By Suzanne Ulbrich, Jacksonville Daily News
Most kayak and canoe devotees have only two major complaints: a lack of time for the sport they love and a dearth of access.
The latter is an easier issue to resolve.
As more access areas open up in Onslow and Carteret County more people are taking to the waterways in kayaks and canoes, said P. Brown.
“We’ve had a lot of run on kayaks since Onslow County put in more accesses like the new access by the river at Rhodestown Road,” said Brown, a salesman at Eastern Outfitters in Jacksonville. “Having somewhere to put in has helped (the sport) a whole lot.”
Since there can never be enough access areas or paddling trails for lifelong canoer Elmer Eddy, the spokesman of Waterway Stewards, he continues to try and protect existing access areas and is continually lobbying for more. The 91-year-old outdoor enthusiast has been paddling the local waterways the last 10 years with other members of Waterway Stewards, which has around 50 active members and a mailing list with more than 1,500 “from all over.”
“Kayaking and canoeing is a big industry down here and I’ve seen it blossom out tremendously over the last 10 years,” he said.
For Laura Bader, the former president of Crystal Coast Canoe and Kayak Club, kayaking is all about “the quiet.” She said she took up kayaking when she moved to Jacksonville about 10 years ago.
“I just love the solitude — I paddle by myself a lot of times … You get so close to nature, which you can’t do in a motorboat,” said Bader, of Jacksonville. “I just wish I had more time to do it.”
Scott Boyer said if he had to choose one water sport from the many he enjoys, it would be kayaking. Having recently relocated, Boyer said part of the attraction to moving to Jacksonville was the abundance of kayak opportunities in the area.
“I love all water sports; I have a ski boat too, but (kayaking) is peaceful — you don’t have the noise of a motor,” he said. “Kayaking is the best because you can go anywhere, in the ocean, in the river — kayaks are so versatile and portable. And, it can be an independent sport or you can go as a group.”
The best way to see wildlife and explore some of the most beautiful areas in the White Oak and New River areas is by paddling, said Tess Sanders, the White Oak-New Riverkeeper.
“Kayaking is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, and I see more and more families paddling our local waters,” she said. “Once people get out there they realize the treasure that is the New River and how blessed we are to have it here in Onslow County. They really connect to the waters and the wildlife and want to protect them.”
Sanders provides paddle trail maps, stream gauge data, canoe and kayak clubs and other useful information through the White Oak-New Riverkeeper Alliance website, wonriverkeeper.org, under “Paddling the New and White Oak.”
Onslow County is continually trying to provide water access and improvements as resources become available, said Rick Perry, the Onslow County Parks and Recreation supervisor
The county just completed work on its first paddle launch and floating dock at Oakhurst Nature Park, located at the end of Riverbend Road in Jacksonville, Perry said. The launch is on the Blue Creek, which leads to New River.
“In our most recent master plans we identified there was a need for more water-based recreation,” he said. “We did this as part of the development of the White Oak and New River Paddle Trails.”
The county applied for and received a grant through the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Division of Coastal Management through public beach and coastal waterfront access funds, Perry said.
The new facility has a handicapped accessible boardwalk and aluminum gangway leading to a state-of-the-art fiberglass paddle launch with dual entry at water level. The dock will facilitate launching portable kayaks, canoes and small fishing boats.
“You can bring the kayak in and out of the water without lifting the kayak or getting your feet wet,” Perry said. “It has a grooved rounded out spot to the side of the platform.”
In addition to the paddle launch improvements, a concrete ramp was constructed and trail grading improvements were made to the existing trail to make the area more user friendly and wheelchair accessible.
Perry said the total cost of the project was approximately $73,000 with the grant taking care of 71.5 percent and Onslow County paying 28.5 percent.
“Above the USO there is not even a public boat ramp; now we have one,” Perry said.
As an avid kayaker longing for more time for the sport, Mona Padrick, the president of Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce, said she was very excited when she heard about the new paddle launch.
“Not only as a kayaker but from a tourism aspect, I was very glad to hear about it,” she said. “Being able to promote paddling trails, and we have a number of them in the county, and direct tourists and paddlers to places where they can easily get into and out of the water, being able to give them a more positive experience is very exciting.”
The City of Jacksonville completed a similar paddle launch in Sturgeon City within the last year, said Tim Chestnut, the recreation and parks director for the city.
“It is a fully handicapped accessible canoe and kayak floating dock launch made primarily out of wood,” he said.
He said the city will be applying for a grant and is hoping to get the money to put in a similar paddle launch at Northeast Creek Park.
Carteret County recently put in a floating dock and canoe and kayak ramp at its West Beaufort Water Access, said Jessica Forsberg, the assistant director of parks and recreation.
More information on water access is available through its website at ccparksrec.com under “Park Facilities,” she said.
Bader gave Onslow County “a pat on the back” for the Oakhurst Nature Park paddle launch.
“We can always use more access areas,” she said. “There are so many places to paddle that we can’t get to or we have to go around about to get to.”
She said the rollers under the kayak and bars at the new access made it very easy for her to launch and land her kayak.
“That is sweet — you don’t even get your shoes wet,” she said. “It’s a piece of cake to get in and out of.”
When the weather cools, she said she will find a way to make time to use the new launch and explore that section of the Blue Creek and New River.
“I’m going to be out here,” she vowed.
Contact Suzanne Ulbrich at sulbrich@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8454.