ROUTE #12

The wind forcaster lied! 10 mph... Pfft, I saw whitecaps! And there was foam on the ramp.

The plan was to leave the boat ramp on Blimp road and head NW hugging the shoreline. The Paddling Guide said to make a left after the last WARNING sign. Well, I think the landscape has changed slightly between the time this book was written and now.... and I think Irma could have helped with sign removal too. I knew that the map in the book, and Google had discrepancies. So, I thought I would be smart and make a rough map from Google, and trace the route on it. HAHAHAHAHA. It was a good plan, but things look so much differently when you are actually THERE on the water. Sheri and I decided to just go where we wanted to.

We had to stop and take a water break.

The road leading to the boat ramp is called Blimp Road, because that is where FAT ALBERT lives. The blimp, known as FAT ALBERT, is a Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) in military parlance, is part of an Air Force program. Albert keeps an eagle eye on air and sea traffic from the Caribbean Sea to Tampa Bay.

Fat Albert in the background.

If the wind gets too strong, they bring him down. That should have been our first clue that the wind was stronger than forecasted. But, we wandered around the mangroves for awhile. Didn't see many fish. Scared up a couple stingrays, and saw one small nurse shark. 

A few years ago I had picked out a handheld GPS that I was going to buy. Life got in the way and I did not get it. Until today, I didn't think I really needed one. But again, I will start shopping for something so  I can chart routes.