Ralph Heimlich at Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, RI 2022

Welcome to my website! On this site, I collect nearly 20 years worth of articles about sea kayaking in the Chesapeake Bay region and surrounding areas from Maine to Florida. The original articles were mainly published in magazines devoted to sea kayak touring (Sea Kayaker and Atlantic Coastal Kayaker), and the newsletter of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association, Inc. (The Chesapeake Paddler). I commend the reader to these sources (alas, Sea Kayaker ceased publication in 2013), and have provided links to them.

My intention in creating this website was to make the collected articles available to the public and to provide a source of information on opportunities for paddling in the Chesapeake Bay region. While not a comprehensive source, the articles can provide a jumping-off place for further research. Some of the articles were written long enough ago that considerable fact-checking will be needed as to launches, landings, and other details for preparing paddle plans.

Each article is introduced by a suggestive photo and a paragraph, with a link to the .pdf file containing the article. A bibliography of the articles is included to provide an overview of the material covered. Many of the areas are featured in more than one article done over the years.

A “Paddler Profile” of the author completed for The Chesapeake Paddler is included to provide further autobiographic information on the author. Additional “Paddler Profiles” from the Paddler are available, as well as additional trip report and skills articles.

Contact: Ralph Heimlich