Sea kayaking around Wye Island at the Chesapeake Bay

I had my first try at sea kayaking on Sep 26 organized by The Outdoor Pursuits, Johns Hopkins which teamed up with two leaders from University of Maryland. Technically, we were arguing with our leaders that it was not sea kayaking, more bay kayaking. However, they argued that since we were using sea kayaks, hence the name.

There were supposed to be 12 participants but on the day itself, only 4 turned up. The leader to participant ratio was 1:1. A perfect safety ratio. An oddity was that the participants were males and the leaders were females. Interesting.

We stopped over at Wawa gas station to meet up with the two leaders from University of Maryland and I bought breakfast, lunch and extra caffeine mocha to wake myself up. Thereafter, we followed behind them and reached our landing zone somewhere at the end of Wye Landing Lane.

When comparing a sea kayak with a white water kayak, the sea kayak is much longer and thus harder to turn than the white water kayak. To aid in turning, the sea kayak has a rudder at the stern which can be let into or out of the water by simply pulling a string located on the exterior, near the cockpit. There are adjustable pedals inside the sea kayak for a person to change direction using his feet while his hands are paddling. Step on the right pedal if one wants to head right and vice versa. What I like about the sea kayak is there are three compartments for storage and my legs could stretch comfortably. Further, there is a network of strings for hooking or securing items. It was also easier to cover the cockpit with the spray skirt.

The weather turned out great as the forecast was a thunderstorm in the afternoon. It was relaxing to be out on the river where the water was warm, with wind blowing and seeing a clear, blue sky. Lots of jellyfish were floating in the river as we paddled around Wye Island.

Initially, the plan was to eat lunch at the campground at Wye Island. But because we would be paddling against the headwind, we ate at some clearing instead. After lunch, we also voted if we wanted to press on towards the campground or head back. I voted to continue but was out-voted.

When we were near the landing zone, I did a roll and was elated that I could flip myself upright using the same technique for white water kayaking.

Just as we were finishing securing the sea kayaks back on the trailer, the sky started to rain. The timing was perfect.