Today's route
Finally back in town after far too long away from the water, and I decided to celebrate with a rather ambitious paddle around St. George's Island. Moderate breeze from the south meant I'd have the hard part out of the way early, and I started down the Potomac side of the island first. Pleasant early conditions gave way to larger and larger sea state as I made it towards the end of the island, and upon turning the corner I was greeted with sloppy 4ft rollers. I quickly dropped to my knees, and fought through the tough conditions. Right as I was passing the Camp Merrylande beach, I watched a family capsize a jet ski in the waves. As the closest help by, I boogied over to check on them and make sure everyone was okay. Another gentleman on a jet ski came over and helped them right the boat and get back onboard. Crisis averted!
I continued to fight my way through the rollers on my knees, and finally enjoyed a reprieve as I made it around the rock jetty. As predicted, the downwind on St. George's Creek was much more pleasant, and I got to stretch my legs again and play with surfing down some modest rollers. I topped out surfing at 6.5kts, which feels pretty quick on a small inflatable paddleboard. All in all a nice trip, a great workout, and a strong feeling of accomplishment for an ambitious paddle.