Boat Plans Skiff | Suwannee River Fargo to Big Shoals

Boat Plans Skiff

A fine design

SandyBottom taking a nap in the bow while SOS paddles in the stern

At 11:00 am March 20,  Team Kruger / Team B&B had reached the checkpoint at Farga, GA, on the banks of the Suwannee River.  By 12:20 am they had the Kruger Cruiser in the water and were paddling downstream toward the Gulf of Mexico (some 200 river miles away.)

They were glad to be back on the water paddling,  and what a lot of water there was!  They reported that the water level was very high.   SB said that she had heard that dams or gates had been opened recently to release water from the Okefenokee Swamp.  In any case,  they were glad to see that there was a generous amount of water in which to dip a paddle.   They had previously worried that the upper parts of the Suwannee might be a rock garden and more difficult than the upper parts of the St Marys River.   Fortunately, that did not turn out to be the case.  

Paddling downstream winding this way and that way,  they took turns taking naps.   The afternoon was hot.  The 40 miles of portage at left them tired and sleep deprived.  SB was able to lie down in the sole of the bow for a brief nap while SOS continued to paddle from the stern.  And then SOS was able to nap for an hour in the stern while SB paddled from the bow.  By 7:30 they pulled ashore to sleep in the tent and set alarms for odark thirty.  They were up again and paddling by 1:19am.    

In terms of careful planning,  becoming sleep-deprived does have its costs.  SB and SOS could have slept another hour,  until 2:00 am perhaps,  if they had realized that they would reach the rapids at Big Shoals State Park before sunrise.  They pulled off the river at about 5:24 am above Big Shoals.

SPOT Track  at portage around the Big Shoals rapids

Hot food too via a freeze-dried meal

Looking downstream

Kruger Cruiser

As is often done, they chose to portage around the rapids.  The portage wheels were re-installed under the boat to move the boat along a trail to a lower put-in.  There are many trails along the river there and they managed to go down the wrong trail briefly.   The sun was rising when they put the Kruger Cruiser back in the river below Big Shoals.  And away they went down river.    Around a bend they paddled through Little Shoals which, they reported,  was not a big deal. 

They have continued to paddle downstream and are "currently"  headed toward Suwannee River State Park.   They reported that they are inclined to use the hot late afternoon time for sleeping in a tent ashore, and then use the wee hours of the morning and the remainder of the morning for cooler paddling.  They also plan to continue to take turns napping in the moving boat occasionally. 

At 2:00pm they decided to sleep ashore for 2-3 hours. 

Meanwhile on the WaterTribe Forum,  SharkChow wrote a play-by-play update.   "Someone must have slipped about a gallon of high-test coffee into Sandy Bottom and SOSs boat because they are tearing down the Suwannee. As of about 7 a.m. they were past the Big Shoals rapids. That means that since they launched on the Suwannee at Fargo at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday they have traveled about 45 miles downriver. They accomplished this feat by paddling until about 7:30 p.m. last night when they stopped to camp. They broke camp and were back out on the river at 1:19 a.m. Very efficient. What it tells me is that these guys are going to be tough for the other challengers to catch. In case there was any doubt, Sandy Bottom and SOS appear to be in full race mode."    Sharkchow (a.k.a.Warren Richey) is author of "Without a Paddle", published by St. Martins Press. It is an account of his participation in the first Ultimate Florida Challenge in 2006.   SandyBottom also completed the 2006 UFC.

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Boat Plans Stitch And Glue | Up the Creek Without a Chainsaw

Boat Plans Stitch And Glue

One of the easier obstacles encountered by SB and SOS

Go Team Kruger!

The Kruger Cruiser impressed SB and SOS as being a wonderful boat for this leg of the UFC.  This boat is generously on loan from Manitou Cruiser (a.k.a. Mark P.)  who is the owner and operator of  Kruger Inc.
Thank you, Mark!!


