Chincoteague, VA
When I first booked the Sunset Kayak Tour with Up a Creek Tours outfitters, I was concerned that it wouldn’t be a long enough trip. I knew my family wouldn’t hold up paddling for a full half day; let alone an 8 hour trip, so that wasn’t really an option. But when I was told that we would be on the water for two hours, give or take the thought occurred to me that this once a year family adventure would leave us wanting more. I was wrong.
We met Heather, our guide, at 5pm as was arranged and by the time we settled up, filled out the appropriate waivers, drove to the launching site and pushed off it was nearing 6pm. Heather, moved quickly and with purpose. You could tell this wasn’t her first time moving a family of rookies to the waters edge. The kayaks were put in position to be launched, our paddles were assembled, our water bottles stowed and our life jackets donned within the hour.
My first few moments with the tandem kayak I was in were less than positive. And then it got worse from there. Heather advised me that people in tandems really need to work together and some of the most efficient ones even get into a rhythm of saying “left…right…left.” Well, my 6 year old would have none of that. As we zigged and zagged down the canal I realized that in the end I would receive little help from my pint sized partner at the front of the boat.
For this first stretch of our family adventure, all was great with the world. There were 5 boats in our party. My son, daughter, wife and Heather were all in their own kayaks and I was in the tandem with my youngest child. The sun wasn’t quite setting but the shadows were most certainly lengthening. We admired the beautiful houses along the canal and realized that even though this was our fourth trip to Chincoteague as a family (I also visited the island several times as a child) we had never seen this part of the island. For getting into some beautiful places on the water, a kayak is the picture of efficiency.
The serene canal (Deep Hole Creek) came to an abrupt end as it emptied into the south end of Oyster Bay and from my place in the rear I could barely hear Heather shouting out the directions. I realized that what she must have been yelling was for us to seriously start paddling. The current from the tide was exceptional. I tried to have Seth work with me but it became apparent that his efforts actually ended up causing me more work. I asked him to stop paddling until we crossed the small channel and he gladly agreed. A double breasted cormorant was perched on a pier just in front of us and he never took his eyes off of the large bird. Its outstretched wings made it look like some sort of a gargoyle ready to spring at us and I think it unnerved him a bit.
I got back up with the rest of the crew and heard Heather say that we were going to go around Morris Island which she pointed to straight ahead of us. From my vantage point in the kayak the island seemed to stretch from one end of the horizon to the other and I knew at that point that my wife and daughter would struggle with the distance. It just seemed like an awful lot of ground to cover.
We cut into the channel that goes through the southwest corner of Morris Island. Again, the current was stronger at some points than at others. Whenever this happened I usually had Seth ease up on paddling at all. If I was going to have to power a tandem kayak myself I wanted it to go where I pointed it. Heather yelled to us as she pointed to a white tailed deer bounding across the island. Afterwards she told us that in the 5 years she’d been guiding on the island she’d never seen a deer there.
By the time we made the last two 90 degree turns and busted out into Assateague Channel I was spent. Well, spent isn’t exactly the right word. I’d had to push myself for certain. And if I had to push myself then I was fairly positive that both my wife and daughter would be somewhere near the “miserable” stage. I was right.
We stayed between my daughter and my wife who brought up the rear. My son was way ahead with Heather and it was apparent that he was totally enjoying his time on the water. I kept trying to get my daughter to lighten up but she wasn’t happy. I could hear and see her frustration. I didn’t have to say it but if it kept up much longer I would simply ask her if she quit on me how did she think she would get back to the van? The great thing about an adventure is digging down a bit and exploring areas outside of your comfort zone. If you’re in a kayak fighting a very strong tide several miles from home you kind of don’t have a choice. A commitment is needed. And valuable life lessons can be learned and never forgotten.
Paddling up Little Morris Island Creek offered a bit of a respite. The sun glistened and sparkled across the water. Old, long ago abandoned shacks remained at the waters edge, home now only to millions of migratory birds that use the area as a gateway north in the spring and south in the fall. They say that the snow geese when they make their way through these parts blanket the water like some sort of feathery flying snow. I’d like to see that someday.
As we paddled through the Morris Island Outlet and headed into the sun the occupied osprey nest caught our attention. Heather had mentioned before we set out that there was an osprey nest we would pass along our journey but we had passed several of these man made structures and I had just assumed that momma and poppa osprey were out looking for dinner. Turns out that this was the nest she was talking about and there was no mistaking the fact that it was most certainly occupied. Both male and female ospreys actually look quite similar. And both stick around to feed their hungry babies. The abundant waters of the eastern shore of Virginia offer a veritable smorgasbord at their talon tips.
This was a sunset kayak tour we were on and by this point the shadows had grown about as long as they could get before disappearing. I smiled. This was what I came for. This was what I hoped my family would recognize. I dipped my newly blistered hands into the water and we coasted for a bit. An egret flapped its wings and exploded out of the marsh to my left. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.
It was time for the last final push against the current. I’d been in a kayak in saltwater bays before this, but I’d never experienced the sheer force of a strong tide like this. It required short bursts of maximum efforts at times. The channel that cuts across in front of the opening of Deep Hole Creek was exceptionally strong. Heather later commented than in idea conditions the water was like glass. We’d seen nothing like that.
“This thing tracks like a beach ball,” I said.
Heather laughed and admitted that she personally would never own a tandem kayak for her own use. They had them in their fleet, however, for people who thought it was better to experience a kayak with someone. Actually, there was no way my 6 year old could have made the trip solo so they most certainly do serve a purpose. At first I thought my Current Design Crosswind was just an inferior kayak but I have since come across quite a few very positive reviews of this boat. It seemed like even when we were perfectly in synch the boat still weaved back and forth, but I’m sure there were other factors involved such as and including the big difference in our weight as well as the power of our stroke. I now realize that I will never own a tandem kayak. A rental someday again? Probably.
In closing I would just like to thank Heather for a most enjoyable little excursion. Up a Creek Tours have various options for various skill levels. They can be reached at 757-693-1200.