What we’re about
Come join us - sea kayaking! JOIN CPA Here : CPA Membership – CPA Kayakers
The Chesapeake SEA KAYAKING Association is the one of longest running (30+ years) band of kayakers in the Chesapeake Bay Region!
During the cold months, many of our club go a-hiking & exploring, with safety/ online kayaking classes in the spring ...keeping in mind the Bay, its rivers & creeks stay colder with long spring rain runoff, despite the tempting warmer sunny days, so we consider water safety first.
PLEASE JOIN US & visit our webpage for lots more info:
https://www.cpakayaker.com/
**Becoming a CPA member is easy - dues are $10/year: https://www.cpakayaker.com/membership/
Chesapeake Paddlers Association is a registered 503 C(4) non-profit organization- with active club members since the 1980s.
Members mainly kayak all around Maryland, Virginia & District of Columbia region- there are so many creeks, rivers, islands, regional water trails, quiet wooded shorelines, cliffs & shady spots to explore. The club has many sea kayaking- volunteer trip leaders - who enjoy getting out on the water in sea-kayaks safely, sharing fun times, new locations, paddling & camping knowledge and experiences.
Please note that CPA is primarily a sea kayaking club. Most sea kayaks are generally run 14--16 feet or longer and 24″ or less in width, designed to track straight and be relatively fast. Wearing a spray skirt, for most sea kayaks, is an essential component, not an optional accessory. Inflatable boats and folding boats are not generally recommended for coastal and open water trips where wind and waves can be major factors, and increases the effort to keep paddling together; please first ask the trip leader if you are considering joining an event.
CPA members do not have rentals or provides loaner kayaks.
CPA is not an outfitter, nor offers kayaking skills certification.
The mission of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association is to promote safe sea kayaking and safe paddling practices through the education of the local sea kayaking community and the interested public. Club activities may include, but are not limited to, instructional kayak trips, instructional kayak camping trips, instructional workshops, and any other activities consistent with the mission that members of the club wish to organize.
CPA has many events during the warmer months- especially regular mid-week-after-work casual paddling gatherings = Piracies. Please check the Meetup calendar and CPA website for details and locations, as several piracies go a'roving every week.
Some educational workshops - Intro to Basic Sea Kayaking SK101 is offered once a year in mid-spring. A full on-the-water weekend to practice basic kayak training & skills, SK102. is offered annually in end of April.
Other club educational events pop up as volunteers get involved- including Basic Kayak Navigation, Greenland Paddle Carving -workshops, learning to roll your kayak opportunities, and strokes & basic skills sessions- please ask!
While all are welcome to join, people with shorter, wider recreational kayaks, inflatables, and folding kayak styles may find their boat unwieldy on longer trips and may have difficulty keeping up to speed with the group over the miles or on open water with waves & windy conditions. Leisure paddling outings are the best places for shorter pleasant opportunities.
The Kent Island Paddle (KIP) offers monthly opportunities for serious practice on open water conditions on the Chesapeake Bay. They are plan long distance paddling requiring monthly training, with their final goal to completely circumnavigate via kayak - that's 34 miles around Kent Island. Contact our CPA Coordinator for details.
If you are kayaking -even on early spring warm sunny days-please always dress for water immersion, not the balmy air temperature. Getting dunked is never expected, but it happens to everyone! Getting tossed in cold water in the early spring Bay waters is a BIG safety concern.
Here’s the Guide to Cold water paddling gear written by Moulton Avery of National Center for Cold Water Safety. If you have any questions, please ask! For safety's sake: Paddle with a friend, of course, it always more fun! Consider as well to improve your skill set, navigation skills, and know how to use a Marine Radio to call for assistance!
On weekends, many volunteer trip leaders will post longer distance day trips, as well as occasional longer weekend camping/kayaking trips to many locations around the Chesapeake Bay area. The club has been around since 1988 - growing from the shared love of being on the water in skinny boats!
Lots more on the CPA website: https://www.cpakayaker.com/