Race Day is Coming...

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Probably the best little sea kayak race on the east coast. Short, fast, and fun, the race starts around high tide with a long straight down the Back River across to Little Tybee. It then gets interesting as the racers must negotiate narrow marsh creeks with lots of switch backs. Racers have been known to get lost here. Another long straight leg and then finally through the surf and onto the ocean. The weather here can be the biggest factor of the race as paddlers paddle along the front of Little Tybee before coming back through another surf zone.

The last leg is against the tide back up the river. This race is very equipment and weather dependant, so a great equalizer for just about any kayak. One year I very nearly had my arse kicked by Dave Mason in a C1 Canoe !. Dave T, paddling a Thunderbolt, was once leading the pack only to be swamped and sunk in the first surf zone.

Prizes and cold drinks for all who take part.

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More Crowd Pleasers...

Locally grown , organic produce will once again be available on Tybee Island. Mama B's will open this weekend behind High Tide Surf Shop. Store hours are 11-7 for wholesome goodies such as purple carrots, rainbow carrots, fingerling potatoes, red caribe potatoes and 5 varieties of squash! Good luck, Libby.. sounds like a veritable horticultural cacophony for cellular reproduction.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island will release two rehabilitated Loggerhead turtles and one Kemp’s Ridley at noon, Friday, May 29th. Satellite tracking devices will be attached to the half shell heros, so you’ll be able to go to georgiaseaturtle-center.org and track them online! If you have not yet been to the Turtle Rehab Center, then it should be on your top ten list for this summer. Hopefully the release will be less of a 'bells and whistles' publicity frenzy of Tybee's turtle release last year.

Open House at the Dhamma Center will be taking place this Sunday from 1-5pm. There is no greater asset to the planet than a self realized human being, but maintaining an open channel between mind, body and spirit is hard bloody work. The South East Vipassana Center can help and runs 10 day meditation courses to kick start you on the right track. Highly recommended.
No bells and whistles, just inner peace.

The very showy Tibetan Monks will be in town next week to coincide with the Asian festival. The holy bros will be throwing down a 'Sita Tara' Sand Mandala at the Telfair Museum.
Sita Tara is a form of enlightened feminine Buddha and her specific energy has to do with longevity, good health, and prosperity (there's always a hidden agenda with the TM's).
From Monday to Friday, it's free and awesome, but don't tell the curator it's going to be dumped in the river on Friday!

Oh yes, Sea Kayak Intro Class on Saturday - lots of sand, chance of turtles, totally organic, and always fun.

Turtle Season Open

We have had a few sitings of sea turtles on our trips in the last couple of weeks and the first sea turtle nests of the year in coastal Georgia have been recorded.
Biologists are encouraged by last year's nesting season with a record 1,646 nests recorded on the Georgia coast.
With anywhere from 40-70,000 nests, Florida accounts for more than 90 percent of loggerhead nesting in the United States. Although loggerhead sea turtles nest at many locations around the world, nearly 90 percent of the world's population is believed to nest on the beaches of Florida and Oman (on the Arabian Peninsula).
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the first leatherback sea turtle nest of the season was found last week on Sea Island. Volunteers discovered the first loggerhead sea turtle nest on Wassaw Island over the weekend. Mark Dodd, the DNR sea turtle program coordinator, said he's hoping 2009 will be an above average nesting season.
The season starts May 1st and goes through September.
Collisions with boats are the most common identifiable cause of trauma in sea turtles that wash up dead on beaches.
Tammy S., our Little Tybee turtle monitor, towed back a rather large dead turtle last week, thought to be the victim of a boat strike.
Five sea turtle species are found in Georgia waters. All of them are protected by state and federal law.
More info at http://www.seaturtle.org/

Data Buoy Update

.The Gray's Reef Data Buoy, washed ashore last week on Cumberland Island, about 5o miles Southwest of where it should be . Photo by Carol R.

U.S Wave Ski Nationals- SC&K a Sponsor

The Us Wave Ski Nationals will be held at Sebastian Inlet in Florida this year and Savannah Canoe & Kayak are one of the chief sponsors of the event.
Come the first weekend of October 2 -4th, we will be set up on the beach with a display of Tiderace Sea Kayaks and Mega Surf Kayaks.
Sebastian Inlet, a point break, has some of the best and most consistent surf on the East coast and this is the first paddle surf competition to be held there.
More details about this evolving event will be announced soon.

This week..

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For complete novice... a great chance to try something new and have a fun day at the beach. All gear and kayaks provided. $95

The essential introduction for all local paddlers and enthusiasts. After ten years of teaching the local paddling community we know what makes a fun, interesting and challenging class.

Surf Camp Dates Announced

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This year Surf Camp promises to be better, not bigger than last year's very successful workshop.

Come spend three days in the off season and increase your level of expertise in SOT, WW boat, Ski and Surf Kayak. We'll take care of you.

Just in Case it Stops Raining..

. Ifyou don't already have one of these, $75 dollars will secure your barrel along with all the 'rocket science' on how to put it together.

Data Buoy Down

If you have been wondering why there is not data coming through from the Grays Reef buoy, it's because it is beached on Cumberland Island.

The last readings from this very expensive piece of equipment showed close proximity wave heights at 14ft. before being ripped from its mooring .

Carol on Cumberland found the buoy while on turtle patrol. No telling when this important station will be re attached as funding for many of these costly research data stations is on the line.