Over the last 2 weekends I had the chance to visit and add 2 more launch sites, on the peninsula. 

Messick Road Boat Launch

Peterson’s Yacht Basin

Messick Road Boat Launch, Peterson's Yacht Basin, Poquoson Hide

Saturday afternoon, I took a drive to a few launch sites close to me to see how the wind from Hanna affected them, Despite what the local media would have you believe, other then a little high water, Hanna was nothing compared to Ernesto…

All in all, the only issue I really had was the flooding at Horn Point….

p.s. I have a few more launch sites to be added soon…

Hanna Hide

Just a note to let everyone know that I added a few more launches to the primary site.

The new sites are…

Huntington Park  In Newport News

Gloucester Point on the York River in Gloucester

Mill Creek On the Rappahanock 

and Parrotts Creek just off the Rappahanock 

I found that I have a few more, that I forgot to add when checked them out over the winter, as soon as I get them straightened out I’ll add them…

Launch Site Updates Hide

Okay everyone in Norfolk, I heard you…
My self imposed boycott of Norfolk, because of their boat permit is over….
I had reason to be in Norfolk on Saturday, and took advantage to visit most of launches available in the city of Norfolk.

I added 3 Saltwater launches on the Lafayette River, and 3 Freshwater launches.

In the Saltwater category, I added Haven Creek Boat Ramp (By far the nicest of the 3), Lafayette Park (in desperate need of a makeover), and 45th Street Boat Ramp/Marina (in desperate need of parking)

In the freshwater category I also added 3 locations in Norfolk, well ok 2 are technically in Virginia Beach, but are on Norfolk’s water. They are Lake Smith, Little Creek Reservoir, and Lake Whitehurst. All three appear to be nice urban lakes with some potential…

Launch, norfolk Hide

Came across this website Doggie Paddling the Triangle during a discussion about the differences between Watersnakes and Cottonmouths…

As described by the author:
Personal site of Tom Hemp, offering image galleries and GPS routes for kayaking in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

Even though I am not familiar with the Raleigh Durham area, looks like it has a lot of launch information for the area, and the guy kayaks with his dog, I wish my dog was relaxed enough to go with me.

Durham, Launch, North Carolina, Raleigh Hide

Just a confirmation that Horn Point Kayak and Canoe launch is now open for the season, and there is a caretaker on site. I had a little chat with Danny (the Caretaker) today, and he seems like a real nice and helpful guy.

The other thing to take not of is that the sandbar has pretty much moved to the other side of the channel, the deepest part was only about 6 inches or so. It was a bit of a nuisance, having to step up and over the wood bulkhead.

So enjoy…

Back Bay, horn point, Launch, National Wildlife Service, NWS, spring Hide

I have really started in earnest working on the re-write of the launch site portion of kayakvb.com, and at a minimum I will be switching from Yahoo Maps to google maps. The other things that are on my short list of things to add are directions to and from a specific location, downloadable GPS waypoints. 

I have been considering adding some sort of user feedback or comments capability for each launch, as I do not have the time to visit every location on a regular basis, and it would be a good way to keep others informed of the status or condition of launch sites.

If you have any requests, comments, or feedback, feel free to leave them here or email me at PAUL AT KAYAKVB.COM and don’t be shy.

As soon as I have a somewhat working preview, I’ll post a link here, somewhere here…
Thank You 

directions, google maps, GPS, Launch Rewrite, Launch Site Info, maps, waypoints, yahoo maps Hide

Well it is that time of the year again…

Tuesday the Kayak and Canoe launch facility at Horn Point will re-open for the season, and as many of you already know this is a great spot to put-in for the Northern end of Back Bay.

For more information go to the Horn Point page at kayakvb.com…

Back Bay, horn point, Launch, National Wildlife Service, NWS, spring Hide

I have finally started the re-write of the launch site pages and maps. Don’t know how long it will take.

When I initially wrote the mapping pages, Google maps only had 16 meter resolution aerial views for the majority of Southeast Virginia, and Yahoo had much better aerial/satellite views which is why I went with Yahoo. Now google maps has improved their imagery as well as the application, and the current pages are dated

In a nutshell I plan on adding the ability to get to/from directions, Down-loadable way-points, and a better more stable interface. I am also open to suggestions on improvements.

changes, Launch, maps Hide

Well since the wind was such an issue yesterday, I decided to scout out a couple more launch sites…

Baileys Beach  in the Isle Of Wight.

Lawnes Creek in the Isle Of Wight.

Portsmouth City Park in Portsmouth.

Elizabeth River Landing in Norfolk

Go and check them out, and let me know how your trip went

Launch Hide