What My Kayak Means to Me

Do you remember being a kid and being allowed to go out on your bike for the day?  Having the means and the physical strength to make it from my house to another destination.  <Insert chef's kiss.>   For me, sometimes that may have meant that I was dozens of miles from home.  The sense of freedom was visceral.  I literally felt a physical high from knowing that I could do something that seemed almost right before the edge of semi-impossible.  I rode my bike up and down the elevations of DeVou Park and Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky; along the residential and urban areas of Chestnut Hill and Boston, Massachusetts; through Miami Beach from South Beach to Haulover Inlet; and now all parts of the Tampa Bay Area from St. Pete to Brandon.  I loved my time on my bike with desperation previously unknown.  (I was unstoppable except for a flat tire here and there.)

I've traded in my bicycle time from the sunny outdoors to my discotheque in the garage with my Peloton, treadmill, yoga mat, TV, and dueling light displays.  I have fans for when I'm hot and a space heater for when I'm cold.  I never have a flat tire or swallow bugs or get hard to explain bike glove tan lines.  I love my garage time!  In a weird way, my bike (and the whole garage set-up) is like a friend that I get to spend time with.  Sometimes I need a break but then I miss my exercise toys.  I always feel better after spending time with one of them.  However, I do like being in the sunshine.

As easy as just working out in the garage is, I yearn for my out of doors exercise/exploration time too.  And, I have found that I really like being in a kayak!  I had a stand-up paddle board that I loved with my whole heart.  But, I tired of often times having to sit down because my body acted like a sail, making me paddle more/harder/longer and with zero efficiency.  Eventually, I just gave up regular paddle boarding in favor of being in a kayak which meant being seating and using a paddle that was designed to work like a windmill.  However, after getting swamped in boat wake several times, I realized that what I really needed was a sit on top style kayak.  They are heavier but basically unsinkable.  

SUP at Tampa's Long Shoal

After months of research and a rented downtown Tampa test drive, I decided on one particular brand called Hurricane. (Click here to visit the Hurricane website.)  They're made in the USA and due to a unique material are much lighter weight than most other sit on tops of the same length.  I found a local dealer and headed out to get myself my ultimate dream kayak!  And, super bright tangerine orange is my favorite color.  DONE!!!  She's under 35 pounds, fits in my truck, and my new best friend.

The day I bought my very own first kayak.

I am Molly Brown!

My other two best friends.  I apply and reapply often!
The dry oil keeps the salt water "at bay".  Ahahaha!

This was me during the witch invasion of Tarpon Springs.
That was the single greatest moment in a kayak, EVER!

I was determined to not be prissy with my boat.  I wanted to be able to take a scrape from an oyster shell structure and handle being dragged a little in to and/or out of the launch site.  

One day I went out from the Picnic Island boat ramp (Click here for more info about the ramp and fishing pier.) and planned on going to the West Shore Yacht Club area.  Once in the protected cove, my goal was to use my clear umbrella as a sail and scoot across the flats...  Quasi-snorkeling through the grassy patches and into the brilliant bright sandy beds is like heaven on earth and I think I'm the only one who knows how great it is and I'm OK with that!  

The current is kind of strong going through the shipping channel at Port Tampa City and the out-going tide conflicted with the wind direction for a bit of a washing machine effect.  Luckily, I'm Molly Brown, right?  Hmmmm....  I felt like I was sitting really low in the water.  Was the scupper hole blocked by something?  Am I just imagining this?  I feel like this is not normal but not all that abnormal either.  TAWANDA!  (If you know, you know.)

Welp, it turns out a few years of a little scrape here and there added up to a fingernail clipping size hole on the keel.  I hauled my boat up onto a rock near on the northern side of the Standard Concrete peninsula.  Off loading my gear, I was stunned by the massive water weight of my kayak.  I opened the hatch and was shocked to see so much water in the hull.  It wasn't easy, but I propped my boat up and watched the water stream from the tiny grey slit.  (The grey was the actual hull after the white outer shell had been worn down.)

