The girls and I got up late this morning. I had checked tides
yesterday and wanted to be in the water by 8am which meant getting up by 6:30.
But once up, the fog was so thick I was no longer in a hurry.
After getting our breakfasts out of the way and giving them
their morning walk I went to the garage to load up. This morning I decided to
take the Perception Sport 9.5 to explore Clam Bay and it's estuaries.
Historically, Clam Bay was tidally connected to the Gulf of
Mexico via Wiggins Pass to the north, Doctor's Pass to the south and centrally
located Clam Pass. The northern and southern ends of Clam Bay became isolated
in the 1950's when roads were constructed leaving Clam Pass as the only
connection to the Gulf.
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| Captain Mike off on another adventure!! |
With the kayak on the car I grabbed my camera, water bottle,
life jacket, phone paddle and water shoes, loaded them into the car and drove
to Clam Pass Park at the end of Seagate. The "put in" is located at
the end of the parking lot near the start of the boardwalk to the beach.
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| The path to the "Put-In" at Clam Pass Park |
After parking the car I unloaded the kayak and carried it
down to the water along with all my gear. Switching to my water shoes I pushed
off and climbed aboard. It was 8:30am.
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| Ready to hit the water! |
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| Definitely foggy! |
The fog was slowly lifting as I started to head up Outer Bay
toward the pass.
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| The "Put In" is at Marker 1 |
The estuary spans approximately 600 acres and includes an
elongated system of shallow bays and mangrove swamps that connect to the Gulf
at Clam Pass. Today Clam Bay is almost entirely surrounded by development.
On a side note, I captain small electric boats taking people
on eco-tours of the Gordon River for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The
Conservancy is assisting in the restoration efforts of Clam Bay by monitoring
the mangrove ecosystem for recovery and growth.
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| "Snake Bird" waiting for breakfast |
As I paddled North towards the smallest drawbridge in
Florida, I passed one of the numbered channel markers with an Anhinga perched
atop it, waiting for lunch to pass by. Anhingas and Cormorants are also called "Snake Birds" because they have no oil in their feathers and, like a loon, sit very low in the water with just their neck sticking out of the water looking like a snake.
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| Nearing the drawbridge |
The drawbridge was built to accommodate several sailboat
owners living along the shore of Outer Clam Bay. The drawbridge portion is about 6' wide and on the right in the photo. Over the years the mangroves
have continued to encroach into the waterway. Along with continuous shoalling,
the channel is only deep enough for passage at high tide but with the mangroves blocking most of the channel I don't think it's
used any more.
Continuing under the bridge, the outgoing tide pulled me northward. Rounding the last barrier island I entered the channel
leading to Clam Pass an the Gulf. The current got much stronger the closer I
got to the Pass.
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| He's actually on the other side of this flock |
Just before entering the Gulf I managed to ground myself on a
shoal and get my camera out. Both sides of the pass had large flocks offshore
birds, pelicans, egrets and herons.
After taking some photos I struggled against the
current back through the pass to the start of the Mangrove tunnels at marker 13
and the south boardwalk.
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| Yellow Crowned Night Heron with Breakfast |
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| Entering the Mangrove Tunnels |
From marker 13 to marker 24 I wound my way north on a twisty,
turney path. At one point I passed a what looked like a Yellow Crowned Night Heron standing on a sand bar with a
crab in his beak trying to figure out the best way to swallow it.
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| Snowy Egret |
Reaching Inner Clam Bay, I slowly paddled the half mile up
the bay past marker 25 and under the north boardwalk entering the most scenic
of the Mangrove tunnels. All along this stretch of the estuary, the overhanging
mangrove cast their reflections on the still water prompting several stops for
photos.
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| What will I find around the next bend? |
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| Symmetry of Earth and Water |
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| Upper Clam Bay |
By the time I reached marker 31 and entered Upper Clam Bay
the current of the outgoing tide was nearing its peak, so I decided to turn
around and take advantage of the tide. Quickly slipping back through the
Mangrove tunnels to Inner Clam Bay.
Along this half mile stretch across Inner Clam Bay I was treated to school after
school of Mullet jumping and dancing along the surface of the water. They were all
around me and put on quite a show! Unfortunately, every time I pointed my
camera in one direction they broke out in another so I gave up and continued
paddling.
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| Mud Flats |
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| Everybody is looking for Breakfast |
After completing the last section of Mangrove Tunnels and arriving back at marker
13, I expected the tide to have reached its low point (10:15am) and give me a
half hour of slack tide but I forgot to adjust for the distance from Gordon
Pass where my tide reading is set, so I was about 45 minutes to an hour off in
my calculations.
Winding through the mud flats I passed several groups of
birds. In order to stop for photos I had to ground on the shore or risk being
carried back toward the pass.
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| Osprey having a nice fish breakfast! |
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| The sun is finally coming out |
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| Arriving back at the "Pull Out" |
By now it was 11:15 and I still had a mile to go. As the sun
finally whisked away the last of the fog I reached the "pull out" to
complete my journey. What a great paddle! And just in time for lunch!!
