Kayaking in October

By Thomas Morrone, CFP®, CPA

Kayaking is most often associated as a summertime activity, at least in CT. My kayaking experiences, since moving to Branford, have all been on typical hot summer days. Being out on the water has a cooling effect in addition to being relaxing and enjoyable. With such a beautiful stretch of weather during the first part of this October, I extended my kayaking to the fall season for the first time. Friends of mine, Terry and Rosanne Marcantonio are avid kayakers. We have ventured out as a group to explore the Branford river basin a couple of times. We attempted a trip back in September and marked a day on the calendar that coincided with the high tide that fell in the middle of the day. Working with the tides is important for many reasons when kayaking, access to areas, launching and returning, ease of navigation and a host of other reasons as well. The weather turned sour on our scheduled day with threats of rain and high winds in the forecast. We deferred our excursion and picked another date that once again coordinated with the high tide schedule as well as our personal calendars. The next date that worked for all matters being considered was October 20th. I was a little skeptical being that late in October, but we penciled it in. I am so glad that we did.

October 20th started with bright blue sky, very little wind and a forecast that would put a smile on your face with temperatures projected to be close to 80 degrees (not usual temps for October for sure, Global warming maybe). Terry and Roseanne arrived around 10:00 AM. We were in the water by 10:45 and the weather was spectacular. Dressed wearing layers, just in case, as the paddling began it was starting to get warm. I guess that is a great problem as warm is better than cold. We paddled around the shoreline and looked at some of the beautiful homes, rock outcroppings, private coves and nooks and crannies that are only reachable from the water, and only at high tide. At times I was acting as a tour guide adding some local commentary about the history of this or that. I have lived in the area my entire life so there was an accumulation of wisdom that I wanted to share. We talked and laughed as we paddled along. We checked out some beautiful boats in the marinas and then went into the salt marsh. Being in the salt marsh is truly an amazing kayaking experience. It is an escape from reality when you enter the tall sea grass of the salt marsh. The only the sounds to be heard were the birds yacking and your paddles skimming the water as you glided along. After venturing to the end of the marsh we started our return just as the tide was beginning to turn on its way out. We rode the current of the changing tide out of the marsh and merely needed to steer as we meandered our way through the sea grass back to the river. It was so peaceful.

Terry snapped a picture of yours truly and you can see the smile on my face which is truly indicative of how enjoyable of a time we were having. The water was calm, the sky was blue, the wind was light, with great friends and the temperature was warm. All great ingredients to a memorable kayaking experience. We kept raving about the weather and what a beautiful day we were so fortunate to have. It was so nice that Terry and Roseanne went through the effort of loading their kayaks onto the roof racks of their vehicle and making the trip down to Branford. We also agreed that we would do it again and attempt to experience the Thimble Islands next time. More on that at a future date………

Life is so short and enjoying beautiful moments with friends is what life is all about. There is something about the warm sunshine on your face that brings a natural smile. Life is Good!

Until the Next Tom’s Take………………

_{Tracking: 1-05220472}