Titusville Kayaking

Dylan's manatee buddies visit almost daily.

After a week of looking at all the wonderful wildlife that surrounded the boat we had a real hankering to explore. Our new smaller kayaks weren't appropriate to cross the ICW where the real beauty is, while the sea kayaks sitting in our basement in Maine would have been perfect. Darn! So we looked into A Day Away Kayak Tours which Mark here at Titusville Municipal Marina had recommended and knew right away it would be perfect.

Looking for sleeping manatees.

We met Ron who manages the tours and he suggested we try a motorized kayak tour. Well, being long time kayakers who enjoy paddling we were a bit skeptical. Wouldn't the sound of the motor destroy the peacefulness of gliding along the water? Weren't we just being wimps by not paddling ourselves? But we're always up for something new, so we met him in Sand Point Park adjacent to the marina early on a Sunday.

A small electric motor does the work.

Each kayak had a small electric motor that barely made a hum when it was on. You turned the motor on and off with a switch and steered using a a long handle that attached to a rudder. We also had paddles we could use to turn or backup - the motor only went forward. When we turned on the motors the kayaks glided through the water "at about the speed of a good paddler," according to Ron. It was terrific. We were able to keep our attention on the sights around us rather than focusing on paddling and didn't need to think about saving energy for the return trip.

Look, Ma, no paddling.

We moved along the shore ducking into the basins to watch for manatees sleeping and dolphins. Then went across the ICW to some islands where we got out and stretched our legs while observing the shorebirds. It was a perfect morning which ended way too soon.

Crossing the ICW.

It's a great way to get out and see the natural beauty that is here. It's easy to do even if you've never been in a kayak. And Ron is a terrific and knowledgeable tour guide. You just have to try this! The only thing missing were side cars for Dyna and Dylan. They promised they'd sit still... Yeah, right!