Author: Ray

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Downeast Maine sea kayaking

Kayak the Bold Coast — A day trip this summer

A guided tour open to intermediate and advanced paddlers. Conditions permitting, we will paddle the stretch of coast between Bailey’s Mistake and Lubec.

The 12:24 PM high tide at West Quoddy Head on Saturday, Aug. 13 makes for an ideal day to launch from the MCHT ramp at Bailey’s Mistake at 9 AM, paddle the 8 miles to West Quoddy Head by slack tide, and then (conditions permitting) ride the ebb tide back to Bailey’s Mistake in the afternoon. 

Contingency options include taking out at West Quoddy Head, South Lubec, or Lubec. 

If fog or sea conditions make the trip inadvisable, alternatives include exploring Baileys Mistake Cove and nearby Sandy Cove or paddling the cliffs and rock gardens between Bucks Harbor (Machiasport) and Jasper Beach. 

Please contact us with questions or to make a reservation. Discounts are available for paddlers bringing their own boats and gear.

This trip is being offered as a one-day follow-up to two days of paddling in the Great Wass archipelago. Paddlers can sign up for one, two, or three days of epic Downeast kayaking.

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Acadia Belfast Deer Isle Downeast Maine Great Wass Jonesport Maine islands Muscle Ridge paddling sea kayaking

More tours, so you can paddle more with us

A photo from our recent paddling adventures in Sitka, Alaska.

Our tour offerings are greatly expanded this summer — in hopes you’ll tour more with us. In addition, our website has been re-organized so that it is now either to search for kayak tours by date or by geographical area.

You can now search for our sea kayak tours in the areas of Rockland (including Muscle Ridge), Belfast, Stonington, Schoodic (including Acadia National Park / Mount Desert Island), and Jonesport.

If the dates of our scheduled tours don’t work for you, please contact us as we still have many open dates and are eager to provide custom tours.

Hope to see you on the water soon!

Categories
cold water kayaking hypothermia

Tips for Safe Winter Paddling

Our recent article, “How to Paddle Safely in the Winter,” is now up on Medium. This four-minute read provides an overview of the knowledge and gear you need. It also offers suggestions on watching the weather, setting up a support system, and managing risk. Click here to read. (A Medium account is not required if you use this link.)

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Acadia Downeast Maine kayaking Maine islands sea kayaking

Sea Kayaking July

Our July coastal Maine sea kayaking trips have featured Frenchmen’s Bay south of Sorrento, the archipelago of islands south of Cape Split (South Addison), and the Bold Coast near Lubec / Quoddy Head State Park.

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Uncategorized

May & June 2020

Paddling the Marsh Stream in Monroe.
Sunrise over the Muscle Ridge Islands.
Ashore near the east end of Spruce Head.
View of Cadillac Mountain from the Porcupines.
A beach on Burnt Porcupine.
Cliffs of Burnt Porcupine.
Cliffs of Burnt Porcupine, looking toward Mount Desert Island.
A beach on Burnt Porcupine Island.
Muscle Ridge off South Thomaston, the Porcupine Islands off Bar Harbor, and — of course — Basin Pond were among our featured kayaking destinations in May and the first part of June.

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kayaking sea kayaking Uncategorized

Paddling the Saguenay Region of Quebec

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cold water kayaking Downeast Maine paddling sea kayaking

Winter Cliffs of Machiasport

Life circumstances and weather conditions came together to allow a February afternoon paddle out of Bucks Harbor in Machiasport (downeast Maine) and toward Jasper Beach.

We had paddled this cliff-lined section of Maine coast a number of times before — and for a number of reasons, it has become a favorite. This short section of the coast offers a picturesque working harbor, views of photogenic Yellow Head, craggy high cliffs, rock gardening opportunities, and the unique volcanic rhyolite stones of Jasper Beach.

Cliffs on the western shore of Bucks Harbor.
Cliffs on the eastern edge of Jasper Beach.
Jasper Beach.
Jasper Beach.

Categories
Kenduskeag Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race Maine rivers race whitewater

Deep Enough to Swim in, Nearly Warm Enough to want to: 2016 Kenduskeag Race will be one of a kind.

Every Kenduskeag is unlike any other, and this year will be no different.

The depth and flow rate of the Kenduskeag Stream will be lower than average for this time of year, yet there will still be plenty of water.  Meanwhile temperatures in Bangor are expected to reach 57 degrees on Saturday, and absent any recent snow melt, water temperatures should be a little warmer than average as well.  The biggest standout factor may be the number of paddlers.  The fact that this is the race’s 50th anniversary together with the expected warm spring day should help bring in a big field.  We would need close to 1600 paddlers to break the record.

