June 18, 1999

Beyond My Limits

Trip #27

8.8 miles

The forecast was for 1-2 foot waves and cloudy. Today I set out to cross the Chesapeake Bay at the Bay Bridge near Sandy Point. After arriving at the State Park I drove around a bit looking for a good place to launch. I met a guy from Washington who was there for his 3rd day of BCU level 3 training. He told me someone from New York and another guy from Front Royal were the instructors. After unloading the boat from the truck and piling in I set off to cross the bay.

I had mentioned to the guy I was a little worried the wind seemed to be more than I expected, but paddling in Mezick Pond on the way out to the bay seemed calm enough. After paddling down the narrow channel to the bay and past the rock shoal near the mouth of the channel I moved in close to the upwind side of the bridge. I figured if boat traffic got heavy while I was out there I could stay safe by staying near the bridge supports while waiting for the traffic to pass. I later had second thoughts about this since the waves/wind/current all seemed to conspire to push me towards the pilings.

The Black Line:

Having cleared the rocky shoal the first thing I notice is the waves. Only a foot high but MUCH thicker than anything I've experienced on the Potomac. The waves looked to be 6-8 feet from the front to the backside of the wave. My kayak did not cut through the waves like they did on the Potomac; instead the boat was picked up with each passing wave. There was a lot of energy in these waves and I already felt a little uncomfortable.

The wind was from the North, which meant the waves were hitting me broad side. As I paddled further from shore the waves continued to grow in size. Averaging about 2 feet in height with an occasional 2 1/2 - 3 footer thrown in for good measure. My previous experience on the Potomac had waves spilling over my bow. Today they would occasionally bury my bow under 6 inches of water. At about 7/10 of a mile out into the bay, just as the bridge started to make it's turn toward the other side; I realized how much I was pushing my limits. I looked further into the bay and see barges being pulled by tugs, with huge splashes if white water coming off their front bow. I concluded the waves would only get worse since I was just beginning to get beyond the natural wind/wave block of Sandy Point.

With another 3 1/2 miles before reaching the other shore, I abandoned my quest to cross the Bay. I simply needed more skill to safely cross on a day like today. I turned and paddled back towards Sandy Point and swung in closer to shore. Near Sandy Point the waves picked up again and I played around for 15 - 20 minutes at various angles to the waves to extend my experience.

I finally turned and headed back south along the shore and to the launch site. I didn't really want to give up on my quest to cross the bay, so I took a few things I didn't need back to my truck and got back on the water.

The Red Line:

The BCU class was starting to show up as I paddled along the edges of the pond. After a few short side trips into a couple of creeks I beached near the restrooms for a quick break. The men's restroom was being renovated so I followed a couple of other guys into the women's restroom. After signing a non-disclosure statement about what I saw in there I put the kayak back on and headed into the bay.

The wind appeared to be dying down so I thought I might attempt another try at a crossing. But as I approached the same point where I had given up before, I again thought it wiser not to cross. Instead I would extend my comfort range in the current wave heights. As I paddled north I thought I might try to circle around the Sandy Point lighthouse.

The going was slow and the wind was howling in my ears. I found that by leaning back on the downside of the waves I could prevent my bow from burying so deep into the next wave. The idea of circling the lighthouse came and went several times before I crossed the 1-mile of water between the bridge and lighthouse. By the time I got close I was feeling comfortable with the waves and turned to head out further from shore. I circled around the south end and as I crossed to the north of the lighthouse the water became confused from the waves bouncing off. I made sure to keep my distance as the current, wind, and waves wanted to push me back against the lighthouse.

Having reached my goal I headed towards shore about a 1/2 mile away and then turned south for the trip back to the launch ramp. It had taken me an hour to cover the 1-mile to the lighthouse from the bridge. It seemed like only 10 minutes to get back as the waves, wind and current helped push me along.

After putting the kayak away I watched the BCU class for a few minutes and then scouted the beach to see the view of the path I had taken from a landlubbers perspective. My goal of crossing the bay will have to remain unfilled for the time being, but once again my paddling skills took a step forward. This is the second time I've come to the bay with a goal in mind. The bay has beaten me again.