Timucuan Trail Waterway Kayak Race
What better day than February 26th to kayak between Big and Little Talbot State Park? About 35 kayak paddlers took part in a four mile race that started at Kayak Amelia, headed South down Simpson Creek, turning around at Fort George River, and back to Kayak Amelia to celebrate the release of the Timucuan Trail Waterway Paddling Guide. Kayakers had an adrenaline rush when an osprey made a dramatic dive into Simpson Creek, grabbing a trout with its talons, and then flying away to its nest. Several blue herons were fishing near the finish line of the race and the nearby trees were alive with the sound of coming spring -- hundreds of songbirds singing their glorious tunes.
We sponsored the kayak race along with the City of Jacksonville and Kayak Amelia. The race was just another celebration of our city's great places. With Cedar Point Preserve, Joe Carlucci Park, Big and Little Talbot Island State Parks to name a few, Jacksonville paddlers have so many opportunities to get out on a weekend and enjoy the special places the Public Trust has worked hard to preserve.
Men's Division
1st Place and Overall Winner-Ken Holton (43 min)
2nd Place-Fred Charles (45 min)
3rd Place-Dale Steffens (50 min)
Women's Division
1st Place-Jenna Manis (1 hr 1 min)
2nd Place-Jessica Landkrohn (1 hr 1 min 30 sec)
3rd Place-Nicole Conrad (1 hr 2 min)
Tandem Division
1st Place-Bill Gardner and Dave Gottschaltz (41 min)
2nd Place-Danny and Kahonmentha Stacy (48 min)
The winners of the race were awarded gifts from the race sponsors: Sliders Restaurant, Academy Sports, All Wet Spots, The Bookmark, Casa Marina, and Irish Water Dogs. A special thank you to all of our generous sponsors.
The race was a celebration of our second laminated full-color paddling guide, a guide we created as part of a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to encourage passive and eco-friendly use of our beautiful natural areas. The map highlights a section of the ICW from the St. Johns River north to the Nassau River. It identifies the preserves along the waterway’s banks and features canoe and kayak launch points and rentals, boat ramps, marinas, picnic areas, restaurants and concessions, rest rooms and GPS coordinates. Nature preserves include the Huguenot Memorial Park, Fort George Island Cultural State Park, Cedar Point, Big and Little Talbot Island State Parks and Amelia Island State Park. The flip side of the guide highlights the history of the Timucua and the Mocama Native Americans, the European efforts to begin settling into the area now know as Mayport in 1562, the Anna and Zephania Kingsley Plantation and the explorations of William Bartram. The guide also illustrates wildlife one may encounter on their excursion through the ICW such as the great blue heron, manatee, snowy egret, dolphins and bald eagles.
We are giving away 2,000 of the guides for free to the public. For a copy of the guide email Andrew Miller at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 247-1972 x 418. You can also download a copy of the guide at timucuantrailwaterwayguide.org.
If you have photos of our race that you'd like to share, feel free to email them to Andrew Miller at adm@publictrustlaw.org. Check out our photo gallery for photos submitted so far!
