BIRD FLU PASSAGE
- HV EXP • #14 -
ABORTED
HARICOT
VERT EXP.'S ACTING INTL. HQ, 27 March 2006 -- It is official. Bird Flu
Passage has been shot out of the water by bad weather (and not by Dick
Cheney, as some suspected).
"You
have to know when to say - quit," said Chief Guide Jim Glasscock.
"We'll come back at another time to finish it . . . Bird Flu Passage
Part Deux."
"#%$*X*!" said HV CoFounder Adam Rodriguez, who has a new picture posted.
HV #14
Photo Gallery
"
It's
been tough, geeez," said Jim, noting the three kayakers had made about
30 miles/48 km of their planned 49-mile/78 km trip.
"Next time, I definitely am going to invest in a rudder."
The group made it to Fin & Feather Sunday night, ending the second day of the planned four-day expedition.
"Everybody's sore and got blisters," said Jim. "That last stretch last night wore us out."
"The last four hours was miserable," said Adam. "It took us almost double the time we thought."
Jim said while at Mustang Point, they saw two tankers go by, and watched their wakes. It was then that he know what they faced.
"The waves were whitecapping with spray," he said. "We decided to wait until the traffic died down."
They
also got caught in low tide and had to pull the kayaks across much of
the flats. Trying to trek through that gooey, muddy bottom can be a
real chore.
However, Sunday was not all bad. Jim says they stopped for lunch at a construction site along the shore.
"Adam fished, and I napped," the new half-centurian said.
Then, he mentioned another benefit of their lunch camp, something about which he thinks more and more these days.
"They had a porta-potty," he said gleefully, "and we used it.
THE ANSWER: JEOPARDY!
ALEX,
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF BIRD FLU PASSAGE?
HARICOT
VERT EXP.'S ACTING INTL. HQ, 27 March 2006 -- Bird Flu Passages
Kayakers are sitting the day out, due to forecasts of 30 mph/48
kmph/26knph winds. HV Chief Guide Jim Glasscock admits HV #14 is in
jeopardy due to weather.
"We are regrouping and assessing what we want to do," Jim says. "We don't want to get caught in bad weather.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt.
"Right now, " he added, "we may be looking at 'Bird Flu Part Deux'."
See the new pictures!
DAY'S JOURNEY ENDED
HARICOT
VERT EXP.'S ACTING INTL. HQ, 26 March 2006 -- 22:48 HVT: Carroll Voss
reports everyone made it to Fin and Feather . He says he got there
around 19:00 HVT and they had been there for about an hour.
"They're sore and achy," Carroll says, "but ok."
Glasses were raised. Birthday cake was cut and consumed. Pictures were taken (which will be posted as soon as they arrive).
On behalf of the participants, I am pleased to pass along thanks for all the good words and wishes.
HV#14 CHECKS IN: ALL IS WELL
HARICOT
VERT EXP'S. ACTING INTL. HQ: 26 March 2006 -- At 16:19 HVT, Jim called
to say they had stopped at Point Mustang for a bit of a breather.
"It's kinda hard," he said.
Well, DUH!
Winds,
he says are tailwinds at 15-20 miles per hour. On top of that, there is
quite a bit of traffic in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and they were
waiting for a break in the action. Nothing like being swamped by a
super tanker wake to ruin your day.
They hope to make it to Fin & Feather by dark. It is five miles away.
"We can see it, " he said. "it looks like it's a long way away."
He promises more details later.
In
the meantime, Carroll Voss says he is on the way to Fin & Feather
with salami, cheese, birthday cake and wine. It's not quite the
traditional combination, but one thing you can count on. The wine will
be great because Carroll is bringing it.
Some
folks have taken advantage of the guestbook. Thanks for your comments.
They all are being passed along. Those who have not , might want to
check it out. This is a link to the guestbook.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIM!
HARICOT
VERT EXP'S. ACTING INTL. HQ: 26 March 2006 -- As planned, Jim is
spending his birthday out on the water in a gesture of defiance to the
gods of aging.
Egyptians
used an orange to signify old age. So, in effect, Jim is giving the
bird to a bird. Lois is peering through binoculars and adding it to her
lifetime bird watcher list. Adam is loading a shotgun.
The only word we have is a mobile photo of Adam. From this we may assume a couple of things --
1. Jim & Lois didn't want their pictures taken
2. At least two are still alive, as someone had to take the picture.
The wind is picking up a bit with 13 mph / 20 km/h from the SE.
Clouds are expected to continue to move in, although currently the area
is VFR with unlimited ceiling (important for kayakers to know this
stuff). Visibility is 9.0 miles / 14.5 kilometers, so they definitely should be able to see what hits them.
Want to leave your own message?
Anyone who wants to leave a message can post it to the Haricot Vert Guestbook. There is a link above, or you may simply click HERE.
COMMENTS FROM THE RANKS
"Those guys and gal are nuts! Or I don't have the nuts (the other kind) to do such a thing.
I'll stick to 2-3 mile paddles."
HV EXPEDITION #14 UNDERWAY (WE THINK)
HARICOT VERT EXP'S. ACTING INTL. HQ: 25 March 2006 -- Mobile phone pictures received from HVE-14 indicate they are on their way. Initial telemetry
was bad on the first group of pictures, but crack Haricot Vert
Expeditions technicians were able to recover some images.
BIRD FLU PASSAGE PREPARES TO SHOVE OFF!
EXPEDITION #14 - Bird Flu Passage
HARICOT
VERT INTL. HQ: 22 March 2006 - HV kayakers Jim Glasscock, Adam
Rodriguez and Lois Brown will shove off as planned Saturday, 25 March
2006, despite inclimate weather in the forecast.
Chief Guide Jim Glasscock says they are looking at a 25 mile-per-hour (21.7 knot/40 km/hr) wind for the Bird Flu Passage.
"It's going to be chillier than we were thinking," Mr. Glasscock says. "We'll be just kind of winging it."
The Bird Flu Passage is so named because it goes from South Bird Island in South Texas'
Laguna Madre to Goose Island. The total trip is about 49.9 miles (80
km).
The trip is expected to take about four days. Check back here for updates. |
