Blue skies equal a green summer for paddle rentals
The hot, dry summer in southeastern Connecticut led to brisk business on the water for kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals.
And the sizzling rental business in turn meant hot sales for local outfitters who also carry outdoor gear.
"It's been phenomenal," said Theo Maryeski, who manages Three Belles Outfitters at Three Belles Marina in the Smith Cove area of Niantic. "We've put a lot more people on the water."
Maryeski said sales at his shop were up 70 percent this year, thanks largely to specialty kayaks that require boaters to peddle, not paddle, down the nearby Niantic River. Peddling allows people to fish from their kayaks, expanding interest in rentals, he said, thanks to their affordability.
Peddling has a side benefit of being easier to maneuver for those who have injuries to their upper body, he added.
"We are the kayak fishing shop in Connecticut; that is our specialty," Maryeski said. "The rental business is trending upwards. And the season's not done. We expect to push it much later this year."
At Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, which rents kayaks, canoes and paddleboards on the Black Hall River off Route 156, live music can often be heard as owner Gene Chiemo mixes things up on weekends with a wide range of activities, including sunset yoga paddles.
"Paddleboards are huge right now," said Daniel Koenigs of Old Lyme, an instructor for the outfitter. "It's just kind of the hip thing to do. It's like a surfboard. It's different."
Jeff Jodoin, owner of Blue Heaven Kayak & Paddleboard Rentals in Mystic, agreed that paddleboards were hot and said his business took advantage by offering paddleboard lessons.
"Paddleboards really took off this summer," he said. "My season has been twice as good as last year."
Local rental business may have been helped by the statewide drought that left many streams and rivers to the north running drier than usual, cutting into outfitters' businesses elsewhere in Connecticut, said Jennifer Clarke of Clarke Outdoors in North Cornwall.
"It's been a mixed season for us," she said in a voicemail. "Very, very slow up here for our river trips because of the drought but our lake rentals at the state parks have been very, very busy because it's been so dry."
Leslie Sullivan of Cheshire, who visited Three Belles Outfitters on a weekday in September, said she has made the trip to Niantic from her home four times so far this year.
"It's a great way to de-stress," she said before packing her lunch and hopping onto a kayak she rented for a couple of hours. "This place is so beautiful down here."
Maryeski, the Three Belles manager, said weekdays are quiet this time of year, but with good weather weekends are still lively.
"No sun, no business," he said. "We've had a great summer because it hasn't been scorchingly hot."
Some rental businesses along the shoreline in Connecticut were affected when four boaters from Madison — in a kayak and paddleboard — were swept away during a windstorm earlier in the summer and two died, he said. But Three Belles' location in a protected cove has meant no problems for his business, according to Maryeski.
Likewise, Koenigs at Black Hall Outfitters said inexperienced boaters appreciate its location along a river that flows into Long Island Sound, giving them the option to paddle mostly in calmer waters where they can enjoy wildlife and some beautiful waterfront homes.
"People love to see the ospreys," Koenigs said.
"We do a ton of business," added employee Anthony Romeo of Old Lyme. "For the past three years, it's been really, really big."
Kevin Gallagher II, manager of the Black Hall operation, said the outfitter does a good job of marketing different events and competitions, including tours to view the swarms of tree swallows making their way south for the winter and various fishing contests.
Rentals generally go in two-hour intervals starting at $35 for a single kayak and $50 for a double. Bookings are usually done online. Kayaking and canoeing attract all ages, while paddleboarding tends toward a younger crowd, outfitters said.
"No Jet Skis; nothing with a motor," Gallagher said of his rental business. "We did really well. The weekends were amazing."
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