Anyone tried the new Great Mills Canoe and Kayak Launch on rt 5?

Anyone tried the new Great Mills Canoe and Kayak Launch on rt 5?
Funny you should mention it. I just rode by there to have a look. I may give it a try this weekend if I get a chance. Its between Great Mills rd and Indian Bridge on the Northbound side. & miles to take out at St Marys City.

Anybody want to buy a kayak?

Anybody want to buy a kayak?
If by "buy", you mean come take for free, then absolutley:lol:

What kinda kayak is it?

If by "buy", you mean come take for free, then absolutley:lol:

What kinda kayak is it?
Actually it's a Poke Boat (http://www.pokeboat.com/). Have the spray skirt, floatation bags, adjustable foot rests and a paddle.
Have the 28lb kevlar version.

Actually it's a Poke Boat (http://www.pokeboat.com/). Have the spray skirt, floatation bags, adjustable foot rests and a paddle.
Have the 28lb kevlar version.
Pretty neat little boat. Loos like it would be good for duck huntin.

Pretty neat little boat. Loos like it would be good for duck huntin.
Let you have it for a couple of hundred $

Anyone tried the new Great Mills Canoe and Kayak Launch on rt 5?
Not yet, but as soon as I get the chance I'll be there

Anybody want to buy a kayak?
I'm interested in your kayak in you still have it.

I'm interested in your kayak in you still have it.
Chek you PMer

I've been trying very hard to make time to get there. I checked it out; it looked great but I'm not used to canoeing (sp?) without getting wet and dirty just from launching. :lmao: I'm sure I can get used to it. I'm hoping to make a trip from there to the college at some point.

Anybody try it yet? How much clearance is there under the Rt. 5 bridge? Looks like there should be plenty, but I didn't really investigate. I'd prefer not to have to duck or lay down in the canoe in order to go under.

I've been trying very hard to make time to get there. I checked it out; it looked great but I'm not used to canoeing (sp?) without getting wet and dirty just from launching. :lmao: I'm sure I can get used to it. I'm hoping to make a trip from there to the college at some point.

Anybody try it yet? How much clearance is there under the Rt. 5 bridge? Looks like there should be plenty, but I didn't really investigate. I'd prefer not to have to duck or lay down in the canoe in order to go under.
Not yet. Maybe this weekend. Don't know about the clearance. Any idea how much flat/still water you'd be looking at?

Not yet. Maybe this weekend. Don't know about the clearance. Any idea how much flat/still water you'd be looking at?

The announcement said that it is 7 miles from there to the college; on the map it looks like a few miles of narrow creek that will move pretty fast, then a few miles of open river. About half and half. If you time your trip with an outgoing tide, you should still get a little assist even in open river.

The last time I looked at it, I actually had the boat with me and planned on getting in, but saw the current was moving way too fast to get back upstream. Unless there's a drought, it looks like you really need to leave a vehicle somewhere downstream first, or plan to have a friend pick you up.

The announcement said that it is 7 miles from there to the college; on the map it looks like a few miles of narrow creek that will move pretty fast, then a few miles of open river. About half and half. If you time your trip with an outgoing tide, you should still get a little assist even in open river.

The last time I looked at it, I actually had the boat with me and planned on getting in, but saw the current was moving way too fast to get back upstream. Unless there's a drought, it looks like you really need to leave a vehicle somewhere downstream first, or plan to have a friend pick you up.
I'm trying to get it together for this weekend. Work may interfere, but if you're interested... There may be another canoe also.

I'm trying to get it together for this weekend. Work may interfere, but if you're interested... There may be another canoe also.

I wish. My next two weekends are already committed, and Murphy's law dictates that the weather will be crap by the time I get a chance to make that trip. Not to mention that I have another boat that competes for attention vs. the canoe.

A couple of us from work are planning on going Monday morning, with the rain this evening, water should be up.

I have a report for everybody! Finally got to make the trip on Friday morning. Rained like crazy while we loaded up gear and launched, but cleared up almost immediately afterwards and it turned out to be a really pleasant trip. There's plenty of vertical clearance under the rt.5 bridge; the water was bit shallow in that area but posed no real problems. Kayaks will have no problem at all; a big metal canoe required a bit of work to maneuver through.

Only the first mile or so had shallow water and fallen trees, after that it opened up into a broader creek with flat water for the next couple miles. Much less current flow than I expected, but understandable with the tide coming in. Then a couple of miles of real open water, as it becomes a tidal river just above Tippety witchity (sp?) island. It's incredibly scenic in that area; bring a camera.

