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We love to save the majestic ones—bald eagles, elephants, tigers; and the adorable ones—pandas, terrapins, monkeys; and the mysterious ones—sea turtles, owls, whales. But one of the biggest (and tiniest) heroes of our natural world is also, for most people, one of the hardest things to love—bugs. And that’s unfortunate, because right now bugs desperately need help. Yes, some insects sting and bite. But the vast majority just go about their business day in, day out, trying to ignore homo sapiens. And their “business” is essential to life on earth. Insects pollinate 87.5% of flowering plants. These plants become food for thousands of species of animals, including humans. According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Department, “… scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like

While late winter may not be the best time to plan your summer wardrobe (remember all those mid-morning hot cocos and those cocktail hours that started early and ended late?), it is the perfect time to plan your summer vacation. Planning your summer vacation now gives you something to look forward to. Although the end of winter is near, and soon we’ll see tiny leaves greening branches and Osprey flying low, carrying twigs and pine needles to rebuild nests. But you know it’s not over. Inevitably, we’ll have many damp, grey, windy, cool days ahead of us. When those nasty days hit, if you plan your vacation now, instead of giving in to the dreariness of the weather, you’ll be able to picture yourself at the beach, in your kayak or paddle board, floating on

Anyone who paddles knows the restorative value of being on the water. It turns out several presidents are among this group of wise human beings! Most Recent: The most recently recorded paddling pres is President Obama. In Hawaii, he was photographed on a paddle board and with Michelle paddling a tandem kayak (we hope their marriage can survive a tandem!). In another photo he is kayaking by himself in Massachusetts. (PFDs are missing in all photos. But I guess if you’re a president, the Secret Service is your Personal Floatation Device!). https://twitter.com/DailyMail/status/1341880075445268482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1341880075445268482%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelandleisure.com%2Ftravel-tips%2Fcelebrity-travel%2Fobama-hawaii-christmas-vacation-kailua Most Romantic: The most romantic paddling president has to be President Reagan. For his and Nancy’s 25th wedding anniversary, he bought her a canoe called Tru Luv. Awww… Most Traumatic: The most traumatic presidential paddling story belongs to President Theodore Roosevelt. After losing

Well, Phil let us down today. But, really, who can blame him? If you’d been asleep for five months and someone rudely yanked the covers off, wouldn’t you look for any reason to dive back under, too? About this time of year, early February, male Groundhogs start coming out of hibernation. When a Groundhog goes into hibernation, it shuts down nearly all its systems. It breathes once every five to six minutes, its heartbeat slows from 100 beats per minute to 15, and its body temperature drops from 95 degrees to around 45 degrees. All of this causes its metabolism rate to plummet so that, even though it hasn’t eaten for about 150 days, it will have lost no more than a quarter of its body weight. While Punxutawney Phil (in Pennsylvania) is our closest

The essence of kayaking is simple: Just grab a paddle and go. But how you grab that paddle can be the difference between a journey that feels effortless, and one that ends in blisters, sore joints, and aching muscles. Here are the five most common grip mistakes I see and simple ways to fix them. Problem 1: Death Grip White knuckling the paddle causes several problems: 1) Your forearms tire quickly. Try grabbing a broom handle and squeezing it in one hand for 5 minutes. I guarantee your arm will get tired! 2) Using your weaker forearm and hand muscles prohibits you from using your larger, stronger core muscles that are essential for efficient paddling. 3) Blisters! Whenever someone says they are getting a blister, my first response is to tell them to relax their

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

Memorial Day Weekend 2020: We’d been allowed to open. Yippee!! But now what? How to open safely? We brainstormed, made plans, changed plans, built new doors and dividers, moved counters, painted directional signs, bought plexiglass, a portable sink, hand sanitizer, wash tubs, bleach, more bleach, soap, more soap, bleach sprayers. We changed the flow of customers, implemented new safety measures for guests and employees, and trained staff in our new cleaning protocol. But would it make a difference? Would we be allowed to stay open? Would the beach towns allow visitors? And, most importantly, would anyone come? People trickled in over Memorial Day weekend. The following week, the trickle dried up. Light traffic volume on Route 1 rivaled the mid-week, off-season days before the current new construction explosion. Raucous Laughing Gull calls easily outnumbered phone

Watch Mitch's information-packed Coast Day 2020 presentation about the pros and cons of different types of kayaks and the equipment you need to stay safe on the water!

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