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"The perception is that kayakers are all related to Evel Knievel and we're paddling frantically in white-water mountain rivers or 12-foot seas," Walters said. The truth of the matter is that prudent kayakers can go places inaccessible even by canoe and that anyone who can walk two or three miles can probably go the same distance by kayak, he adds.
"When compared to canoes, kayaks are easier to handle in wind and tidal currents, and they're much more stable in choppy seas," he says. "Plus my kayak only weighs about 48 pounds, so it's no problem for two people to get it in the water."
Perhaps the biggest challenge is persuading people that they'll actually have fun kayaking, but Walters is tackling that in a round-about way.
It began when Nancy Engle, executive director of the Manatee Economic Development Council, approached him. A long-time angler, she wanted to start fishing from a kayak and asked if he'd like to get a group together to go new places once a month. Bob Bartz, president of the Manatee Chamber, thought it was a good idea too. Then they all called their friends.
"We thought we'd get about 20 people interested and have 10 actually show up," Walters said. "We underestimated the market and really tapped into something."
Although it's still not a club in any formal sense of the word, nearly 200 people are now part of an online distribution list and anywhere from 20 to 50 people show up for the group's monthly trips on Saturday mornings.
"You get an email invitation and if you show up, that's great," he says. "If you don't, we won't wait for you."
Most trips are planned so that even novices can complete them, and trip leaders try to work with outfitters so rental kayaks are available for people who don't own one. Typically the two- or three-hour excursions are followed by lunch at a nearby restaurant.
One of the nicest things for the group is the opportunity to go places an individual kayaker might never discover, Walters said. "We ask people to share their favorite spots and we've gone everywhere from Homosassa Springs to Midnight Pass near Sarasota."
Walters also is active in the group pushing for a 1/2-cent sales tax to preserve environmentally sensitive lands and purchase other land for parks (see related story).
"Some people might feel that there is an incongruity when a corporate lawyer is involved in an environmental lands initiative, but I don't think so," Walters said. "If it weren't for developers, Florida would still be nothing but mosquitoes and alligators. The question is how land is developed - if it's done with respect for the environment and by following the intent of the law as well as the rules and regulations, it can enhance environmental preservation."
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