To Roberts River and back - a solo report

[SteveS]

I wanted to test out a new-to-me canoe I recently purchased from Craigslist. Overall it was in decent shape but it needed some work before it was ready for the water. The hull was in good condition but the wood was all shot. I spent a few weeks replacing the handles, thwarts, and seat before heading out for a solo trip to Flamingo.

The first night was spent at Pearl Bay. The original plan was to head to Lane Bay and up to Watson River but Lane Bay was booked the next three nights when I pulled the permits and with a 25 mph N wind, I didn't want to head that far on the first day. In hindsight, I'm glad I made this call. I had Pearl Bay to myself and was rewarded with a beautiful sunset.

From here it was off to Roberts. I thought about heading up to North River but not knowing the limits of paddling a canoe I thought I would play it safe. The winds died down by mid-afternoon. The birds, gators, and porpoises were all out today. It was a beautiful paddle. I had Roberts to myself which is always a blessing when you are looking for solitude. 

From Roberts it was back to Hell's Bay. I planned to do more fishing this day because the fishing here a few weeks ago was some of the best I've had in the park. I was almost to Hell's Bay when I saw something floating in the water in the dead center of the bay. At first I thought it was a stick or something submerged beneath the surface but as I got closer I could tell it was a snake. Now I just needed to see what kind of snake. From a near distance I could make out the diamonds on the back and the triangular head. Even from a distance I could tell it was a rattlesnake. I took the moment to snap some pictures and even in the water when I got too close he curled up in a defensive pose and started rattling.

I followed him to the mangroves and was going to snap a couple of shots of him in the mangroves. I wasn't 20 feet from the mangroves when I looked up and saw a 12 foot croc just sunning himself. Good thing his eyes were closed, I think had he saw me and made a break for the water I would have been between him and safety (his).

I spent the day fishing without much luck. The cold fronts of the past few weeks had clearly moved the snook from the areas that were holding fish in December. I only saw a few and they weren't in the mood to eat.

I thought I was going to have Hell's Bay to myself which would have been amazing but at around 5 o'clock a couple from Denver showed up. They were nice folks and I traded them a bottle of wine for use of a corkscrew since I dropped mine in the drink at Pearl Bay night one. I was amazed at how little they had brought with them seeing as they were heading all the way out to North River in a rented tandem kayak. They had no stove, no cooler, no chairs - just a tent, sleeping bags, a mattress, some caned goods, and some water  (and a corkscrew).

Headed in the next day to calm winds and increasing temps.

I was surprised how well the canoe paddled. I could have covered the same amount of ground as I could in my kayak. It definitely sucks to paddle in the wind even with a long double blade. I appreciated the extra space for gear as I basically brought comforts I normally reserve for car camping. I think I will keep it. She will be great up in the Suwanee and those north Florida rivers.

Here are some pics.

[yakmaster]

Excellent post, sounds like an excellent trip!

[vivian]

Nice canoe! I see you are testing many different paddles? We found a dead python floating in the water between lane and Roberts river in December. Yes the fishing has been very good back there. I think that shearwater needs a lot of weight so it does not get blown around in the wind.

[Jeremy Clark]

Is the new Pearl Bay chickee smaller than the old one? I have spent at least 5 nights on the old one, never had to share.

[SteveS]

Pearl Bay has always been a double chickee since I've been paddling in the Everglades. Not sure if and when it was "rebuilt" as a handicap accessible chickee but I'm guessing it was shortly after the ADA was signed into law.

[Esther Luft]

Great write-up, thanks for sharing.  Great photos too.  Love the Eastern Diamonback, nasty bite too. 

[Roger Hammer]

Is your "new" canoe a Shearwater? Back in 2010 I ordered a new kevlar Swift Shearwater with carbon fiber rails (32 lbs) and took it on her maiden 10-day voyage from Flamingo up the Gulf coast to Highland Beach and then back via the interior bays and rivers. It paddles great and holds plenty of gear but does have some issues with tracking in quartering winds. I have a new rudder assembly for a Kaskazi Skua that I may install on it someday. Have you had those same issues at all?

Nice boat!!

[SteveS]

Yes, it is a Shearwater. I noticed she likes weight towards the front of the canoe. I had a large cooler right behind the rear thwart then most of my other heavier gear and water went towards the bow. I had the seat adjusted all the way forward. The Shearwater handled like I though a 16 foot canoe would. I wasn't expecting it to track like my 16 foot kayak. All in all I thought she handled well. Anything above 20 mph winds would certainly make life more difficult though. I generally cruised at 3.5 -3.8 mph with moderate effort and 3.0 mph with little effort at all. I could get to 4.5 mph if I pushed it.

The canoe is going to be my solo touring boat and my choice for long trips where more gear storage is needed. I do a good deal of river camping which is mostly what I wanted it for. For shorter trips, open water trips, and times I will be doing more fishing and less paddling, I am sticking with my sit-on-top. Haters and purists be damned.

[Jay]

Steve - excellent trip.  I love that area of the park.  Glad you had a great experience with the canoe - welcome to the solo canoe club.

[Swamp Hunter]

Those Diamondbacks are amazing swimmers. Great picture. I have encountered more of these large rattlesnakes in the cypress swamp than I have in pine/palmettos. Pythons will eat smaller snakes and I wonder who would win in a battle between a Diamondback and a Python? I would root for the native snake, the  Diamondback, the king of the swamp.

[Roger Hammer]

Well DUH!!! I just noticed in the picture with the canoe sitting on the chickee that it says SHEARWATER right on the bow. Silly me. What is it made of and how much does it weigh?

I looked for months trying to decide on a solo canoe to buy and it was harder than choosing a Russian bride on the Internet. Each one looked better than the one before. On the short list besides the Swift Shearwater was the Clipper Solitude, Hemlock Peregrine, Bluewater Freedom Splitrock, Wenonah Prism, Bell Magic, and Souris River Tranquility. What made the Shearwater rise to the top of the pack was its ability to hold ten days' worth of gear without any issues.

I got mine up to 5.8 mph on the Shark River in dead calm water and no tide, but I was using my Epic carbon fiber kayak paddle, and it took every bit of effort I had in me. Average speed for the 120+ mile trip in May 2010 was 3.3 mph but I mostly just cruised slowly along with no rush to get anywhere.

[SteveS]

I agree Roger, there were a lot of choices in the new solo canoe market (assuming I was willing to pay for shipping), but not too many in the used market. I wasn't willing to fork out the ducats for a new lightweight canoe only to find that I hated solo canoeing. There was a little less risk in buying used.

I would be interested in paddling an array of different hulls now that I discovered canoeing is in my future. I'd love to see how different boats handle in wind and how stable they are to fish out of. Problem is, there aren't any outfitters in FL who stock several makes and models of boats. Even my local canoe outfitter only carries Wenonah now.  I guess the canoe market down here is not very large since most people kayak and paddle board.

Guess I have to travel to upstate NY or Canada to get some demo time.