My Pygmy Boats Arctic Tern was the only sea kayak on display in the Gulf Coast Wooden Boat Show this past weekend. Last year there was a gorgeous woodstrip sea kayak as well as a couple of woodstrip canoes. It always amazes me how little interest there is in paddle sports on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Although there are certainly more kayakers now than there were back in the mid-1980s when I began paddling there, sea kayaking just hasn't caught on in a big way like it has in other areas. This is surprising, because as I point out in my book Exploring Coastal Mississippi, this area, in my opinion, offers the best sea kayaking to be found on the Gulf of Mexico, due to the distance our barrier islands are from the mainland, as well as the number of them and the availability of good campsites.
There were a few small sailboats in the show, as well as a good variety of larger wooden yachts, both power and sail. Quite a few folks showed up and took home copies of On Island Time as well as Exploring Coastal Mississippi. If I can find the time to do the work to get it up to show condition, I might take my Wharram Hitia 17 catamaran to the show next year. Like all boats, it needs constant work and is due for a paint job as well as some minor cosmetic epoxy work.
"Island Time Online" is an ongoing commentary by Scott B. Williams, author of the books: On Island Time: Kayaking the Caribbean, Exploring Coastal Mississippi, Astray of the Herd, and Paddling the Pascagoula (co-authored with Ernest Herndon). A long-distance sea kayaker, sailor and wooden boatbuilder, Williams has been traveling and living "on island time" for years, and shares his perspective from a lifetime of adventures in a variety of boats.
Scott's Boat Pages Links
About the Author
- Scott B. Williams
- Mississippi, United States
- Scott B. Williams has been writing about his adventures since 1988. He is the author of eleven books and counting and enjoys sea kayaking, backpacking, sailing, boatbuilding and photography.