Welcome to YakNC!
I'm a paddler from North Carolina and this is my blog, where I share some of my thoughts on paddling and reviews of gear and kayaks. I enjoy all types of paddling, including flat water and faster moving water, but lately I've been drawn towards sea kayaking. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out on one of my posts or contact page. I always enjoy talking with local(or other) paddlers!
Belews Lake Day Paddle
While traveling for business, I was able to take a couple hours to explore Belews Lake in Forsyth County. The lake , which has clear water and a few small islands to explore, was a nice day paddle that I hope to have the opportunity to do again.
Cape Lookout Circumnavigation
In June of 2020, myself and another paddler completed a 54.77 mile circumnavigation around Cape Lookout. This came after several failed attempts, where we had to make the difficult decision to call due to weather conditions.
Rock Gardening in Northern California
In 2018, myself and a group of 4 other paddlers headed out to Mendocino California to do some rock gardening and exploring around the coast of Northern California.
Kayak Review: Impex Force Category 3
I’ve owned my Impex Force Category 3 for around six years now and wanted to share a review of this great sea kayak. My particular boat was manufactured in 2007 and I purchased it used in December of 2017. My main reason for purchasing it was that I wanted a longer touring boat to take … Continue reading Kayak Review: Impex Force Category 3
Paddling the Sea Kayak on the Neuse River
Last week, I took my 17 foot Impex Sea Kayak down the Neuse river, for a 30 mile downriver run. It ended up being the fastest 30 mile day I have ever done.
Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle, Oak Island Circumnavigation
Last week, a friend and I completed a 52.45 mile circumnavigation around Oak Island, Sunset Beach, and Ocean Isle.
This trip was unique because we had to completely rework it on the fly, due to changing conditions.
Bear Island Circumnavigation: Breaking in the Lendal Cadence Paddle
After some research and consulting with a paddling partner, I decided to purchase a Lendal Cadence paddle, because I needed a working two piece paddle and after having troubles with Werner’s Ferrule, couldn’t justify spending any more money on a two piece Werner Paddle.
This weekend, I completed a 17 mile paddle around Bear Island and got to break in the new paddle and have included my first impressions of the Lendal Cadence.
Bogue Inlet Blooper Reel
This week, I spent the day at Emerald Isle, playing around in Bogue Inlet. Conditions were pretty low, but we still had a blast. I had a few not so great rides though.
Northern Outer Banks Circumnavigation
On April 27- May 4, 2019, myself and another paddler completed a 127 mile circumnavigation around the Northern most barrier island in North Carolina. This amazing trip included a great deal of planning, including some on the fly planning when we ran into weather complications.
Paddling Into the Wind
Yesterday, a buddy and I completed a relatively short 9 mile paddle from the public access on Emerald Isle to Bear Island and back. When we checked Magic Seaweed for Bogue Pier, it was predicting 1 foot seas by around noon, after 2-3 foot seas the previous day/evening. However, this seemed at odds with the … Continue reading Paddling Into the Wind
Last Paddle of 2018 – Falls Dam, NC
I was fortunate enough to catch a lowish release at Falls Dam(2400-3000CFS) for new years eve, before they cranked it back up over 4000 CFS.
We paddled around 3.7 miles in a .2 mile section of river, although most of that distance came from the first .07 miles of river.