This trip has been cancelled. The TBSK Board has decided that at this time, in order to abide by the government health recommendations, it is best to shut down official TBSK Paddles for now.
Meet Tom Malone, Bob Morris, and Al Tillson at 10 a.m. on Saturday April 4th for a 10:30 launch at Williams Park at 9425 S US 41 in east Hillsborough County. We’ll paddle down the Alafia River and out to the nearby sanctuary islands that the Audubon Society administers.
The timing of this trip should enable us to see and possibly briefly photograph unusually large numbers of the nesting roseate spoonbills and hopefully the rare American oystercatcher as well as the usual ibis, egrets and herons.
We’ll paddle about 3 hours at a leisurely pace with a lunch break on the riverbank on the return trip. Trip length will be approximately 5 miles. For beginners and up who are comfortable in the open bay.
Please RSVP with Al Tillson (altillson@yahoo.com; 813-832-3961) or on the club website in case weather requires a change of location.
Level 1. All boats must have sealed flotation and must be at least 12 feet long.
According to the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Department, Williams Park charges a $5.00 parking fee for vehicles with trailers but no fee for other vehicles.
PLEASE NOTE: local ordinances and common sense require that we keep at least 100 feet away from the islands themselves. This means you should be prepared to stay in your boat continuously for as much as 2 ½ hours.