I was on property that I wasn't technically allowed to step on.  I was equidistant from the American Legion Post 138 (and a rescue from Shawn back to my truck) or back to the Picnic Island boat ramp...and another time through the washing machine.  It took 45 minutes for the boat to fill up to this point.  It would take me less than 45 minutes to get back and since my boat was still floating, I knew I could make it to my truck.  I gathered my courage and made it back in 30 minutes, not much water on board, and not too heavy to LIFT.  Thankful but ashamed, I drove home to announce my failure and learn about using a two part marine weld compound.

I still have the fiberglass leftovers.  
But, like the little girl in the meme I describe below,
I threw out all of the other pictures of my work.

Have you ever seen the meme of the little girl sitting on the floor, fiddling with a straw and a to go cup lid until she just freaks out from sheer frustration and exasperation?  She tries a few times to poke the straw into the right spot on the lid and then all of her emotions flow through all of her limbs at once.  She kicks and flings the maddening items off camera...all while she calmly breathes, hands placed on her legs, lips slightly pursed.  Well, that was me.  (Click here for the video.) I fixed my kayak like a pro but then propped it up on the garage wall when it slipped, smacked onto the driveway, and stress cracked THROUGH the entire hull:  bottom, top, and scupper holes.  It was hopeless.  The web of fissures could never be structurally fixed and it was no one's fault but by own for not putting it in a corner or on its side.  

All of that to say...

I have a new kayak now.  The same company, but a foot longer and blue.  The kayak company I used before had this one available in the shop, ready to go.  (Canoe Country Outfitters) So, I did it.  This is my new kayak.  I will hereby be somewhat prissy with how I treat this boat.  I also promise to be more proactive.  I will install a pre-barrier BEFORE it is too late.  And, I will finally name her.  (All of these SUPs and 'yaks but none ever had a proper name.)  

She's longer.  That will help with tracking while paddling with not favorable winds.  
Since I deal with that a lot in our ever changing weather,
that'll be a welcomed respite.

I didn't plan this photo to be the same as the photo above, but it is fun to look at the evolution of my hat.  I collect feathers as signs from loved ones.  The hat has grown over the years and for that I feel so very blessed.  

After my initial shake-down cruise, I ordered a set of protective boat guards from Amazon and got to work learning how to install this stuff.  It turns out, it was super easy!  I'd do it a little differently next time on the keel but it's held up beautifully a month after having placed it.  (Here is the Amazon link to the kit I used.)

My discotheque is now a marine workshop.

Unboxed.

My squirrels were happy to have a little shaded snack.
I was happy for the company.

I set the adhesive strips out in the summer Florida afternoon sun (to help unfurl the tape)
while I watched the QR code video that came with the kit.

Thanks to the video, they suggested to use a hair dryer
to help soften the tape over and around curves.
I added an X-acto, scissors, and two plastic scraper/burnishing tools
to help really get a custom fit.

Measure twice.  Cut once.

Again, measure twice.  Cut once.
I felt like covering the lip around the rear scupper hole was
really necessary since this is the lowest point in
the water and likely to clip oyster beds and linestone.

I impressed myself!

This mid-ship scupper hole is larger and doesn't have the defined lip. 
I used a scrap from the excess length near the keel.
Still, I'm quite pleased with the application.

I kind of expected this first scupper hole to retract once it cooled off.
But, it stayed exactly where it was!

The hard angle of the keep caught me off guard. 
(Mitering is not a strength of mine.)
I don't think this is the prettiest, but it'll protect the exact spot
where I abraded my orange kayak.

The nose presented me with too much tape.  I tried to smooth out the wrinkles 
as well as curve along the bow but there was just too much.  
I actually reheated the tape and with great patience, repositioned it,
and sliced off the excess in a V cut.

While in the garage, I clear coated the sign for our backyard
for my folks' new home!

Setting her out in the sun for a final sun-bake.

One of my babies climbing up my leg while
I worked on the Sun City Center sign.

My heart!

Since I was already sitting at my workbench,
I decided to make a sign for Lina (Nicholas' girlfriend)
and her home town near Moscow.  

After a few trips over a few weeks, the bond is still perfect!

Her name is Annabel Lee.  She's one of my best friends.  We do some cool stuff together, in our "Queendom by the sea"!

I'm getting better at being prissy.  
I LIFTED the kayak and placed her
on her side. 😇

Annabel Lee

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

It was many and many a year ago, 

   In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know 

   By the name of Annabel Lee; 

And this maiden she lived with no other thought 

   Than to love and be loved by me. 

