I honestly can't believe I'm typing this but I'm excited to share our last paddling excursion of 2010 with you!
My husband and I decided to take a mini mid-week vacation to our favorite Stand Up Paddle friendly B&B (The Inn at Tabb's Creek) this past week.
We knew it would be cold, but we brought our ShuBu's anyway. ; )
The grounds of the Inn were just as beautiful covered in snow as it had been back in late spring during our first visit.
The first thing we did upon arrival was check the water.....
There were definitely some icy patches but that didn't stop us. We waited for the temperature to raise a little before gearing up, convincing Innkeeper Greg to join us, and then it was onto the water...
Luckily for us, there was practically no wind.
Apart from being a little nerve-racking....it felt absolutely awesome walking on icy waters....
Because the ice was pretty thin on most parts of the creek we could paddle right through it without too much trouble (though we definitely had to keep our balance)...
We paddled for about an hour before it started to sleet! At that point it was too cold to stay on the water so we hit dry land, warmed up in our suite with hot chocolate and enjoyed the view...
The next day we convinced both Innkeepers Greg and Lori to join us for one last paddle (it also happened to be New Year's Eve)...
The sun was shining much brighter today so we decided to head out toward East River.
The view of the Inn at Tabb's Creek from the water was GORGEOUS!
We turned back toward the Inn after a little while and made a B-line for the ice again....
And then the craziest thing happened....
Greg and Lori's cat, Chai, decided to join Lori on her board....
I never, ever thought I'd see a Stand Up Paddling cat.....so, awesome.
After our ice-paddling excursion we changed into warm clothes, bid Lori, Greg and Chai goodbye and hit the road.
Our last morning at the Inn at Tabb's Creek Lori and Greg (Innkeepers) called Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports to come give us a demo of the hilarious but functional sounding "inflatable" stand up paddle board.
My husband and I had seen pictures and videos of these ShuBu boards (ShuBu is short for Show Up and Blow Up) and wanted to see them in action.
Honestly, we were extremely skeptical that something inflatable would work anything like an actual stand up paddle board.
It rained the morning of the demo but that didn't stop Macky Hall from wanting to get on the water....which was fine by us!
He arrived with several different boards for us to try (a Hobie, something else that I can't seem to remember the name of, and the ShuBu).
The big reason I wanted to try the ShuBu was because of the transportability factor.
A ShuBu comes in a bag.
You take it out of the bag, blow it up, play on the board, deflate it, and stick it back in the bag.
No anchoring down a heavy board to my car.
Because of this factor, I really hoped the ShuBu would work for me.
Macky unrolled the ShuBu and started pumping it up.
This was the first time our Innkeepers had seen a ShuBu as well so Lori marked the occasion by taking some video:
Once the board was pumped up to 11 psi, I took it out onto the water.
The first thing I noticed was the stability.
It was surprisingly stable for an inflatable.
I was able to stand up with no problem at all.
One thing I did notice once I stood up was that I could feel everything that was happening in the water beneath me.
With a regular board, you can obviously feel the chop in the water, etc., but with the ShuBu, I could feel which way the water was moving, how big (or little) the chop was, how it hit the fins, etc.
Once I started paddling the biggest difference for me was the speed. You definitely don't glide over the water as easily on a Shubu. But it's not meant to be a racing board. It's a cruiser. It's meant to be fun.
And it really is.
My husband and I switched boards several times.
The first thing he did when he got on the ShuBu was jump up and down on it.
My husband is significantly bigger than me so you could see the board sinking into the water just slightly...but it still withstood his weight.
He took it into a little bit of chop (though there wasn't much that day) and practiced some turning maneuvers that Macky had just taught him.
We switched boards again and I tried some turning and walking around on the ShuBu...it was very comfortable.
Amazingly comfortable.
I couldn't help but laugh the entire time I paddled on the ShuBu.
It just doesn't make sense to me.
It's a blow up.
It was really hard for me to get over that!
I did eventually get over it.
The other great features of the Shubu (apart from the transportability) is the bungee rip chord on the front of the board. Life-vests, backpacks, etc. can be tied down for long excursions. I really dig that.
The biggest reason we really wanted to demo the ShuBu though, was for the kind of SUPing we're looking to do closer to home.
