SUP Potomac

We were in DC this past Saturday showing Rob (our visiting Englishman) some of the monuments on foot and after seeing him off decided to try hitting the Potomac on ShuBu.

We put in next to a place called Jacks Landing which (apart from the smell of the sewage) was a fairly nice area.

Because this was just before the big 4th of July celebration there were TONS of boats parked in the middle of the river getting ready for the big show, which in turn gave us plenty of obstacles to paddle around!  =)

We didn’t try paddling to see the monuments from the water as we’d been walking in the sun all day and I was feeling pretty wiped by the time we hit the water…but we did see at least 20 planes take off right above us making this one of the most interesting nature vs city paddles yet.

Next time we paddle DC we’ll have a plan (food, water, route, parking, etc.) and hope to see more of DC from the water.

Have any of our readers paddled DC???

If so, where is your all-time favorite spot to put in and what’s your favorite thing to see from the water?

First Paddle of 2011

We were blessed with (as my friend @EdOMalley put it) an “awesome weather gift” this past Friday!

Sunny skies and 73 degrees weather called us to the river for a quick (into the wind) paddle.

We only got in about 40 minutes of actual paddle time as the sun was going down pretty quickly…but it was a wonderful 40 minutes.

The wind was so strong I had to spend about half the time kneeling down, but it still made for an awesome workout.

By the way, I don’t recommend paddling without your middle fin when it’s windy.

I removed my middle fin because I was afraid of hitting rocks…

I should have been more afraid of being blown all the way down-river!

An excellent time as always at Huguenot Flats.

Last Paddle of 2010

I honestly can’t believe I’m typing this but I’m excited to share our last paddling excursion of 2010 with you!

My husband and I decided to take a mini mid-week vacation to our favorite Stand Up Paddle friendly B&B (The Inn at Tabb’s Creek) this past week.

We knew it would be cold, but we brought our ShuBu’s anyway.  ; )

The grounds of the Inn were just as beautiful covered in snow as it had been back in late spring during our first visit.

The first thing we did upon arrival was check the water…..

There were definitely some icy patches but that didn’t stop us.  We waited for the temperature to raise a little before gearing up, convincing Innkeeper Greg to join us, and then it was onto the water…

Luckily for us, there was practically no wind. 

Apart from being a little nerve-racking….it felt absolutely awesome walking on icy waters….

Because the ice was pretty thin on most parts of the creek we could paddle right through it without too much trouble (though we definitely had to keep our balance)…

We paddled for about an hour before it started to sleet!  At that point it was too cold to stay on the water so we hit dry land, warmed up in our suite with hot chocolate and enjoyed the view…

The next day we convinced both Innkeepers Greg and Lori to join us for one last paddle (it also happened to be New Year’s Eve)…

The sun was shining much brighter today so we decided to head out toward East River.

The view of the Inn at Tabb’s Creek from the water was GORGEOUS!

We turned back toward the Inn after a little while and made a B-line for the ice again….

And then the craziest thing happened….

Greg and Lori’s cat, Chai, decided to join Lori on her board….

I never, ever thought I’d see a Stand Up Paddling cat…..so, awesome.

After our ice-paddling excursion we changed into warm clothes, bid Lori, Greg and Chai goodbye and hit the road.

What an excellent last paddle of 2010.

Life is good.

SUP Lake Anna…

So the weather this weekend was awesome……68 degrees, clear skies, light breeze….how could we NOT go out for a paddle?

With the leaves turning so quickly in the past few days we decided we’d explore a portion of Lake Anna for our paddle.

I had a feeling the view from the water was going to be amazing…

I didn’t realize how amazing until we got in at Dukes Creek Marina….

There were beautiful and vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange everywhere we looked…

The sky was absolutely gorgeous….the water was completely calm (with a few ripples from the occasional passing boat)….we were in paddle heaven….

I would HIGHLY recommend this paddle for anyone that appreciates nature at it’s best.

While it was still a little chilly when the wind blew….we were wearing enough layers (3 to be exact) to be comfortable. 

