Where to paddle in the Virginia Beach area

With summer coming up, everyone is looking for some new places to discover while paddling.  This list isn’t all-inclusive, but I think there will be something here for everyone.

Lynnhaven Beach- Parking here is $3.  There are some docks and a boat ramp for easy launching.  Be careful of the currents in this area.  Under the Lesner Bridge are some of the fastest currents that you will encounter in our area.  I usually hug the west side of the inlet until I get a little farther away from the bridge.  One lap around Bay Island from here is a little bit more than 6 miles.  A nice little workout if you are ready for it.

The Narrows- located at First Landing State Park at the 64^th Street Entrance.  This is a very popular place to paddle.  Parking is $5 or a season pass is $40.  Follow 64^th street all the way until the end.  You will see a beach on your left after about 2 miles.  There is parking around this beach.  If it is full, don’t worry, there is a full lot and a boat ramp just ahead.  After launching from the beach, there are multiple routes to take.  Around Bay Island is barely over 7 miles.  Down Crystal Lake is the calmest route and the very end is about 2 miles from the beach.  There are many more routes so feel free to explore them all.  The current at the narrowest part can move pretty strongly so keep that in mind before you try to battle against it when you are exhausted.

Owls Creek- Located right next to the Virginia  Aquarium & Marine Science Center.  Parking is free.  There is a boat ramp and a couple of piers for easy launching.  This gives full access to Rudee Inlet.  From the boat ramp around to the end of Lake Wesley is just under 3 miles.  If you go out past the jetty, left at channel marker and down to the fishing pier and back to the boat ramp, it is exactly 5 miles.  There is more boat traffic here but they usually stay out of the way.  Current is minimal but paddling in the ocean will test your balance.  Be wary of the tourists on jet skis though.  They sometimes come a little closer than wanted.

Great Bridge lock park- if you live in Chesapeake or further this is an excellent option.  Parking is free.  Around the boat ramp and in towards the condos is a no wake zone.  Once you are out a little further there is some boat traffic but the waterway is wide enough to give you plenty of room as long as you can deal with some boat wakes.

Stumpy Lake- Free parking here.  3.2 miles from end to end.  There isn’t any wonder how it got its name though.  I highly recommend going to the Elbow road end and looking at the dam.  If the water is flowing over it or within an inch or so of the top of the dam, you should be fine if you stay in the middle.  Just keep your eyes on the water in front of you.  It can be an obstacle course dodging the stumps and floating logs.

Haven Creek boat ramp Norfolk- Excellent place to paddle for  non-Virginia Beach Residents.  Parking here is free.  Launching is easy from a dock or the boat ramp.  Go out of the little inlet of the boat ramp and go right to calmer waters, or go left and wind your way through many of Norfolk’s little house lined inlets.  A trek to Lamberts Point Golf club and back is about 8 miles.  There are some wonderful old houses on the water here and the views are pretty good.  From my experience the boat traffic is pretty minimal but I haven’t seen it in peak times.

The Bay- Unprotected somewhat open water but not dealing with ocean swell.  It can be fun paddling out through the bridges and practicing with your race board on the smaller waves.  You must find parking on the side of the road but it is definitely worth it.

Atlantic Paddle Source World Headquarters- We host many meetups and all of our classes at 600 Laskin Road.  It is one of the calmest places to learn to paddle.  From our docks you can quickly enjoy some wonderful scenery.  Wind your way around the Princess Anne country club or the Cavalier Yacht and Country club.  Venture out to Linkhorn bay.  Set a course for the Narrows or Crystal Lake.  All of these options are possible from our wonderful spot.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Surf Spots

1^st street Jetty- The jetty provides some shelter from the chop on the southerly winds.  It can get pretty crowded here.  I wouldn’t recommend this spot for beginners.  I would also brush up on your surfing etiquette before visiting this spot.

North End- My favorite spot for surfing.  A roomy wave can almost always be found here.  Parking can be difficult because it is all on the sides of the numbered streets.  This is where I would recommend for beginners.  You can easily stay far enough away from other people so riding every wave your little heart desires is a possibility.  This is where I will be found when a swell roles in.

Remember that if you are paddling outside of the surf zone (or in flat water) the law states that you will have your PFD on.  Don’t get caught without it unless you want to pay a hefty fine. If your favorite spot didn’t show up here, feel free to shoot me an email at Kurt@AtlanticPaddleSource.com.  I would be glad to add it to our list if you are willing to share because remember, we are not the source, you are.