I was a child and she was a child, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

But we loved with a love that was more than love— 

   I and my Annabel Lee— 

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven 

   Coveted her and me. 

And this was the reason that, long ago, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling 

   My beautiful Annabel Lee; 

So that her highborn kinsmen came 

   And bore her away from me, 

To shut her up in a sepulchre 

   In this kingdom by the sea. 

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, 

   Went envying her and me— 

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, 

   In this kingdom by the sea) 

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, 

   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. 

But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

   Of those who were older than we— 

   Of many far wiser than we— 

And neither the angels in Heaven above 

   Nor the demons down under the sea 

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side 

   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, 

   In her sepulchre there by the sea— 

   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

 

Thanks to AI generated art. This is my vision of Annabel Lee in human form. When we are together, "...we live with no other thought than to love and be loved... "   

I love her. 

 

I am her. And, I love her too.

Dock/Boat House Stay-cation!

I absolutely LOVE Tampa!  I literally live where people save up money to come for vacation.  I love the saying that the journey is part of the destination.  But, sometimes...it's ok to just skip the journey.

I grew up in a small Kentucky town just outside of Cincinnati, OH and going to the beach was a yearly Mecca for our family friend group:  The SOC (The Same Old Crowd).  We piled kids, dogs, bed sheets, towels, no AC style clothing and pajamas into a convoy of 1970s and 1980s era station wagons with CB radios connecting the cars for 10+ hours of quasi-Hell.  We'd get to a gas station a few hours from Pawley's Island, SC (our final destination) and begin exclaiming how we could *SMELL* the beach.  We'd huff that in and hunker down for the remaining torture car-ride.  The smell was so distinctive.  Sweet...sickly sweet.  Breezy and warm.  Core-memories like none other!

Pawley's Island branded itself at the time as "shabby chic". (Loooooong before shabby chic was even a thing!)  Shops had Pawley's Island postcards with the tag-line, "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined". (Also, loooooooong before Hooter's adopted the slogan!  Wait.  Is that possible?)

Turns out I was mixing my marketing campaigns.  Forget what I said.  It was "Arrogantly Shabby" which is kind of better!  https://www.pawleysisland.com/faq/#:~:text=What's%20with%20the%20“Arrogantly%20Shabby,that%20residents%20and%20visitors%20enjoy. 

What’s with the “Arrogantly Shabby” motto?

The phrase originated in reference to the many Cypress-sided cottages on the island that were less than pristine in appearance. Some might say it’s also an accurate representation of the lifestyle that residents and visitors enjoy.  

I mean, the iconic Pawley's Island Hammock is included as standard-issue for an idyllic beach scene.  We had no air conditioning, no TV, an old AM/FM radio, heaps of books, craft/stitching projects, several decks of playing cards, and two weeks to be semi-feral.  This home, these families, this time of my life, the low country, her history and ghost stories, screened sleeping porches, and being "Arrogantly Shabby" made their way into the fabric of my being.  (Sadly, Mother Nature replaced that home with an inlet between the single-house-deep sand bar, a single lane road, and the tidal creek between the island and the main land.  The toppled, water-logged house was photographed in a book about Hurricane Hugo circa late 1980s.  My heart has forever been bruised with the knowing that location can never exist again.)

HOWEVER...

As an avid kayaker and lover of back-woods exploration, I may have found a very close second!

Meet "The Boat House"! Click below for the AirBNB direct link.  I had my husband book it for a week!  The Boat House Staycation fell perfectly within an open window for the house, my best friend, and me!

Samples, travel sizes, face and feet masks were the first things I packed.  Self-care isn't selfish.  Rinse and repeat as necessary.  

Word puzzles, coloring, historical text about the Hillsborough River, cards, games, and my computer were next on my packing list!

All of my toiletries for my Girls' Trip 2024:  Hair extensions/tinsel ('Cause...why not?), charcoal foot detox pads for sleeping, C-pap, Tervis (ALWAYS Tervis), Crocs, spa treatments, and an array of first-aid goodies.

Hat, 3 bathing suits, PJs, lounge wear/house dresses, work-out clothes, chargers, and a cuddly light-weight blanket (a recent Teacher Appreciation Week gift).

