Crawfish Speaks...Tonite !

What do a beach, a dune, a freshwater swale, a maritime forest and a saltmarsh all have in common? The answer?...They are all components of the wonderful area we know as the Georgia coast and barrier islands.

To understand how our coast was formed, what forces affect it, and how its diverse habitats influence the wildlife that live there, please join Ogeechee Audubon on Tuesday, October 20, for a presentation by John "Crawfish" Crawford.

John is a highly knowledgeable and entertaining speaker with a wealth of information and tales to share. He is a Marine Science Education Specialist at the Skidaway Island Marine Extension Service, part of the University of Georgia. His talk and slide show are entitled "A Dynamic Stability: The Nature of the Georgia Coastal Region."

The program begins at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20 at the First Presbyterian Church, 520 E. Washington Avenue. No reservations are necessary and the program is free and open to the public.

Something for the Weekend.

Savannah Canoe and Kayak has the complete range of plastic and composite contemporary mega surf boats. There will be a few demo and display models at the beach this weekend. See you at the Jam !

Surf Jam Shaping Up.

With water temps in the high 70's, the Tybee Paddle surf Jam, back by popular demand, is gearing up nicely.

We have approx 15 people signed up at present with a week still to go before registration closes next Thursday. 20 Contestants would be ideal.

It's excellent to see that the largest category is the First Timers.

This is just what we hoped for as the purpose of the event is to introduce people to competition surfing as another way to increase skill level and enjoyment of a great beach based activity.

" It would be great to fill the beach with an assortment of kayaks of all lengths, sizes and styles." said an SC&K authorized spokesperson.

"We got the new Flex from Venture which looks like a heap of fun in waves.

The Tandem event should be a good crowd pleaser with father and son, husband and wife, cop and con combos, all on Malibu 2's.

The Mega Bullitt X's will also be making it's first U.S appearance.

And the Tiderace Sea Kayak line will also be on display and surfed in the competition."

And what about the conditions ?

"Well, October is a commonly good month for waves. If it's big and rowdy there will be great displays by the 'Pros' and if it's flat we will have kayak races to the buoy and back." One way or another, we have a beach, ocean people and kayaks, plus a few goodies to give away.

So, come on down to the beach, bring the family and your swimming suits...there's gonna be a jam.

This is The Georgia Coast

On the 31st of October we will depart on a kayak trip that will take us along the front of all 13 of Georgia's barrier islands. On this coast, the dominant natural force is the tide. Like a heart pumping blood through the body's vital organs, Georgia's tides pump a tremendous volume of water in and around the barrier island, into the sounds, and the marshlands. Life has adapted to and become dependent on this natural process in ways great and small. For 10 days we shall become a part of that process.

Ga Coast Trip Recon Mission

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We took to the sky's this afternoon and scouted out the first three islands of our coastal trip coming up in November. We buzzed along empty beaches at 50ft and 100mph on a glorious Fall afternoon. Ossabaw was incredible at 500ft and it's sloughs were chock full of big gators.

As we flushed wild hogs from the marsh it was almost like being in Africa.

Our coastal trip will launch in three weeks and we are very excited about the adventure ahead. Registration has now closed.

Surf & Jam Update.

Excitement for the Paddle Surf Jam on October 24th is growing as spaces fill up.

We already have a decent number of contestants coming from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Delaware. First Timers is the biggest category so far with over 10 newcomers eager to jam. The Sea Kayak class is also getting a lot of interest, but only three signed up for that as yet. We currently have 4 teams for the Doubles event .

New additions to the event are :

* Surf Kayak classes and demos all week prior to the event.

Tiderace Sea Kayak Demos all week prior to, and one day after, the event.

*'Boat check in' is now at 8am with a start time of 9am.

*Lunch will be provided for all contestants.

*The Old Bastards age minimum has been dropped 5 years to 50, to include people who we thought were older bastards than they actually are.

*The new Mega Bullitt X, the first one in the USA, will be on show at the beach.

