Middle Bay Challenge: First Attempt

[+ClayJar]

Okay, anyone want to get starting coordinates for us? From the looks of the wind forecast, we'll want to start on the west shore of the bay at roughly N30°26.235'.

 

Also, we need to declare a planned launch time. The earlier the better, since it'll be a relatively long paddle, and then there's the drive home. I'm thinking something like 8am for a water time (barring overwhelming fog, which would delay the launch) would be best (although it means I'll have to get up really, really early, it means we should get home at a reasonable hour).

[+ClayJar]

.MONDAY...NORTH WINDS AROUND 10 KNOTS.  BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

 

The forecast seems to be getting better and better... should be a good day to go for it.

 

I think that vicinity may be what we're looking for, but on the other hand, if the other side is better, the winds are now forecast to be from the north, so hmm...

 

[This message was edited by ClayJar on May 24, 2002 at 03:21 PM.]

[+ClayJar]

.MONDAY...NORTH WINDS AROUND 10 KNOTS.  BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.

 

The forecast seems to be getting better and better... should be a good day to go for it.

 

I think that vicinity may be what we're looking for, but on the other hand, if the other side is better, the winds are now forecast to be from the north, so hmm...

 

[This message was edited by ClayJar on May 24, 2002 at 03:21 PM.]

[enya]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

Okay, anyone want to get starting coordinates for us? From the looks of the wind forecast, we'll want to start on the west shore of the bay at roughly _N30°26.235'_.

 

Also, we need to declare a planned launch time. The earlier the better, since it'll be a relatively long paddle, and then there's the drive home. I'm thinking something like 8am for a water time (barring overwhelming fog, which would delay the launch) would be best (although it means I'll have to get up really, really early, it means we should get home at a reasonable hour).

---

[enya]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

Okay, anyone want to get starting coordinates for us? From the looks of the wind forecast, we'll want to start on the west shore of the bay at roughly _N30°26.235'_.

 

Also, we need to declare a planned launch time. The earlier the better, since it'll be a relatively long paddle, and then there's the drive home. I'm thinking something like 8am for a water time (barring overwhelming fog, which would delay the launch) would be best (although it means I'll have to get up really, really early, it means we should get home at a reasonable hour).

---

id love to go with yall on this paddle. i was on of the guys that placed this cache just email me and let me know what yall are planning

 

me and a few guys were going to paddle late monday any way

email ecoboy21@aol.com

[enya]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

Okay, anyone want to get starting coordinates for us? From the looks of the wind forecast, we'll want to start on the west shore of the bay at roughly _N30°26.235'_.

 

Also, we need to declare a planned launch time. The earlier the better, since it'll be a relatively long paddle, and then there's the drive home. I'm thinking something like 8am for a water time (barring overwhelming fog, which would delay the launch) would be best (although it means I'll have to get up really, really early, it means we should get home at a reasonable hour).

---

id love to go with yall on this paddle. i was on of the guys that placed this cache just email me and let me know what yall are planning

 

me and a few guys were going to paddle late monday any way

email ecoboy21@aol.com

[+rbdupuy]

I'm still in, and that plan sounds good, except maybe we shouldn't stay starting solidly on the West side, maybe check it out the night before. I'm just wondering if there's a 10 knot wind from the west, or from anywhere for that matter, then that means either a fight to get "there" or a fight to get "back" to where ever you were. Also, I'd also agree with the earlier the better (pending fog).

 

BTW, enya, I don't guess you guys have checked on that cache lately... hmmm, maybe I don't want to know... maybe it should be a surprise... I'm going to go no matter if it's there or not, just wondering if maybe we should know before going (not wanting to know, but wanting to know if I should want to know).

RBDupuy

[+rbdupuy]

I'm still in, and that plan sounds good, except maybe we shouldn't stay starting solidly on the West side, maybe check it out the night before. I'm just wondering if there's a 10 knot wind from the west, or from anywhere for that matter, then that means either a fight to get "there" or a fight to get "back" to where ever you were. Also, I'd also agree with the earlier the better (pending fog).

 

BTW, enya, I don't guess you guys have checked on that cache lately... hmmm, maybe I don't want to know... maybe it should be a surprise... I'm going to go no matter if it's there or not, just wondering if maybe we should know before going (not wanting to know, but wanting to know if I should want to know).

RBDupuy

[+rbdupuy]

The last time I took a look at this one was when I was around there for Delta Dash (which I didn't find, but anyway) We went down to a town called Point Clear on the East side of the bay. As it stands it seems unlikely, that we'll "approach" from the East, but if we do, there's an unusually small boat launch at:

N30 28.414 W 87 55.265

BTW, I just got some Map Source topo software, and it appears that there are many known wreckages all over out there, also, there are buoys, markers, etc. which all might come in handy if the wind starts to pick up. Perhaps N 30 26.xxx, looks good for the West side, but we might want to move a little further North (Bayley's Corner) N 30 28.xxx if the winds are from the North. or better move further South to put in, so that way if Winds are from the North we won't be fighting them either way... who knows the winds will probably change anyway.

[+ClayJar]

The forecast (no longer part of the extended forecast) for Monday calls for:

.VARIABLE WINDS 10 KNOTS OR LESS...BECOMING SOUTH DURING THEAFTERNOON.  BAY WATERS SMOOTH TO A LIGHT CHOP.ISOLATED SHOWERS

From the sound of that, we should be fine to start from the east side around Point Clear (the winds were forecast to be northeasterly earlier in the week, but now they seem to be resolving to benefit launching from the point).

[+ClayJar]

Any more takers? (I had a friend convinced, but then he opened MapSend Topo and took another look, and suddenly he became unconvinced... )

[+ClayJar]

Any more takers? (I had a friend convinced, but then he opened MapSend Topo and took another look, and suddenly he became unconvinced... )

[+ClayJar]

The container was nowhere to be found, but the trip was excellent.

[+ClayJar]

The container was nowhere to be found, but the trip was excellent.

[+rpecot]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

The container was nowhere to be found, but the trip was excellent.

---

 

Who went? How was the weather/prevailing winds? What type of boat(s)? Where did you put in?

 

[+rpecot]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ClayJar:

The container was nowhere to be found, but the trip was excellent.

---

 

Who went? How was the weather/prevailing winds? What type of boat(s)? Where did you put in?

 

[+rbdupuy]

Well, I haven't even logged my "no-find" yet, if that tells you anything... I'm still recovering from the trip itself. We launched a fiberglass canoe and Clayjar's SeaEagle around 10:30 at Point Clear, AL, and we came back sometime around 5-ish? I don't know, I wasn't thinking right. Somewhere around a half mile out, I started to realize that being by myself in the canoe (even though weighted down in the front) was not a good idea. So we decided to both paddle the canoe and put our icechest, etc, in the "dingy" and tow it the rest of the way. It actually worked pretty well, acting as a drag-rudder and kept us fairly well on course. We pondered how we would explain to anybody what it was that we were actually doing out there, and also wondered how we would log it- the whole thing about having to wait until people left the cache site to log it... there were several boats (motor and sail) anchored in the immediate area. All in all, I thought it was a great trip. It was some serious paddling, and definitely not for the faint-of-heart. I didn't make it home in the first try, I ended up crashing (bodily, not automotively) near Tillman's Corner, AL, and made it back to New Orleans the next day. Looking back, I was glad to meet the "Middle Bay Challenge" cache or not.