Tides of Change

“Time and tide wait for no man.” ~Geoffrey Chaucer



The all important tide table



Ah, the tides.  Their simple ebb and flow have such huge impacts on our lives.  They determine when ships can come and go, they send us and our chairs and blankets running for dry ground when they change course in the middle of our day at the beach, they are affected by the moon.  So we’re going to dig a little deeper into changing tides, both physically and metaphorically.



A jelly wave is not a good wave!



Physically, if you are an ocean rider, as I am, the tides have a huge impact on your navigational choices, and can sometimes even affect whether or not you can get in or out of certain destinations.  Anyone who has spent a number of hours on a sandbar can probably relate.  They can also impact how long it takes to get to the inlet (it takes a surprising amount longer pushing against an incoming tide than it does cruising along with an outgoing one).  And then there are the quirky things…like tides at certain times of the year, coupled with the right prevailing wind direction, bring in creatures!  Down this way, that can mean those evil purple and blue jellies!  Ouch!  When there is more jellyfish than water in the swells…watch out!

Trip planning is a great habit to get into.  And there are more resources than ever for doing so.  In the very least, before heading out, in addition to checking the weather conditions and wind report, check the local tides.  Try and find the tide station nearest to where you are planning to go, as they can vary a surprising amount even from locations 10 miles apart.  For example, today’s high tide at Government Cut in Miami occurs 20 minutes later than high tide at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale…only about 20 miles apart.  Tides can be found on www.weather.com under boat and beach reports, on Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com), on local news sites, and any number of places on the web…just do a google search for ‘tide tables’ for your local area.

Knowing when low tide is can be particularly important.  This is when most people get into trouble.  Dropping anchor to fish in the flats or hang out at the sandbar can seem harmless at high tide.  But it is easy for time to get away from you, especially if you are socializing or reeling in prime catch.  Before you know it, you can feel that unmistakable ‘thud…thud…thud’ of you keel bouncing off the bottom.  Unless you have a ton of friends, all of them out of the boat pushing, you may well be stuck.  And unless you want to pay the exorbitant fees to have a towing company come out and unground you (it could easily skyrocket to the tune of $500 - $800+), you had better get comfortable, because you will now be waiting hours for the tide to turn around.



Bay of Fundy high tide...



...and Bay of Fundy low tide!



It is also important to know the water height difference between high and low tide.  In my area, it is only 3 feet on average.  Some areas, such as on the northern side of Cape Cod, the tidal range is 12 feet.  The most extreme tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, in the Canadian Maritimes.  The average tidal range there is 55 feet!!  Bottom line: tides are important, so be aware of them!



Trucks do not like this!



Besides the obvious effects like access to certain areas and getting grounded, there is also the boat ramp to consider.  Launching during an extreme low tide can be treacherous.  This is when the maximum amount of ramp slime and algae is exposed.  I swear that stuff is more slippery than an icy sidewalk covered in bacon grease.  I have come close to wiping out on a slippery ramp more than once, and have witnessed countless others fulfill that destiny.  Besides personal treachery, there is also traction to worry about.  I am a huge proponent of 4-wheel drive for boat ramps.  A rear wheel drive vehicle on a steep, slippery, low tide ramp with too little weight in the back of it has no traction.  It will not only burn rubber trying to grip where there is none, but runs the risk of losing traction altogether and riding the slippery slope all the way down into the water.  I will never forget the day I saw a Land Rover go for a salty swim at a public boat ramp during just such conditions.  Believe me, it can happen.  And if your car goes into salt water, it’s DONE.

Now that we have covered the literal tides…the metaphorical ones are quite prominent on my horizon.  I am embarking on an exciting new journey.  I am heading to new (but not unfamiliar) waters.  The Wake Zone is on the move!  After a biblical amount of effort…planning, career changing, packing like there is no tomorrow, and a certain amount of blind faith…I am following a dream.  And of course my dream involves lots of water.  Stay tuned, next week’s entry will come to you from a shiny, new location!  In the meantime, remember to check those tides, because they are a-changing…every six hours to be exact.  Plan your day on the water accordingly.  Summer is here.  Let’s ride!!!



Tides of change are here...



