Wear your pfd - carry a whistle on it (coast guard requirement), don't use a sprayskirt till you've practiced a wet exit. IF you're paddling in DC waters, you are required to have a boater's safety certificate.

Consider joining the Chesapeake Paddler's Association or hitting up their beginner series (membership is not required to paddle with them, but it is only $10 a year) Next spring, I'd recommend you look into going to Sk102 & SK102, the first is a classroom based instruction on kayaking, what to buy, what to wear, etc. The latter is water based instruction for a weekend (strokes, rescues, etc. - $35 for dinner, camping, and about 9 hours of instruction by volunteers, many of whom are professional kayaking coaches)).

Here's the beginner series (which if any of the rest of you who aren't beginners want to join, it's more of a leisurely paddle series)
http://www.cpakayaker.com/news/192/1...cement_detail/

When you're signing up, mention to them that you are a beginner and have never wet exited - they will come early to teach you how to do those things.

Brian & Jenn B are doing a paddle at Fountainhead on June 30th. Both of them are cyclists, and Brian happens to be a professionally certified kayaking coach who has been volunteering for CPA for years.

You might also want to hit one of the "piracies" which are weekly evening paddles at various locations around the area - again, someone there would be happy to help you with strokes & wet exits. There's 4 locations in Maryland (Riley's Lock on the Potomac, Pier 7 in Annapolis, Baltimore & the Eastern Shore (Paula who runs the eastern shore piracy is a professional coach & excellent with beginners).

As for what boat to buy... What's your long term goal? If you want to put in a lot of mileage or get serious about kayaking, you may outgrow the boat you're looking at fairly quickly. If you just want to putter about & watch boats, you'll be fine. But maybe look at something longer - the perception carolinas or the wilderness systems tsunamis... Buying used off craigslist makes a lot of sense when you're just beginning.

Btw - Tulip - CPA has started a Richmond area piracy that paddles on the James every Wednesday night. The pirate queen, Mary Larson, has a couple spare boats & is willing to bring one for other people... My friend Julie's also got a spare boat she could bring if you wanted to head out with them.