Delmarva Drives

On the Road with Fran Severn

Some people want to hike the Appalachian Trail. Mike Simpson and Will Rich want to stand-up paddle the east coast of America. On March 1, the two will leave from the famous ‘southernmost point’ buoy in Key West and head for Portland, Maine on stand-up paddles.

Stand-up paddling is a new water sport that is catching on faster than a high-speed catamaran. It’s something of a cross between a kayak and a surfboard. You can stand. Or sit. Or straddle. You use a paddle similar to a kayak paddle to propel yourself along. I tried it last summer with Janis Markopoulis of Delmarva Board Sports last summer. It is impossible to fall off; I know because I tried.

But exploring the marshes and tidal waters of the Chesapeake and near-in coast line of the Atlantic is a lot different that paddling 30 miles a day in the open waters of the ocean. That’s what Mike and Will plan to do. Google maps makes that 2100 miles using the coastal roads. That’s about 70 days, not adding in anything for bad weather, sore arms, or damaged equipment.

The guys are making the trip to raise money and awareness for two causes. The first if the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports returning servicemen and servicewomen from their tours of duty. The second is SUP Cleanup, a worldwide organization dedicated to awareness of the health of oceans and waterways.

As part of their pre-trip planning, they are going to be at Harborside Bar & Grill in Ocean City tomorrow night, Feb. 24, from 7:30- 9:00. Janis has put together a meet and greet information session. They’ll be explaining more about who they are, what they are doing, and will be looking for sponsors (including people to put them up while they are in the area).

For more information about the guys and their mission, go to: http://www.supthecoast.com
To learn more about Delmarva Board Sports (Janis does a lot of intro sessions when the weather warms up): http://www.delmarvaboardsports.com
To get directions to Harborside Bar & Grill: http://www.ocharborside.com

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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/22/11 at 11:00 PM

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