Blowing Off Steam on the Big Blue

” I'm always happy when I'm surrounded by water, I think I'm a Mermaid or I was a mermaid.” ~Beyonce Knowles

Memorial Day weekend...already!

Memorial Day weekend is just a few days off now…and that means I will most likely be avoiding the local waterways this weekend.  Sadly, 3-day holiday weekends tend to bring out the worst in boating.  Many people are getting out for the first time of the season.  So in the very least, it means crowds (my least favorite thing).  But it also comes with other baggage, like hot, humid weather, long lines at the ramps, short tempers, and that fine lot of folks that are doing their official de-winterization on the boat ramp.  How many times I have seen a boat backed part way down the ramp, with the cowling off the outboard, and two or three clueless adults looking at it like a magical solution to their boat’s lack of startability will show itself like a lit billboard.  Meanwhile, their cooler ice is melting, kids are getting cranky, grandma is about to pass out in the sun, and the dog has gotten loose.  These are definitely unpopular folks at the ramp!

In an effort to avoid Amateur Day on the water this coming weekend, I decided to make the most out of this past weekend.  A lot has been going on in life lately.  The weather was uncharacteristically perfect for this time of year in South Florida.  So what else was there to do than blow off an entire day to go riding?  I’ve said it over and over, and it still rings true…nothing beats blasting around out in the ocean on a warm, sunny day for blowing off some steam!



The water color change from bay to ocean



My ride always starts with a decently long minimum wake zone between my dock and Haulover inlet.  However I do not mind.  Rather, it is my time to stretch, put on sunblock, eat a banana, let my mind drift as I watch the trees of Oleta River State Park along the way.  It is a tranquil time.  But once I reach the inlet…it all changes.  The water color changes as the clear, tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean collide with the darker water of the Intracoastal Waterway.  Suddenly downward visibility through the water increases to 30 feet, through an aquamarine viewing portal.  The wave energy picks up…as does the speed at which I can now travel. 

Crashing through the waves in the inlet, and clearing the jetties, the scenery now gives way to open ocean.  The horizon is dotted with various fishing boats, and the wakes of distant yachts traveling to unknown destinations.  The swells smooth out to just a few feet.  For the next 8 or 9 miles, the shoreline of Miami Beach entertains my field of vision with swimmers, parasailing adventurers, jet ski rentals, sunbathers, and row upon row of delightfully unique art deco hotels, many revived and kept up to their authentic styles from the 50’s.  I think Miami Beach is one of the few places on earth that can make pink and baby blue buildings appealing!  After a time, the jetty at South Beach’s Government Cut comes into view.  It is a wide inlet to cross…as the entrance to Miami’s shipping channel and port, it needs to be wide enough to handle container ship traffic and cruise ships.  Alongside it is Fisher Island, an uber posh and exclusive island full of luxury residences and condos, accessible only by boat or car ferry.



Sandbar perfection...



However my first destination is a little further south.  In the turquoise waters along the north side of Key Biscayne is a treasured sandbar.  It is not like the rowdy and crowded sandbars elsewhere around town.  The submerged land is a patchwork of seagrass beds and sugar-white sand, and covered in water that is crystal clear.  At low tide, there are places that have only a few inches of water covering them.  And it is for this reason that this sandbar isn’t as crowded.  Boat size is limited due to the shallows all around.  Works for me! 

After a few relaxing hours at the sandbar, it is time to head to another favorite place…a hidden lagoon on the Biscayne Bay side of Key Biscayne.  It is actually the entrance into a high-end waterfront neighborhood, but it is nicely hidden from view due to the sharp entry angle and its border with a state park.  There is a small sandy beach and a large, deep boat basin that never hosts more than a half dozen visiting anchored boaters.  On a hot day, it is a most refreshing place to take a swim, surrounded by beautiful mansions, some natural shoreline, and never too many people.

A perfect mangrove hideaway



Rounding out the day’s ride, on the return journey along the ICWW, was a brief stopover at a good friend’s waterfront house for a bite to eat and a few drinks.  As the sun dropped in the sky, home dock began to call.  I reluctantly surrendered to the dutiful need to head home.  Sunsets over the water are something I do not tire of.  Everyone is different, and they are never dull!

