There wasn’t a kayak yard like it anywhere.  Yeah, you could pick up one from big box chain store from some high school kid that thinks a blade is something to shave with.   And I know of one dealer with a great reputation and mind boggling selection.  But, the shop isn’t located where customers aren’t free to try before they buy.  This yard was located on a small cove of an expansive salt marsh giving rookie paddlers a calm place to learn new skills and veteran kayakers access to the Chesapeake Bay.  The owners also lead guided tours in a few choice locations in their water encircled county.  A simple red barn with a zillion fiddler crabs scurrying around roto-molded plastic and Kevlar composite hulls ready and waiting for adventures.  This was Bay Trails Outfitters.

There was nowhere else I was going to buy my first kayak.  The owner, Shawn Towne…