August 22, 1999

Stump Neck

Trip #45

17.2 Miles

MAP

I should warn up front that you shouldn't try this trip unless you wish to spend a lot of time stuck in the kayak. The bulk of the trip is next to a US government installation and no landing is allowed. In fact, there are signs posted all along the shore that says vessels are not allowed within 1500 feet!

That's almost 3/10ths of a mile. This didn't look to be well enforced since the crab pots started about 50 feet from shore.

I started out from Leesylvania State Park. It's been a while since I launched from there and it was pleasant to be here once again. Fairly peaceful this morning with the exception of the occasional bass boat leaving the boat ramps.

I headed southeast towards Stump Neck. My map seemed to indicate it *might* be possible to circumnavigate this chunk of land, but as I got close to the northern tip I could tell there was no way. So I turned south for the tip and Posey Warf. There wasn't a whole lot to see on the western shore of this piece of land, but as I neared the tip a bald eagle flew over my head and out towards the other side of the Potomac. Something about my kayak makes the eagles a bit nervous. Bass boat after bass boat can scream by without spooking them, but let my kayak silently glide near and they are off like a shot. This actually allows me to see more birds than I would if they kept still and didn't draw my attention.

Last Wednesday Greg W, Lee and I paddled down from Pier 7. While paddling with those guys and soaking in their knowledge about stitch and glue boats I couldn't help notice how silently they paddled while I splashed like a kid in a wading pool. "How horrible my paddling style must be", I thought. Greg later allowed me to try his Greenland and suddenly the noise was gone! (This didn't mean my paddling style still isn't horrible)

It was thin on the edge, and flat on one side, so before this trip to Stump Neck I modified my Cedar stick to be flat on one side, with a more knifelike edge. Besides the paddle being lighter (I managed a 17 mile trip this outing, 14 without getting out of the boat) it also became quiet. I noticed the behavior of the paddle was quite different depending if I had the flat face towards me, or the rounded face towards me:

The flat face stuck in the water. There was a strain in my shoulder when that face was the power face. I could accelerate quicker but found it harder to maintain. The paddle stayed where I placed it in the water.

With the curved side as the power face, the blade didn't seem to catch much water at all. It felt effortless and my cadence picked up quite a bit. I accelerated much slower but found I could sustain higher speeds for much longer periods of time. By my GPS, I normally paddle about 3.3 - 3.5 MPH. Today, albeit no wind, I managed 3.9 - 4.0 the entire time I was on the water using the curved power face. I was surprised I was even managing this on the last leg of this trip, and taking many less "rest stops" for a trip this long.

Oh yeah, we were talking about going around the neck, right? I was pleasantly surprised at what I found when rounding the tip. The morning wind was gentle on the Potomac and when I reached this protected back side, the water was absolutely mirror like. Not the slightest trace of a ripple anywhere across its surface. It almost seemed like it should be a crime me slinking across this perfectly flat surface. Then it happened. A bass boat came by and destroyed this piece of perfection. I think the bass boats had seen me come here and wanted to beat me to where I was going since three more boats soon followed.

Before I got to Linton Point and Point Landing, first one eagle and then a pair flew out from the wildlife preserve on the eastern side. As I paddled into Chiamuxen Creek one more eagle would take flight. Little white birds with long pointy beaks were diving in the water looking for a small meal.

The creek got narrow and filled with grass but I followed it as far as I could despite the outgoing current pushing hard in the narrow channel. When the water became solid I turned just as another eagle took flight.

The trip back was uneventful as I asked all the fishermen what type of luck they were having. All admitted to catching a few except one young guy who obviously knew how to drive his boat better than cast a rod. He admitted to being skunked.

As I crossed the Potomac again, the sun tried a few times to poke out from the clouds, but never could stay out for long. This was certainly fine with me as the slight cool breeze and shade made it a pleasure to paddle. The water was blooming full of some sort of algae, so I decided to try rolling with my newly modified paddle some other time. Wednesday night I had managed several successful rolls with Greg's help without extending my paddle so I was disappointed not to get a chance to try again.

Back at Leesylvania park I beached and retrieved my lunch for a well needed break. After eating though I felt I had enough energy to go a bit further. Back in the kayak I headed up around Freestone point and into Neabsco Creek. I've paddled by this creek several times, but never had a chance to explore it. The railroad bridge presented a big congestion area. Only wide enough for one boat to pass at a time through it, and with a barge blocking my visibility, I had to ask a guy bringing his boat through if he would look and see if anyone was behind him. He told me it was all clear and I sprinted through the narrow gap.

On the back side of the bridge was a fair sized marina. I took to the right side away from the boats but soon found myself paddling in mud. The channel extended only along the left side near the boats. Finding the back part of the creek choked with hydrilla I opted for the deep water and to head back to the park.

For some reason I'm always shocked in the difference between when I launch and when I land. This morning there was hardly anyone in the park except the bass boaters. This afternoon it's filled with people and pleasure boaters and the PWC are screaming up and down the shore line. Several people tried to strike up a conversation as I carried my kayak the 100 yards to the parking lot. I was tired so I kept the conversations short.

All in all it was a good trip. A place to land on the other side of the Potomac would have been nice, but I guess you can't have everything in one trip...