Whitewater Bay

KB slept in this morning. She and Seiche weren't on the water until 06:55. As you can see, they've decided to cross Whitewater Bay. The winds are reasonable at the moment, and they passed into the bay on the end of a flood tide, so progress is good. Winds are predicated to increase to 10-15 knots by 13:00, but they should be mostly clear of the bay by then.

Weather is supposed to deteriorate markedly tonight. The marine forecast for Florida Bay includes a small craft advisory starting this afternoon through tomorrow. The wind will shift to the northwest late this afternoon rising to 20 knots and gusty, then 20-25 and gusty overnight. Intermittent rain and scattered thunderstorms. Winds go to the north tomorrow afternoon at 15-20, then to the northeast, and the "bay waters very rough."

I hate to mess up a respectable prediction record, but tomorrow might be a day for a different route across Florida Bay. Rather than going through Twisty Mile, a paddler can turn north and go through Crocodile Dragover and The Dragover, which is what Salty Frog did yesterday. This would keep them pretty close to the windward shore, meaning smaller waves, since the fetch (distance over which wind can blow and build waves) would be smaller. Trouble is, I don't know if they have this plotted in their GPSs. KB has the same routes and waypoints in her new Garmin as Seiche does, because they all shared (including Kneading Water). KB has my Garmin as a spare, and it has that route, but she probably doesn't know that. Oh, well. Idle speculation.

In any event, they should make Flamingo at a reasonable hour today--early enough for a microwave burger or two. The only hitch is the portage at the dam on Buttonwood Canal. Fortunately, they can help each other, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Want to know more about Whitewater Bay? Here's a good source.