Paddle Crazy

Greetings My Crew,

It has been busy…as any good Captain it is important to stay on top of as much as possible…setting a priority list is always very important to keeping kayos to a minimum

I am a full time student and my current class has been hard work…education is always valuable…as a person with Battered Women’s Syndrome, I find that it is actually a stress reliever…it is empowering and worth every minute of my time…in my current class we are speaking about global warming…oops…not PC, climate change…how much of this phenomena do you think I will see on my trip and in what forms???

After a week of paperwork and appearances…I am a tired Girly Pirate…my husband was missing our friends at Siesta Beach Bike and Kayak…so we early Saturday we left for the Island…Lance greeted us and had a kayak waiting at the beach for us…we got out there for 3 hours…the water was empty except one guy fishing from his kayak and some skullers off in  Little Sarasota Bay so, we had the whole park just for us…the aviary was a lively place and the birds did not seem to mind us at all…when we got back we were so hungry….

Lance recommended ‘Walt’s Fish and Chips’ in Sarasota…good food and great service- A cool place for Girly Pirates…the waitress donated a ‘Walt’s Pirate Haven’ T-shirt…it was a wonderful day...I feel blessed

A woman who had overheard me speaking to the waitress, left the restaurant and came back and handed me a flag…she had made a donation to the American Vets that were outside- they gave her the flag and she to me…she said many of the disabled vets wish they could go and this way I could take them with me…she was a nurse at the VA in Tampa and asked to remain anonymous…the whole thing makes me want to cry

This morning, we were off to home depot…when suddenly balloons started landing in the middle of the road in a back neighborhood...American Balloon Rides were giving rides around the area…I showed Walter the crosswind at the high elevation…I also saw the cranes following the ultralight…here in Florida it seems, we swim with the fish and fly with the birds:)

Tomorrow is Monday…Janis and I will be headed to Crystal Rive Kayak…paddling with the Manatees is fun…I hope we can stop at Emily’s Restaurant in Homosassa…this is a 50s style place with good food…it will be the last time for a while that Janis can come play with us as she will soon have family visiting

Starting February 1 we will be confirming all Days (1-39)…if you have a place we can stay for the night, if you want to meet us, if you want to bring us a meal or if you live on the coast and can give me the call letters, phone number and address of your local news/ radio stations- I would be very thankful…

Everyday I see my dream…

Your favorite Girly Pirate,

Captain D

First Paddle of 2012

 Ahoy,

The last run of all the west coast training areas- Sarasota, Siesta Key, Crystal River, Dunedin Causeway, Honeymoon Island, Anclote River- has now begun…I will soon start Atlantic Training next month…

It has been holidays and bad weather…finally a break…on Saturday, the last client left and I called Scotty at Siesta Key Bike and Kayak…he said the weather was beautiful and to come down…I needed workout time…I jumped in the pimp mobile and was off to Siesta Key…I love this area and cannot wait until my journey is over to return (maybe I can sneak in one more visit when no one’s looking)…We have made some wonderful friends here:)

On the drive there, I stopped and took time to think of the area I was going into and how beautiful it is…exit 205 on I75 South…make a right off the exit ramp and your life is soon to get better…it has been such a great place to train…people have been very friendly and supportive…it is clean and VERY GREEN (reduce, reuse, recycle- should be the county motto)…

I arrived at Siesta Key Bike and Kayak shop to find Lance loading my rental kayak on the truck…Scotty was donating the rental to me and told me to have fun…the entire staff of Siesta Key Bike and Kayak has been supportive of my goals…at Turtle Beach I ran across some lovely young ladies from Minnesota…we spoke of the paddle and the reason for it…Lance took our pictures.

Paddling out alone is different….you become more aware of every movement of the air, water and animals…I saw many people coming off the water and thought it was because of low tide…I look at the change of tide as a challenge…I paddled around the Neville Wildlife Reserve, 3 full times and then slowed to take video and pics….my average is up to about 5.4 MPH…I am happy with that and my endurance has been steadily building…I was sad not to have the Blue Horizon with me, but I really needed stroke practice…getting in and out of small/shallow areas, paddling forward/backward/sideways…with no rudder, it was all about the core workout…I saw a nest that an osprey was building…

