Chris Hopkinson became the first person to stand-up paddle all 200 miles of the Chesapeake Bay in 2020.
Now, Bay Paddle, the nonprofit he founded four years ago to benefit the Oyster Recovery Partnership, is set for its fifth run Saturday. More than 200 participants are expected and close to $50,000 has been raised so far.
“There’s a lot of great events up and down the bay like Blue Angels, boat shows … but there aren’t that many that [show] what a privilege the bay is,” said Hopkinson, an Annapolis native. “It’s our responsibility to take care of it and if we can do that by having a huge celebration and a paddle race, bringing our community together, then maybe that’s the best way to do it.”
Since Hopkinson’s solo paddle, he’s been joined by other bay enthusiasts to race a portion of the bay to raise money for its health and protection.
“It was one of those really unique pandemic stories that certainly raised a lot of awareness and funds for ORP,” said Allison Albert Guercio, marketing and fundraising director for Oyster Recovery Partnership.
This year there will be three different races at lengths of 3 miles, 10 miles, and 35 miles.
The 35-miler will circumnavigate Kent Island, featuring solo racers and teams on stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and canoes, including several six-person outrigger canoes doing a change race. This type of race involves six people rowing a Polynesian-style canoe, where in timed intervals, three people will jump out of one side of the canoe and three others will get in from the other side while the boat is still moving.
So far, 12 teams have registered for the change race with some paddlers coming from as far as Arizona.
Jessica Kennedy is a member of Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club, one of the race’s sponsors, and is the coach for her team in the change race.
“We’re a mixed bag of experiences … and I’m really excited to watch them in the boat and watch them excel and have a great time,” Kennedy said. “They’ve been working so hard to make sure they’re ready for this season and for this race, so I know it’s going to pay off on Saturday.”
Before Hopkinson’s inaugural paddle, various groups, including the KIOCC, hosted their own versions of the Bay Paddle, but since Hopkinson took it over, he’s been able to donate close to $500,000 to Oyster Recovery Partnership, Chesapeake Conservancy and Waterkeepers Chesapeake.
“We always say people can’t value the bay if they’re not getting out on the bay. So, the benefit of an event like this is it’s bringing lots of people onto the water, getting to enjoy it, getting to value it, and hopefully wanting to preserve it,” said Elizabeth Nellums, grants and program manager for Waterkeepers Chesapeake.
Saturday’s race will launch from the Kent Island Yacht Club at 8 a.m. and can be seen from Terrapin Nature Park and waterfront restaurants on the island. The event will conclude with a luau celebration at the yacht club.
“When folks come here, I want them to feel everything we feel in terms of the beauty of the bay … and for this race to give back to the bay,” said Hopkinson. “Long term, I would love to turn this into a huge festival on the island … where there’s paddlers and people with music celebrating the bay.”
