SUP Cleanup’s June Event

Words and Photos by Tyler Hustrulid

The Wilmington chapter of SUP Cleanup held its June event on Saturday the 12^th.  Despite meeting an hour earlier in hopes of beating the heat and the increasing summer boat traffic along the ICW, it was a warm and hazy morning.  Coffee generously provided by our local Starbucks was a welcomed wake-up boost by many.

Leaving the calm, morning waters of Middlesound Marina, our group was greeted by a pair of dolphins poking around just off the banks of the spoil islands, no more than 20 feet off the nose of our boards.  It’s a wonderful sight to see dolphins out and about in the water.  It’s a completely different experience to be able to paddle up close, and quietly to them in the morning stillness, while the sun is still low on the horizon and there is no noise to interrupt the sound of their ascent from below to the water’s surface to exhale, inhale and disappear again.  It was an inspirational sight to start the day.

Paddling north, towards the Figure 8 Island bridge, we tucked-up a channel and landed on the backside of a spoil island we had not yet visited.  Bags and safety gloves were handed out and we went to work.  After several minutes of patrolling the grasses, many of us still had empty bags.  There simply was not much trash to be found.  This was a relief but also a surprise!  If all our spoil islands looked like this, we would have very little to do as a chapter, but creating litter-less islands, beaches, and waterways is a part of our mission as an organization, so we welcomed this unexpected circumstance with a sense of thanks.

While we wondered why the backside of this island was so clean and why others were so littered, we continued around to the ICW side and were presented with a different picture.  Here, there was work to be done.  The usual assortment of bottles, cans, pieces of metal and plastic were our quarry and bags filled-up quickly.  Simple reasoning told us that because of its exposure to the ICW, and its drifting current and transient traffic, this side must naturally collect more litter than the back.

With bags now bulging and tied up tight, we made full-circle back to the shell-covered beach we came aground on.  No boat was scheduled to meet us and assist in carrying our collection back to shore, so we went to work dividing-up the bags and making sure they were secured to the front of our boards and kayaks.  While it certainly limits the amount of trash we can collect, carrying it back via human power was a first for our chapter and a welcomed change.  There was a sense of fulfillment in knowing that we did not have to rely upon another gas or diesel-burning engine.

With the holiday weekend approaching, SUP Cleanup would like to remind folks to please be responsible with their trash and make sure it makes its way to proper disposal receptacles.  Nobody likes the sight of trash floating around in the water or dug into the sand.  Have fun but be responsible!

If you would like to join SUP Cleanup’s efforts, the Wilmington Chapter’s next scheduled event will be on Saturday, July 24^th.  Stay tuned-in to our blog for the where and what time!