Kayaking to the Chestertown Raft Race

This paddle is one of our Chestertown Tea Party Festival weekend events that anyone can attend and enjoy. However, you will need to bring your own kayak, life vest, and gear. Rentals are available at Chester River Outfitters in town.

http://www.chesterriverbikeandpaddle.com/

Anyone renting a kayak can launch directly from the outfitter's location in town and meet us on the river after we launch nearby.

The Raft Race

The "Raft Race" is the premier waterfront event on Sunday during the Tea Party Festival. It's not really a race so much as being a colorful celebration of clever contraptions that somehow float on the Chester River off Wilmer Park while the spectators on shore cheer them on. There's a large wooden pavilion at Wilmer Park just a short stroll from Chestertown's waterfront that's a great place for people to gather and watch the Raft Race.

Here is the official description from the program:

Every Spring during the Chestertown Tea Party Festival an elite group of highly trained athletes gather at the edge of the Chester River and prepare for a competition that will test their ability to plumb the depths of imagination and maintain delusional visions of glory. In the festival’s Raft Race, not-so-sleek racing machines compete for trophy-bragging rights to the weekend’s most offbeat event. The coveted Tea Cup, the race’s highest honor, is awarded to the raft with the best synthesis of creativity, engineering, and speed.

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The Paddle

Although the Raft Race is fun to watch onshore, we plan to watch the race teams and the crowds up close from the water in our kayaks. Our launching spot at the Chester River Yacht Club is just a short paddle from Wilmer Park and the Raft Race area. So we'll start close to the action and also have a chance to explore the lower section of the Chester River on the other side of the Chestertown waterfront.

The Yacht Club has a nice boat dock and parking area with a small beach that's perfect for launching kayaks. Our group has access to this wonderful private launch because several of us are renting a house in Chestertown. We are guests of the Yacht Club due to the kindness of our landlady, who's a member. Please be courteous and respect Yacht Club members when parking and launching our kayaks.

We want to launch and get on the river by Wilmer Park before 2:30 pm when the Raft Race begins. We'll probably be on the water for 3-4 hours. So bring plenty of drinking water, sunscreen, a wide brim hat, and sunglasses. This paddle is suitable for both beginners and experienced kayakers who are comfortable being out on the water.

The Chester River is a scenic and relaxing place to kayak, and viewing Chestertown from the water is a great experience. The full Chestertown Tea Party weekend meetup details are available here:

https://www.meetup.com/Second-Half-Rally-Active-Recreation-for-Fun-People/events/48107812/

Call Jake at 703-798-8435 if the weather looks doubtful or you have questions.