The RideAway Turtle Attack

I'm going to open this entry by saying I grew up a huge Ninja Turtles Fan, that's all I'm saying.

Cape Cod is made for kayaking. I know this seems biased coming from someone who runs a kayak company on Cape Cod but the different creeks, tidal flats, Ponds, harbors, estuaries, and picturesque shorelines allow every skill level to get out on the water within their comfort zone. When assessing an areas difficulty I like to focus onspecific points, such as current, exposure to wind, boat traffic, water levels, etc. On a recent tour I was forced to reassess this approach after a little "incident" and a new factor rudely introduced itself..........The Attack Turtle.

At a time when everyone's worried about a few annoying sharks off the coast I'm thinking we should refocus on these crazy turtles and let me tell you why I feel this way. We offer two of our tours at very beautiful and beginner friendly locations in Sandwich one being Scorton Creek and the other being Mill Creek (the boardwalk, which was highlighted in a previous blog). Recently on a tour in Mill Creek with a lovely family of 8, who surprised their mother with a RideAway Kayak Tour, we set off and went over our introduction lesson and skill assessment. The group was progressing perfectly and we were about an hour into the tour, and reached brackish water, when one of the gentleman noticed a turtle's head barely pokingout of the water.Everyone passed by and was very impressed by the size of the turtle which can reach weights upwards of 60 lbs. The last to approach the area was definitely the most timid of the group and was a little too far back to hear the comments on the size of the Turtle. The picture in her head was a turtle the size of her hand (Painted or box turtle) the ones you raise in grade school and then set free to live long happy lives.

By the time she realized her massive miscalculation it was far too late. Having just grasped the overall size and distinct prehistoric features of such a large turtle the last thing anyone expected happened. The turtle launched out of the water with his massive face followed by his stubby little arms directly towards the kayak and somehow maintained that position with arms flailing and mouth chomping a mile a minute for a good ten seconds, but all she needed was one second to go into a massive tip motion and array of colorful language and immediately put that kayak into overdrive and out of the area.

With the rest of the group in an absolute uproar I went over to investigate whatwould have caused such an uncharacteristic yet hilarious action on the turtles part. It turns out she wasn't the only turtle in the area and it wasn't so much of an attack motion as just two turtles getting weird and having this unsuspecting lady involuntarily become a part of their bedroom activities. I can honestly say it was the first time I've seen a turtle that size move that fast and come that far out of the water using strictly propulsion.

(the most famous of the Snapping turtle Tokka)

I've decided to leave the Mill Creek as a beginner friendly tour however an asterisk will be placed.

RideAway Kayak Camp and Graduation Day

Every week RideAway kayak holds a five day camp for ages 7-14. The camp usually caps out around sixteen kids. It is a great introduction to the fundamentals of kayaking and the basic maneuvers you can use while navigating through different types of water conditions. The skill levels within the groups always vary but we always manage to have the camp mesh and with a variety of kayaks and games it is always a very fun and action packed week, you put sixteen kids in kayaks and I can guarantee pure entertainment.

We hold our camp in Wakeby pond located in Sandwich, Ma. We start there to make sure the kids get a grasp of the concept and feel confident with all the equipment, motions, and more importantly one another. Once I feel they have all progressed enough we give them the rigorous RideAway Kayak test, which let me tell you is no joke, it involves paddling backwards, paddling while standing up, jumping off and climbing back into the boat, distance kayaking and speed kayaking all combo'd into one EXTREME relay race that is probably the most entertaining thirty minutes anyone will get to enjoy. With a prize of the candy bar of their choice the hussle factor is a non issue.

Once this test is passed and behavior is at a controlled level as a whole for the group they are ready to GRADUATE. So every Friday we have our camp at Scorton Creek where they are able to show off their new skills to parents and the regular beach goer (anyone within a mile ear shot basically). They also learn about the birds, plants, and animals of the marsh. Most getting to experience the hunting habits of the Osprey and Sanderling for the first time and understanding how a daily tide schedule affects a tidal flat like Scorton Creek. The highlight is always the jump contest off the highest point of the marsh, and not to toot my horn but I've only been bested three times this year. It is always a very exciting day for the kids and even more for US. Its one of my favorite activities that RideAway Kayak is involved with and I am very thankful that we are lucky enough to get to work with such great kids in such a beautiful environment.

Shark Fishing RideAway Style

We have had numerous customers come in to use our kayaks to fish the beautiful creeks and even get out into Cape Cod Bay to test their luck with the various species of fish we have here on Cape Cod. One of the most recent stories involve an ANGRY MAKO SHARK.

RideAway delivers kayaks to Plymouth Ma on a weekly basis it is a beautiful area to kayak and explore however rarely do we deliver Kayaks for the purpose of Shark fishing yet not too long ago (without us or the people ordering the kayaks knowing it) thats exactly what we did. Bringing the two Advant edges (pictured below) about a quarter mile off the shore around sunset the two gentleman, who we will name Terry and Bill to conceal identities and pride, figured they'd get one last attempt in before us picking the kayaks up early the next morning. So the cast went out and BAM a monster hit on Terry's line, so the fight was on, after about 25 minutes of battle and about two hundred yards of ocean passing he finally had the fish close to the boat having no clue what Bill was about to swipe into the net. As they pulled it out of the water and into the boat they both realized "O ****" this is a shark, and as Murphy's law would have it that shark sure enough fought its way out of the net and directly into Terry's kayak where a slap fight for the ages would ensue and the Mako would gain his freedom and the two fisherman would only have matching cuts and scraps to remember the one that got away. So for all you Kayak Fisherman remember this story and be prepared to battle cause you never know what kind of fight your looking at when you get into those Cape Waters. Special Thanks to "Terry and Bill" for supplying such a valuable lesson for all us fisherman on the Cape.

RideAway Kayak offers a variety of Kayaks and some specifically for fishing the Cape waters. The Bic Sport Bilboa is an extremely sturdy Sit on top kayak that allows the rider to place two rods in the back compartment and simply paddle and troll for whatever catch they are looking to hook. The other type is the Emotion Advant-edge (reference above and pictured to the left) which is a 12 foot sit in that is very sturdy for a sit in kayak but it also offers numerous storage spaces and a roped side to tie up all those keepers you'll be reeling in. So if your itching to get out there and bring in some monsters, give us a call and we'll set you up.