Newlyweds kayak the East Coast, not for a record, just because.
Posted: October 28, 2009 - 11:00pm
Back Photo: 1 of 3 Next 
TERRY DICKSON/The Times-Union
Dan Cox uses duct tape to make a temporary repair to his wife Bethany's kayak, which had a leak. The Raleigh, N.C., couple are paddling the Atlantic Coast from Lubec, Maine, to Key West.
Dan Cox uses duct tape to make a temporary repair to his wife Bethany's kayak, which had a leak. The Raleigh, N.C., couple are paddling the Atlantic Coast from Lubec, Maine, to Key West.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND - It would be hard to say that Dan and Bethany Cox's marriage of 1-and-a-half years is on solid ground.
They've spent much of their married life on the water paddling their way south in a quest to kayak the entire Atlantic Coast from Lubec, Maine, to Key West. Not that they haven't had some breaks, including one particularly long one.
Relaxing Tuesday night in the luxury and comfort of the King & Prince Beach and Golf Resort hotel on St. Simons Island, they recalled starting too late in Sept. 2, 2008, to make it the whole way. In fact, they didn't even clear Maine.
"We paddled for about a month. It got too cold to paddle,'' Dan Cox said.
Instead of going home to Raleigh, N.C., they went ashore in Portland and got jobs, one at a Target another taking Santa Claus pictures at the mall.
Later Dan Cox got to wear the Easter bunny suit for the pictures.
"I got a promotion,'' he said.
After wintering in Portland, they set out again in May when the water was still 40 degrees, paddled through the hot summer and are hitting the temperate weather again as they get ready to take on the last of 14 states.
They are not paddling for a cause, to write a book or do something unique. Others have done it before. It's just something they wanted to do.
They had only two threats from thunderstorms but had a little trouble with the Navy when they accidentally strayed into restricted waters in Raritan Bay in New Jersey.
After spotting signs that warned they weren't allowed in the area, the Coxes paddled over to some sailors to admit their mistake. What they got instead was a tense confrontation with Navy security officers.
"I've never had anyone pull their guns on me,'' Dan Cox, 23, said.
"It was an ugly thing,'' Bethany Cox, 25, said.
They ended up paying fines of $180 each and, as a result, are extra careful especially as they approach Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, possibly as early as today.
Some of the accommodations have been what Bethany Cox calls "sketchy.'' They've pulled their kayaks onto sandy areas and camped in their three-person tent. They've also been invited into homes, including a cabin on a marsh hammock in McIntosh County with no electricity. Other times, they stop at marinas and walk to hotels and restaurants, once hiking miles for a pizza.
They also went ashore into Ocean City, Md., for what both agree is one of their worst experiences: walking three hours and finally finding a room around midnight in a Days Inn for $220. Staten Island they both described as just scary.
"This is like the best place we've been,'' Bethany Cox said looking up at the high ceilings of the King & Prince lobby.
In fact, when her kayak sprang a leak Thursday morning, she said hopefully, "We can always go back to the King & Prince.''
But Michael Gowen of Southeast Adventure Outfitters repaired it on the dock, and they were on their way by noon.
Asked how they managed to pay for the trip, the couple said most yacht clubs and marinas don't charge them for dock space - only three have the whole trip - and they're spending Dan's life savings. With a degree in business from Thomas Edison State College, he always saved. His degree fits the financing, hers, a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education from Brevard College, seems to fit the trip.
Both are Christians and Dan Cox is an answered prayer - literally.
"I wanted to open a kayak shop, but I didn't know anything about business. I prayed I would meet a kayaker with a business degree,'' she said.
As for now, Bethany Cox said, it seems like they haven't been really married having not "played house.''
But they'll get to that soon. Right after they break open a small, salt-encrusted bottle of celebratory champagne in Key West in about six weeks and start thinking about working with something besides their arms.
terry.dickson@jacksonville.com, (912) 264-0405
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2009-10-29/story/couple_paddling_kayaks_from_tip_of_maine_to_key_west
They've spent much of their married life on the water paddling their way south in a quest to kayak the entire Atlantic Coast from Lubec, Maine, to Key West. Not that they haven't had some breaks, including one particularly long one.
Relaxing Tuesday night in the luxury and comfort of the King & Prince Beach and Golf Resort hotel on St. Simons Island, they recalled starting too late in Sept. 2, 2008, to make it the whole way. In fact, they didn't even clear Maine.
"We paddled for about a month. It got too cold to paddle,'' Dan Cox said.
Instead of going home to Raleigh, N.C., they went ashore in Portland and got jobs, one at a Target another taking Santa Claus pictures at the mall.
Later Dan Cox got to wear the Easter bunny suit for the pictures.
"I got a promotion,'' he said.
After wintering in Portland, they set out again in May when the water was still 40 degrees, paddled through the hot summer and are hitting the temperate weather again as they get ready to take on the last of 14 states.
They are not paddling for a cause, to write a book or do something unique. Others have done it before. It's just something they wanted to do.
They had only two threats from thunderstorms but had a little trouble with the Navy when they accidentally strayed into restricted waters in Raritan Bay in New Jersey.
After spotting signs that warned they weren't allowed in the area, the Coxes paddled over to some sailors to admit their mistake. What they got instead was a tense confrontation with Navy security officers.
"I've never had anyone pull their guns on me,'' Dan Cox, 23, said.
"It was an ugly thing,'' Bethany Cox, 25, said.
They ended up paying fines of $180 each and, as a result, are extra careful especially as they approach Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, possibly as early as today.
Some of the accommodations have been what Bethany Cox calls "sketchy.'' They've pulled their kayaks onto sandy areas and camped in their three-person tent. They've also been invited into homes, including a cabin on a marsh hammock in McIntosh County with no electricity. Other times, they stop at marinas and walk to hotels and restaurants, once hiking miles for a pizza.
They also went ashore into Ocean City, Md., for what both agree is one of their worst experiences: walking three hours and finally finding a room around midnight in a Days Inn for $220. Staten Island they both described as just scary.
"This is like the best place we've been,'' Bethany Cox said looking up at the high ceilings of the King & Prince lobby.
In fact, when her kayak sprang a leak Thursday morning, she said hopefully, "We can always go back to the King & Prince.''
But Michael Gowen of Southeast Adventure Outfitters repaired it on the dock, and they were on their way by noon.
Asked how they managed to pay for the trip, the couple said most yacht clubs and marinas don't charge them for dock space - only three have the whole trip - and they're spending Dan's life savings. With a degree in business from Thomas Edison State College, he always saved. His degree fits the financing, hers, a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education from Brevard College, seems to fit the trip.
Both are Christians and Dan Cox is an answered prayer - literally.
"I wanted to open a kayak shop, but I didn't know anything about business. I prayed I would meet a kayaker with a business degree,'' she said.
As for now, Bethany Cox said, it seems like they haven't been really married having not "played house.''
But they'll get to that soon. Right after they break open a small, salt-encrusted bottle of celebratory champagne in Key West in about six weeks and start thinking about working with something besides their arms.
terry.dickson@jacksonville.com, (912) 264-0405
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2009-10-29/story/couple_paddling_kayaks_from_tip_of_maine_to_key_west
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