On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 20:58:39 -0500, "Jay D. Washington"
wrote:

I live near Charleston SC, and there are a lot of blackwater rivers in the
area. I am interested in paddling these rivers but I have several rookie
questions:

1. I read and hear a lot about the speed of touring kayaks. How fast can
they be reasonable be paddle for long stretches (ie. is going up river
against a current a problem)?

2. How do tidal surges on lowland river affect ones ability to return to a
launch site up the river? Must one wait for the next tidal surge to go back
up the river (note: the launch point near my house is never completely dry,
just lower a low tide)?

3. Does one generally plan their lowcontry river outings based on the
tides? or as an alternative??? Does one most always launch up river and
arrange for pickup down river?

I'm about 8 miles up the river from the main bay area surrounding
Charleston, but these question apply to many of the rivers in the local area
(Edisto, Santee Cooper, etc). I don't want to get stuck down the river with
a paddle.

Thanks for your help and forgive my ignorance.

JD Washington

Jay,
I live on James Island. Which rivers were you planning on paddling
around here? It's my nature to paddle with tides whenever I can but
it's usually possible to paddle against the tide for some ways
depending on your strength, skills and just how strong that current
is. There are lots of great places to paddle around Charleston.

You can email me at

John