New to Kayaking

[aps45819 (Premo)]

1. Buy a friggin' county map
2. green blobs next to blue areas ar parks with water access
3. go to one and put you kayak in the water
4.

[morningbell]

I always liked St Mary's River by the College its nice and flat down there.

I used to yak @ night there but don't tell anyone

[spinner]

Oh, and Marshall Hall in Charles county and Mattawoman Creek....there are lots of places to go.

[Junk411]

Originally Posted by aps45819

1. Buy a friggin' county map
2. green blobs next to blue areas ar parks with water access
3. go to one and put you kayak in the water
4.

I have lots of maps, none of them have an opinion. This is what I think about your opinion .
But thats just my opinion.

However the topic is NOT general kayaking. I want to know what people consider good places for a beginner. Perhaps someone who's best self-rescue is get out of boat - swim to shore with kayak in tow.

Really I need to practice getting in and out of the boat. And when I went to St. Georges Island, a big ol' sign greeted me, "WARNING STRONG CURRENT AND UNDERTOW"
I want to practice rescue, not become one.

Kayaking is fun, so I want to keep it that way. Start off small. Learn some skills. You can read about it in a magazine 1000 times, but actually doing the stuff takes considerable skill. To learn it you have to be on the water.

Everyone who has kayaked before knows when you are out in the bay two miles offshore, that is not the time to find out your paddle float won't stay attached to your paddle because the snap fitting is busted.

Surely there are a lot of new or prospectively new people interested in kayaking, considering all the water in the area. So lets share the wealth of knowledge and be safe about it.

Stephen


p.s. I ended up in Harper Creek on the naval air station because I know it is protected from the winds somewhat because of all the trees. But it is a small creek. I mean very smlall.

[desertrat (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Junk411

I have lots of maps, none of them have an opinion. This is what I think about your opinion .
But thats just my opinion.

However the topic is NOT general kayaking. I want to know what people consider good places for a beginner. Perhaps someone who's best self-rescue is get out of boat - swim to shore with kayak in tow.

Really I need to practice getting in and out of the boat. And when I went to St. Georges Island, a big ol' sign greeted me, "WARNING STRONG CURRENT AND UNDERTOW"
I want to practice rescue, not become one.

Kayaking is fun, so I want to keep it that way. Start off small. Learn some skills. You can read about it in a magazine 1000 times, but actually doing the stuff takes considerable skill. To learn it you have to be on the water.

Everyone who has kayaked before knows when you are out in the bay two miles offshore, that is not the time to find out your paddle float won't stay attached to your paddle because the snap fitting is busted.

Surely there are a lot of new or prospectively new people interested in kayaking, considering all the water in the area. So lets share the wealth of knowledge and be safe about it.

Stephen


p.s. I ended up in Harper Creek on the naval air station because I know it is protected from the winds somewhat because of all the trees. But it is a small creek. I mean very smlall.

Ah, but it leads to a very big bay. You could also try Goose creek on the base or any of the ponds.

[daisycreek]

st mary's river state park on rt 5 @ 1 mile past food lion ... camp cosoma road, nice size lake

[toppick08 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by daisycreek

st mary's river state park on rt 5 @ 1 mile past food lion ... camp cosoma road, nice size lake

......deep too

Heard it was to be drained in July, to finally fix the dam.......

[daisycreek]

also if you head back down to st george island don't go over the bridge, put your yak in at the boat ramp and head up the creek toward piney point .. there are many little fingers and coves off the creek.

the strong currents & under tows are mainly under the bridge and around the sandbars


plus yesterday the wind had everything churned up...

[aps45819 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Junk411

Really I need to practice getting in and out of the boat. And when I went to St. Georges Island, a big ol' sign greeted me, "WARNING STRONG CURRENT AND UNDERTOW"
I want to practice rescue, not become one..

Use a little common sense.
Before entering any water, take some time to observe currents and flow paterns. Most of the rivers around here are tidal. If the rise/fall flows through a narrow opening, like under the bridge at St. Georges Is., you'll have a strong current during tide changes.
Check the tide charts for the high/low times

[dn0121]

How did you get started? I just posted about wanting to learn a new hobby and thought this would be fun. Did you take a class or just learn from a friend?