Monday, May 14, 2007

Virginia Beach Scenic Waterway


Virginia Beach Scenic Waterway
Originally uploaded by jmharper.
This is a map of the Virginia Beach Scenic Waterway. Did you know that you can paddle from Munden Point and south all the way to the bay at Lynnhaven Inlet? The River Mice did it over four different days. Look at earlier entries in this blog for the story.

The West neck Creek paddle on June 3rd will go from Princess Anne Road south to the West Neck Marina, or possibly longer.

June Paddles


June Paddles
Originally uploaded by jmharper.
These are the upcoming paddles:

Saturday, May 19th
Wild River Outfitters Demo Day
Seashore State Park 64th Street Narrows
9am-4pm
For those who are looking for a kayak of their own, a great way to start is to check out some boats here. A $5 fee (plus the state park parking fee) lets you try any of over a hundred different kayaks and canoes. It is always good to "test paddle" a boat, whether you buy it that weekend from Wild River or somewhere else. More info at this link:
http://www.wildriveroutfitters.com/usage/demoday.htm

Sunday, June 3rd
West Neck Creek
We have tried this one a couple of times, but our enjoyment of this beautiful paddle always seems to be dampened by rain, so we will try again. It starts with a narrow channel, then gradually widens into a winding creek with lots of wildlife.

Meet at 10am at the Princess Anne Road put-in between Holland Road and Sandbridge Road (pictured). If the weather looks good, we will set a shuttle and paddle between 4 and 7 miles. If not, we will figure something out to get some paddling in.

This is an intermediate paddle- the water is calm, but the distance could be on the long side, and there are limited places to pull over and rest. There may be some obstacles to get around in the water.

Saturday, June 16th
Deep Creek Locks
Jerry Found this put-in during his travels, and secured permission for us to access a new stretch of water in the Deep Creek Section of Chesapeake. Depending on the wind, and our mood, we can paddle east, towards the southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, or west, up a winding creek. More info to come on this paddle.

Thursday, June 28th
Owl's Creek Evening Paddle
7:00pm
Meet at the Owl's Creek boatramp on General Booth Boulevard at 7 for this relaxing, fun paddle. Both High Tide and Monnrise are predicted for 7:16pm this day. We will paddle around lake Rudee and among the backyards of Croatan. Once it gets dark we will check out one of the isolated creeks, and see what we can see. If you remember the fireflies from past paddles, it is something you won't forget!

Bring a flashlight that can be attached to your boat. This paddle is beginner/intermediate. Owl's Creek is a nice place to paddle around. It is a no-wake zone, and is protected from wind and waves. The trip over to Croatan can get a little choppy as we pass under the Rudee Inlet bridge, and paddling in the dark may not be your cup of tea.

See you on the water!