About Us
We started Coastal Kayak in 1997 with a handful of skinny touring kayaks and a very heavy but sturdy kayak trailer with which we hauled them up and down I-95. Summers found us in the Bethany Beach, Delaware area, guiding customers through the coastal salt marshes. And in the winter, we headed about as far south as you can get in Florida – the Marco Island area, to do trips through the mangrove islands and tunnels in the 10,000 Islands. In 1999, Delaware State Parks accepted our proposal to offer non-motorized watercraft rentals at their Fenwick Island facility in southern Delaware. Soon after, we decided to concentrate our efforts in Delaware.
Coastal Kayak provided us with so much. We worked extremely hard in the summer, but had time to explore in the winter. We learned invaluable lessons about running a business as well as about people, customers, staff, kayaks, weather, water, nature and how they all work (and sometimes don’t work) together. Many of our customers and staff became treasured friends. And the waterways and eco-systems of the Delaware/Maryland coast, well, they became like a favorite teacher – punishing foolish behavior yet generously sharing knowledge with those who wanted to learn.
It’s hard to know when to give up a good thing, if ever! But after 27 years, we decided that if we were going to start a new chapter, it was time to do it. It’s scary, but exciting, too!
Mitch Mitchell
A life-long surfer, Mitch has always felt more comfortable on water than on land. His first kayaking experience was kayak fishing on Lake Temagami in Canada in 1990. Since then he has become an expert in rough water ocean paddling. He loves the adrenaline rush of kayak and paddle board surfing, downwinders, and sailing his Hobie in 20-30 mph winds.
Prior to and during the first years of Coastal Kayak, Mitch taught tennis in both Delaware and Florida. He was a Collegiate All-American at Anderson College in South Carolina before transferring to the top 10 nationally ranked Clemson tennis team. No matter where he is in this world, he will forever be a Clemson Tiger.
As an owner of Coastal Kayak for 27 years, Mitch taught kayaking and sailing lessons to students of all levels. He trained guides and instructors, lead tours, and provided the photography and videos for Coastal Kayak’s web content and marketing campaigns.
Now Mitch is concentrating on his drone business. He received his FAA commercial drone pilot’s license in 2019. Recently, he’s been working specifically on honing his FPV drone flying skills to be able offer exciting, unique perspectives to his clients. He works with businesses and non-profits of all sizes and loves creating videos showcasing all aspects of the organization.
Mitch also has his USCG Captain’s License and teaches sailing lessons and offers sailing eco-tours over the summer.
Jenifer Adams-Mitchell
Backroads, new territory, new experiences – these are a few of Jen’s favorite things. Whether it’s exploring salt marshes, mangrove tunnels, or trails through forests, deserts, or Nebraska pastureland, wondering what’s around the next bend has always been her motivation for getting outside.
As an owner of Coastal Kayak for 27 years, Jen handled communications, scheduling, bookkeeping, ordering, and wrote the content for Coastal Kayak’s website, blogs, and marketing campaigns. For 10 years, she was the race director for the Cow Pie Trail Run where she created awareness campaigns, planned race routes, organized volunteers, and implemented entrant registration technology. She is also the president of the Rebecca Adams Green Foundation which, to date, has donated over $48,000 in scholarships and grants.
In 2020, Jen completed her Delaware Master Naturalist training. She volunteers with Delaware Wild Lands and the DNREC Kestrel Monitoring Project.
As an award-winning writer, Jen will now focus on helping other businesses create content for websites, blog posts, and marketing campaigns. A small business owner herself, she has experienced the pain points of never having enough time for every thing and trusting someone else to share your vision and voice. She hopes to relieve some of that pressure by becoming her client’s go-to, reliable writer.
Brandi
I love to sniff!! I also love to help my mom cook. She’s always dropping things on the kitchen floor. I love it especially when she cooks with beans – any type of beans – black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans. I can hear her open a can from any where in the house.
I hate traveling. It used to make me sick. But now my parents give me sleepy peanut butter before we leave and I don’t remember much of the trip. When I wake up, I have so many new smells to sniff!
Let's Take This Outside 