Gated entrance to the main house that is also on AirBNB.
  Downstairs and a separate unit upstairs.

Adorable and accurate artwork adorns the whole property.  
Check out the artist, Helen Miskimen

To the right of the property is a dock almost the same length as ours.  Continuing down the river a few docks is Rick's on the River.  

To the left is the main house, a vacant lot, another home, and up to the Columbus Street Bridge.

The main front door.  

Remember how I was talking in slogans?  Nowadays... #shabbychic #delightfullytacky #unrefined #arrogantlyshabby  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  This structure has been here since the 1940s and is the ONLY boat house/dock house on the entire Hillsborough River.  In fact, I've never seen any boats for rent on AirBNB or VRBO.  I knew when I opened the door, this was everything I had hoped it would be (and even more).

 

I teach ELA for a living.  
So, I may be off on my math...  
But, I'm guessing the floors slant at about 10 degrees. 

The first door on the left opens to a sink.  Around the corner is a toilet. (And, an outlet on the ceiling.  This place has more outlets per square foot than any house I've ever been in!)

The next door reveals the master bedroom with its striking view and ceiling fan + window AC + central AC vent.  Sleeping with circulating cold air, a just-right-mattress, and north facing window meant we slept like queens.

Closet, bathroom, and stacked washer/dryer on this wall...

The bathroom is huge but hilly-floored.

View from the hallway into the main living space.

Standing at one intersection of one nearly floor to ceiling glass window and the over-sized sliding glass door, looking at the comfy hide-a-bed couch, dining table, and well equipped kitchen,

The view to the south from the sliding glass door.  Note the fishing gear that came with the rental.

A basket of flyers, magazines, and a binder of FAQs was a handy addition...even for a local!  Behind the basket is an electrical outlet for four.

Standing at the end of the hallway looking back to the front door.  

You can sit on the couch and enjoy a 180 degree vista!  We watched TWO Starlink launches FROM the couch.

Very tidy and yet well provisioned.  The house had a blender, two (or three) coffee makers, a toaster, plates, pots, pans, mugs, glasses, spices, and kitchen linens.

Ice trays, ice bucket, and ice scoop...Check!

View from the front door looking back at the main house.  Note the boardwalk that lead back to the parking lot.

We were here for extreme tidal shift period.  The high tides just kissed the bottom of the dock and the lower tides revealed hidden underwater creatures and oyster clumps.

I love when trees fuse!

There were a few of these fellas hanging out under the house.  Yum!

This is the welcome sign from the main house.

Our boardwalk entrance was gated.  We felt very safe.

Let the spa treatments begin!

View from the couch looking north and east.

Another AirBNB across the river.  But, the property is for sale.
FOR FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!  

The Hillsborough River isn't perfect.  It's murky and looks like tea sometimes.  From this barstool and bar height table, I saw dolphins, manatees, catfish, snook, blue crab, an alligator, and... what happens during a massive rain event.  Trash filled water blasts into the river from just below the Columbus Street.  We saw countless styrofoam cups, plastic bottles and bags, toys, and other icky things.  That's part of this SHABBY life. 

 

Arrogantly shabby.  Yep.  That's this.  I can't imagine this property will survive many more storms/real estate developers.  I highly recommend vacationing in your own town.  Do something special.  It doesn't have to be lavish and posh.  In fact, in this case, we were visited by our families, enjoyed/shared the views, and truly relaxed without anyone else except two extroverted introvert school teachers off duty, disassociating and patting ourselves on the back for booking a staycation in this epic little hidden gem!  

If you're still reading...

#1. That Pawley's Island beach smell was really the paper mill in the town below.  It is associated with a  core-memory and I weirdly like a tiny whiff of sulphur now and then.  Eww.

#2.  I taught at the school down the road from this AirBNB.  E.E. Just Elementary is now closed and is slated to be rebuilt once the gentrified neighborhood can support this school again.  Researching the land around the home and the school filled my first two days in the Boat House.  The wifi was fast and worked on the dock.  As per this rental, there was also an outlet handy!  So, running out of battery wasn't an issue.  The dock faces east and after about 10:00 am the sun can't reach.  Hours of spa treatments, coupled with internet research, aquatic animal encounters, and various beverages led me to trace the lineage of the land from the original Benjamin Family to present.