St Loggy River

From Saturday 17th at 10:49 am to Monday 19th at 9:55 am,   SandyBottom and SOS paddled up the St Marys River from Ft Clinch to St George, Georgia.  For much of the way,  they benefitted from a favorable tidal current going up the river.  In the upper reaches of the river,  the current low flow-levels of the river were favorable for paddling upstream.  Increasingly, the St Marys River became an obstacle course full of fallen trees, snags, sandbars, and submerged logs.  Sandybottom jokingly called it the St Loggy River. 

SPOT track on the St Marys River to St George, Georgia

Fog on the St Marys River at 7:27am on March 18, 2012 
(SB in front, photo by SOS)

Twisting through / around / under / over is infinitely easier during the daylight hours because the tea-colored water was clear enough that in the daylight the shallows and submerged obstacles were visible. Not so at night with headlamps. For this reason SandyBottom and SOS stopped at sunset to camp for the night.

Bringing the tent was a good decision

This snag is visible in the photo below

See the snag in the background ?

?Saturday night,  SandyBottom and SOS had a good nights sleep in a tent on land.   Good to be warm and dry.  Later they called home again as they paddled by Trader Hill. 


Good Words from SharkChow

Meanwhile on the WaterTribe Forum,  SharkChow wrote a few nice play-by-play summaries. 

Sharkchow (a.k.a.Warren Richey) is author of "Without a Paddle", published by St. Martins Press. It is an account of his participation in the first Ultimate Florida Challenge in 2006.  Of his book he says "All of it is true, every word, except the exaggerated stuff."   He was, by the way,  the first person to finish the first UFC (2006).   As most would say,  he was the "Overall Winner".

Posted on the WaterTribe forum, his play-by-play of this 2012 UFC is a nice sample of his writing ...


Sunday Morning 18th  by  SharkChow


Sandy Bottom and SOS have exercised their boat switch option, having loaded their gear into a Kruger expedition canoe for the long -- and difficult -- trip west across northern Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. As of Saturday around 7 a.m. they were approaching Traders Hill 2/3 of the way up the St. Marys River. Under the old rules challengers would have to continue to St. George to begin the portage. Well see whether they follow that rule or take out at Traders Hill and start walking there. Water levels might be a factor. But I can tell you that distance between Traders Hill and St. George is one of the most beautiful and difficult sections of the entire challenge. There are snow-white sand banks on many of the bends and thick vegetation, dark mud and -- Im told -- more water mocasins than you can shake a stick at. Although it does not look like much distance left to St. George, the river winds back and forth in tight turns all the way. Also there could be some trees down creating the possibility that they could have to get out and pull their boat over some obstructions, like monster gators. Since they are the first boat to reach this section of the course, they have the privilege of identifying any significant obsticles for the rest of the challengers and potentially feeding the predators. Of course, we wont know what they are dealing with until they emerge on the portage, or report to Paul. If the water level is high, thats both good news and bad news. The good news is that they will be able to paddle all the way to St. George (if they choose the harder course). The bad news is that the high water level will be flowing out of the swamp and creating a current against them. It isnt too fast, but 800 miles into a journey that push-back can matter. I cant overstate this -- this section of the St. Marys is tough. It will take them most of the day, and perhaps longer, to cover that distance. If they do it faster that just means they are superhuman -- which we already knew about these two. But if it takes them longer, it just means it is still a tough route. Watch their speed and watch their progress. Go. Go. Go.

Mosquito Magnet is north of St. Augustine and just about to approach a long dredged canal that connects the ICW and marshes north of St. Augustine with the ICW through the marshes south of Jacksonville. At about this point he has realized that the shore is no longer sandy and lined with mangroves. Up in that section of Florida the shore is muddy and lined with marsh grass. The marsh grass holds the most ravenous mosquitoes known to man. This is probably not a great development for a Watertribe challenger whose name is Mosquito Magnet. Hey Wayne, stay away from that grass. If he veers slightly off course and gets near the mosquito-infested grass watch his speed pick up significantly for three or four miles as he tries to outrun the blood-thirsty throng. When I went thorugh this section 500 years ago it was very cold and getting colder so the mosquitos werent that bad. But the weather report for the next few days is mosquito friendly from a low of 60degrees at night to a high of 80 degrees during the day every day for about the next week. Also, the wind has shifted to south-southeast. This is a huge gift to the paddlers -- and to Pelican. Forecast calls for SE wind through thursday with Tues, Wed, Thurs extending from 10 to 15 to 20 kts. Mosquito Magnet should enjoy a nice push to Fort Clinch over the next day. The other factor Mosquito Magnet is about to notice is the extremely strong and high tides in the Jacksonville area. If he can time his arrival at the St. Johns River to the outgoing tide he will enjoy a nice fast ride to the river. Then he will have to paddle hard -- and I mean hard -- across the St. Johns to avoid being swept down river toward the navy base or into the path of a cargo ship. Once in Sisters Creek -- across the St. Johns -- hell face the prospect of either stopping for a rest or battling a strong outflowing current.


