Time to get out on the water!

It occurred to me that I’ve never talked about what a great place this is for watersports. For the most part, I’m not talking about motorized watersports but I do believe it’s a great place for that too.  We even used to own a couple of personal watercraft that were both a nuisance and a joy.

No, I’m talking about human powered vehicles. Canoes. Kayaks. Paddleboards. Even sailboats. We have everything. Or if we don’t, it’s not far away.

Have you ever rafted the Ocoee? We’ve been going down there for years. I think my son was 10 the first time he did it (there are rules against that now). He was a strong swimmer and a big boy and I had no doubt he could do it safely.

Last summer, I took my two oldest granddaughters on an Ocoee rafting trip. I wasn’t sure how they would do, but they loved it. I couldn’t get either of them to ride the bow of the boat through Hell Hole but they were immediately ready to go again.

The good folks at Adventures Unlimited and our barefoot guide took great care of us and now the rest of the grandchildren are chomping at the bit to get down there. The Ocoee is truly a world class whitewater stream but there is lesser but still worthy whitewater to be found closer by.

The upper reaches of the Little River, as you enter the park, have numerous short runs for the expert paddler. I guess I don’t count the tubers—you sit, you float, you get out.

On the Ocoee, you will see whitewater kayakers toying with rapids. It’s fun to watch them flip and cavort on waves that the rest of us hold our breath on as we safely glide by on rafts. You will also occasionally see a whitewater canoe.

Even closer to us, you can often find whitewater enthusiasts on the Tellico River. Shorter and choppier, folks tell me it can be a blast there.

A bit over an hour away is the Nantahala Outdoor Center, the center of whitewater in the southeast. They have it all. If you haven’t seen the now closed Olympic Whitewater Center on the upper Ocoee, you will find it interesting. It’s hard to imagine the throngs of crowds there in 1996 but it was quite a spectacle.

There are two main types of kayaks, whitewater and flatwater. Our nearby lakes are perfect for flatwater kayaking. A local group that calls themselves the Pungo Paddlers head to area lakes on a regular basis. I prefer my old Grumman canoe but my wife and I will join them from time to time. They don’t seem to mind.

Paddleboards look like surfboards but you stand up on them and paddle with a long handled paddle. A couple of my friends are into whitewater paddleboarding. It looks hard (and I suspect it is). They travel all over to find the best water, sharing many of those rapids with the kayaks. 

Again, our lakes around here are perfect for paddleboarding. My own paddleboarding is confined to the week our family spends at the beach each year. It is heavenly to get up well before everyone else, carry my paddleboard down to the ocean, and get in a couple of miles.

The ocean is quieter, the water is clearer, and the peace surmounts all the troubles in my world. I glide along almost silently which means that you get a great view of rays and turtles in the water below.

I’ve always thought I would enjoy sailing and when I see the occasional sailboat crossing the lake just about the Fort Loudoun Dam, I’m envious. My own sailing is confined to an infrequent bout with a Hobie Cat.

Whatever floats your boat, it’s about time to get out there. And if you don’t really care for all the motors on the lakes, keep looking—I bet you can find a bit of solitude just out your back door.