A day on the water was just what I needed…the calm before the summer crowds.  It will be more difficult to find any kind of personal space out there in the coming months, so I am very glad I blew off other chores for the day and took advantage.  For those of you riding this coming holiday weekend…be careful.  Have eyes in the back of your head.  Make sure you have your boat properly de-winterized and running BEFORE you get to the ramp, and make sure your safety stuff is all present and working.  Law enforcement just LOVES to harass you on holiday weekends, so make sure you have a working extinguisher, proper registration numbers and decal shown, a whistle on all life jackets, and whatever else your state requires.  Pack some patience.  A lot of bad behavior tends to show up.  Be a good representative of our boat genre…watch those wake zones and be courteous of other boaters and fishermen.  Myself?  I plan to stay off the water.  Something big is in the works for me anyway, so I need time to prepare.  Enjoy…Happy Memorial Day!

Return of the Sea-Blobs: Getting in Shape for Spring Revival

“I’m so unfamiliar with the gym, I call it James!” ~Ellen DeGeneres

 

“What’s so tiring about jet skiing…you’re just sitting there!” says just about every non-PWCer that I encounter on Monday morning at the office, as I prop myself up next to the coffee maker.  If you have to ask that question, then you have never spent a day riding.  Especially not a day riding with me. 

The seat on my PWC has less wear and tear than any other part of the boat, because it barely gets sat upon.  I ride standing much of the time, unless I am in a no wake zone or riding with a passenger.  I also ride entirely in the ocean, where on all but the calmest of days there is chop and waves that need to be navigated and powered through.  A ride for me is a constant deviation in body position, throttle position, and tons of adrenaline.  My quadriceps resemble brick shithouses, and for good reason.  If you have never run flat out balls-to-the-wall through moderate chop for  miles at a time, then you have no idea how quickly you will find out how out of shape you really are.  Riding a PWC is a lot of physical work!

Many of you are no doubt de-winterizing now, and may have even gone for your first run or two of the season.  How awesome is it to get back to the wind and water!  And how amazingly well did you sleep the night after that first ride?  Probably quite.  If you are already in the habit of some type of regular exercise, good for you!  Getting readjusted to riding your ski should only be a matter of a few bouts of sore thighs and shoulders.  But for those of you that have emerged from winter hibernation 10 pounds heavier, and with energy levels to reflect that, it is time to amp it up.  The trend in riding has really shifted to long distance touring.  Unless you are just planning to putt around the local lake towing your brother’s kids in a tube and then promptly settling into the water with a cold beer in hand for the remainder of your day, then you may want to do a few things to get into a less blob-ular state for the summer.  Do you want your buddies picking on how little freeboard your gunnels have this year compared to last?  I didn’t think so!



Hope you ate your Wheaties this morning!
Heave-ho...



The absolute easiest thing you can do to start de-blobbing is to start walking.  Walk a mile or two per day.  This can even be accomplished by little things, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking your vehicle farther from the front door of everywhere you go (your car will be happier in the shade of that tree way over yonder than baking in the sun near the store entry anyway).  I am not a gym person.  I go to one, but only because it is in my residential community and costs me nothing extra.  I personally would never pay extra for it, because I frankly despise the gym atmosphere.  If you like ‘em, more power to you!  Go, and go often.  But getting some form of weight training in will only help you feel stronger and more limber, especially when your oblivious friend forgets to watch the tide, and now their ski is at an unpleasant 45 degree angle as it rests in the sand on its keel.  Guess who will be helping drag it off?

Up and away! (yours truly)

 If you want to get your endurance back up, get some cardio going.  Jogging, swimming, cycling…whatever tickles your fancy.  I am a runner.  But I also enjoy kayaking when I have access to one.  The more you get your heart and respiratory rate up, the easier it will be to take those long rides in rough water and not have to stop to catch your breath.  I cannot emphasize enough how critical a good strong core is.  It is the center of balance, but it also plays a key role in keeping your back from getting f#$%ed up.  Taking impact in your legs will go a long way to save your back, as will a strong core and back muscles.  Chances are, those areas have been dormant for much of the winter.  Some crunches or medicine ball exercises can do wonders.

