Sea Kayaking At Shell Point

[todabrilla]

I took Tica, my sea kayak, down to Shell Point this afternoon. Yesterday it was dead still on the Bay for our regatta and it looked like from the forecast that there would be more of the same. This seemed like perfect weather for a little sea kayaking, but there was a nice breeze from the SSW and against the outgoing high tide it made for too much chop for my not-seakayak 'yak. I had planned on going across Oyster Bay to Smith Island and back. And in addition to the heavier wind the afternoon was late and sunsets are early these days. So instead I chose to stick closer to shore and went across the mouth of Walker Creek and the Shell Pt channel over to Live Oak Island. I went around the point of the island and on the east side there were many brown pelicans and osprey diving for fish. I went a little ways into Goose Creek Bay and explored some tidal creeks and salt marsh areas. At this point it seemed like a good idea to try and circumnavigate the island and come out into Walker Creek on the west side, but I ended up at a dead end little ditch that was too narrow to turn my kayak around in. I was right next to the Live Oak Island road and I suppose I could have portaged over, but that didn't seem to be in the spirit of circumnavigation. Well, I gave up, turned around, and came out the way I'd come in. As I headed out into Goose Creek Bay I decided to make some more southing before rounding the point of Live Oak Island. As I worked against the wind I noticed a raft of dark grey and white birds, and as I got closer I determined they were common loons. I love encountering loons at sea! I passed a guy in a dinghy who I'd seen rowing earlier (which is a form of locomotion I don't see that often) and got back to the beach and Shell Point with plenty of light left to walk around watching the sinking sun over the western Apalachee Bay and seeing all the people and dogs at play on the beach. All in all, this was a well-spent afternoon!

P.S. Looking at the GPS tracks, I actually way overshot the entrance to the cut for Live Oak Island. I was trying to find a way across down at the mainland portion. I guess I went farther up Goose Creek Bay than I'd thought at the time.