On our second trip to the Canaveral National Seashore (AKA "Kayampia"), my buddies and I decided to extend our stay from one night to two, giving us a full day with no packing or unpacking. We also added a fifth member to the crew. With an extra member and an extra day comes a serious need for extra gear, so we decided to bring my 16 foot canoe with trolling motor. A word to the wise: A two day trip with nothing but kayaks = doable. A three day trip with nothing but 'yaks = warm drinks. If you're anything like us, your primary source of sustenance while camping is beer. Coolers small enough to fit on a 'yak will not hold ice for 3 days. You're gonna need a bigger boat.
And so was born the pull-behind 'yak...
Because of the addition of the Canoe, we needed to choose a closer island, to be sure the battery was up to the challenge of pushing a boat full of gear, while also pulling a 'yak full of gear behind.
We chose island number 1, as it was closest to the Ranger Station boat launch. Again, follow the pink line.
Same as last time, we checked in with the man with the awesome beard, who asked us "You boys got yer biodegradable shitter paper"? Then we checked in at the visitor center (I think that's what it's called) and went on down to the boat dock.
This boat launch was much more calm than the one at Riverbreeze Park and we were able to get right in, with plenty of room to load up gear on the boats.
From launch to land was probably about 30 minutes.
Not to take anything away from this experience, but the island we came to was not what we expected. Take a look at the map up there. The first island we camped was #13. It was only a very small fraction of the size of island #1, and was very spacious. We expected the same paradise as last time, with 100 times more room. Unfortunately, that's not what we found. Our campsite was buried in mangroves and forest, with space comparable to your average run-of-the-mill campground site. We didn't even have enough room to throw a frisbee. We did, however, still have a beautiful beach and some pretty kick-ass trees to hang out in.
And a turtle...
Compared to our last trip to the seashore, the fishing here was pretty incredible. We didn't bring live shrimp, like I recommended in my last blog (we forgot to stop and get some), but we did bring a cast net, which was absolutely perfect for catching some good bait fish. My buddy, Chet, caught 23 bait fish in one cast, which has to be some sort of record.
However, I'd like to take a moment to contradict my last statement, while also confirming a statement from my previous CNS post. In total, we caught 2 Ladyfish, 1 Trout and about a billion catfish. The only one we ate was the Trout. All of them were caught with the bait fish we captured with the net. We did catch two live shrimp with the cast net, though. When we baited those shrimp, they were almost immediately snatched violently by fish. It's safe to say that live shrimp are the bait of choice out here. I'll never come out here without them again.
I have a question for you that 5 drunk brains couldn't answer. How does a family of raccoons live on an island surrounded by saltwater? If you can answer that, I'll give you one hell of a high five. Anyway, here's a picture of some of the wildlife we encountered. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the scorpion that was on my buddy's tent.
P.S. - these billions of crab also work for bait. We tried a few. I got some serious bites, but couldn't seem to set the hook on any of them.
Some night pics, for good measure....
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- PHONE NUMBER: 386-428-3385 (Just hit "0" until you get someone. The extension on their website is wrong)- Website - http://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm
- PRICE - $10/night (up to six people)
- DIFFICULTY - 2/10
- PRIVACY - 9/10
- FISHING - 7/10
- PRICE - $10/night (up to six people)
- DIFFICULTY - 2/10
- PRIVACY - 9/10
- FISHING - 7/10
- STAFF - 10/10
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