Day 176 05/30/2010
Daily stats Start: 7:00 AM - Barnegat Light, NJ (Teare’s house) Finish: 2:45 PM - Manasquan Inlet, NJ (Treasure Island) Time: 7:45 Daily dist: 22 miles Total dist: 3500+ miles Companions: Patrick and John from the Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association Weather: NW wind 10-15 mph 80 degrees mostly clear Notes: My last day on the Intracoastal Waterway it’s all outside to New York now.
Meeting people along the way was one of the goals of this trip and today I got plenty of that. Being a beautiful Sunday of Memorial Day weekend the waterway was jamb packed with boats of all sizes. It was a zoo out there to say the least. But beyond saying hello to dozens of people enjoying a day of fishing I managed to cross paths with a few different families during the day.
After starting the day with an awesome French Toast breakfast with Bernice and Paul Teare, I got on the water by 7:00 AM a little later than normal. That would have been welcome news to Patrick and John from the Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association. Those two guys got up extra early and were on the water looking for me by 6:00 AM. Patrick is an avid kayaker who lives in Seaside Park which is one of the Jersey Shore towns I was to paddle by today. He convinced his friend John who’s visiting from out of town to get up and try to find me in the morning. They had looked at the blog to learn where I spent the night and looked at my last several launch times to try to figure out when and where they might be able to catch me coming by. Little did they know that a half dozen slices of French Toast would get me on the water a little later than normal and a wind out of the NW would have me paddling toward the far shore to get out of the wind. Somehow the trip magic prevailed and they managed to find the preverbal “needle in a haystack” and caught up with me by about 10:00 AM.  John and Patrick who joined me on the water for a couple hours today
I was paddling along listening to my head phones when I thought I heard my name come through the left ear bud. After tapping my ear to figure out what I was hearing I realized that it had come from behind me so I turned and there was a huge Seda Tango tandem kayak sprinting to catch up with me. I stopped to let them catch up and they asked if I was indeed the Jake they were looking for. After a couple quick handshakes and a bit of a break we continued on to the north back to where they had started earlier in the morning. When we arrived back at their put in it didn’t take much arm twisting to get me to take a bit of a break and walk a half block off the bay to Pat’s house where an ice cold Coke was to be found in the fridge. After a nice break and a good visit I walked back to the beach and continued on in the now even busier holiday boat traffic.  John and Patrick signing the Ikkuma
Yesterday, while we toured the town, Paul and I caught rumor that the Point Pleasant Canal at the top of the bay may not be open to kayakers. We contacted the Coast Guard and asked if kayaks were allowed to which they answered a simple and short…yes. Well apparently the Coast Guard doesn’t talk to the State Police around here. When I came cruising down the canal on a fast moving ebb tide enjoying a bouncy ride on the many boat wakes crashing off the sea walls that line the canal, a state trooper stopped me and asked where I came from. I answered quite simply and quiet honestly…Saint Louis Missouri. He shot me a look that can only come from someone that has worked a busy shift on a long hot day. He then said “You know kayaks aren’t allowed on this canal.” Now trying to slow myself by back paddling into the rushing water I tried to explain that I’d called the Coast Guard last night and they said it was OK. Not wanting to fuss and knowing that I was only a few hundred yards from the end of the canal he told me to just get going. Another brush with the law…  Not exactly the remote and empty islands I enjoyed in Florida in January Once I hit the end of the canal I dodged heavy boat traffic and made my way to “Treasure Island”. I’d learned about the island from Pat who had called a friend to verify that I may be able to camp on it for the night. Camping isn’t necessarily allowed but that rule is apparently overlooked. The island is very popular with boaters and when I arrived it was crawling with people and almost surrounded by anchored out boats. If this was to be home for the night I had a few hours to kill before everyone left and I could set up my tent without attracting too much attention. So I set about on a walk around the small island to see what was there (ie. Check out the girls in the bikinis). Along the way I saw a guy roasting hot dogs using a technique I had never seen before. I asked if I could take a picture of his operation and the next thing I knew I was feasting on hot dogs and being led on a tour of the island by his son.  Liam showing off his dad's interesting hot dog cooking technique
Seven year old Liam showed me his favorite spots which included the clay beach where they find clay to make stuff, the climbing wall (old concrete shore protection), the mote (a tidal pond), and the trees (an area of several trees that have fallen onto the beach due to erosion of the island. Liam couldn’t decide which was his very favorite spot he says he pretty much likes the whole island. Apparently his family comes here almost every weekend in the summer months. It is certainly a heaven for kids to play on. After eating still more hot dogs and a few roasted marshmallows it was time for the family to go. I bid farewell but before they left Liam presented me with a hand formed piece of pottery that he had made.  Liam's good luck gift
Now I’m just getting caught up on the blog while I wait for the sun to set before I set up the tent and call it a night. Tomorrow (Monday) will bring a 24 mile run up the outside to and around Sandy Hook which is the northern tip of the Jersey Shore. From there it’s on to New York Tuesday morning. CommentsLyn Stachovak 05/30/2010 7:29:49 pm That's an interesting way to cook hotdogs. I'm going to give it a try when we take Noah and Ty camping this summer. Liam is such a cutie - I'll bet he had fun showing you the island. New York by Tuesday! Becky 05/30/2010 9:45:23 pm Hahaha! I bet that officer didn't believe you came from Saint Louise. His face would have been your best picture yet! Why didn't you ask him to pose for ya?! trevor dewhirst 05/30/2010 10:45:42 pm all the best jake.wow new york tuesday very cool.aqua adventures was buzzing today.stay safe. see you soon. 05/31/2010 2:16:14 pm YUM- HOTDOGS!!!! Sean F. 05/31/2010 2:18:33 pm P.S.--- & GOD BLESS our paddling Buddy------ JAKE Stachovak!!!! Tootie 05/31/2010 5:49:37 pm Hi Jake Aaron Stachovak 05/31/2010 7:22:42 pm Have a great "last night" on the ocean! After NY it is fresh water all the way- well until you get to the Detroit area, I don't know if that counts as fresh water... :) Leave a Reply | Best of the Blog
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