On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean

267 Pages·2005·1.35 MB·English

by  Scott B. Williams

on island
time
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on Island
Time
KAYAKING THE CARIBBEAN
SCOTT B. WILLIAMS
UNIVERSITY PRESS OF MISSISSIPPI / JACKSON
www.upress.state.ms.us
The University Press ofMississippi is a member ofthe
Association ofAmerican University Presses.
All photographs by Scott B.Williams unless otherwise credited
Copyright © 2005 by University Press ofMississippi
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 4 3 2 1
(cid:1)
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Williams,Scott B.
On island time :kayaking the Caribbean / Scott B.Williams.
p.cm.
ISBN 1-57806-746-4 (cloth :alk.paper)—ISBN 1-57806-747-2 (pbk.:alk.paper)
1.West Indies—Description and travel.2.Key West (Fla.)—Description and travel.
3.Sea kayaking—West Indies.4.Sea kayaking—Florida— Key West.5.Williams,
Scott B.—Travel.6.Caribbean Area—Description and travel.I.Title.
F1613.W55 2005
917.29053—dc22
2004020803
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
FOR MICHELLE, WHO EVERY DAY
MAKES ME GLAD I FOUND
MY WAY BACK TO MISSISSIPPI
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY ERNEST HERNDON [ ix]
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS [ xi]
ONE LEAVING [ 3 ]
TWO SOUTHBOUND [ 26 ]
THREE KEY WEST TO THE BAHAMAS [ 55 ]
FOUR ISLAND PARADISE [ 82 ]
FIVE THE CRUISING COMMUNITY [ 103 ]
SIX CELEBRATION [ 130 ]
SEVEN A JUNGLE COAST [ 154 ]
EIGHT PUERTO RICO [ 182 ]
NINE INTO THE WIND [ 208 ]
TEN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS [ 233 ]
AFTERWORD [ 253 ]
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FOREWORD
I met Scott Williams in 1985when my wife signed up for his kenpo karate
course in McComb,Mississippi.When Scott found out I liked to canoe,he
suggested we make a float together.Soon we were embarked on a three-
day trip down Red Creek and the Pascagoula River in flood conditions,a
real swamp adventure.
On that trip I learned that Scott has the first trait necessary to be a good
adventurer:a sense of humor.We kept up a stream of ridiculous stories,
puns,and jokes,meanwhile enjoying the fabulous scenery ofgiant cypress
trees,redbuds,cottonmouth snakes,herons,and beavers.
Later we tackled a more challenging trip,a week’s paddle in the Florida
Everglades.On the fourth day we forced our canoe up a narrow channel in
the grass until it would go no farther. Then Scott pointed to a distant
clump oftrees and said,“Want to hike over there?”Hiking in this environ-
ment meant wallowing up to our knees in snake- and alligator-infested
marsh.That’s when I knew he possessed the second quality necessary for
a good adventurer:a love ofexploring.
Scott and I kept paddling over the years.Meanwhile he discovered and
fell in love with sea kayaks and eventually set off on the trip described in
this book.He kept me posted on his exploits,and I ran excerpts from his
journal in the McComb Enterprise-Journalnewspaper where I work.
When the journey was over, Scott and I met on the banks of
Bowie Creek,where he regaled me with his experiences.I saw then (and
other times) that he had the third characteristic necessary for a good
[ ix ]