Calm Before the Storm
This was the scene before our paddle from Cape Ramano to Coon Key on day 5 of a 7 day sea kayak course in Florida. It was March and I was working with my good friend Bart Blankenship. There was a cold front coming in and we knew some big wind was on the way, but we decided to venture a mile out into the Gulf of Mexico to check out this beautiful sandbar that Bart wanted everyone to experience. It’s strange shape made for some great shell collecting walks, photographs, and subsequently a nice painting.
Looking back I’m really glad we had the experience of watching the storm come in and enjoying the beautiful walls of rain even with the knowledge that it would bring a big challenge. The paddle from the cape to the islands was the hardest one I have done. We were going almost straight into an 18-20 knot wind and against the waves. Everyone was giving it their all and eventually we made it, although not to our original destination. I was impressed with each person on our crew – 12 strangers who had become a team and struggled together. I wouldn’t trade experiences like this for anything.
Patsy Cooner Art 