Mosquito Lagoon

I had not seen any manatees or dolphins in over three weeks. Manatees at Crystal River, August 1, dolphins (and manatees) at Haulover Canal, July 29. So today, Sunday August 23, 2009, I went to the Canaveral National Seashore to see both in the Mosquito Lagoon. It was a successful trip.

With an early start for a Sunday. I tend to sleep later Sundays, as compared to Saturdays, when I get out of bed well before dawn, eager to start the day's adventure. Sunday morning I catch up a bit. I did get a good night's sleep, as I was out by 10 pm. My Canaveral National Seashore receipt shows I arrived at 8:18 am. Not early enough, as the ranger commented, "we sure have a lot of kayakers here this morning."

Which meant the small parking lot at the launch was full. So I unloaded the yak, drove to the next lot, south of the launch lot. and walked back with my stuff. But not my paddle and PFD. D'oh! Walked back to the other lot, got in the car and drove to the lot north of the launch lot. Something I would have to do at some point as the road is one way. All that back and forth meant I wasn't in the water until 9:00. But, the walking did me good.

The wind was out of the south, so I altered my usual Mosquito Lagoon, north to Turtle Mound, Shipyard Island, Bethune Park, routine. I paddled south, into the breeze. Past the fishing dock, towards the Eldora State House and its fishing dock. Before I got that far I looked among the pier pilings for manatees, having seen them in this spot before. I saw three or four.
Southbound, I paddled, past Castle Windy, a shell mound. My untrained eye thinks it saw a couple more middens south of Castle Windy. Not as prominent, but shells up on shore, more, and bigger trees than the area nearby, that spells Timucuan trash pile to me.

I saw three, or was it four small dolphin pods, no more than 3 at once. Just one picture.

I checked out a couple coves, where, last summer, I saw manatees. Both appeared unoccupied. My voyage took me further south in the Lagoon than I had ever been from the Eldora put in. I wondered if I could make it to the boat launch at the end of the Seashore road. After two hours, it was not in sight, so I turned back. By car, its just a couple miles south of Castle Windy Looking at satelite images, by water it is further as the shore line is quite crooked. Someday I'll paddle all the way. I think I had two or three more points to paddle past to reach the boat launch.
Birds of Mosquito Lagoon.

I took a break at Castle Windy. Not long, the mosquitoes drove me back in the water after three bites of an apple. Back in the Lagoon, I saw a something in the water off an island. Manatee ? I paddled closer, it did not move. Probably a log, or an oyster reef. Paddled closer, it was a manatee. It continued to lay still. I wonder if it was sick, or injured. I saw no visible scars, but its skin seemed to large for its body, saggy on the shoulders. It remained motionless, I wondered if it were dead. Finally, it moved away, slowly. I never saw it come up for air. Here's a photo.

Fortunately, I soon saw some lively manatees.

In one of the coves I had checked out earlier.

The trio was quite frisky. My yak got pushed around, and at one point, one rose out of the water, slapping a flipper on the bow. A high five. I hung around for 45 minutes.
I landed at 1 PM. Took a look at the Atlantic. More surfers than I have ever seen at the Canaveral Seashore. Leaving, as the swells from Hurricane Bill had died down. These are just your everyday summer storm clouds.

On the way home, I stopped for lunch at Boston's Fish House. One of my readers mentioned a while back that I must have been there before. Never had, even though there is also one in Winter Park. On the far east side of town, I think I tried to find it once, with brother Pete, or maybe Steve R.. The one in New Smyrna is easy to find, at the curve where AIA meets 44. Here is my scallop sandwich.