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Celebrating Our Independence
Jul. 14, 2009
By Justin
Celebrating
Our Independence
Fourth of July Weekend Spent Cruising Florida's Manatee River Aboard PWC
Text and photos by Kathryn S. Stauffacher
Three day weekends, like this 4th of July, are
an invitation to squeeze in as much time on the water as possible. Taking
advantage of the Friday holiday, we jumped into the turbulent Gulf of Mexico
and Anna Maria Sound. Our friend John fired up his two-stroke Kawasaki and
joined us in braving the 15-minute crossing, into the chop, from Bradenton to
Anna Maria. After ducking into the lee shore and finding very little "lee way,"
we decided to stick to the intercoastal and shoot down to the pass at the north
end of Long Boat Key. The Gulf was breaking big and confused on the sand bar.
Two weeks of rain and wind were evident in the random pattern of the waves.
My husband Fritz took the big Kawasaki Ultra LX out to
jump and play in the mogul-like swells and breaks. I followed on the Honda, not
because I was thrilled to be jumping in the mess, but to keep an eye on him out
there. It was fun to crash my way around in the 4- to 5-foot swells. While
heading back in I dropped into a trough and was swamped by a wave crashing
backwards over the entire ski. Hanging on tight was the only option. Nothing
like 50 lbs. of pressure trying to push you off the jet ski backwards. I
beached up and sent John out to pull buddy duty and frolic in the waves. After
an hour in the rough we took a quick lunch break at Annie's Bate Shop. Onion
rings and cold libations fortified Fritz and I to carry on.
Considering the rolling chop, we opted to run up the
Manatee River. We were not willing to start flushing skis that early in the day
and the four stroke's engines, on almost full tanks, were ready to go. We
usually avoid the river; slow manatee zones and bridge passages are not
simpatico when you are sitting on that much horsepower. We craved some
liberating speed on the flat water.
The two weeks of rain had a surprisingly positive effect
on the river. The level was high all day, eliminating the likelihood of
striking submerged branches and running aground. Stately homes line the banks
at the start of the river. As the river narrows you quickly drop back into "Old
Time Florida". The river's palmettos and mangroves harbor every type of exotic
Florida fauna.
We followed the river across a rippling wash board
effect, through three bridges, to the grasslands and overhanging branches of
the upriver sections. Here, the river becomes smooth and glassy, luring us on.
The mirror-like effect made the depth impossible to gauge in the tea-colored
water. After an hour we were stopped at a dead end by a low bridge that we could
not squeeze the watercraft under. We agreed that we would head back up on the
following day, the 4th, when we had more time to explore.
Friends DC and Rebecca called early to say they were up
for a river trip Saturday. We met up at the mouth of the river and retraced our
trip of the day before. The wind was blowing right down the mouth of the river
so we knew it would be a bit rough until rounding the bends in the narrower
sections. As we popped out under the 301 bridge, in a very wide section of the
river, were two ducks and their fifteen tiny yellow striped offspring. We
stopped to admire them for a moment. Glancing to the far side of the river, 600
feet away, I noted that they were heading to a shore covered in sea walls. I
have no idea how they fared but I suspect it was good that they started the
crossing with such a large number of offspring. Just above that section of the
river, dolphins were cresting in groups in the brackish waters. They are tough
to photograph with a digital camera, because of the delay between snap and
photo, but I will try to document them in the future here.
We had a fantastic ride up the glassy sections of the
river, stopping often to ask ourselves why we don't venture up that way more
often. On the return trip the flashing blue lights under the Green Bridge
refreshed our memory - holidays bring out a plethora of patrol boats. During
the course of the day we had passed the county sheriff boat, the city police
boat, the Fish and Game patrol, the Coast Guard and, believe it or not, Border
Patrol. We got a little anxious heading under the final bridge back to the
launch area, wanting to keep the bow of the ski up, but as we promised the kind
police officer in the City of Bradenton boat, we will remember what "minimum
wake" means during future outings.
Check out more details and stories from Kathryn at http://gonejetskiing.blogspot.com
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