Pelicans (brown and white) seemed to be everywhere…blue herons and egrets were darting about…I could touch the bottom and found a small empty queen conch shell…I saw a few mullet jumping up by mullet shoals…I know there are no longer sharks at the old shark lab, but my senses are always on high alert when I paddle that area…as I came back up the channel, I saw Lance…timing was everything…this Girly Pirate was happy…what a beautiful afternoon

On my way home, I started going over all the paddle information in my head…it was then I stopped to think about how blessed I am…many people have donated time, boating equipment, knowledge and much more helping put this together…it amazes me how many people have been inspired to volunteer help in their own areas…if you want the right to complain about something, first you must try to make things better…by the end of this month I should have all landing points confirmed- I will be posting meet ups that can happen on meetup.com…I do have a few areas where I will need help from local boaters…we have entered the home stretch people…

I spoke to the nice woman who owns Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City…I asked her politely if she had time to help and explained to her I would need a flag for the road crew to hold on shore so I know where to land…it is a lot to ask of anyone, but she rose to the challenge…I am excited to see what she comes up with:)

It was nice to have a few sweets for the holidays, but I am now back on training menu…I am also starting to stock up food for the trip…I must encourage all parents to send your children to scouts, much of the preparation work for this trip was learned while in scouts…they are lessons that have served me well throughout life…how many knots can you tie? Well I must shove off…

Your Favorite Girly Pirate,

Captain D

Clear You’re Scupper Holes Get Ready to Haul Anchor

Welcome aboard,

Maps and charts abound….where is the quartermaster when you need him?

I will be in Sarasota next weekend…I hope to spend all day Saturday around both sides of Turtle Beach…it will be my last time to see my friends there until after my return from the journey as I will start training in the Atlantic in February…it has been a great place to train…I have been given instruction and support from everyone in the area…a lucky girly pirate am I…it has been a blessing

We are working out the details for our first Atlantic launch…I am currently trying to obtain permission to use the beach at Canaveral National Seashore…you may wonder why I chose this spot…this will be our first visit to a National Park…it is also across from our county as the flamingo flies…lol…I am excited and as we finalize details I will keep you posted…I have heard much about the east coast of Florida and I guess I am about to see what it’s like:)

Many hours of prep work go into each paddle along with…along with my own small business and being a full time student, it takes up almost every spare moment I have to put this together…I have to call ahead to make sure we can be accommodated or if they need to charge us, put together maps, pack all we might need (most places are well over an hour from home/ the Atlantic is 4 hours away)- this is just for the individual paddles…I have a plastic storage bag with all paperwork, business cards and maps from each area as I like to continue business with those who have been so supportive what I am trying to accomplish…it also help us keep things straight for the website and all adjoining media…we believe in our goal and that pushes us forward...I could not do any of this alone

If something is worth doing it is worth doing your best…if it takes hours of study, time to train and hard work you should feel you goal is worth it…accept that nothing will end up perfect and enjoy what does happen...here I go, channeling my inner Capt. Phil again...

I am doing all of this through Donations…every penny helps…you can donate at PayPal or mail it in (information listed below)…as you put up your new stuff from the holiday, please remember to send us any camping or boating equipment you may be replacing and no longer need…we are trying to be as green as possible (reduce, reuse, recycle)…as I said earlier, we are still looking for some type of camper…

30131 Clearview Dr

Wesley Chapel, FL 33545

(813)907-6279

Dee@Sunshinepaddle.com

Girly Pirates hate office work, but it is so cold most of my crew has fallen ill…I put a blanket over The Lady Blue Horizon and another over Yum Yum…I do not need them sick before the temperature goes back to normal Saturday…

May the wind fill your Sails and the sun be warm on your back,

Captain D

Power in the Paddle

Merry Meet My Crew,

As we draw closer to Yule, life has become hectic…none of the children will be home for the holiday… the start of the week found me staring at my guitar……9 months ago I quit smoking cigarettes…I had  purchased the guitar to keep my hands busy while I quit...I can not play a song, but can run scales really well...lol…I read a book about being a good sea captain…they always brought the spiritually back to shore…with this in mind I called the Lutheran Church (no I am not Lutheran, but they do the most for the community in my area- food bank, welfare sign up, etc….and I thought they could use the help)…I spoke to Preacher Scott and offered the guitar as donation as long as it was used at the church…he agreed and I offered to bring it by later in the week…he also spoke to me about the special tree covered in special angels and he was worried for the older children as no one was worried over them and they were boys…NONE of the young men I raised have ever hit a woman…if a young man in my community needs a hand to grow strong in mind and heart…I will be here

After checking for gator content, I found a few big retention ponds and Yum Yum and I snuck in a few workouts …I felt like a teen going cow tipping, sneaking around trying not to get caught- I am not sure if I am using an area I am allowed to be in…Massage has picked up, holiday shopping and I had Midterm Test in Naturopathy with a paper due…all of this left me pressed for workout time…(passed my exam, turned in my paper, shopped and handled all clients…still able to workout…YEA!!!)

