Kayak from Boulogne to Kings Ferry

Feature

Continuing the paddle of the entire St. Marys River

By Bryan Simpkins, 6-23-25

Some people say, be careful. Why do you do that? You could get hurt…when referencing my explorative ventures on the water.

I think, what a terrible way to live your life.

I printed the maps, packed the kayak, and left at 7:30am…. Partnering up this time with my kayak buddy, Mark Grimes, whose daughter was gonna drop us off in Boulogne, Florida. We will be committed once she drives off and then it is approximately 16 miles of the St. Mary’s river, heading east and south, to our extraction point.

Getting there was as adventurous as the river itself. We took 17 north to State Road 108. Drove through the town of Lessie. Passed White Oak plantation, following the curvy 2 Lane highway with Yellow information signs, with arrows, pointing left and right. It made me think about the rivers turns and how pumped up I was to do this second leg of my new adventure.

As we got further away from the house the trees were coming closer to the shoulder of the road, and there were more asphalt patches on the road than there are yellow dividing lines on the highway

Local kids have graffitied the highway with Goodyear rubber. Guinea hen and deer run off into the woods. We turned onto middle Road where the speed limit drops to 10 miles an hour. A left, a right, and another right and we were arriving at the spot where I will leave my Jeep and trailer. The old country store looks like it’s had a fresh facelift as I back the trailer up to the fence.

21 1/2 mile drive to Kings Ferry. 45.8 for the round-trip, including dropping Mark off at home after we made the trip

The rain never presented itself, and instead, the sun broiled our skin. There was a 65% chance it would pour on us but this never happened. The raincoats I brought needed to be stowed away. Trying to apply sunscreen while your skin is sweating was a challenge. Not to mention the greasy residue made gripping my 240 cm fiberglass paddle a little harder.

kayaking Boulogne to Kings Ferry on St Marys River

We pushed off and were greeted by these amazing little white sand beaches as we put our first mile in.

Boat traffic was constant and I must say that many of the guys with engines were very respectful. Most slowed down when they saw us paddling and in turn we paddled a little harder to get past them quicker, so they could resume their speed. However, not all of them were courteous! Two bass boats rocked us as they blew past.

I estimated if we paddled at 4 mph we could complete the trip in 4.5 hours. Mark wanted to go 5 mph…. But over the first 4 miles we barely hit 1.2 mph. This was due to a still incoming tide (which answered my question about how the current was affected by the tide this far back on the St. Marys River) and because of my taking a lot of photos.

I believe there was another reason we were slower. I had traded my 13.5’ kayak for my 10.5 footer. Because of the side to side motion as we paddled we didn’t cut through the water as I had wished. I won’t do that again.

Black water and white beaches, green trees and the higher tide covering a lot of the banks forced us out in the current a little. We wanted to avoid any snags.

It was the beginning of the gator mating season. We were primed to encounter the big guys on the hunt but instead only witnessed about 20 four foot females sliding off the beaches and into the deeper water…. Except for one. There is always one, right? It was different. It didn’t want to leave its area. That made for some good photos as we slid into the Lilly pads.

Somewhere around the 5 hour mark we realized we had to focus on the grind. Shoulders aching but the tide had changed and started pushing us. That was a welcome relief to a minor miscalculation about the tide and the paddle against it for the first hour & a half… it really pulling us then. A local who was picnicking on a beach confirmed that for us as we passed and had some small talk. “Y’all are gonna enjoy the tide now!” he exclaimed.

Well by now we have seen the same thing for hour after hour and the paddling became the focus. Words grew silent. The sciatica was flaring up. Just dig, dig, dig.

Finally we approached the Kings Ferry area. Because we have explored here before we knew it was just a matter of a few more bends in the river before we saw the ramp. A few more small gators, a few more boats and there she was… the buoy that lets us know to slow down, “no wake zone.” But we weren’t really going that fast so it must’ve been for someone else.

Summary? It is a beautiful windy river with lots of wildlife and things to see. Your imagination is always thinking about the history if the area, the twisted tree roots, the white beaches that fade into tea colored browns and then into the blackness that hides God knows what?

This was the second phase of completing the full 130 miles. Straight lining the river and not hugging the banks cut a few miles off and we ended up at almost 16 miles total. So that puts me at 36 down, 94 to go. And even as I am writing this I have made plans for another 20 mile section tomorrow, about 2 weeks from the day we finished this paddle.

As usual my kayak was packed with the basics: a first aid kit, life vest, rope & anchor, a good gel seat and spare paddle, bug spray & sunblock. There was a lighter, starter wood, a dry bag with a towel and change of clothes. TP, chapstick, lens cleaner, flashlights and colored L.E.D. lights. A knife. My food for this trip was granola bars, V8 energy drinks, Gatorade & water, as well as some fruit.

The 4 1/2 hour planned time to complete the trip ended up taking 6 1/4 hours. But, it was better than sitting in the A/C, watching TV, wasting away.

So in conclusion, everything may not go to plan…. But embrace it. The sun will burn you if you don’t have sunscreen. Have a dream bigger than what you can accomplish from your couch. God is all over His creation so get to know it….and Him. Use larger kayaks if distance is the goal.