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These days you can purchase a brand new kayak for nearly the price of a large cheese pizza. So why are some kayaks so much more expensive than others? And are the pricey ones worth it? Comfort, handling, and durability are the key differences between expensive and cheap kayaks. Feeling comfortable in a kayak basically comes down to three things: seats, foot braces, and stability. Kayak handling (for beginner kayaks) is about efficiency and how the boat performs in the wind. It’s difficult to tell how durable a kayak is by just looking at it. The main way to know is by going with a brand that’s been around awhile.  Seats: Many of the cheaper kayaks either don’t come with seats or the seats are an afterthought with little to no back support. The more

We depend so much on weather forecasts and apps these days. But in our area, neither are very accurate. Paddlers miss out on some beautiful days on the water because they trust their app exclusively instead of trusting their own eyes. Maybe it’s time to stop looking at our phones for the weather, and just go outside and look up! Before radar and computer models, people watched the sky to help determine what weather was heading their direction. Mariners especially had to divine the meaning of different cloud patterns - their lives depended on it! It takes years of study and observation to accurately predict weather from watching the clouds. But if we, as paddlers, can recognize fair versus changing conditions, we can make good decisions about whether or not it’s a good time to

We’ve made some changes to our 2024 sailing program. We've added a more thorough beginner lesson and we're bringing back our kid's sailing drop-in session. The biggest change to our sailing program is that, at this time, we will not be offering sailboat rentals. Many factors have gone into this decision. We realize this will be very disappointing to some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, just south of Dewey Beach, offers sailboat rentals with advanced reservations. Here's a brief description of what we've got planned for this summer: Sailing Instruction:  The Basics of Sailing - A private one-hour sailing experience perfect for those curious about learning to sail, but not sure they want to dive in. This is a great fit for that “new” vacation activity and for kids

“You’ll never make it.” We heard that over and over back in 1999, our first year at Fenwick Island State Park. We weren’t renting jet skis, and that fact irritated a lot of the customers of the jet-ski-rental business that had been here before us. In fact, eight out of every ten cars that pulled into our lot that first summer had one question only: “Do you guys rent jet skis?” We’d been running guided kayak tours for two years prior to opening the rental concession, so we knew there was demand. But that first summer we had some awfully quiet days when more ducks paddled the waters off our beach than customers. And many days when we worried the “you’ll-never-make-its” might be right. Two factors were in our favor, though. The kayaking industry was

Get ready—we’re entering prime bird migration season for our area. In fact, here in the US and Canada, we celebrate May 11, 2024 as World Migratory Bird Day. Right now, birds need all the help we can give them. North America’s bird population has declined by nearly three billion (that’s billion with a “B”) since 1970. For shorebirds specifically, many species have lost more than 50% of their population over the last three decades. This news is tragic. There is no way to sugarcoat it. Bird populations are declining at an alarming, unsustainable rate and most assuredly, humans are the cause. While some people don’t care, you do (although everyone should care because of the economic ramifications of species loss). You love the outdoors. You love being on the water. You love wildlife. As Anne

Are you guilty of wishcycling? Me, too. What is wishcycling? It’s when you’re not sure if something is recyclable, but you really want it to be, so you throw it in the recycling bin and cross your fingers. Plastics, all sorts of plastics, top my wishcyclable list. I feel so guilty buying them. I’d like all of them to find new, happy lives over and over again. While in theory many plastics could be recycled, there is simply no market for them. It is cheaper, and easier, to produce new plastic. And with no incentive to use recycled material, corporations opt for the most cost-effective solution. That’s why only 9% of all plastics ever produced have been recycled. The estimated weight of all plastic ever produced is now greater than the weight of all land

The last thing most of us need is more "stuff." Gifts of knowledge and/or experiences are so much better. They don't make your jeans fit tighter, they don't take up space in your closet, and, since they aren't "things" you ever have to get rid of, they won't add to our over-flowing landfills. Cornell Lab Bird Academy From beginner identification courses all the way to advanced bird behavior classes, the vast online course catalog of the Cornell Lab's Bird Academy covers every aspect of birding, even nature journaling, mindfulness, and drawing. Park Entry Passes - National Park, Delaware State Park, Div of Fish & Wildlife Access Pass (for Assawoman Wildlife Area) Having annual passes to the national and state parks makes getting outside even that much easier. Enjoy a sunset or a short hike whenever

I’d read that the Loxahatchee River was best suited for intermediate paddlers in nine to fourteen foot kayaks because of the narrow, twisty nature of the river. The reports also said that many people, instead of trying to arrange a shuttle for a one-way trip, did out-and-back trips, meaning they’d be paddling against the current for half of the journey. I consider myself intermediate and, even though my kayak is sixteen feet, I felt pretty confident. Mitch had agreed to drop me off and pick me up. I’d be going with the current. It should be an easy trip. But as I flew downstream with the current, muscling around sharp curves, grabbing onto logs and branches to keep from getting pinned against deadfall or wedged between cypress knees, I thought two things: 1) I am

You’ve just purchased a kayak or paddle board. Congratulations! Now you need a way to get it on your car to get it home. So you go to Home Depot and buy ratchet straps. It seems like a great idea - a strap with a built-in tightening system. Crank it until you can crank it no more, and your new boat should be secure. But wait! While ratchet straps are much better than using bungee cords or twine for securing a kayak or paddle board to the roof of your vehicle, we still cringe when we see them. They work great for big jobs securing rigid, solid items such as lumber or pallets or a vehicle to a flatbed. But kayaks and paddle boards require a more delicate touch. With a ratchet strap you can

Indigenous People’s Day is coming up, this year on October 9th, sharing the date with Columbus Day. While we have a bounty of historical artifacts and accounts from the first moment Europeans stepped foot on this newly “discovered” continent, not much remains from the thousands of years Indigenous People populated the same land. They were the embodiment of leave-no-trace ethics. However, one of their inventions has not only survived for centuries, today it is one of the most popular activities in the world. While the original design bears little resemblance to the plastic recreational boats most people paddle today, the kayak has existed for 4,000-5,000 years. Believed to have first appeared in Siberia, the Inuit of Greenland perfected the design along with the paddling skills required to turn this small boat into a deadly hunting