I called Economy Tackle to get an ETA on the Blue Horizon…George said he had been swamped and I told him that I would be there on Saturday…I called Siesta Key Bike and Kayak….Lance was off, but Scotty was a big help…he booked my weekend rental and referred me to Gayle at Siesta Key Bungalows…

        Time again had come to head back to the doctor…all is well…he has been amazed at my tenacity on improving my health…being my doctor (since I have battered women’s syndrome) is not an easy task…Dr. Robert Casanas has helped me a great deal and it is through his wisdom that I now have the ability to pull the Sunshine Paddle off…

The 8^th Annual Peace Breakfast for the SunriseShelter was a rather nice fund raiser held at the Tampabay Golf and Country Club….it was a chilly morning and it was a beautiful spread…the food was tasted good…the speakers were very powerful…it strengthened my resolve for my journey

On Saturday Walt and I headed for Sarasota….did you know it was named for Sara De Soto…interesting story/ worth the Google…I got to EconomyTackle to find George swamped due to a current sale…he said he has to call perception- currently they own the Dagger Brand, and see what they recommend…I was disappointed that after 2 weeks she was not ready…safety comes first…even young Lee was swamped so I will not complain…I am happy they are busy

             After checking in with Lance and setting up for the rental yak to be delivered, we went to the hotel…I was expecting some shlumpy room as I had booked last minute and due to the paddle Gayle (she owns the place) was letting me have it for free…we got there and got given keys to the dolphin suite…OMG…it was so beautiful…an intimate courtyard led to the most lushly appointed room…the open living space layout gave it a homey feel…the bed was so amazing…felt like I was climbing back in the womb…all I can say is AWESOME…the landscaping around this property was fantastic...Gayle at Siesta Key Bungalows has set a new standard in guest room:)

We headed down to Turtle beach Launch…The Neville WildlifeReserve is an amazing place at sunset…we had a wilderness 12 foot Yak…since it was windy, tracking was a challenge…Walter is feeling better about the water…I think for most people, the more you Yak the better you get…we were out for hours and the sun seemed suspended in the sky…we got back and ran over to Turtle Beach (over a sand dune) to catch the finishing of the sunset…we parked our behinds in the sand to watch, when suddenly appeared many birds….this was quite funny as one little guy tried to go home with Walter

We got supper at Captain Curt’s Crab and Oyster Bar upon Lance's recommendation…the staff was sweet and gave good service…they offered a nice variety on the menu, it was very clean and the food was really good…it was here I really noticed how green people here were…if a room was empty lights were shut off, nothing on unless in use, recycling here was normal...as we wandered around we noted most of the island is this way…I have to admit, it made me feel better to spend my money in an area that is attempting to be eco friendly

Walt and I got up to take pics of the sunrise and found a crew of seniors cleaning the public beach- please note the public beach at Siesta Key is kept spotless…not suprising at all that this is the #1 beach

We worked our way back to Siesta Key Bike and Kayak and it was still early…we noticed the Orange Octopus had someone working at the early hour and she offered exquisite pastries…she was also sweet enough to watch the gear until Lance arrived so Walt and I could get on the road…how cool is that?

Though I am missing the Blue Horizon, I am glad she will give me a chance to go back to that area and visit with my new friends…in the meantime; Yum Yum will continue to build me up…All hands on deck…this trip is being done solely on donations…if you have any boating or camping equipment in the garage or attic that you might could donate please call (813)907-6279 …every penny helps, please feel free to donate through our website…we are always open to accepting positive thoughts too:)...we are thankful for all help

Captain D

  "May the Lord fill your sails with fair wind, support your hulls in inviting seas, guide your hands upon the tiller toward pleasant places and bring us home, O Lord, to a safe and loving harbor."