We paddled and explored a number of the islands throughout Lake Anna and returned to Dukes Creek Marina after about 3 hours of paddling.

Dukes Creek Marina is a great little area to park your car (they only charge $3) and get on the water.

We hope to get out there again soon!

SUP Pony Pasture – Richmond, Va

Mother Nature has been extra generous this month!

She gave us yet ANOTHER gorgeous Saturday for SUPing Virginia’s waterways.

This weekend we decided to check out one of Richmond’s hubs for water activities; Pony Pasture off of Riverside Dr.

This area of the James River is great for canoeing, kayaking, swimming, tubing and in certain areas; whitewater rafting.

We walked downriver a bit to get a good feel for what would be in store for us and decided we’d rather just figure it out on the water!  Adventure is great!

The plan (or non-plan I should say) was to put in at Pony Pasture, go as far downriver as possible with our ShuBu’s and then turn around and paddle back up-river for a good work-out.

Several kayakers put in as we pumped our boards up, one of them saying to the other “Wow, now I feel lazy that we get to sit down in our kayaks.”

It’s so fun for us to see or hear the reactions of people when they see us pumping up our boards, paddling on our boards or deflating our boards.

We get a LOT of questions and comments when we’re out on the water too and are only too happy to talk about the sport and the boards.

Once our boards were pumped and ready, we got onto the water and immediately had to navigate through some very rocky waters (picture below: my board stuck on a massive rock).

Once we got around that first phase of rocks, we hit our first bout of rapids.

Jody wore a helmet for this portion since we’re only just learning how to SUP through rapids!

I took the rapids nice and easy on my bum since I had my camera with me and did not have a helmet, nonetheless…it was so much FUN!

After the first round of rapids we hit a wonderfully calm and flat area where we could just cruise awhile.

Catfish swam beneath us, ducks kept their eyes on us, turtles sun-bathed around us….it was the most gorgeous day to be standing on water….

Further downriver we found a fantastic sandbar and started practicing walking up and down the boards, tricks, etc. all without fear of falling on rocks.

Pictured above, Jody is trying to perfect a front tail spin that Chesapeake Boardsport’s Macky Hall taught him in Mathews County.  I have no idea if that is actually what it’s called but you essentially walk to the front of the board, turn to face the back of the board and spin the board around 360 and then return to the back of the board.

Pictured above is me practicing quick (finless) turns and my new trick the “sumo-quake” (not pictured).  =)

After we played on the flat water we continued downriver until we could see (and hear) a second phase of rapids.

Because we got on the water without a game plan, we knew if we went through this second bout of rapids we wouldn’t be able to get the boards back upriver. 

We parked the boards on the rocks just before the rapids and had some water and pop-tarts while we considered what to do next.

We had seen another area to get out of the water that opened up to a trail shortly after the first phase of rapids and decided when we paddled back upriver we would get out there.  But this second round would mean going further downriver and trying to find a ride back to Pony Pasture.

We continued lounging on the rocks, taking in the view of Powhite Parkway bridge and decided we’d turn back and paddle upriver this time, but that next time we’d park a car further downriver so we could have a longer (and more rapid) expedition.

The paddle back upriver was (as usual) much more difficult than we anticipated.  I keep forgetting that when you take the middle fin off of the board you don’t keep true to the direction you want to be going in very well.  The plus side to that however, is you get a major work-out that you feel for the next two days.

We finally managed to get back to solid ground and deflated the boards.

Once everything was deflated and gathered up we packed on our Shubu’s and trekked back to the car, already planning our next expedition.

Overall a GREAT area to paddle and try some smaller rapids, but only if you have an inflatable Stand Up Paddleboard; the rocks alone would destroy anything else.

ShuBu’s rock!  =)

SUP Huguenot Flatwater, Va

I have to tell you, I’ve been waiting ALL WEEK to get back on my ShuBu.

So you can imagine my joy when Saturday arrived and my husband suggested we check out Huguenot Flatwater (without Kozy this time, just so we could do more exploring).

