Saturday, September 26, 2020. 
Paddle 4 mi. up Crosswicks Creek with the incoming tide from Bordentown to John A. Roebling Memorial Park to visit the Isaac Watson House.
Built on a bluff overlooking Watson’s Creek, the Isaac Watson House was built in 1708, and is recognized as the oldest house in Mercer County. It serves as the headquarters of the New Jersey State Society of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was restored by NJDAR in 1964, as part of the New Jersey Tercentenary Celebration.
Isaac Watson was the son of Quakers who came to this country from England in 1684. The furniture now displayed in this fine stone house antedates 1790, and several pieces were made by New Jersey craftsmen. In addition, many articles in the home were donated by New Jersey Daughters.
Diane Argraves, The Watson House Committee Past Chair and the Honorary NJDAR State Regent, will meet with us on the lawn as we are not permitted inside the House at this time.
- See Requirements to Paddle below
- 8:45-9:30 Unload, check-in and gear up. This trip is panned with the tides. Please don’t be late. Meet at Bordentown Beach https://goo.gl/maps/MqpjayvxDBT2 at the Delaware River end of W. Park St. You do not need a launch permit. Bordentown knows we’re coming.
- 9:30-9:45 Greeting and safety talk
- 9:45 Paddle Bordentown to Isaac Watson House (3.99 miles) on Crosswicks Creek with the incoming tide
- 11:17 Arrive at John A. Roebling Memorial Park at high tide and walk 1/4 mi. to Isaac Watson House
- 11:45-12:15 Visit with Diane Argraves of the Isaac Watson House. She will meet us on the lawn as we are not permitted inside the House at this time
- 12:15-1:00 Return to kayaks. Lunch
- 1-2:30 Paddle from Isaac Watson House to Bordentown Beach (3.99 miles) on Crosswicks Creek with outgoing tide
Tickets
A ticket is really a donation to the Burlington Meeting House, Inc., the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the facility, and the Paddle is something of a fundraiser for it. THANK YOU for your donation. Tickets are $25.
Requirements to Paddle
- Wearing a mask over both your nose and mouth while on land or rafted up is required except when eating
- Social distancing is required
- It may not be your first time paddling a kayak. Realize that:
- an 8-mile paddle may take 3.5 hours of paddling
- there may be boat wake and wind Crosswicks Creek and current under the RiverLINE light rail bridge which crosses it
- Kayak 10′ or longer unless we’ve paddled with you before
- Paddle
- Wear your PFD while on the water. Inflatable life jackets are not acceptable.**
- Whistle**
- Help move your boat and at least one other person’s boat at both put-ins and take-outs
**Required by law
Bring
BYO drinks, snacks and lunch; hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
Rain, Refunds
We paddle in the rain.
If the rain is heavy, we might have a delayed start.
There are no refunds.
Who’s Coming?
Penn Paddles are advertised on Facebook, Meetup, nj.com, burlingtoncountytimes, and by an email list. There are more going than indicated in any one social media listing, but there is room for more. Bring a friend. Met some new ones.
About the Penn Paddle
In 1677, the Quakers who sailed from England on the ship Kent and landed in Burlington bought from the Lenape Indians the land between Assunpink Creek (Trenton) and Rancocas Creek along the Delaware River. This namesake Penn Paddle is nearly that entire distance. Lenape Chief Ockanickon, a friend of the Quakers, is buried in the property’s grave yard. In 2019, the Penn Paddle expanded from the namesake paddle to a series of paddles on the Delaware River and its tributaries.
Read about our logo and its connection to the Delaware River.