Riverslayer and Whale are continuing to travel together up the east coast, apparently scouting out all the best eating spots. It looks like they have pulled to within a day of Mosquito Magnet -- so we might have a pretty tight race later if they catch him. Sunday morning they were passing Palm Coast and headed toward St. Augustine. Once they pass the Crescent Beach bridge the ICW becomes a bit twisty and it seems to take foreever to arrive at the oldest city in the US. But those southeast winds should speed their journey. The tide is also a factor at St. Augustine. Watch their speed. If they are traveling at about 2 through the city they are probably fighting the tide, then watch their speed pick up when they pass the city and get north of the ocean inlet. It will increase substantially. It all depends on the tides. Or maybe they will get there in slack tide and it will be a piece of cake. Well see soon enough.

Pelican is moving north toward the Sebastian Inlet checkpoint. He may be considering dropping out, but before he makes that decision he should take a close look at the weather forecast for the next week. It is just about a perfect forecast for someone in his boat. They are calling for south to southeast winds at 10 kts this weekend builting to 15 to 20 by the middle of the week. Only Pelican knows his situation, but the weather would be very friendly and provide an amazing ride north to fort clinch. Again, well see soon enough what he decides.




Monday Morning 19th by SharkChow


When we last left our intrepid challengers, Sandy Bottom and SOS were on the ever-treacherous upper St. Marys River where downed trees and sunken logs slowed their progress once they lost daylight. They have been camped since about 7 p.m. and thus have gotten a solid 11 or so hours of sleep and rest. They will continue toward St. George at daybreak and should arrive at the takeout sometime late this morning or early afternoon -- depending on river conditions. They will then set up their Kruger expedition canoe for the portage by attaching their cart, assembling a bicycle and eventually starting across the 40-mile portage from St. George to Fargo, Georgia, and the Suwannee River.

Thanks SharkChow!

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Boat Plans Building | Header Photo South Gippsland Y C Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta

Boat Plans Building

The previous header photo was of  Australian sailing dinghies gathered on the beach for the 2015 South Gippsland Y.C. Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta. In the foreground we can see, from left to right, a Mirror, and two scow Moths. The 2016 Regatta was held this past January but I havent received a report yet. When I do, hopefully I can post some photos.


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Boat Plans Bartender | Without an Instructor

Boat Plans Bartender

I learned to sail, more or less, by myself; by taking out a small singlehanded pram, exploring the nooks and crannies of a river, enjoying the wind and water, no instructor in a coaches boat yelling in a bullhorn that I was doing this wrong or could I keep the boat a little flatter. I have quite a few sailing friends (all accomplished racers) that learned outside a formal program. Unfortunately, what is lost in a junior sailing program is that confidence gained for a pre-teen in their first independent driving; by steering and handling the sails of a complicated piece of machinery, without an adult hanging over us, telling us what to do next. Im sure that, going sailing by myself just racheted up the fun factor of sailing even more. Im also thankful that my parents made sure I knew how to swim, was wearing a life jacket and were willing to let me push off in my 8 foot "yacht" as long as I was back by dinnertime.

I have a soft spot for juniors who are learning on their own; maybe their form isnt quite right and they are capsizing right and left but, geez!, are they having fun.

Exhibit A is the junior duo in this video making all the mistakes and grinning the whole time.




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