The Huguenot Flatwater area/parking lot was extremely easy to get to.  You come over the Huguenot bridge and take the first road (there are signs to Huguenot Flatwater and Pony Pasture) and voila…you’re there.

While it was a BEAUTIFUL day to be on the water, the water in this area was lower than we would have liked which made our paddle slightly difficult in comparison to other places we’ve experienced.

Algae (at least I think it was algae) took up a lot of the waters surface for the first bit of our trip.  Sometimes the algae made way for rocks, which was difficult for me (at first) to navigate, but after about 20 minutes or so I felt confidant enough to stand up on my board amid the rocks, algae and submerged tree trunks in the water.

As we paddled up river (toward Boshers Dam) the winds and current worked against us which made for a FANTASTIC workout!

My husband and I actually took the middle fins off of our ShuBu’s several times throughout this trip because of low areas of water or extremely rocky areas.

Eventually, we made it to Willey Bridge which is just before Boshers Dam.

The water got extremely low at this point so I parked my ShuBu against some rocks and took in some sun while Jody continued up to Boshers Dam to check it out.

After another 15 minutes or so of Jody exploring Boshers Dam, it was time for us to turn around and catch our first downwinder back to Huguenot Bridge.

The ride back was extremely easy-going.  I got to enjoy more of the scenery because I wasn’t in a constant battle with the wind and current.

The paddle up to Boshers Dam was about a mile.  It seemed to take us awhile because we had to stop several times to take our middle fins off of our boards to avoid hitting rocks along the way.  The downwinder back down to the launch area was very quick.

I’m not sure I’d recommend this paddle when the water is this low.  We had a great time but we also had boards that are very versatile on the river.  I definitely would not have been comfortable taking an epoxy board on this excursion.

All in all, another GREAT paddling experience in Virginia! 

More information about the area:  http://www.jamesriverpark.org/general-location.htm

SUP Gwynn’s Island, Va

This weekend we ventured out to a family friend’s home on Gwynn’s Island for some Sunday paddle-boarding.

It was an exciting day as this would be our first time using our Shubu’s since purchasing them from Chesapeake BoardSports.

This would also be MY first time inflating my board. 

I was a little worried that I’d have a hard time with it, but apart from having to take a break in-between pumping, I was able to comfortably pump my board to 11 psi.

With inflated boards in tow, we hit the water on the East side of the Island off of North Bay Haven Rd.

Winds from Hurricane Igor were coming in strong that day so we experienced a heck of a lot of chop on the water.  It was a GREAT workout!

Conditions were fantastic for giving our nephews a few paddleboard rides…

After playing on the boards with our nephews we decided to head out without any destination or plan in mind.

We paddled South and eventually reached a great looking sandbar. 

We decided to walk our boards across the sandbar to the other side of the island to check out the waters on the Millford Haven side.

I do have to confess, carrying a 10’7 board and paddle even a short distance was quite a challenge for me.  Walking the boards across the sand was my least favorite part of the excursion (though I did enjoy the photo opportunities).

Once we got onto the water on the other side of the sandbar I realized how tired I was from paddling the chop and carrying the board.

It was at that point my husband and I realized we had different ideas about what to do next…

He wanted to try paddling around the entire island, I wanted to get back to where we started but without having to carry my board and paddle back across the sandbar.

So I voted for trying to paddle around the island (I was going to do whatever it took to not carry that board again).  The only problem was that we didn’t have a map of the island and didn’t know how far we’d gotten from where we started or how long it would take to get all the way around.

It was at this point that my husband decided to paddle into the nearest creek and ask for directions.

He jumped onto the nearest dock and startled a woman in her yard.

He explained where we were trying to go, etc. and the next thing we knew she was insisting that we park our boards in her yard and that she drive us back to the house we were visiting so we could get our car and come back for the boards. 

Our new friend Jeanie was incredibly sweet and so we just couldn’t say no to her.

She ran back into her house, provided us with cold water bottles and towels and we were on our way.

