Life on Little Assawoman

Welcome back, Daylight Savings Time! We have missed you! An extra hour after work to do something outside—it’s the best gift ever! Prep the garden. Clean up the yard. Take your dog for a nice, long walk. Go for a hike, a run, a bike ride. Walk on the beach. Watch the birds as they build nests and prepare for their coming brood. Plant a tree. You no longer have to wait for your next day off. Now you have time today!   I know, I know. This gift might not really be a true gift because it comes with a price. Losing an hour of sleep. It stinks. But maybe we can think of it as traveling to a different time zone. To a better time zone. And then staying in that time zone

When wanting to experience fall colors, the first eco-system you think of usually isn’t the salt marsh. However, it is home to one of the most spectacular autumnal transformations in our area. Salicornia, a small succulent herb, grows among the salt marsh grasses all summer long. The different greens of the marsh blend and you have to look closely to pick it out. But by mid-September, Salicornia decides it’s through being a wallflower. The hot pink starts at the tips of its tubular, fleshy leaves dabbed on, like little, dainty fingernails. The color deepens as it spreads through the plant—fuchsia, crimson, ruby. And before dropping off, the “leaf” becomes the color of a fruity merlot. This color display takes place in the fall, but it’s not necessarily because of the decrease in sunlight and cooler

Broken beer bottles, rusty mattress coils, knife-like shards of Quahog shells, fishing hooks, forks, spiny box fish skeletons, wafer-thin pieces of aluminum cans, barnacle-encrusted soda bottles, corroded spark plugs—we’ve found all of this and more in the shallow water of Little Assawoman Bay. Step on any of these with bare feet and there’ll be no more beach time or water activities for you for the rest of your vacation.  “But I don’t plan on getting off my paddle board,” you say. You can’t get from our beach to your board or kayak or sailboat without walking in the water. All of the aforementioned items were found within three feet of the shoreline.  And not all water entries are planned. Maybe your friend accidentally bumps you from behind, or a boat wake wobbles your board unexpectedly.

Here at the beach, you’re surrounded by water—the Atlantic on one side and the inland bays on the other. Of course you want to take advantage of it! But how do you decide between a guided kayak tour for your family versus having a kayak on your back deck to take out whenever you feel like it? The following are a few factors to consider that may help you decide: 1) How old are your kids? Grade school and middle school kids love our guided tours. They love to hold Horseshoe Crabs and turtles, learn about Osprey and Oyster Catchers, and see the marsh environment up close. But many teenagers appreciate the freedom of a rental, having their own space and their own time to do whatever it is teens do! 2) Nature Experience versus Water

A scavenger hunt?? Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt?? We're now offering a fun activity to get everyone involved in your next paddling adventure. Did you paddle to Daisy Marsh? Spot a Great Blue Heron? See a Diamondback Terrapin peek up at you from below the water? Local landmarks, our feathered friends, the much maligned jellyfish - check off at least six different Little Assawoman Bay residents (bonus points for picking up trash!) and win a coveted CK sticker! But wait! There’s more! Post a photo of your CK Scavenger Hunt with #CKscavengerhunt to Instagram or Facebook and be entered in a weekly drawing for wearable CK swag or gift certificates to local businesses! A fun competition for kids of all ages and a great way to discover more nooks and crannies of our beautiful

If you’re staying on the water for your beach vacation, the best way to take full advantage of it is by renting a kayak or paddle board to keep at your house. Go for a peaceful sunrise paddle to witness the bay waking up; or end the day by watching the sun set over the bow of your kayak; send the kids out to work off some energy; or slip away for some me-time whenever the mood strikes. But not all water-access rental properties are the same. Before you make a reservation for your kayak or paddle board, you’ll want to double check a few details with your realtor or host. Here are some things to consider: Will you be launching from a dock, a ramp, a shoreline, or a bulkhead? Dock: Is it floating

According to Mitch, back in the 1980s when he first moved to the area, the Tuesday after Labor Day you could roll a bowling ball right down the middle of Rt. 1. While the nesting and migratory habits of homo sapiens have changed radically in recent years, for most species, life cycle changes are measured in decades, centuries, and eons. Which means that, even though nowadays weekend beach traffic is thick no matter the season, you still won’t see a Horseshoe crab in Little Assawoman Bay in January. But where do our feathered, gilled, and web-footed friends go in the winter? Bird-watchers and scientists have always known that Osprey, easily recognizable by their high-pitched call, daring plunges, and platform nests guarding over our bays, leave the Mid-Atlantic for southern climes around the same time kids

In our household exists two opposite maintenance ideologies: Mitch believes in it and I don’t. That’s not exactly true. I think regular maintenance is great as long as someone else (Mitch) does it. The wonderful thing about kayaks, especially plastic ones, is that for most of the year they require little to no maintenance. No engines to flush, oil to change, wiper fluid to fill, or batteries to replace. However, it’s a good idea to pamper your kayak a little before tucking it in for its long winter nap, so it is happy and perky when it comes out of hibernation, ready for a summer of exploration. Drain and dry your kayak: Although our winters here in the mid-Atlantic are mild, inevitably we will have some sub-freezing nights and days. Any water left inside the

You may notice a few changes to Coastal Kayak. But behind the masks and the plexiglass, we’re still excited to see you! Here is what you can expect when you come to rent a kayak, paddleboard, or sailboat this season: 1) We ask that only one person in your group approach our front door (with a sign that says “Start Here”) wearing a mask. We will give that person the release forms for everyone to fill out. (We also have digital release forms available on our website if you'd prefer to take care of this step without contact.) 2) Everyone in your group will need to sign the forms. You can either take them back to your vehicle to fill out or we will have tables available. If using the tables, please do not go

This past summer we greeted a lot of friendly faces - families from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, New York; young professionals from D.C, Philadelphia, Manhattan; retirees from Lewes, Selbyville, Millville. But some of our most surprising visitors this year didn’t drive into our parking lot. They flew and swam into our bay. Pelicans: We saw more Brown Pelicans in Little Assawoman Bay than ever before. On the ocean side, pelicans are not a rare sighting. But sometimes years will pass between sightings on our bay. However, this summer, at one point, we counted over thirty pelicans at one time circling or floating on the water near Point of Cedars Island. Pelicans are more fascinating to watch than the Weather Channel during hurricane season - the way they fold their awkward beaks sleekly into their bodies while