This is why I hate government.
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Be careful what you wish for, and think of where we’d be with no government? What would we do with no help from people in uniform. I’m not sure why we can’t find elected people who work for us, rather than dominate us. Read about the history of watermen on the bay. When disputes were left for the waterman to settle, it was bloody. It took uniformed patrols to stabilize fishing right.
Utopia is when everybody on the water respects each other. Its up to each of us to make that happen. I stand behind my belief that the most economic, ecologically friendly way to improve access to the water is by providing a beach and safe parking for hand launched boats. Feel free to lobby for other options. I’ve seen more of the Upper Bay than many people with power boats. Partly because my paddle boat can go in areas that are too shallow for other boats. That’s the advantage of hand power; it just takes longer to get there.
Use the money saved to go after the violator who poison the waterways.
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I don’t have a problem with park authorities imposing rules intended to promote safety and a pleasant experience. Littering, speeding, noise regulations? Bring 'em on! We need rules to protect us from our fellow idiots and predators.
Where I have issue is with “one size fits all” rules that are so general as to be counter-productive for my specific case, and with poorly trained employees who don’t know that, say, the $16 fee applies to motor boats, not canoes.
Then there are private citizens who pretend to have authority and spout fake rules and laws that they make up on the fly, even if they clearly don’t know anything about the subject.
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Anne Arundel country has the best rules that I’m acquainted with. Basically there in no restriction against launching anywhere the water can be reached from public land or on private property with permission. They also have a range of good free launches.
I live in Baltimore Country, which is located immediate to the north. We have access to at least half dozen or more free launches and another equal number in Harford County further north. Then Cecil County at the far North end of the bay has a few more.
The Eastern Shore has many beautiful rivers, but most of the counties over there have a launch fee or an annual permit. I understand a launch fee to maintain launch facilities, but it seems obscene to charge for dropping a boat in the water. I paid tolls for 39 years to drive to work. I avoid places where I have to pay to park, pay to drive, or pay to launch. I’ll paddle the 21.5 mile round trip to visit the Eastern shore rather pay tolls to drive there, the pay to launch. Call me stubborn, but it ain’t nuthin’ if you don’t mind the work, and it isn’t even civil defiance.
I like my launch favorite launch point. Paved parking within 50 ft of the water. The only shortcoming is being co-located with the paddle boat rental, but they make free access possible. I’m thankful they permit access for non-rental boats. Trailer ramps are on the other side of the point. This is all I need.
The State Parks in Texas have the same policy, although many have a nice canoe/kayak launch away from the motor boat launch. When I asked, they said it was to protect the people swimming at the beach.
One beach at the top of the Bay allows launching from the beach.
So I was out there on Sunday, Field 10 to Zach’s Bay, and didn’t see a single seal. I’ve been going out of Norman Levy, friends backyard in Merrick, and haven’t seen any. Where are they? I guess I’m no Eskimo.
The only county in Maryland that I am aware of that has a charge to launch a car top boat at a public access point is Queen Anne. They charge everyone to park, regardless of whether you have a boat or not or whether or not you have a trailer. There are day and annual permits. All of the other counties require a trailer permit for each county.
The trailer permits help pay for and maintain the ramp. The signage in some of these counties is a bit vague and doesn’t always make it clear that car top boats do not have to pay a fee to park or launch, like Talbot county. A fair number of kayakers pay for a permit they don’t need. If in doubt call the county Parks Department.
An exception are those parks that have an entrance fee, like Downs and Quiet Waters park in Anne Arundel county.
Ribbon cutting at Solley’s Cove near Baltimore. New ramp and an adjacent sand beach for car top boats. All free with plenty of parking and a well maintained port-a-john
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Closer to inlet. Last Meadowbrook bridge south both sides. Saw them all at once so it wasn’t one popping up in different places.
@rstevens15, that is a “fine” launch, and it’s what you get from Anne Arundel County. I can’t complain about launches in Baltimore County or Harford County. I drove around Cecil County for 8 hours searching for launch areas, and found one good site. The launch is located in the North East Community Park, North East, MD. It has a dedicate hand launch sandy beach behind a pavillion. Where the the North East River flows into the Upper Bay, blue arrows show the view from Betterton Beach (also a free hand launch area in a dedicated section on the north end of that beach). Its about 15 miles between both locations.
I know that Kent County charges permits. I believe Talbot does as well. The sites I’ve checked on line specify permit stickers or launch fees.
I inderstand that taxes go to upkeep, but both of the above mentioned parks are free to the public. More was spent on the park than the sand they dumped for boat access. When we buy a house or property in many of the counties, a tax fee is collected or an equivalent segment of land is ceded for green space or community parks. What better way to serve the public, especially those who can’t afford expensive boats, to enable them to experience the waterways. Let them touch the water so they know the value of the resource we’re protecting. Unlike hunting and fishing fees that go toward fish and game management, this requires little maintenence and has virtually no ecological impact.