And let’s not forget just simply feeling better!  It is swimsuit season, and unless you ride in ice cold water, you may be exposing your pale hide to the general public.  Do not frighten them!  Make them envious.  One more important thing…we all know that riding and then eating/drinking like starved refugees goes hand-in-hand.  If you want room for all those naughty calories, then getting into some semblance of physical fitness will speed up your metabolism and make you feel more justified opening that 7^th Budweiser of the day.

If you are not lacing up your sneakers at this very moment , then shame on you!  Let’s be good and healthy this season.  Let’s be sure to suck the marrow out of our beloved sport this summer, no matter what the weather or conditions.  The next time someone asks you what could possibly be tiring about riding a PWC, offer to take them out and demonstrate.  I guarantee they will never doubt you again.  If they aren’t walking funny the next day, I would be shocked.  Go grab a Power Bar and some Gatorade and get to work!  No blobby riders this year!



Time to drop the pizza slices!



Wake Zone Followers...Call to Arms!!

"Winning!!!!" ~Charlie Sheen

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Wake Zone posting interval with a special request, from yours truly.  Seadoo is currently putting on a photo contest.  There are three categories available, and you can go and upload a picture of you and your Seadoo, or a photo of you at one of the demo ride events, or even at your local dealership.  Details can be found here.  There are weekly drawings for the first several weeks, where they select 4 entries from the submissions and then open up a Vote for viewers to select their favorite.  Weekly winners get small stuff, like t-shirts and hats.  But then you are automatically a finalist for the Big Win...a brand new GTI Limited 155 and trailer!

Now the best part...one of my photo uploads was selected!  Yay, me!  But now, I need some help from the masses...I need some votes!  I submitted a photo of my one-of-a-kind, homemade floating campsite, which I put to use down in the Florida Keys a few years ago.  It was completely untested until I took it out there, after riding 60+ miles to get to the back of that little island.  I am happy to say, it was a raging success. 

I'll tell you what...if my photo wins the weekly contest, I will devote the following blog post to my full adventure of floating camping.  It was truly a unique experience, and I know it'll get your wheels turning this summer.  Do we have a deal?

Unless you want to see me reduced to a disgusted heap of disappointment at losing out to a lake potato sitting on a beached ski not doing anything interesting (he has more votes than me right now!!), PLEASE hop on over and vote!  You can vote once per day...so if you really love the Wake Zone, show a little love and hop on there again and vote each new day, until Wednesday morning when the voting closes and the winner is announced.  My photo is the RXP with the floating tent behind it, titled "Sea-Doo Float camping in Paradise - Islamorada, FL"  Vote HERE!!!!

Thanks in advance for your support...I am ever so grateful to all of you that tune in each week!

Seriously...how can you top that for originality?!  We must take down the Lake Potato!

Weekend Warrior: Riding and Chilling in Fort Pierce, FL

“Friday…the famous F word we thank God for every week.” ~Unknown



Need a getaway?  Yeah, me too!



Let’s face it…life is hectic.  An endless slurry of activities and deadlines, chores, responsibilities, traffic, and work.  And every Monday, it’s rinse-and-repeat.  The monotonous droll of it all is enough to send one to the liquor store on a regular basis.  But all that Monday to Friday slogging need not be for nothing!  Let’s make the most of what we have from Friday afternoon until Monday morning.  Let’s suck the marrow out of the precious little time we are allotted to really make it count.  Let’s be Weekend Warriors!



I religiously try to follow that mantra every weekend.  This weekend’s destination?  Ft. Pierce, FL.  Hmm…Ft. Pierce, Ft. Pierce…what exactly is in Ft. Pierce that should be familiar or famous or exceptionally enticing, you ask?  It is actually what ISN’T in Ft. Pierce that makes it extraordinarily appealing.  I spend (too) much of my time in a metropolis.  And that same metropolitan crowd has the same Saturday and Sunday off that I do.  So that tends to lead to crowds at the weekend spots, even out on the water.  It gets old, and it gets loud, and it eventually gets stale.  It was time to go where the people weren’t…but where the riding and scenery and true beachy vibe are.



A world of beers in a tiny general store!

