Expedition: The Capt. John Smith Water TrailA Rich and Balanced Bay | John Smith's Voyages | Voyage Reenactment
Getting Around | Maps | Books | Blog | Get Involved | Links GETTING AROUND A broad variety of recreational watercraft can explore portions of the Capt. John Smith Water Trail. The smallest ones, self-propelled canoes and kayaks, offer a special perspective for absorbing the sights and sounds of tidal creeks, marshes, and portions of the upper rivers. Skillful sea kayakers can cover large portions of the Trail’s open waters, as well.
Trailered 16- to 22-foot skiffs and runabouts have the capability of covering much of the Trail. Their ability to launch in many places, cover 40-60 miles in a day, and slide up into shallow waters makes them ideal exploration vessels, especially if equipped with new-generation, clean four-stroke and direct-injected two-stroke engines. It’s a particularly powerful combination to explore small sections of a river intensively by canoe or kayak, then launch an outboard skiff to see how those sections of the river fit together. Particular favorites for this combination are Maryland’s Patuxent and Nanticoke Rivers, and Virginia’s Rappahannock and Chickahominy. Cruising boats make it simple to undertake multi-day explorations of Captain Smith’s Trail. Sailboats will be most at home on the Bay’s main stem and large rivers like the Potomac and James, where they will have reasonable wind and few bridges to negotiate. (Sailing the smaller rivers will give skippers deep appreciation for the skill and patience required of Bay skippers in the centuries before internal combustion auxiliary power.) Powerboats with low bridge clearance and relatively shallow draft will be effective Trail explorers, especially if equipped with seaworthy dinghies or kayak. As with skiffs and runabouts, they will be most enjoyable if equipped with clean, quiet gas or diesel power. For more information on exploring the Trail, visit the Trailheads page of the Friends of the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Web site. Additional Resources More Resources
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