Arriving in Norfolk on the east coast of the USA for the first time I saw, as expected, a multitude of highways, advertisements and block buildings. Although coming from a life in Asia, I felt strangely at home.
After a 20-minute drive courtesy of my ‘local’ girlfriend, Ashley, we arrived at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel. Here she told me this was the last turning point before leaving the mainland and if there was anything I wanted to buy or do that required anything larger than a small row of shops, now was the time to say so. I happily declined the offer, and we began making our way across the ocean on the pillar- supported road to the eastern shore.
Arriving on the shore, surrounded by greenery and wildlife, I wondered if in fact we had crossed time zones and not the 20-mile stretch or so of the Chesapeake Bay. We headed to the town of Cape Charles and although I didn’t know it at the time, this was to become my temporary home during the most visitor-populated summer months.
Whilst in Cape Charles I bumped into a well-known figure in the town, Dave Burden. After I pieced together some clues I had picked whilst in the town I discovered that Dave was, amongst other roles, the owner of South East Expeditions (SEE), a one stop shop for any water based adventure you might seek. Luck seemed to be on my side that afternoon as Dave spoke of a potential position at SEE for the summer months to include any job from moving wood to leading kayak tours. I’ve always embraced a varied schedule so this possibility, in this setting, initially seemed too good to be true – it wasn’t.
Working at SSE did, as I thought, involve a wide range of jobs from moving kayaks to looking after the store. The first highlight came in the form of an ACA (American Canoe Association) course, which at that time was the barrier between what I was currently doing and becoming a kayak guide. Although I had a large amount of experience in water based sports it was clear from the outset that even though we were in a relaxed rural setting, it was vital to apply ourselves every step of the way for both quality and safety purposes. Making it through the action and theory based course along with spending hours and hours developing my area specific knowledge led to my first opportunity to lead a kayak tour. Taking people out kayaking would involve preparation in boat moving, readying the guests for the adventure that awaits them and most importantly ensuring everyone has a good time, whilst keeping the day problem free. As each trip is so different and based on a massive number of variables including weather, tide and people, knowing the area inside out became vital.
Pretty soon, as the season took off I found myself taking folks out on a daily basis to assist them in exploring the wonders of an untouched, nature rich area. The only time it seemed not to be sunny was during a rare storm and that became a fascinating experience in itself. As time went on my enthusiasm for showing visitors the area only seemed to grow and it’s safe to say I even became accustomed to the hotter-than-England climate.
The days were varied, sometimes I would be leading a family of four on their first kayak adventure and my aim would be to give them a gentle introduction to what I hoped, for them, would become a lifelong indulgence. This would involve meandering through the salt marsh discussing the area, kayaking or just life in general. Other times I would be leading (or chasing) a group of teenagers keen on pushing as many boundaries as possible, this I found this surprisingly easy to manage as a decade ago, I was that teenager. Exploring the islands beyond the marsh became a fascination of mine and even up until the day before I left I was finding new ways to make each trip unique.
Eventually commitments elsewhere caught up with me and it became time to pack my bags. Although my time on the shore was in many ways short, it was long enough for me to be sure I’ll be back and I’m thankful to all who made it happen.
James and Ashley enjoying the sights and sounds of the Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim from the best seats in the house
Dave, this picture brings back such happy memories of kayaking in Chincoteague after seeing the ponies, and then racing James back to the docks. We were always full of smiles-- as was everyone else-- while out on the water. Hopefully we will be able do this all over again in the not too distant future.
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