Sailing or Kayaking?

[billy]

guana river looks good

[sheclown]

Strider and I have spent many hours sailing on the river.  The races are fun.  The annual Mug Race is a blast.

TheMugRace
GeneralInformation

  The Mug Race is the world's longest river race and is open to sailboats of all sizes. There are two courses: the South course which starts in Palatka is for boats with masts under 44 feet, and the North course starting just South of the Buckmann bridge, is for boats with masts 44 feet and up. The race uses a Pursuit Start where each boat has a start time based on their rating, thus in essence giving slower boats an earlier start, and the faster boats chasing them, all pursuing to cross the finish line first! There are more than 100 trophies that will be awarded based on boat class and different categories including first all female crew to finish, first dingy monohull to finish, and even one for the last boat to finish. So get your boat ready, attend the pre-registration party, and then go racing!!!

[BridgeTroll]

I guess my thought was a kayak and small sailboat rental service downtown.  Rent a kayak for two hours paddling between Acosta and Mathews bridges... same for small sailboats and no sailboats that would require Main Street bridge to raise and lower.

[sheclown]

I guess my thought was a kayak and small sailboat rental service downtown.  Rent a kayak for two hours paddling between Acosta and Mathews bridges... same for small sailboats and no sailboats that would require Main Street bridge to raise and lower.

It's a great idea.  Wouldn't it be nice to see the river filled with people playing in it?

[tufsu1]

I guess my thought was a kayak and small sailboat rental service downtown.  Rent a kayak for two hours paddling between Acosta and Mathews bridges... same for small sailboats and no sailboats that would require Main Street bridge to raise and lower.

I think the current prevents that from being a possibility...despite warnings from others, I once tried to put my kayak in the water downtown...bad idea!

[Dog Walker]

One word for kayaking or sailing in the river downtown; DON'T!

[BridgeTroll]

That is what I suspected... the current is too fast in that narrow portion of the river for novice kayak renters and novice sailboaters...

[Overstreet]

...........novice sailboaters..........

Novice sailboaters often can't return up wind less up current. I remember often having to tow in some rental Wigeons that went down wind fine but couldn't handle the close hauled sailing.

[strider]

Yep, the current downtown is pretty tricky to deal with.  Docking can be .... interesting.  The same issue seems to apply up at Metro Park.

The ramp located downtown is a bit different, however.  It is in far enough that the current sort of misses it so once you are in that area, it isn't too bad.  We regularly launch a trimaran there.

I guess downtown isn't the best place for novices.  But I always felt that an organized sailing event downtown would be very cool and show off the river more.

[Overstreet]

It might be notable to mention that both Episcopal High School and Jacksonville University have crew rowing programs on the river across from downtown. But they also have better launching facilities for those programs and stay to the calmer water on their side of the river.  

Boles also has a rowing program but not near downtown.

[fieldafm]

The current downtown is definately too swift for kayaking.  While at the Landing one day, take a look at a piece of garbage that floats down the river.  It would take you a good jog along the riverwalk to keep pace with how quickly that piece of trash floats through the river at that point.  It is an intense current.  One Fourth of July I foolishly took the bet to hop out of a boat and try to swim against the current.  Long story short, I floated down to a nearby boat who all had a very curious and amused look on their faces as they pulled me out of the water.  

As mentioned the Rudder Club is execellent for sailing rentals/instructions/beer can races.  If memory serves, they even used to have a weeklong summer camp to teach kids to learn to sail.  Kayak Amelia is a great tour for kayaking.  

If you are not interested in a guided tour, Hannah Park rents kayaks.  Another option is Crazy Fish at the base of the intracoastal bridge on Beach Blvd.  It is a restaurant(with very mixed reviews) where the old Marine Patrol building was adjacent to the public boat ramp.  They rent kayaks that you can take out in the intracoastal(an easy ride to the Castaway Island Preserve).

Strider/Sheclown... what class do you participate in for the Mug Race?

[Overstreet]

...........But I always felt that an organized sailing event downtown would be very cool and show off the river more............

They did have the tall ships event last year. That was not purest sailing but it did bring people to the river.

[Shwaz]

I've seen plenty of people kayaking downtown but imagine they're pretty much all well experienced paddlers.... I bet it'd be hard to get insurance as a business renting kayaks to the inexperienced.

Last time I stopped for lunch at the landing docking the boat I had to throttle up quite a bit just to fight the current.

[Overstreet]

The current there can be five knots easy.

River events don't seem to go real well there. For example the power boat races never came back after 1986 when that driver got killed infront of The Landing.  The poker run comes by but it is a distance and speed thing and not a spectator thing.

Sail boat races there would be too confined for large boats and small boats would find the tidal current, boat traffic and wind shadows (from buildings) troublesome.

[BridgeTroll]

For example the power boat races never came back after 1986 when that driver got killed infront of The Landing.

It sure doesnt stop em at Daytona...