Days with Robbie | Tim Driskell's Continuing Adventures

One of the Best Friends a Guy Could Have!

Of all the male friends I have had over the years, Robbie is definitely one of the best. I first met him when I started paddling with Pinellas Paddlers and had decided to lead a trip on my own out at Gandy Beach. I was pretty nervous about taking a group of people out that I did not really know, although I had been a participant of similar paddling groups about three decades earlier, so I figured I would give it a shot.

I knew Robbie as one of the leaders of the group. I cannot remember if I had met him previously or not, but I definitely knew his face and his fame, since he was one of the three leaders of the Pinellas Paddlers group. Robbie often paddled with his own group of serious paddleboarders, and they often did incredibly long days. It just so happened that he scheduled his group for the same day I was leading that first paddle (or maybe he planned it that way🤔).

Halfway through the paddle, I remember Robbie came up with his group — himself and about six ladies, all on paddleboards. He came up next to me, and I remember either he said to me, “Hey, I’m Robbie,” or maybe I recognized him and said, “Hey, Robbie. Fancy meeting you out here.”

He said, “Yeah, hey, Tim. I just wanted to come check on you and make sure everything’s going okay. Looks like you have a fun group. Thanks a lot for organizing this and taking these people out; we definitely could ise more leaders! If you need any help at all, give me a shout anytime.” Then he snapped a couple of quick photos of himself and me together paddling and rejoined his posse (as everyone jokingly called his private group).

That Photo I Will Always Cherish

That picture of Robbie and me is one I will always remember and cherish, because Robbie checked on me again later that evening to make sure everything had gone all right. One thing I remember was looking at the photos he posted from his group. They had gotten caught in a massive rainstorm, with pouring rain coming down on all of them out there on paddleboards, which is always one of the things you face when you spend enough time paddling, but which can freak out many new or average paddlers.

Robbie friendship photo 2 — Robbie snapping one of those big-smile kayaking selfies, with Tim and Buddyboy nearby.

Robbie friendship photo 3 — Buddyboy joining Robbie — exactly the kind of relaxed day that often became more memorable than the big events.

A Friendship Built on the Water

Anyhow, Robbie and I became very good friends over time and led many paddles together. Even better, we went on many paddles with just ourselves and a few invited friends. We both realized that oftentimes those small groups can be the best. Anytime I got reservations for Weeki Wachee, I would always check with Robbie first to see if he wanted to go along, and he almost always did.

Robbie friendship photo 4 — Robbie and Tim goofing around in the water, as always.

Robbie friendship photo 1 — Robbie in yellow on the left and Tim in red on the right — the photo from that early Gandy Beach paddle that I always remembered and cherished.

Helping New Paddlers Feel Welcome

The two of us also put together many paddles that we advertised for new paddlers — first- or second-time paddlers (with this group) only — just to get newbies people comfortable with this group. It is always a bit nerve-wracking for some people to join a group paddle because they feel like everyone already knows each other and everyone is a very experienced paddler. But that is rarely the case. But it's probably because you often see a lot of the same faces in the photos from group paddles.

But Robbie and I knew that on almost every group paddle there were many new faces too. Both he and I always tried to make a point of letting people know not to be shy, to come on out, and that they would meet other people who were first-time paddlers also. To make that even easier, Robbie and I would hold new-paddlers-only paddles every now and then, and we introduced many new paddlers to the group that way.

Robbie friendship photo 5 — A fun and welcoming scene: a friendly group gathered together in clear spring water, making the whole day feel welcoming instead of intimidating.

Robbie friendship photo 6 — Another gathering of boards and boats tucked along the edge of the water, with smiles all around.

Robbie friendship photo 7 — A bigger Pinellas Paddlers group photo, with Robbie’s camera capturing the full happy chaos of a spring or river stop.

Robbie friendship photo 8 — A laid-back moment from the water, the kind of pause where a paddle turns into a floating conversation.

Pinellas Paddlers

Robbie worked as one of the original admin for the Pinellas Paddlers group. The group grew from just a few people to something like 12,000 people. It got pretty big and became a lot of work to handle, and Robbie worked tirelessly trying to help keep the group organized and keep everyone being kind to each other. He had to be a policeman at times, and keep the peace among keyboard warriors, even though he had retired from that gig many years earlier.