A word of advice for the open river portion: try to pick a day with no wind, or wind out of the north. Otherwise you'll have quite a distance of paddling with the wind in your face.

Question: Where is everybody planning on getting out at the end of the trip? We used the college; as alumni we have some access to the boathouse. Is everybody else planning on using Historic St. Mary's city? Just pull out next to the Dove? Where do you park? We aren't sure Parks & Rec planned very well when they put in this launch. (even though I'm happy that it's there)

I'm not ever going in a canoe again probably. Two times over has done me in for life. Doesn't help when some certain people who are with you are finding it incredibly entertaining.

I have a report for everybody! Finally got to make the trip on Friday morning. Rained like crazy while we loaded up gear and launched, but cleared up almost immediately afterwards and it turned out to be a really pleasant trip. There's plenty of vertical clearance under the rt.5 bridge; the water was bit shallow in that area but posed no real problems. Kayaks will have no problem at all; a big metal canoe required a bit of work to maneuver through.

Only the first mile or so had shallow water and fallen trees, after that it opened up into a broader creek with flat water for the next couple miles. Much less current flow than I expected, but understandable with the tide coming in. Then a couple of miles of real open water, as it becomes a tidal river just above Tippety witchity (sp?) island. It's incredibly scenic in that area; bring a camera.

A word of advice for the open river portion: try to pick a day with no wind, or wind out of the north. Otherwise you'll have quite a distance of paddling with the wind in your face.

Question: Where is everybody planning on getting out at the end of the trip? We used the college; as alumni we have some access to the boathouse. Is everybody else planning on using Historic St. Mary's city? Just pull out next to the Dove? Where do you park? We aren't sure Parks & Rec planned very well when they put in this launch. (even though I'm happy that it's there)
Pull out if I get someone to pick me up will be right at the little bridge. If I have to park I guess by the Dove. Thanks for the report. Is the Island inhabited still?

We aren't sure Parks & Rec planned very well when they put in this launch.
" Parks & Rec planned " :killingme

Yep, private property, too bad for us. I wish it was mine, or at least public property.

We launched Monday as planned, unfortunately the rain never came on Sunday. The water levels were very low, there were quite a few places you had to schooche the kayak to get through. We only made it about half a mile before one of the newbies decided it was a good day to take a dip, still not sure how he flipped his kayak. We headed back upstream after that and he flipped again.... To make a long, but funny story short, we ended up dragging our kayaks thruogh the woods to the back of the old 7-11. I may have to try it again when he's on the schedule to work....

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the car parts and a few tires that are strewn throughout the first 1/4 mile or so.

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the car parts and a few tires that are strewn throughout the first 1/4 mile or so.

Yeah, it's pretty bad in a few spots, but it didn't really bother me because I sort of expected it, given the area that it runs through. Maybe next time I'll try to pick up any of the junk that's actually in the water, though the entire truck chassis that I saw probably won't be included in that effort. :lmao:

It's a shame that I even need to think about that, but any time water runs through a developed area you'll see just about everything thrown in to it. There's a similar body of water in my hometown that runs near some supermarkets, and the number of shopping carts in the water was shocking.

Yeah, it's pretty bad in a few spots, but it didn't really bother me because I sort of expected it, given the area that it runs through. Maybe next time I'll try to pick up any of the junk that's actually in the water, though the entire truck chassis that I saw probably won't be included in that effort. :lmao:

It's a shame that I even need to think about that, but any time water runs through a developed area you'll see just about everything thrown in to it. There's a similar body of water in my hometown that runs near some supermarkets, and the number of shopping carts in the water was shocking.
Maybe in the spring we can get a group of us to try and clear some of it out. We made it just past the truck chassis before we headed out. Have you tried Macintosh Run in Leonardtown? It's pretty nice, but has the same access issues.

I'd like that. I'll mark a calendar somewhere around April or May, and maybe we'll remember it.

The only local places I've canoed are St. Mary's lake, and St. Mary's river. I'm assuming Macintosh feeds into Breton Bay? What road does one take to get there?

I'd like that. I'll mark a calendar somewhere around April or May, and maybe we'll remember it.

The only local places I've canoed are St. Mary's lake, and St. Mary's river. I'm assuming Macintosh feeds into Breton Bay? What road does one take to get there?
It's at the old SHA station on RT 5, right by Maypole Rd. Water is a little deeper and there's still some debris, but not nearlt as much. And yes, it dumps into Brenton Bay. We usually leave a truck at the Wharf. It's about 2 hours at a leisurely pace.
April or May sounds good. I'm sure there are a few more people that would lend a hand.