 I am fortunate to have a friend who owns a family beach house on Hutchinson Island, just a quick trip over the bridge from downtown Ft. Pierce.  And by downtown, I mean a quaint, low-key, modest but still well-maintained central business district that boasts a beautiful marina lined with charter fishing boats and luxury yachts, tiki bars, a pleasant public waterfront, and a number of locally owned and operated restaurants and shops.  Among my absolute favorite is the P.P. Cobb General Store, a fixture in town since 1896.  Today it is home to a quirky and delicious gourmet delicatessen that also sells an eclectic variety of souvenirs and antiques.  But best of all, this tiny store stocks over 500 varieties of beer from around the world, as well as an impressive collection of hard-to-find sodas and ginger beers, and the owner personally has tried every last one and can provide colorful and accurate reviews of anything in the store.



Access to paradise



State Road A1A (Florida’s beach boulevard for most of the state) through Ft. Pierce is light on traffic and heavy on appeal…there are miles and miles of easily accessible beachfront along several stretches of undeveloped nature preserves. And where there are homes, they blend pleasantly with the littoral surroundings.  There is not a highrise in site.  Down by the Ft. Pierce inlet jetty, there is a small collection of quintessential beach town restaurants, one of which was opened by a local surfer who previously traveled the world in search of the finest surf, and made a viable income cooking for the surfers that frequented the best wave towns.  And of course there are kayak rental shops and biker bars.  But best of all, there was an impressive selection of FREE public boat ramps and very nice public parks along the waterfront.  The lack of crowds also means a lack of messy litter and parking shortages.  None of those things were an issue.  And I can promise you it will be hard to find a more friendly lot of locals anywhere in the state.



Endless mangrove trails



Getting out on the water is easy.  There is conveniently a nice park with a boat ramp right next to my friend’s beach house.  Saturday brought warm breezes and a good deal of sunshine.  After some breakfast beers and a double bacon sourdough sandwich, we were ready to launch.  Just north of Ft. Pierce inlet is a series of spoil islands (man-made islands composed of piled up dredge materials).  There are more of them than you have fingers and toes, and getting one all to yourself is almost guaranteed.  So we spent some leisurely time islet-hopping, wandering around their quiet shorelines, and exploring the interiors, many of which contained evidence of recent campfires, all while sipping on fine spiced rum.  But the aerial maps I had looked at before arrival promised many hidden passages into the endless maze of mangrove channels, often only accessible by shallow draft boat…or PWC!  We weren’t disappointed.  We followed several mangrove trails deep into the preserve, siting manatees along the way.  In one place we even found a well-hidden lagoon teeming with tiny fish leaping through the air.



Tranquil palm grove on a bay island



The afternoon wouldn’t be complete without a trip through the inlet to the open ocean.  On the way out the inlet, there was a small floating restaurant set up on a barge, accessible only by boat.

There was also a sand replenishment project going on, that entailed a gigantic 150’+ commercial vessel moored to a barge right at the edge of the jetty, pumping sand from the channel bottom up to waiting bulldozers, who then pushed the sand out to the storm-depleted beaches, widening them by several dozen feet.  Once we cleared the jetty, we were rewarded with some of the most amazing giant swells.  They were rolling in at a perfect clip for jumping and soaring, and great fun was had chasing the waves.



House of Refuge near Stuart, FL



The journey back southward on Sunday afternoon was an adventure itself…taking the beach roads much of the way back, and traveling through some towns I had never been to, like Jensen Beach and Stuart.  We stopped often on remote beaches, or anywhere else that looked appealing.  A stopover was also made at a Florida Heritage Site called the House of Refuge…a structure built in 1904 that served as a respite for shipwreck survivors along Florida’s east coast at the turn of the century.  The afternoon was baked to perfection after a randomly picked Japanese sushi restaurant turned out to be the best sushi I have ever had.  Who knew?

Coming back from a weekend of that much awesomeness sadly does make Monday a little more lackluster than normal.  But alas…the good news is, another weekend is only a few days away, and with it comes an opportunity for more adventure!  Don’t be the lame guy in the break room on Monday morning talking about how you pressure washed your deck and watched the game, and then despondently fell asleep on the recliner with orange-stained fingertips from the bag of cheetos you were attempting to gain nutrients from before passing out in a glory of orange drool.  Be the guy or gal with a ring of attentive listeners who regularly live vicariously through you!  Grab your ski and hit the road next weekend…warriors, unite!



Sunset over a gloriously unpopulated Hutchinson Island