Once again, an annual ritual had arrived – the building of sea turtle hatcheries, sized for loggerhead turtle hatchlings, on Cape Island. I accompanied a mixed crew of US Fish and Wildlife staff and volunteers led by the manager of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Sarah Dawsey, on the “Pacman” through the marshes and bays of Cape Romain to Cape Island. Pacman is a craft Continue reading
Reunion
I made my preparations for heading out to Bull Island early one Sunday morning. In my yard the leaves of oak trees were still; the reverberation of the island’s surf wafted through the air. Both were indications of no wind as yet. Kingfisher’s deck Continue reading
A Walk with Ed
(Please note this imagined day is a departure from non-fiction).
I am glad I am finally getting to guide you on this sail over to Bull Island, and take you around an amazing place, Ed. I made this offer to you years ago, and it is finally happening. Our time together has been occasional, mostly at recreation therapy conferences, so this opportunity to make this trip is long awaited for me – I hope for you too. I am going to let you sail Kingfisher over, Continue reading
A Passage
Why the rush on Saturday morning? While taking a peek at the weather online, I noticed the time of sunrise – in ten minutes. I grabbed a fleece jacket for the cool morning, and my camera to capture the moment. I blasted off on my bicycle for the landing, Continue reading
Jacks Creek Walkaround
Kingfisher had not been in the water since November of last year, and the deck was coated with a thin layer of dirt. I used the sponge to clean the area around the cockpit before I raised sail and headed out Andersonville Creek. The wind was out of the north and the tide falling, conditions quite favorable for my plan Continue reading
Circling Hampton Island
We went cruising in a borrowed Nova – a Mohawk Nova 17 canoe. Before the cruise some challenges arose, including a brief turnaround to pick up a map from home. While shuffling through my keys as I walked around the car I missed the canoe stern protruding past the car’s rear Continue reading
Down the Island and Back Again January 2012
It was a promising group of circumambulators that left Garris Island before 9 on Island Cat heading to Bull Island for the first guided walk around the entire island, dubbed Down the Island and Back Again. Besides many people I did not know, the gathering included several neighbors, and some friends and co-workers I had not seen in years. As the identified guide, I shared with the group the good news, and the bad news. Continue reading
Additions to the archives: two posts on hammocks
I included a chapter on hammocks in Tracing the Cape Romain Archipelago. These hammocks are “islands in the marsh”, small elevations of upland creating the environment for various botanical communities. By definition they must be less than 500 acres, and in SC over half are less than one acre. The following photo of a southbound Snowbird displays hammocks Continue reading
A look back, and ahead
As the days continue to shorten and the winter solstice arrives, I reflect back on past winter days on Bull Island. This end of the year solstice has always been a celebration for me. I imagined a walk around the entire island back in 2003, and did so on December 22. In reminiscing Continue reading
The Delta’s price
This trip would be only the second launch of Kingfisher on the North Santee River at the Poleyard Landing, situated adjacent to the Highway 17 North bridge. The first was a long imagined sail – from the North Santee through the Inland Passage to Charleston Harbor and Remley’s Point Landing (see final chapter of Tracing the Cape Romain Archipelago.) This second was also long planned – to seek out and find an esoteric archaeological site in the Santee Delta. Though this trip was in the back of my mind for a while, a week off from work pressured me to use the time, though I did not have optimal conditions. The tide would be adverse for much of the trip, and my only good rationale for embarking on this venture Continue reading
Fall Brilliance
Cool fall weather, a brisk northeast wind, and a huge high tide awaited me at the landing. I aborted a planned trip the previous day – poor conditions eroded my determination. This sail was to reach through the creeks and across Bulls Bay to Bull Creek, run down into Summerhouse Creek, and land at the public dock. I anticipated the return sail to be more of a challenge. With the tide so high we rode above the marsh grass, and with this rare perspective Continue reading
A New Air
Something was in the air – actually, it was absent. The summer humidity and haze was gone, and a clear atmosphere permitting views into the distance was present. It seemed like a fine day to beat out against a predicted southeast wind with an outgoing tide, and then reach across Bulls Bay to the north and back. But a change of the wind to the southwest meant tacks were not necessary, Continue reading
