First Landing State Park to North End of Virginia Beach, 4 miles
My plan was to round Cape Henry near slack tide which meant waking early. When my watch alarm went off at 5:45am, it felt like I had just dozed off but my excitement helped me shake my morning fog quickly. Knowing I only had a few miles to go, I broke camp quickly and just grabbed some granola for breakfast. The portage back to the beach was much easier than the trip up hill had been the evening before.
The Bay was remarkably calm with just a light breeze as I pushed off. A truly beautiful morning. As I approached Cape Henry I could see both of the lighthouses. The winds picked up just off the Cape and the waves were soon 1 ½ to 2 feet – enough to keep my attention but still calm enough to snap pictures and completely enjoy the experience.
Cape Henry and the Atlantic beyond
I had paddled in the ocean a fair amount during the prior two years, but to have actually made it, to have connected my home in Central Virginia with the oceans of the world was a moving experience. Before I knew it I was past Fort Story and to the north end of the Virginia Beach resort area. I was well ahead of the time I was to meet Kate and Emma, so just hung out about 1/3 mile from shore and enjoyed the waves. I looked out to sea and thought again of my childhood observation standing on this same beach that “Africa is just right over there.”
The thought crossed my mind that the only thing that could make the morning better would be to see dolphin. Not a minute later a flash of gray to the left caught my eye, quickly followed by another dolphin surfacing less than 10 feet from the kayak. In all it was a pod of approximately 7 dolphin swimming in the opposite direction. By the time I turned the kayak around they had disappeared down the coast. The bald eagle at mile one and the dolphins at mile 185 were the perfect bookends for the trip.
I soon saw Kate running down the beach and waving at me, so I paddled toward she and Emma. One celebratory roll and I was ready to ride the waves in to shore. As if the rest of the trip was not gift enough, I caught a perfect three foot wave about seventy-five yards from shore and rode it all the way to the beach for a storybook landing.
A story book surf ride to the beach
With an amazing feeling of accomplishment at having fulfilled this dream, I greeted my family with hugs and tears. Before I left, my daughter wrote me the following note: “Daddy – when you go to paddle in the sea I always wonder if you are alright, so when you leave it will be so hard for me to let you go. There is only one daddy that loves me and that is you. When you come back to shore you will have a good thing. “ Turns out, she was right.
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