Annapolis, MD - In efforts to support both the Oyster Recovery Partnership and Chesapeake Conservancy, Chris Hopkinson plans to expand this year's Bay Paddle into a team relay race. This 8-day paddle race will begin in Havre de Grace, MD and finish in Virginia Beach, VA from August 27-September 3, 2021.
Last year, following months of fundraising efforts through the newly established Bay Paddle organization he founded, Hopkinson successfully paddled the length of the Chesapeake Bay, beginning on September 18, 2020 at the Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and arriving on September 26, 2020 at the Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He became the first person to cross the entire Chesapeake Bay by standup paddleboard. Donations and sponsorships from the individuals and businesses supporting his effort went towards planting oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
Hopkinson explains that he got the idea after discovering a love for paddleboarding about six years ago, which gave him water access in a way he never had before, despite having grown up in the Annapolis area.
Read more about Chris Hopkinson here.
To become a sponsor, donate, join a team or create a team for this year's event visit www.baypaddle.org. Participants should register by July 1, 2021.
