Meet Cynthia McGregor (sailingcyn@gmailcom; 305-619-8276 and Al Tillson (altillson@yahoo.com; 813-832-3961) at 9:00AM on Saturday April 28th at Williams Park at 9425 S US 41 in east Hillsborough County. After a brief orientation from a representative of Florida Audubon, we’ll launch at 9:45 for a trip down the Alafia River and out to the nearby sanctuary islands (that Audubon administers). The timing of this trip should enable us to see and possibly briefly photograph unusually large numbers of the nesting roseate spoonbills and hopefully the rare American oystercatcher as well as the usual ibis, egrets and herons. We’ll paddle about 3 hours at a leisurely pace with a lunch break on the riverbank on the return trip. Trip length will be approximately 5 miles. For beginners and up who are comfortable in the open bay. Please RSVP with one of the trip leaders or on the club website in case weather requires a change of location.
Difficulty: Level I. Seaworthy kayaks of all types are fine, but must have flotation and must be at least 12 feet long.
According to the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department, Williams Park charges a $5.00 parking fee for vehicles with trailers but no fee for other vehicles.
PLEASE NOTE: local ordinances and common sense require that we keep at least 100 feet away from the islands themselves. This means you should be prepared to stay in your boat continuously for as much as 2 ½ hours.
See the Skills Self Assessment Chart on the web site and contact the leader with any questions. Please register (and cancel) on the web site or RSVP to the trip leader to allow notification of any changes.
http://www.tbsk.club/resources/Documents/Skills_Assessment-_Chart_March_2017.pdf
New paddlers or new members should review the Participant section of the Paddling Guide.
https://tbsk.club/resources/Documents/Paddling_Guide_March_14_2017.pdf