*Still looking for a couple of judges.

Keep a check on the website Surf Jam page for new updates.

http://www.savannahcanoeandkayak.com/tybee_island_surf_jam.htm

There will be more changes coming so ...keep this frequency clear.

SC&K Paddler in Top Six at Nationals.

Poor conditions made for a very tough competition at the U.S Waveski National event this weekend. Riders from far and wide came out in force, and the caliber was high with such prominaries as Matthieu Barbarit and Caroline Angibaud, Tyler Lauston , Fletcher Burton and Nick Scoville.

Nick Scoville did you say ?.

Yes, that's right, our very own 'Snakebite' Scoville was in the top six as the 30 competitors were slowly whittled down to crown a nations champ in the art of ski surfing.

Alas, the Surf Gods were not satisfied with $125 entry fee and the comp was cancelled on the first day due to none-rideable conditions.

Friday was gorgeous and kicked up a 1.5 ft swell which tickled pink the organizers with some two footers breaking clean onto the Florida shore. Lunch was cancelled and 20 heats were run.

Short and quick, boards and rides, was the order of the day along with a few cracks, dings and face plants in the sand.

And the crown title goes to....
Mattiue Barbarit...the 5 times world champ from France. Congrats dude.
And very well done to Nick S...showing once again some of the best paddling talent comes from a very small island on the east coast not known for it's great surf....Shhh. say no more !

Full results coming soon.
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Audubon Outting This Weekend.

Ogeechee Audubon and the Carolina Butterfly Society are co-sponsoring a field trip this Saturday, October 3, to look for birds and butterflies in nearby Jasper County, SC. In the event of rain, the trip will reschedule for Sunday, Oct. 4.
The focus of the trip will be Tillman Sand Ridge Heritage Preserve, a wonderful and rare habitat of long-leaf pine, wiregrass and relict sand dunes. Bob-white quail and Bachman's sparrows love this area, as do many uncommon species of butterflies.
The group will then move on to Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, where the hardwood hammocks scattered amid the fresh water marshes serve as "migrant traps" this time of year to concentrate southbound songbirds.

Our leaders will be Dennis Forsythe and Tim Miller, both accomplished birders and butterfliers.

Bring water, lunch or snacks, sun and insect protection, and binoculars. A field guide and close-focusing binoculars (for butterflies) are also recommended.

Meet at 9:30 AM at the junction of highways 321 and 336 in Tillman, SC, about 14 miles north of Hardeeville, SC. There is a small convenience store at the intersection where the group will assemble. For more information, please contact Tim Miller at 912-429-2700.

On a different, but related note, please click the link below to read an article that makes a persuasive argument on why we should not let our pet cats roam free in our neighborhoods!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/science/29angi.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&em

Dot

Local Paddlers Wed

Congratulations to long time SC&K customers Sarah and Rick who married last evening. Savannah's Telfair Museum served as a beautiful backdrop with it's paintings and sculptures providing grandeur to the event. It was a very sophisticated affair, with accompanying violin and harp ensemble and a veritable who's who of Savannah Arts patrons.

But wait.. is that a kayak cake we see amongst the splendor??

The newlyweds are off to Puerto Rico for some paddling in the bio-luminescent bays. Here's to ya!

Half Off Week Now Over.

Our half price instruction week was met with a lot of positive response, with 15 people taking advantage of the cut price classes. We also had a good time teaching , as it enabled us to try a few new approaches and styles for 'getting the idea across.'
Most takers were signing up for the intro class, and the deal brought in those who may not of otherwise taken instruction.
And for those procrastinator fence sitters as well, this was their motivation.
Our 80' water is going to start cooling off pretty quickly...especially with 15" of rain water runoff heading this way.
We will be offering another cut price session in the winter.
We will also be holding some pool rolling classes and practice sessions.
Keep an eye out for that.

As you can see, students taking the half price classes were not given kayaks. They actually progressed much quicker.

No, not really. Everybody got their own kayak.