Big news from Eddyline. The new lightweight SOT is scheduled to arrive at the shop sometime next week. It's called The Calypso and
so far the reviews have been outstanding. MSRP is $1279 and there is a rudder option for the those who want it at an additional $250.
Here's a short video by one of the Oregon shops. (Looks Way Too Cold). The final production boat will have a couple of different
details from the one shown on the video. The color you see is a new offering as well, Lime Green.
In addition to our regular days off on Monday and Tuesday, the retail portion of the operation will be closed on Sunday December 25th
and again on Thursday December 29th. During the Manatee Festival on January 21 and 22, the retail operation will be open as usual,
however, since we cannot move once the Festival starts, we will be unable to offer tours or rentals.
so far the reviews have been outstanding. MSRP is $1279 and there is a rudder option for the those who want it at an additional $250.
Here's a short video by one of the Oregon shops. (Looks Way Too Cold). The final production boat will have a couple of different
details from the one shown on the video. The color you see is a new offering as well, Lime Green.
In addition to our regular days off on Monday and Tuesday, the retail portion of the operation will be closed on Sunday December 25th
and again on Thursday December 29th. During the Manatee Festival on January 21 and 22, the retail operation will be open as usual,
however, since we cannot move once the Festival starts, we will be unable to offer tours or rentals.
Shop News
| Aardvark's Adventures in Kayakland December 2011 / January 2012 1st Edition |
| Group Paddle Trips Sunday Safaris We have opened up a MeetUp Group to accommodate our Sunday Safaris. The new group alternates SUP and Kayak Outings. Sign Up is free and trips are free with your own gear. Aardvark's is providing a discount off regular rental rates for MeetUp members attending the event. Rentals include, all necessary gear plus free delivery and pickup. Click Here to go to Aardvark's Kayak & SUP MeetUp |
| That's all for now folks. See You on the Water Aardvark's |
Events Rolling Class December 17 Meetup Groups Every Sunday Manatee Festival January 21 & 22 Call the shop for info: 352-795-5650 |
The Environment Manatee Saga (Continued)
| Take an online boating safety course for free. Click here to Start then click on Florida on the Map |
Paddle Tip
Make sure you are properly seated in your kayak. Adjust your foot braces to allow you to sit vertically. Remember, a
proper power stroke uses the larger muscles of the back and shoulders to move the kayak forward. If you sit with your
shoulders more than a few degrees behind your hips, you will end up with a sore back in a very short time. When
someone tells you to push and pull, what they are really telling you is to rotate your torso. Pay attention that you are not
over rotating. If your paddle is no longer moving parallel to your keel, you've over rotated.
| From last month, I left of with the following: "Fast forward to today and we have increased numbers of PWCs and other high speed boats combined with an increasing number of manatees who have acclimated to humans and spend much more time in the bay and hence in the high speed watersport zone. If we had not turned the manatees into pets, would they be in harms way today? That's pretty much why you don't acclimate wild animals whether it be by feeding, petting, or watering. When they lose their fear, they end up in places that they shouldn't be. We must also factor in the increase in moored boats in the watersport zone which has effectively reduced the size of the zone and pushed the users into shallower water where manatees are more vulnerable. It is clear to me that we cannot continue on this road." The USFWS has moved forward with a rule to better protect manatees in King's Bay. I fully support the rule although I don't think it goes quite far enough. Many members of the tour industry also support the majority of the rule, especially the need for a year round slow speed zone. The president of META, who represent about half the manatee swim programs, and the owner of one of the larger swim programs both testified before the Florida Senate about the need for the proposed speed zone to protect their swimmers, citing multiple instances of close calls with reckless boaters. Now a group has formed calling themselves Save Our City. Among the more ludicrous claims (published in the Chronicle) is that the USFWS is a sleeper cell, that environmentalist are all radicals. Among the more memorable rants is the following: ..."I’m reminded of the movie set in “Jurassic Park:” Electric fence, kayak-only paths full of environmentalists, no pesky motorized boats nor kids with masks and swim fins, Joan Baez singing “Kumbaya” over loudspeakers and sign reading “Dave Hankla-PEER.org Private Kayak Preserve.”.... Mac Williams Crystal River" The same groups also claims that you'll not be able to fish, crab or anchor in King's Bay and parts of Crystal River. These are just blatant lies. And why should kayakers care? Other than the health of the manatees, your access to the Three Sisters Property is being threatened. USFWS is being pressure to remove a kayak landing from their conceptual development plan for the refuge, even though that was a condition of the grant. Not one complaint about the dive boats or rental power boats, but you kayakers are a threat to their way of life. To add insult to injury, the city of Crystal River has allowed the use of the city logo on this group's website. I really have to ask, what are you thinking? Now from today's (Dec 9) Chronicle, this group is urging everyone to attend Monday's (Dec 12) City Council Meeting and urge the city to cancel it's partnership with USFWS. I would suggest you all attend and speak for manatees and tourism. The ad is particularly self serving and misleading. According to them, Citrus County and Crystal River have single handedly saved the manatee from extinction by increasing its population by 500%. To put that in real numbers it went from 100 to 500 over a 30 year period. What they don't tell you is that it was primarily accomplished because of state and federal mandates in addition to habitat destruction to the south. By that same logic and rhetoric, mortality has increase by up to 3300% in its worst year. Reproduction has also decreased by half. The concerned citizen who paid for the ad lives in a 1.8 (mol) million dollar mansion on Kings Bay. Don't let the 1% and the Tea Party dictate the (non) protection of an endangered species that is the life blood of this community. Please don't say " We love manatees, but..." If you really care, show it. Is this what a successful tourism destination wants for headlines. Shunning by Robin Humphrey and Manatees and God by Edna. I can almost hear the banjos. Wonderful for tourism and the economy. This community has a history of resisting the very protective measures that it now takes credit for. See Blue Waters Sanctuary as one example, it's been the same way time after time. Now it's distorted rhetoric and self serving politicians. Rep Nugent Here's what county tourism officials and others said about the rule as it was first proposed. So what's changed other than who's pulling the strings. "Citrus County's tourist development director, Marla Chancey, said she didn't foresee much of an economic impact from making the boaters slow down: "People can still run their boats. They just can't run them as fast." Citrus County's economic future depends on maintaining a healthy manatee population that draws tourists, she explained. "If we protect them and keep them safe, we keep our tourism and marketing business safe as well," she said." Well said Marla! |
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