-ks

This past weekend, Wrightsville Beach played host to one of the largest stand up paddle races on the east coast and the stars definitely came out to play.  If you managed to get down there for this event you would understand why this event is so astonishing, and if you didn’t, it is a must for your calendar next year.  It didn’t matter whether it be from a company or a fellow paddler, everyone shared the stoke of the weekend.  The people of Wrightsville Beach paddle club put on a superb event and all the paddlers there are the most enjoyable people to hang around with.  The Carolina Cup offered 3 races at 3, 6, and 13 miles, as well as multiple racing clinics from the top athletes in our sport.  There was a wealth of knowledge, gear, and good people, and it all combined to complete an awesome weekend.

Friday, I managed to get enrolled in a day long clinic with Jim Terrell and Larry Cain.  These Olympic medalists’ knowledge is so vast, it is amazing.  They could explain the paddle stroke in the simplest form or more complex than you ever imagined, which ever way you prefer.  I went in there with what I thought was a pretty awesome paddle stroke and they quickly pointed all these little details I was lacking that could make me so much faster without expending much more energy.  Now I just have to implement it, without too many swimming excursions.

After the clinic I got to see why the Carolina Cup is an amazing race even for those of us that came in knowing we didn’t have a chance to win.  The bay side and the ocean side lawns were lined with tents of manufacturers displaying their new products for all to see or use.  After hours of playing around, I decided to pack it up for the night.  I did have a race the next day and would benefit from resting up for that.  From my room, I watched the sun set over this amazing little beach town that was hosting the biggest SUP event on the east coast.

Race Day.

The first race start was the Money Island (6 mile) and Harbor Island (3 Mile) races.  After roughly 300 paddlers took the water, we kicked it off with the national anthem sung by 10 year old Savannah Baus, who was paddling the Graveyard course tandem with her mother Heather.

While all of us were huffing and puffing in our respected shorter races, the sport’s elite athletes were starting the graveyard course.  Described by our friend Steve as “A 12.5 mile, all-conditions elite SUP race course consisting of a beach start, two ocean segments, two inlets, a death-march paddle down the intercostal waterway on the back stretch and a beach finish.  Oh yeah, and it is always windy on race day in Wrightsville.  Some of the top world-class paddlers that race it described it as the most technical SUP race in the world because of the many different conditions.”

It is a sight to see Danny Ching come flying past a group of spectators, water flying off the nose of his board like he had one of those new wave jets underneath it.  I grabbed a board and headed in the water to get a better view of the action.  Shortly there after I got a view from the water of a draft pack lead by Jamie Mitchell (10x time prone paddleboard world champion), followed by Eric Terrien (#1 Ranked European stand up paddle boarder) and Ryan Helm on his 22 inch wide MHL custom.  Watching the skill of these paddlers and their drive was truly amazing.  These guys are at the absolute peak of our wonderful sport and the speeds they maintain and their technical ability baffles me over and over again.

Following them was Annabelle Anderson plugging along at a faster pace than most guys can even think about maintaining.  The mother/daughter duo of Heather and Savannah Baus was trailing not to far behind.  I don’t believe there were any other paddlers there that weekend that showed how special this sport of ours is than Heather and Savannah.  I think this will be the start of a trend of many parent-child tandems in the future.

I think many of the athletes that competed in this race for the first time now know why they call this course the Graveyard.

Top 10 men and women in the Graveyard course

Graveyard Elite Men’s Top 10

1: Danny Ching (2:14:40)

2: Eric Terrien (2:18:40)

3: Jamie Mitchell (2:19:42)

4: Chase Kosterlitz (2:21:32)

5: Ryan Helm (2:23:59)

6: Matt Becker (2:24:17)

7: Nick Leason (2:29:23)

8: Thomas Maximus (2:30:28)

9: Larry Cain (2:30:51)

10: Jeramie Vaine (2:31:05)

Graveyard Elite Women’s Top 10

1: Annabel Anderson (2:32:32)

2: Jenny Kalmbach (2:39:58)

3: Brandi Baksic (2:41:24)

4: Krisztina Zur (2:43:42)

Heather & Savannah Baus [tandem] (2:44:06)

5: Bailey Rosen (2:57:19)

6: Olivia Piana (2:59:08)

7: Mary Miller (2:59:34)

8: Alison Riddle (3:01:55)

9: Mary Anne Boyer (3:09:07)

10: Kimberley Sutton (3:09:10)

All to soon it was time to leave.  Time to go back to the real world and leave this little paddling heaven behind.  As I’m writing this, I am reflecting on the weekend and in awe of some of the things I got to experience.  Memorable experiences like being congratulated by an Olympic gold medalist on my own performance, or the sports most elite athlete running and jumping in the elevator, shutting the door, and turning to me and stating “Make the kids take the stairs.”  This past weekend was a great experience and a great way to immerse yourself in standup paddling.  This is an event that I will mark on my calendar next year for sure.

