Carl Ross is now a seasonal day use only area!
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Looking due east across First National Bank on Florida Bay.
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Vegetation and feather on the island. It’s off limits for bird nesting during the winter months.
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Sandy Key has a long history as a favored refuge for birds of many species. Carl Ross Key itself was the northern tip of this much larger island until Hurricane Donna passed overhead in 1960 and split it apart. Sandy Key has been off limits as a bird refuge since then, and Carl Ross was a back country campsite until 2005, when Hurricane Wilma further split it into two more pieces. This ended camping on Carl Ross, and it currently remains a seasonal day use only area. The smaller islet Wilma created 16 years ago has now totally disappeared!
In 2008 on another visit to Carl Ross Key, I was inspired to create one of my favorite artworks “Extreme Birdwatching”. The uniquely twisted mangrove wood was courtesy of Hurricane Wilma!
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“Extreme Birdwatching”
Kayakfari ART photography
CLICK to see the whole series!
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So in a way, Carl Ross Key has the distinction of being the site where in April of 1832 John James Audubon collected his bird specimens on the then much larger Sandy Key.
From the many dozens and dozens of specimens he harvested, his world famous bird portraits known as the “Birds of America“ were created!
John J. Audubon’s Birds of America
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Townsend’s Sandpiper portrait by John James Audubon in the 19th century.
CLICK for large version!
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21st century Sandpipers frolicking along the Everglades shoreline at Carl Ross Key.
The Everglades are for the birds!
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The periphery of the island has suffered since Hurricane Irma in 2017.
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Looking due north towards East Cape, my next point of call about 7 miles away on the horizon!
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Setting off on the second leg of my route the conditions were about the same as over the bank. However after about a couple of miles in, the deeper water allowed the long fetch from the Gulf waters to be felt. Nothing too crazy, though a bit unnerving on this otherwise flat day. I was able to surf and make good time on some of the swells. However this is a tricky stretch of water and if conditions were rougher it would definitely be beyond the scope of a K1 trainer boat. This was actually why I had to omit this segment on a previous version of this trip!
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Past these channel markers are miles of open water where waves can build up even on a flat day.
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Nearing my approach to East Cape, another factor started to come into play, and this was literally a pain in the arse! The foam booster pad that was previously pretty comfortable became a source of pressure spots. Of course I couldn’t do anything about this until making a landing, so I was glad to be finally standing on East Cape!
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Arrival at East Cape, back on mainland Florida!
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What are these furry floating things along the East Cape shoreline?
They’re algae, and a sign that the ecosystem is out of balance.
It’s been this way for about six years now. Western Florida Bay isn’t doing so well!
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My new Orka Super Flex wing paddle at East Cape, fall 2021.
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Beached on the Cape, but what’s the screw anchor for?
Hint: It works with the poles under it.
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There’s something happening here .. what it is will become perfectly clear.
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When I put the auger and poles together, I get low altitude aerial selfies on the beach! 😮
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Compare the 2021 East Cape pics above to this photo from the spring of 2019!
Easter 4/20 exploratory coastal fitness paddling a K1 trainer on Florida Bay.
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With photography done, it was time for refreshments and lunch.
Let’s take a Ranger-led Pour of the Everglades!
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An instant lunch favorite of mine – smoked salmon and a tomato in this case.
Tasty & Quick Cooking for backcountry kayak campers!
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The Orka Super Flex paddle is a good match for RGB. Once I shortened it to 204cm, I really can’t complain much.
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I had a choice of two foam booster pads, and I can complain about both of them.
In the end, they both proved to be a pain in the arse!
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Aware of the foam booster that proved to be a pain, I was glad to have another choice for the third leg of my route and return trip to Flamingo. Since I’d be paddling along the coastline, I would have the “luxury” of stepping out and re-adjusting, swapping or removing the foam pad(s). By the time I’d finish, I would have done all of the above to now avail.
The third leg of my trip was really a pain in the ass!
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Starting the 11 mile segment back to Flamingo from East Cape.
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There’s a small creek with a sandbar that contracts, expands and shifts continually over time.
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In the fall of 2021, there was much more sand on the west side of the creek.
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Beautiful Cape Sable coastline at the the creek on low tide, February 2014!
Go West to East Cape – an interior route via “Spoonbill Pass” and Raulerson Prairie.
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Aerial view, camping on the bigger east side of the creek next to East Cape in 2014.
Go West to East Cape – an interior route via “Spoonbill Pass” and Raulerson Prairie.
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Heading back due east, about half mile out along the shoreline in the late afternoon sun.
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In contrast to the pain I felt in my buttocks, paddling the distance with the new Orka Super Flex blade proved to be a great success! Of course, the 27 miles is still 27 miles of paddling with a wing paddle. There was no localized pain however, just a general soreness as one would expect.
However, no matter how great the paddle, it couldn’t mask the pain I was experiencing from sitting in the boat. Consequently, my performance and speed took a hit. So this final stretch felt more like a struggle with only the beautiful sunset to briefly take my mind off the pain!
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Looking back at one of those phenomenal Gulf coast sunsets.
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The warm light covers the shoreline in gold!
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The actual sunset over Florida Bay.
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Pastel hues of twilight time on final approach to Flamingo. Note the tall tower!
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This was a full day of paddling, taking about 6 hours of paddling to cover the 27 miles with two one hour breaks in the mix. The Super Flex is versatile enough to quickly catch swells and for sprinting, yet smooth enough for all day paddling without hurting me.
My new wing paddle proved to be a great paddling tool!
However my seating arrangement in the K1 trainer needs rethinking, as that was my Achilles heel on this trip. It really slowed me down and took me off track in the last five miles of the trip.
I suppose my consolation prize for putting up with the pain was witnessing the glorious sunset over Florida Bay from the water. Once back in Flamingo this was tempered by a zillion voracious mosquitos as I quickly packed up to leave. It took a while to flush them all out of my car.
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The tall tower at Flamingo is a homing beacon for Florida Bay paddling.
Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
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After dark, the tower flashes red and can be seen up to about a 13 mile radius!
Everglades hot summer camping and cruising – the Central & Western Florida Bay loop!
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Epilogue
Looking at the big picture, of course no paddle is perfect for every occasion. The Super Flex is no exception but comes pretty close for me. I would personally prefer an even sharper bite with peak power delivered closer to the catch. But who knows, maybe if this were the case the smooth entry and exit would be compromised. I’m not enough of an expert on blade design to know these things and all the variables. Also, it might just be my personal disposition that has come to rely more on the catch for (balance) support than really should be necessary? When I was learning the stability profile of my skinny Stellar SES surfski, I purposely used a Greenland stick paddle to force myself to use my hips more for balance. I think this is a similar scenario, and look forward to refining my technique even more paddling with the Super Flex.
Finally, while this is technically a medium blade, it’s still a pretty good sized paddle. It may not be the best choice for really long distance paddling as any advantages of the wing over a Greenland stick may even out over time and miles. It was good to learn how my body would react on this longer day trip and I’m very happy with the blade. In any case my main use for this paddle will be for working out and surfing swells, usually quick sessions of 6 to 10 miles. For this the Super Flex is an excellent choice!
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! Bless UP
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© 2022 Flex Maslan / kayakfari.com / awakenthegrass.com. All original photographs, artworks and music in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Flex Maslan, unless otherwise noted. Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
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With that said..
Blessings friends!
🙂
Kayakfari
kayakfari ( kayak .. far .. i ) 