She asked where we were from because “ya’ll are obviously not from around here” and we learned that Jeanie was originally from the Richmond area and purchased her Gwynn’s Island home for retirement.

We arrived back at the house and laughed the whole situation off with the family.  My husband followed Jeanie back to her place and picked up our boards.  He deflated the boards to transport them so at that point we decided to pack up the rest of the gear for the day.

The rest of the day was spent eating, laughing and playing with our nephews.

Quite the adventure for a Sunday.

All in all, a fantastic area for paddle-boarding!

Next time we paddle Gwynn’s Island….we’ll be more prepared….and we’ll make it all the way around.  =)

Show Up and Blow Up

Our last morning at the Inn at Tabb’s Creek Lori and Greg (Innkeepers) called Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports to come give us a demo of the hilarious but functional sounding “inflatable” stand up paddle board.

My husband and I had seen pictures and videos of these ShuBu boards (ShuBu is short for Show Up and Blow Up) and wanted to see them in action.

Honestly, we were extremely skeptical that something inflatable would work anything like an actual stand up paddle board.

It rained the morning of the demo but that didn’t stop Macky Hall from wanting to get on the water….which was fine by us!

He arrived with several different boards for us to try (a Hobie, something else that I can’t seem to remember the name of, and the ShuBu).

The big reason I wanted to try the ShuBu was because of the transportability factor.

A ShuBu comes in a bag.

You take it out of the bag, blow it up, play on the board, deflate it, and stick it back in the bag.

No anchoring down a heavy board to my car.

Because of this factor, I really hoped the ShuBu would work for me.

Macky unrolled the ShuBu and started pumping it up.

This was the first time our Innkeepers had seen a ShuBu as well so Lori marked the occasion by taking some video:

Once the board was pumped up to 11 psi, I took it out onto the water.

The first thing I noticed was the stability.

It was surprisingly stable for an inflatable.

I was able to stand up with no problem at all.

One thing I did notice once I stood up was that I could feel everything that was happening in the water beneath me.

With a regular board, you can obviously feel the chop in the water, etc., but with the ShuBu, I could feel which way the water was moving, how big (or little) the chop was, how it hit the fins, etc.

Once I started paddling the biggest difference for me was the speed. You definitely don’t glide over the water as easily on a Shubu. But it’s not meant to be a racing board. It’s a cruiser. It’s meant to be fun.

And it really is.

My husband and I switched boards several times.

The first thing he did when he got on the ShuBu was jump up and down on it.

My husband is significantly bigger than me so you could see the board sinking into the water just slightly…but it still withstood his weight.

He took it into a little bit of chop (though there wasn’t much that day) and practiced some turning maneuvers that Macky had just taught him.

We switched boards again and I tried some turning and walking around on the ShuBu…it was very comfortable.

Amazingly comfortable.

I couldn’t help but laugh the entire time I paddled on the ShuBu.

It just doesn’t make sense to me.

It’s a blow up.

It was really hard for me to get over that!

I did eventually get over it.

The other great features of the Shubu (apart from the transportability) is the bungee rip chord on the front of the board. Life-vests, backpacks, etc. can be tied down for long excursions. I really dig that.

The biggest reason we really wanted to demo the ShuBu though, was for the kind of SUPing we’re looking to do closer to home.

We live near the James River. There are some areas with great flat waters, but we want to try a river run….

and you don’t want to take a super nice stand up paddle board onto the river.

Rocks would damage it, fins would be demolished…it just doesn’t make much sense.

ShuBu’s however…can withstand rocks. The middle fin on the Shubu is removable. It just makes sense.

Because it was raining while we were out testing the boards I didn’t take my camera, therefore I have no pictures of the ShuBu in action.

However, we did end up purchasing two ShuBu’s from Macky that morning….

so there will definitely be pictures of our next adventure….I promise.

Here is my ShuBu in the bag.

Thanks again so much to Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports for bringing the equipment out in the rain to let us demo our ShuBu’s and for a great paddle at Tabbs Creek!