I used to launch on the Bohemia right at the 213 bridge. On the Sassafras, in Fredericktown on Sassafras St. In Kent County there are four places to launch on the south side of the Sassafras. In addition to Betterton- Fox Hole, Shallcross and Turner’s Creek. Kent and Talbot Co. permits are for trailers.
Also launched into Still Pond, Fairlee and Worton. Shipyard Landing into Langford Creek and Broad Neck Rd. Cliff’s City landing into the Chester. Walnut Landing in Rock Hall. Wye Landing into the Wye. Queen Anne is a permit to park any vehicle. I haven’t launched from land there. Many places are just flat spots next to the water but they are public. Often there is no designated parking- just along the road if there’s room. I’ve never had an issue parking but, if there’s no room I’d just find another place to go.
That is, unless things have changed. I launch from the mothership these days.
Talbot and Kent County only charge for boats on a trailer, not car top boats. I’ve launched from ramps in both counties for years and as recently as last year. The signs at the sites are not clear on that. If you check online you will see that they only sell trailer permits.
My wife and I are leading a group trip around Wye Island, which is in Talbot County, again this year.
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@RC51Mike I launched at the 213 bridge, but it tends to be a long carry to the water. The Bohemian is a nice river. I launched several times from Turner Creek Landing to paddle the Sassafras, which is one of my favorite paddle destinations. I planned to go back each September when the lotus plants bloom in the cove on the left, but never managed. Then I read that a permit is required at the Landing. So are the permits in Kent county for trailers, not hand launching?
I don’t know those other sites and will look into them. One of the closest launches to me is Dundee near the Gunpowder River (nice river). My longest paddle was a round trip from Dundee to Still Pond, then Fairlee Creek and back. The trip over the top of the bay via Route 1 is free; however, the King of Maryland demands a heavy tribute to cross the other bridges on a north passage, but no toll going south. I never put more effort into researching launches on the other side because I can paddle across to Fairlee Creek in the time it takes me to drive there.
For some reason I see fewer sea kayakers every year but more rec boats near the inlets. I’ve never met another kayaker in the open channel. Another intended destination was Rock Hall, but the direct route is too much open water for solo at my skill level. A crossing by Poole Island then down past Tolchester has to be planned with the tide, but I never managed to time it right with conditions. For anyone new to kayaking, the open water requires familiarity with conditions, but all the tributaries are great places to explore, especially the Eastern Shore.
Kent County does not require permits for car top boats. Lotus are in bloom at the end of July to mid August.
Check here for a number of launch sites around the Chesapeake.
Wheels are your friend. Some launch sites that are designed for car top boats and do not have a ramp (soft launches) can entail a bit of a hike to the water.
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@rstevens15 dang, that’s the problem. The day I spent a day driving all day to find launches, everything except two required permits “for parking any vehicle”. I also found the wording vague.
Havre de Grace has a nice launch for trailers or car top. It’s located near the steel train bridge. The ramp has rubber panels which makes launching easy, but as another member warned about trailer ramps, it tends to be slippery. The $5 fee is only for “parking the trailer” not a car. It’s currently undergoing construction or renovation, so I don’t know about future rules. For locals who are unaware, this historic town has a a picturesque charm with antiques, quaint shops, decoy museum, a micro brewery in town and others nearby, as well as some very nice restaraunts. Paddle up the Susquehanna to the foot of Conowingo Dam, then stop on the return trip at the Tiki Bar in Port Deposit. The area is a grand adventure for an avid kayaker. If you’re willing to paddle between 10 miles and 40 miles trips, you could spend weeks in the region, by using the launches mentioned above.
Idaho State’s power hungry Legislature is run by rich WHITE RWNJ who represent only their top $ donors. They are intent on taking any political power the people have away whether legal or not. Sorry to get off subject but that couldn’t go unanswered.
rsevenic, I just couldn’t let that pass.
Every political party is “power hungry”. Are you a racist who only sees color, not content? Since this is about kayaks, I’ll leave the discussion there.
Let’s do our homework. This is about three Board members at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene who have hired their friends at significant cost to tax-payers and, it appears, repeatedly ignored Idaho’s open meeting (and other) laws. In the process, they put the College’s accreditation at serious risk. And without accreditation, students cannot receive Federal financial aid. Two weeks ago, an Idaho State Judge ordered the Board to clean up its act. Dysfunctional Boards happen from time to time. To the dismay of extremists on both sides, not every issue is about racism, sexism, ageism or any other hot button “ism”.
Let’s talk boats and boating instead.