As of Wednesday, April 13, the Kenduskeag is running at about 1000 cfs (cubic feet per second) which is just about average for this date. However, with no additional rainfall expected before race day and no contributing snow melt, the flow rate is likely to drop to somewhere near 500 cfs by Saturday.

While 500 cfs is a whole lot less water than 1,000 cfs, the good news is that  the level will be well above the dismally low 100 cfs we had for the hull-sanding event that constituted the 2012 race.

Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race data 2010 - 2015, with projections for 2016.
Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race data 2010 – 2015, with projections for 2016.

Robert Lang’s course record of 1:50.08 is safe for another year, but this year’s winning time should easily be closer to two hours than to the three hour plus slog we saw in 2012.  (See chart on left). Based on plotting winnings times and stream flow since 2010, I am projecting a winning time of 2 hours and 10 minutes for this year’s race.

Want more predictions?  How about that there will be at least one big surprise in the top 10 overall, that at least one craft will capsize before the start, that more than a hundred craft will capsize at Six Mile Falls,, and that there will be a lot of smiles at the finish.

Hope to see y’all there!

 

 

 

 

Categories
kayak racing kayaking whitewater

The Wildwater Kayak — Versatile, Challenging, and Cool

The wildwater boat is sometimes viewed as a specialty boat, but in many ways it is more versatile than most of the boats on the market.  Imagine you wanted to combine the speed of a surf ski, the buoyancy of a creek boat, the turning ability of a slalom boat, and the toughness of a whitewater boat.  The  wildwater kayak is what you would end up with.

According to the United States Canoe Association, wildwater kayaks have a maximum length of 4.5 meters (14 feet 9 3/16 inches).  Rules prohibit wildwater kayaks from having rudders.  Other than that, the design of kayaks used for wildwater is open.  Most modern wildwater kayaks, however, are narrower than 20 inches at waterline and have considerable above-waterline reserve buoyancy.  Much of the reserve buoyancy is in the “wings” that flare out just aft of the cockpit.

Two  examples of high end composite wildwater kayaks from Zastera are below:

The Zastera Corvette
The Zastera Aggressor

Those just getting into the sport can start with just about any durable kayak (yes, you will mix it up with rocks) that is 14’9″ or shorter.  The Perception Wavehopper (discontinued in the U.S. but available used) and the Pyranha Speeder are reasonably fast polyethylene kayaks well suited for wildwater racing on Class I, II, and III whitewater.

Wildwater Kayaks are fast due to their narrowness.  Their narrowness makes them “twitchy.”  Their twitchiness makes them a challenge.  Never a dull moment in a wildwater boat.  In the unlikely event you start experiencing those kinds of moments, time to get a narrower boat.

Wildwater Kayaking is part of the Penobscot River Nationals Regatta on Maine’s Penobscot River in July 2016.  The event is open to wildwater racers of all experience levels, and paddlers are at least as friendly as they are competitive.  Come and join the fun!

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kayak racing kayaking paddling whitewater

Why Wildwater?

From my biased perspective, it’s hard to understand why wildwater kayaking is not more popular.

Wildwater kayaking gets you outside, provides adventure, and takes you to beautiful natural places.

Wildwater provides similar cardiovascular benefits as sports such as running, bicycling, and surf ski racing.

Photo from WWKC.net

At the same time, wildwater provides the same rush of that can be found in sports such as downhill skiing, snowboarding, and whitewater playboating.

In addition, like golf or tennis, wildwater is a thinking person’s sport that rewards experience, knowledge, and technique.

One trend in paddlesports is the “first descent” — elite paddlers racking up air miles in order to take on never-before-paddled stretches of whitewater in Africa, Asia, or South America — and expending increasingly huge amounts of resources as they do so.

Many local paddlers follow the same pattern but on a smaller scale.  As they master local rivers, they are forced to drive farther from home to again experience the level of challenge and exhilaration they used to get from rivers closer to home.

Wildwater paddling is an antidote to this problem.  Imagine spending months or years paddling the same local river but in progressively narrower and tippier boats.  Imagine that each time you race that same river, you are looking to run better lines and to cut seconds off your previous best time.

If a quest for improvement that draws on cardiovascular fitness, strength, technique, ability to read the water, and knowledge of particular rivers is appealing, wildwater racing could be for you.

A couple of resources for learning more about wildwater racing include:

Wildwater.org
Danger Zone