The Daily Dose – Safety Sombrero hat is the way!

Can a funny hat reduce paddling risks?

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I hope this makes you laugh, in fact I’m counting on it!!

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Most people who are new to paddling always ask “but aren’t you afraid of the (insert) – alligators, crocodiles or sharks”. The truth is however, that at least in South Florida the biggest danger by far to kayakers and paddlers are actually power boaters!

OK so most boaters don’t drive quite like in the picture, but there is a significant percentage who do operate their vessels carelessly and sometimes even maliciously. This is based on many years spent paddling and sharing the waterways all around South Florida with all types of boaters. I am of the opinion that you can tell a lot about a person and their character based on the way they drive .. or boat. Also one can tell a lot about a certain location by the way people are driving and boating. It follows then that people tend to operate their boats much the same way they drive on the highway!

I’d say upwards of 60% of boaters seem to be at the very least self-absorbed, inattentive, inconsiderate speeders and a few downright assholes. Another maybe 30% are normal boaters going about their way who just want to be left alone. The roughly 10% left are actually nice and considerate boaters who might even socially engage with paddlers. This percentage breakdown probably also reflects the general nature of the South Florida population at large.

Of course, there are never any guarantees as evidenced by the boat that crashed into a jetty. C’est la vie! 😉

Regardless, it stands to reason that once out on the water, all paddlers should be as visually conspicuous as possible, especially when paddling near power boaters. A bright colored kayak or board certainly helps, as well as clothing and head wear. Kayakers are notoriously difficult to see from a distance because we sit so low to the water. This is where bright color paddles and head wear really matter because often that’s all a power boater will see until they are almost on top of you! I take this up a notch with a bright orange traffic cone like sombrero hat! If you think it looks funny (and it does), so much the better! Why? Because humor really helps to break the ice, so to speak and lets people adopt a more relaxed and light hearted attitude. This helps safety because now you’re a person, not just a random paddling figure in the distance! It’s also of the the reasons why I alternately often wear giant Mexican sombrero hats (other than for the excellent shade they provide).

I’ve found that the sombrero and cone shape is easily seen from a great distance, and always makes people laugh.

Ultimately to be seen is all that matters to me.

Happy paddling! 🙂

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! Bless UP

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© 2021 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.

All rights reserved!

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DISCLAIMER:

The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!

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I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!

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With that said..
Blessings friends!

🙂

Paddling into the Boca Bash 2016 – Boats, Bikinis & Beers!

Paddling into a giant raft up party at the

Boca Bash 2016!

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Boats, Bikinis & Beers!

Satellite view of the route from Pioneer Park to Boca Lake for the Boca Bash 2016.
You can take the scenic route around Deerfield Island Park or one of the shortcuts.

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This was a last minute urban paddle through the intracoastal waterway into Lake Boca Raton.  On the last Sunday of April, a giant raft up party is held there, called the Boca Bash. It appears to be an annual “tradition”, but I’m not sure how far back it goes. In any case, the event brought together several hundred boats, floats, kayaks, boards, SuPs, swimmers and revelers and a floating DJ booth pumping out some bangin beats! It was BIG, it could’ve been in the thousands!

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Paddling the Mojito up the intracoastal waterway to Lake Boca Raton.

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Thanks to my friend Stephen C, for waking me up in time to do this! If you don’t like or at least tolerate paddling among powerboat traffic, you can probably skip this.

If you don’t like paddling around girls in skimpy bikinis, you can probably skip this. If you don’t like or at least tolerate paddling among inebriated waders and dancers, you can probably skip this. If you don’t like loud music and beer, you can probably skip this. I’m gonna continue, on the off-chance that someone will like at least one of the above! 😉

Like any big weekend event, parking was tight and access restricted, so we actually had to launch down at Pioneer Park at the boat ramps. This resulted in a short two mile paddle around Deerfield Island Park. About half of the route was through the intracoastal dodging multitudes of powerboaters of all types going in all directions!

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The wakes from all the heavy boat traffic created a lot of chop!

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NOTE:

This stretch of the intracoastal waterway is notorious for lots of boating traffic putting out big wakes that bounce off the seawalls on either side! At certain times it can feel like paddling inside a washing machine! Be realistic about your abilities and paddle accordingly within your limits.

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Knowing this ahead of time, I decided to take out the “Mojito“, an RTM Disco sit-on-top that loves rough water. The Mojito is my favorite surfing and play boat for South Florida! With the addition of thigh straps it responds just like a proper fitting sea kayak and can be rolled easily. It has a lot of rocker, turns on a dime and paddles nicely for a short 14 foot boat. I did have a blast surfing the various boat wakes and eddies created by all the wash!

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Stephen managing the boat action as we paddle by Boca mega mansions.

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Once inside Boca Lake we were greeted to the massive sight of people and boats of all types, everywhere. How this many people can pull this off in Boca Raton, Florida is still a mystery to me!

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Arrival at the Boca Lake sandbar raft up party – the Boca Bash!

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Lots, and lots and lots of peeeple!

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“Are you ready for this!”

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Con mucho cariño! 🙂

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I was actually wearing my distinctive sun protective “face shield” a part of the time. Thing is that after a while I kinda forget that I have it on.

So here come a trio of girls wading over the sandbar and one of them looks at me screaming:

“Don’t look at me with that thing!

I’m too drunk for that shit!”

lol

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The center of the action by the DJ booth boat. Sound was actually pretty good, but could’ve been lil louder.
Maybe next year they take it all the way up to 11 ?

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Pretty good vibe within the crowd! Paddling through this maze of people was kinda fun, people were having a good time. It’s interesting to note how the entire floating party was demographically stratified, just like real life. The most active section was the young crowd in the middle, on top of the sandbar by the DJ’s boat. Further out to the periphery were clusters of Latino and Southern folk and a more mature crowd towards the deeper north side. All this was actively patrolled by various LEOs doing their jobs!

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Kayafari on the Mojito at Boca Bash 2016!

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I like this color combination!

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Reds and blues under the sun.

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“Focus and attention in a sea of people”

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Whatever floats your boat! lol

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Sun getting lower in the sky, peeeple still having a great time at the Boca Bash.

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Paddling back down the intracoastal, this time I was passing a lot of the powerboaters as they chugged along in line. Like I expected, there was a LOT of activity at the Pioneer Park boat ramps. Boaters were again lined up, awaiting their turns. Here I had the advantage being in a kayak. I made a run straight for the ramp and pulled out of the water as quick as you can snap 1-2-3.

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Boat traffic lined up to use the Pioneer Park boat ramps.
This is a good time to be a kayaker and make a beeline for the exit!

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Stephen had a lot of room in the back of his kayak and picked up a bunch of floating trash before leaving the party. Overall I thought that trash was reasonably well managed on this raft-up. There was some, like there always is (sadly), but nothing like the infamous Floatopia Miami trash disaster. Still, we saw that the facilities at Pioneer Park were overrun. Maybe they didn’t have or plan for enough trash cans and containers? Hopefully all that overflow was picked up promptly come Monday AM!

In the aftermath of the event, the media report that a fight broke out at one point, and that five people were arrested for various minor offenses. That’s not too far out of the ordinary where a lot of people gather in one place and drink a lot. I’d call this raft-up a success!

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Trash overflow at the end of the day at the busy Pioneer Park boat ramps.
Let’s hope all this got picked up the next morning!

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All in all, we both agreed that this trip had been worth the effort.

Most def NOT a typical kayak trip!

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Enjoy!

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© 2016 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.

All rights reserved!

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!Bongo – Bless

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