-kms

Lisa is PUMPED on her SUP training and always has a smile on her face.  She goes hard when she’s on the water.  We’ve loved watching her stoke and enthusiasm and last night’s SUP Yoga you could tell she was in her element.  Turns out she’s a Hot House Yogi so she pretty much knew all the moves Lisa, we’re happy to have you as a BOOB and you are a role model for all the girls.

Jesse is just a cool dude who shows up each week ready to paddle.  He also put the paddle to the metal and gunned it at Stand Up VB and it’s been exciting watching how far he’s come so fast.  We would expect to see him as an integral part of the VB SUP community and on the race circuit.

Jennie’s not only a great paddler but an incredible athlete.  So when she signed up for Stand Up VB, naturally we knew she would kick some butt.  When she’s not working, paddling or spending time with her family you can find her spending early mornings in the gym and running with children with disabilities  in Team Hoyt VB…among everything else that she squeezes into her days.  We’re fortunate to call her a friend and she’s a great example of beauty inside and out.

The first time we met Aaron we introduced him to stand up paddle boarding in a pool.  Granted, it was a pretty big pool, but let’s just say he became very proficient at turning after his time in the pool.  A few weeks later he signed up for the Gentlemen’s Club and just yesterday completed the 5 mile course of Stand Up VB.  That’s what we call coming a long way fast!

Jennie and Aaron, thank you for participating in Stand Up VB and being such motivating paddle boarders.  And to all the members from Boobs & the Gentlemen’s club that participated, we can’t tell you how STOKED we were to watch you all push yourselves in grueling heat and give it your all and we are so proud at how far you’ve all come since that first week when we started out with how to hold a paddle

ELITE MENS
Steve Dullack, 1:51
Jason Stender, 1:54
William Miller, 1:57
Rich Hamady, 2:01
Sandy Deeley, 2:01
Chip Boggs, 2:04
Tyler Hustrulid, 2:06
Bobby Alverio, 2:11
Kevin Baum, 2:13
Adam Piepkrn, 2:14
Kurt Soucy, 2:23
Brent Prough, 2:25
Vernon Harrison, 2:32
Henry Willett, 2:34
Al Mansfield, 3:34
Bill Gassett

ELITE WOMENS
Robin Lang, prone,  2:10
Anne Gassett,2:15
Sherry Correll, 2:28
Carrie Copenhaver, 2:30
Natasha Scott, 2:35
Lynna Mislang, 2:35
Jennifer Watson, 2:52
Melanie Locher, 2:58
Lauren Pfeifer, 3:21

10-MILE REC
Tara Gill (Surfski), 1:46
Jesse King, 2:35
Chris O’Donnel,l 2:38
Keith Jensen, 2:43
Blair Fine, 2:49
Jimmy Finley, 2:50
Craig Smith, 2:51
Patrick McKeever, 2:51
Dennis Watson, 2:56
Robin Kassir, 3:12
Jared Tuxill, 3:12
Michael Defoor, 3:17
Jennie Verry, 3:21:00
Lou Cote, 3:21
Glenn Ryder, 3:22
Elizabth Friske, 3:25
Beth Helm, 3:44
Rikki Hummel, 3:45
Sandy Martin, 3:51
Ben Willis

5-MILE REC
Ann Gottwald, 1:02
Teddy Gottwald, 1:02
Margaret Valentine, 1:05
Karl Bogg,s 1:07
Evan Williams, 1:08
Ray Barnett, 1:12
Maggie Seymour, 1:14
Scotty B, 1:14
Elizabeth Harte, 1:18
Randi Eure, 1:28
Ned Atkins, 1:29
Tyler Carmack, 1:29
Veronica Robinson, 1:30
Sallie Kerr, 1:33
Michael Bordi, 1:35
Phillip Ballard, 1:45
Aaron Hines, 46:06:00
Keegan VanAuken, 48:40:00
Mark Gottwald, 54:13:00
Shannon Gilmartin, 57:04:00
Steve Vehorn
Joyce Hackenberg
Ben Rawles

To register click HERE