We live near the James River. There are some areas with great flat waters, but we want to try a river run....
and you don't want to take a super nice stand up paddle board onto the river.
Rocks would damage it, fins would be demolished...it just doesn't make much sense.
ShuBu's however...can withstand rocks. The middle fin on the Shubu is removable. It just makes sense.
Because it was raining while we were out testing the boards I didn't take my camera, therefore I have no pictures of the ShuBu in action.
However, we did end up purchasing two ShuBu's from Macky that morning....
so there will definitely be pictures of our next adventure....I promise.
Here is my ShuBu in the bag.
Thanks again so much to Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports for bringing the equipment out in the rain to let us demo our ShuBu's and for a great paddle at Tabbs Creek!
If you like a good combination of flat water Stand Up Paddle Boarding, a little bit of chop and don't own your own boards, the Inn at Tabbs Creek in Mathews County is a great place for you to stay and explore!
My husband and I took the opportunity to escape from reality for the weekend to the Inn at Tabbs Creek in Mathews County, Va.
The B&B has it's own gorgeous dock that you can launch from on kayak, boat or SUP board!
They also have two Stand Up Paddle Boards you can rent for a day.
Ok, it's not like we picked this place out of the blue and realized they had Stand Up Paddle Boards we could rent....
we actually picked this place because they mentioned Stand Up Paddle Boarding in their blog and I couldn't resist.
I also couldn't resist the reviews of their breakfast....
but that aside...
We started our Stand Up Paddle Boarding exploration on Tabbs Creek.
Conditions were perfect. Light winds, sunny skies and open water.
We originally planned to paddle down to Mobjack Bay and explore the area but having found out that would be a longer trip than we anticipated we decided to turn onto the East River and head for Williams Wharf (approx 1.5-2 miles) instead (time constraints).
At Williams Wharf we were able to get onto solid ground, use the bathroom, stretch our legs and catch up with the locals casting out fishing lines.
Williams Wharf is also a perfect picnic area if you're able to pack a lunch in a backpack on your trip!
We hoped to have a good downwinder coming back on East River but mother nature wasn't going to let us have a free ride that afternoon (which was really no problem for us). We headed back to Tabb's Creek, docked, had lunch, took a nap...and got back on the boards for another round.
The two boards we rented from Lori and Greg (Innkeepers) are Doyle's. They are fantastically stable but still shaped well enough to allow you to turn fairly quickly in small swells. They also had carbon paddles which were extremely light-weight (helpful if going for a long excursion).
If you want to try out different shaped or sized boards and paddles, have Lori or Greg give Chesapeake Boardsports a call. They're more than happy to come out to the B&B and demo any items they have in stock. (see next blog)
Round 2 of our paddle boarding exploration found my husband heading toward Mobjack Bay for a few good swells...or at least more chop. He was greeted (rather screamed at) by various birds not appreciating sharing their space with him on the water. He did find some choppy water closer to the opening of the Bay which provided some entertainment for him.
Meanwhile, I took my time on the beautiful flat water of Tabb's Creek and explored the various tributaries.
Paddling Tabb's Creek was similar to paddling the Wildlife Refuge in Sandbridge Va Beach in that there were many areas of low water that you had to be mindful of (otherwise you'd smack your paddle against something or catch the board fin on marshes/weeds).
I confess I was hoping to see a bit more wildlife, but I can't complain. I was privy to seeing a Blue Heron up close and personal just before I startled him thus causing him to show me his wingspan....frickin awesome.
Overall, a FANTASTIC Stand Up Paddling experience!
I would HIGHLY recommend this area for beginner Stand Up Paddle Boarders who may not be confidant enough to brave the open Bay waters just yet.
Staying at the Inn at Tabb's Creek really added to this experience as well. It was so wonderful having a place to put the boards in the water or put them up without having to worry about them. We literally woke up, had a wonderful breakfast and immediately jumped onto the water.
Our Innkeepers Lori and Greg are also passionate about SUPing and had great stories about paddling out to the lighthouse and catching awesome downwinders.
We hope to pick their brain a bit more for great SUPing spots they've found around Mathews.
For more information on the Mathews area or the Inn at Tabb's Creek you can check out Lori and Greg's blog.
