The Daily Dose – Plan B – Take #2 !

The idea behind this trip was to check out the

  Joe Bay area in northeastern Florida Bay.

Due to time constraints, it took place over the Labor Day weekend just ahead of approaching tropical storm Gordon. The plan me and Kayak Ted (aka Spiritwalker) made was to camp at North Nest Key and use it as a base camp for two nights. Joe Bay is intriguing because it has been re-opened to the public after being closed off for almost 40 years. It is also prime habitat for the American Crocodile, of which we had hoped to see many.

However as the saying goes

“The best laid plans of photographers and paddlers often go awry”

especially when a big storm rolls through early!

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(tap or click pic to read)

When a big storm blows through, Plan B happens!
North Nest Key, Joe Bay and tropical storm Gordon.

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North Nest Key is not the place to go if you seek solitude,

however it’s worth a visit and makes a great base camp location

for exploring eastern Florida Bay.

The evening and most of the night were pleasant camping, but  by dawn it was clear that things had changed. Getting up with the sunrise, there was a lot of cloud cover and a heavy damp feeling in the air. Listening to the weather radio and checking radar on the phone we could see that tropical storm Gordon had arrived into our area earlier than anticipated. By 8:30, we were already seeing lightning strikes to the NE in the distance which was definitely not a good sign! We had to make a decision, and both agreed that in light of our situation we’d bag it and head back a day early. We packed up camp just in time before all the heavy rain hit. At times it rained so hard, that we couldn’t even see each other on the water.

It was tough to make the decision to abort,

but it proved to be the right course of action!

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Full story at:

https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/trips-sea-stories-pics/random-gallery-2/florida-south-florida/florida-bay-keys/north-nest-key-joe-bay-and-tropical-storm-gordon/

Revised and updated for your reading pleasure!

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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.

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!

🙂

The Daily Dose – A quick trip to North Nest Key with a Cuban cigar.

My sister went to Havana

and all I got was a Cuban cigar,

so I smoked it in the Everglades!

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North Nest Key is a quick getaway on the bay side of the upper Keys.
From Havana con mucho cariño – a quick trip to North Nest Key!

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Paddling out to the Nest Keys is straightforward and about nine miles when starting from FBO. You can paddle up through either “The Boggies” or Dusenbury Creek. Actually it’s common to make a loop and use both. There are a couple of things to keep in mind however. One is that on a good easterly or southeasterly wind, both Blackwater Sound and Florida Bay can carry a good fetch and bring 3 – 4′ up to 6 foot waves! Be sure to have a good sprayskirt as those quartering seas will break on deck frequently.

Nest Key is a part of Everglades National Park but in reality is just the opposite of remote due to it’s close proximity to Key Largo. Expect a boater’s sandbar party type atmosphere, complete with jetskis, loud stereos, folks drinking and barbecuing.

If this is not your style, avoid Nest Key on the weekends!!

To access the Nest Keys and eastern Florida Bay, one of the best spots to launch from is at Key Largo’s  Florida Bay Outfitters (FBO). Their location makes it a natural choice for paddling Blackwater Sound, Barnes Sound, Buttonwood Sound. But just like anywhere in the Keys, parking space is very limited so you should always call ahead to make arrangements with them!

Que Se Sepa, Yo Soy De La Habana!

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https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/thematic/from-havana-con-mucho-carino/

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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!

…

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!

…

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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Monday mania – from Havana con mucho cariño!

My sister went to Havana

and all I got was a Cuban cigar,

so I smoked it in the Everglades!

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Starting and ending at FBO (Florida Bay Outfitters) results in about an 18 mile trip loop to North Nest Key and back.
Always check first with FBO before making plans to launch there!

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Although North Nest Key is a part of Everglades National Park, it’s close proximity to the Keys means that most of these regulations seem to be ignored. Plan accordingly!

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La Habana!

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Burning under the sun!

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The big smoke ring in the sky.

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“There’s a nice man behind that mask”, said the captain to the tour group as we crossed paths in the creek.

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Vapor trail

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What are we looking at here!? 😉

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Uh-oh ?

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Elevated Nest Key aerial view of Camp Kayakfari and vicinity!

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The Banana Boat at Camp Kayakfari.

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Sunset through the haze.

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Camping with the Stars and moon overhead in this 360 all sky view!

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CLICK for bedtime story!

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Enjoying some music in-tent-ly on FM radio! 😮

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Next: Death in the Morning! 😉
Ghost kayaking and camping in the style of Papa Emeritus II

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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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! BLESS – Dub