Kayaking – a Great Sport for Fat Ladies

For all you plus size women out there that are sick of looking at the bikini-clad girls on the beach swatting the volleyball, and you chunky girls who can’t keep up with the trim chics jogging, the cyclists whizzing by, the yoga freaks bending, the Pilates divas focus on their “core,” … finally, there is a low-impact sport that does not involve walking. Walking? Why is that always our exercise of choice? Probably because too much would “jiggle” uncontrollably if we tried anything more physically stressful. I like a good walk just as much as the next girl, but it does get boring.  I get tired of seeing the same things.

Kayaking is something a fat lady can do…. as long as you can fit in the kayak. Let’s start by understanding that I’m referring to “flat water” kayaking, not sea kayaking or white-water kayaking. There are plenty of kayaks out there with open or very wide pilot areas that are safe and easy to maneuver on flat water. Kayaking gives you a great upper-body workout with the benefit of actually getting to see something, and it can be different every time. When you get tired, just coast for awhile.

I have a mango colored Heritage Featherlite kayak with padded seat, storage in front and back and a removable drainage plug. It has an open pilot area (big girls can fit) and storage capacity for a bag to carry a camera, a journal, hat, sunglasses, gloves, water …. and SNACKS! These kayaks are ideal for all day trips and light enough for the average healthy woman to easily load on the car top – we use the Yakima J-Racks which fit nicely on our Subaru Forester.

The kayak is about 50 lbs. I also throw the “Skinny Minny” Step Stool (really, this isn’t a joke) in the back of the Forester with my paddle, carrying bag and lifejacket. With the assistance of the step-stool I can load and unload the kayak by myself and go wherever I want, whenever I want.

There’s something liberating about having your own watercraft and the freedom to paddle around and see the sites not accessible to any of the skinny girls jogging on the road. I’ve seen otter, bald eagles, wild ponies (Assateague National Seashore), scads of waterfowl, terrapins and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Mid and North Atlantic region. My favorite kayaking jaunt is still the Great Pocomoke River in Worcester / Somerset Counties on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. The swamps, bald cypress trees, wildlife and untouched landscape is to die for. I recommend Dividing Creek and Corkers Creek – both off the Pocomoke. Second best kayaking spot?… Stonington Maine on Deer Isle, one of the largest archipelagos in the North Atlantic. I paddled the trail from Stonington to McGlathery Island.

On the Chesapeake I’ve kayaked the Nassawango Creek, Barren Creek, Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, The Upper Choptank, Marshy Hope Creek, Tuckahoe River, The Big and Little Annemessex Rivers, Ape’s Hole Creek, Jenkins Creek, Tred Avon River, Fishing Bay, Manokin River, Sinepuxent Bay, Chincoteague Bay, Tom’s Cove, the Wicomico and Nanticoke Rivers. I’m anxious to try the water trail in Talbot County, Maryland near Tilghman Island that weaves through Back Creek and Eastern Bay. I’d also like to explore some trails in the northern part of the Bay region and Delaware.

Suggestions are welcome.

Here’s a good guide for exploring Maryland’s water trails.

10 TIPS FOR KAYAKING BEGINNERS:

1. Do not go alone until you’ve gone with someone else several times and mastered the art of paddling in a strong current, turning and stopping.  These are easy skills to pick up, but vital in an emergency.
2. Pick a lake or creek for your first few trips.  Paddling will be easy and your skills will develop quicker. Strong currents can be daunting.
3. Be sure to tell someone (not on the trip) where you intend to kayak and what time you expect to be back.
4. Wear you life jacket.
5. Take a camera.  I store mine in a zip lock bag stashed in a canvas bag behind the pilot area until I’m ready to use it. This keeps the moisture off.
6. Don’t go out in extreme heat.  Save that for when you’re a pro … same with cold temps below 40 degrees.
7. Take a journal or digital recorder.  Write down what you see, how the landscape looks, what the surroundings cause you to think about.  This makes for great reading later.
8. Take a cell phone.  I’ve ruined or damaged two cell phones kayaking, but I’d still never be out on the water without one.  Have the phone number for the local marine authority already plugged into the phone, in case you need assistance. A cell phone is a crucial tool if you experience any difficulty while kayaking.
9. Take a compass and chart (map) of the region.  It’s easy to lose your bearings, especially in flat water regions.  NEVER follow the shore line as a guide.  Shorelines twist and turn.  Keep your chart handy so you know where you’re going and how to return.
10. Consider your launch spot …. it’s usually easy to get in your kayak and scoot INTO the water.  But consider how you’re going to get OUT of the water.  Launching at a marsh edge can be easy .. but try to get that kayak up against the same edge and then get out of the kayak without having to get in the water… you may not even know the depth.  When beginning, you may want to choose a paved boat ramp.

Happy kayaking my chubby friends!  Please let me know about the fun you have. Here are a few kayak pics from my collection.

Deer Isle Harbor near Stonington, Maine.  This water was a little rough, but beautiful scenery throughout the archipelago.  I got the sh#t scared out of me when a seal popped up out of the water just behind me, splashed, dove and swam under the kayak only to rise and splash me in the face when he surfaced.

Still one of my all time favorites – Assateague National Seashore where the wild ponies roam the beaches.  This photo was taken on the Virginia side.  There’s a great little sheltered cove for paddlers (Tom’s Cove).  Just over the dunes is the roaring Atlantic.  You can hear the waves crashing, as you paddle in serene shelter of the cove on flat water. The ponies are almost always visible from this cove.

There’s nothing quite like Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, Maryland. The scenery is to die for, with a landscape that is ever changing. Flatwater ranges from rivers, creeks and wide bays. Wildlife you’re likely to spot includes bald eagles, otter, osprey, great blue herons, foxes, deer, lots of jumping fish! This is a spot worth planning a vacation around.

Other fabulous flatwater kayaking locations I’ve been fortunate enough to paddle include Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho, the Madison and Gallatin rivers in Montana, the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and Moosehead Lake in Maine. With every trip, I was able to launch my own kayak, traverse my own trail, and return safely with lots of pictures.

Happy paddling.