Over time, it seemed like several different chapters of the group formed, and it became almost overwhelming for some of the admins to keep it going. Eventually, many splinter groups formed — different paddling groups and outdoor groups — and members gradually gravitated toward those other groups. But Robbie and I kept paddling together, doing fun stuff adventures and talking about plans to maybe start a new group of our own.

Robbie friendship photo 9 — A bright day on the water with Pinellas Paddlers shirts, paddleboards, and that big Florida sky overhead.

Robbie friendship photo 10 — Sandbar time — friends gathered in shallow Gulf water, the kind of easy day that makes Florida paddling so much fun.

Robbie friendship photo 11 — Another of Robbie's famous paddleboard shots, with dramatic clouds, calm water, and a few serious paddlers enjoying the day. These were the founding admins for the group that brought so many of us together!

Robbie friendship photo 22 — The Pinellas Paddlers logo from behind — a quiet reminder of the group Robbie helped build and keep going.

Small Groups, Big Friendships

Some of my favorite days were not the biggest paddles, but the smaller ones where there was time to talk, laugh, explore, and really get to know people. That was one of the gifts of paddling with Robbie. The water was always the excuse, but the friendship was the real thing.

Robbie friendship photo 18 — A quick selfie from another launch on the Silver River, with the easy humor that always seemed to come with these trips.

Robbie friendship photo 19 — Two friends smiling from the kayaks on a bright day, the water calm enough for a photo and a laugh.

Robbie friendship photo 20 — A close-up from the water on the Chaz, with easy smiles and the relaxed happiness of another shared paddle.

Robbie friendship photo 21 — A dockside photo of the 3 amigo admins, sun on the water behind them, and the Pinellas Paddlers logo still part of the story.

Robbie friendship photo 24 — Buddyboy on the kayak, with Robbie on his Flying Fish board, having fun as always.

Robbie friendship photo 25 — Another group stop on the Weeki Wachee river, surrounded by trees, boats, and good company.

After the Paddle

And of course, a lot of paddling friendships are built after the paddles too — sitting around a table, eating, telling stories, meeting dogs, laughing about the day, and already thinking about where everyone might go next.

Robbie friendship photo 12 — Friends around a table after paddling — because plenty of the best conversations happened after the boats were back on the vehicles.

Robbie friendship photo 13 — Catching the post-paddle social side of the group, with friends, food, shade, and dogs nearby.

Robbie friendship photo 14 — Another meal with paddling friends, where the group was as much about friendship as it was about the water.

Robbie friendship photo 15 — Another much-needed lunch break, the kind of stop that often stretched the day long after the paddle ended.

Robbie friendship photo 16 — A full table of smiling paddlers at High & Dry Grill, reminding us all how many friendships grew from this group over the years.

Robbie friendship photo 17 — The Upper Deck on the Weeki Wachee, with happy but hungry paddlers relaxing after another day outside.

Robbie friendship photo 23 — A cheerful indoor gathering with Tim, Kym, Wendy, Christy and Robbie, proving the friendships continued off the water too.

The 'Summer Chicken'

Robbie was always what he called a “summer chicken” (instead of a snowbird). He basically just did not like the temperatures in Florida being in the mid-90s for months and months at a time. So he and his wife, Christy, would take off in their motorhome and spend much of the summer camping around different parts of the country.

Well, lo and behold, as of 2026, they have now decided to basically do that full-time — traveling all over the country, spending a month at a time in Maine or Iowa or out West, living in their motorhome and just seeing the world, slowing down, and enjoying everything. But still paddling whenever and wherever they get the chance.

They have always had the coolest cats! Robbie and Christy have always taken in cats that were abandoned or challenged, usually while they were camping, which is one of the wonderful things about them. They've always had big hearts and are always into helping others, even the animals of the world.

Robbie friendship photo 26 — A holiday portrait with Stormy, one of the cats from the cat-loving side of Robbie and Christy’s world.

We’ll Meet Again, Brother

So to Robbie, who is now on the road somewhere up in Maine: we’ll meet again, brother, and I love you to death.

Some friendships begin with one person paddling over just to make sure everything is going okay.

Photo Gallery

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