It’s hard to paddle this time of year if you don’t have a boat. Only a handful of boat rentals are open year-round (Lake Johnson and Lake Wheeler in Raleigh come to mind), and most of those only open when the 100-degree rule applies (when the combined air and water temperature top 100). Thus, the joys of winter paddling go unappreciated by the masses.

Isabelle, an assistant organizer with the Raleigh Weekday Outdoor Activity Group, has her own boat, but appreciates the plight of the boatless from mid-September into spring, what many of us consider prime paddling season. So every once in a while, she sponsors an outing where the haves (those with boats) and the have nots come together for a day on the water.

I tagged along on the group’s November outing. Check out this little video of how the day went.