The 2 most local rivers here (the Passy and the St. George)are relatively small Class I and II rivers that go dry by summer. So each time I paddle them, I do so thinking it may be the last trip of the year. On the other hand, if we have a rainy June, you know where to find me.
Category: kayak
After being an ocean paddler who only dabbled in rivers, I’ve crossed over to the point where I consider myself a river paddler as well. I started paddling the rivers earlier this year and have kept right on paddling them. Maine ocean waters are cold this time of year and the rivers can be more inviting, especially on a cool rainy day in May). The two inches of rain we’ve had this week has extended the local whitewater paddling season — and now I find myself wondering if I can stretch it out a little longer. I’ve begun keeping an Excel spreadsheet on reported and actually experienced river conditions. There no USGS or NOAA streamflow reports on the rivers I paddle most frequently, but my hope is that I can correlate the USGS data for other local rivers with what I observe on the Passy and St. George Rivers and thus be able to have a good idea of what conditions will be like before I pull out of the driveway.
Just in case you want to try this at home, the USGS streamflow data — both gauge height and flow — is at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/rt
The chart for the Ducktrap River shows a nice peak flow for May 19th. Happy paddling!
Inspired by the inch of rain we got since yesterday, I thought I’d try my new pro-deal Riot Boogie 50 surf kayak on the Passagassawakeag River. Prior to this, the only time I’d ever been in a whitewater kayak (or any kayak less than 12 feet long) was during a rolling session in an indoor pool. The flat hull of the Boogie 50 (think surf board flat) made me initially think I was back in the cardboard box boat I built a few years ago. (You haven’t paddled hard chines until you’ve paddled a box, but that’s another story). A bit unsettling! Within a few minutes, however, I began experimenting with using the boat’s sharp edges to grab the water and carve aggressive turns.
The whitewater sections of the river were bony; waves were scant. Probably more suited for a creek boat. The flatwater sections were sluggish and made me long for the powerful glide of my usual sea kayak. But mostly I got what I wanted — a couple of hours on the water and a chance to get to know the Boogie 50 a bit before trying it out in the surf.
The Boogie 50 is described as being high in launchness and planing speed, low in bounceness and looseness — just as a good surf kayak should be. Guess I’ll have to work on my vocabulary as well as on my paddling. Mostly though, it’s all about the fun-ness.
Doing my best to catch up with the latest technology, here are a few kayak rescue videos. Comments are welcome!
The video below shows a C-to-C Eskimo Roll from several angles. Following that is a short clip on emptying the boat alone:
Other videos are at
Re-entry and Roll (2 different techniques
Kayak visibility — or invisibility as the case may be — is one of the biggest safety concerns of those who venture more than a few dozen yards offshore. As Al Goldberg states in the 9-96 BSKC newsletter:
“There is a universal complaint about kayaks from the general marine community — they’re hard to see on the water. Usually this occurs under daylight conditions since this is when nearly all kayak/boating interactions occur. The problem is that a kayak is small and low on the water, and quite often has a hull color that blends either with the water or with erratic whitecaps.”
Choosing a bright colored kayak, wearing a bright colored pfd and clothing, putting reflective tape on paddles, and using a radar reflector all have a role in improving visibility and safety on the water. A kayak safety flag such as the RISPY, a new made-in-Maine product which we have begun to sell in our shop, can play an important role as well. The height and bright orange color of the flag make it more effective than a brightly colored pfd or even a brightly colored paddle. And while a radar reflector may still be advisable for some paddlers, a kayak safety flag is useful in situations where other boats may not be using radar.
The RISPY is sturdily built and economically priced. While some safety flags are mounted on the kayak deck with velcro or other less secure means, the RISPY is solidly mounted — yet provides the best of both worlds because it can easily be removed when not in use, and has a “break away” feature that will preserve the flag in a case of extreme impact. Check it out on our website!
–Image from rootsweb.com
Ran the Piscataquis River Canoe and Kayak Race yesterday in a tandem kayak with Jeff Sands. The tandem we paddled was an (I-kid-you-not) hybrid of 2 kayaks spliced together by Jeff, who apparently is not afraid to get creative with fiberglass. (As anyone serious about paddling probably knows, the neverending quest for the “perfect boat” knows no bounds). I paddled in the bow, which was the front half of a wildwater tandem. Jeff was in the stern which was taken from the back half of a women’s flatwater racer. (The joke is that my half of the boat was a dog in the flatwater and that the back behaved badly in the whitewater!) Actually, we felt fast and ran a very efficient race over the 8 mile course of mostly flatwater mixed with a few Class I rapids. Even so, nemesis Fred Ludwig, paddling in a wildwater single, edged us by 8 seconds and claimed first place with a time of 43:15.
It is an interesting exercise to ponder all the ways we might have gotten those 8 seconds back but probably more productive to just remember those 8 seconds and use it as motivation to get ready for the next time!
Categories
Kenduskeag Canoe Race Photos
Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race photos can be found online as follows:
- Mike Alden’s photos — kenduskeagstreamcanoerace.com (Shopping Cart rapids)
- JKirlin’s Photos (Six Mile Falls).
- Ken Regier’s Gallery (Six Mile Falls).
- Rhesa Gordon’s photos (taken near the finish line in downtown Bangor).
Click here to read “Swimming in 38 Degree Water” — one blogger’s description of what seems to have been a fairly typical experience of this year’s race.
In something of an upset, a two-person canoe paddled by Jeff Owen and Steve Woodard (1:52.30) had the fastest time in last Saturday’s 16.5 mile Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race. This canoe win marked the first time in 19 years that a canoe, rather than a kayak, was first across the line. Canoes claimed 7 of the top 10 times of the day. Several time winner Trevor Maclean, paddling a K1-long was second overall with a time of 1:53.30. More on the race in today’s Bangor Daily News.
I was happy with my own race. Finished 3rd among kayaks and 7th overall with a time of 2:04.54. Based on my goal of a top 3 finish (among kayakers) and a time under 2:15, I had a lot to feel good about. I lost time on the portages (draining isssues, bow stuck in the trees, stern stuck in the spectator rope, paddle stuck in the stern) and handled the whitewater more tenatively than I will next time. In retrospect, it was only the 4th time I had paddled the Ruahine Swallow (or anything of similarly slender) in whitewater and maybe only the third time using a wing paddle in whitewater — so I had reason to be tentative.
Started well but not too fast, felt strong over the first 10 miles of mostly flatwater, portaged Six Mile Falls, then survived the sections of standing waves, the portages (thought those were supposed to be much easier with a 30 lb. rather than a 60 lb. boat), the rapids at Shopping Cart, and even the 3 – 4 foot standing waves in the Bangor canal just short of the finish. No lie — just as the quote in the newspaper article says, the canal may have been the most challenging section of the river for those who finished at around 11:00 AM (approximately mid-tide). By noon, an hour later, the standing waves in the canal had calmed down considerably. The 6 mile section south of Six Mile Falls was notable for it’s absence of rocks or other obstructions, but interspersed with gleaming white fields of standing waves (I’ll be seeing them in my dreams for weeks). You just had to take a deep breath and pound down through.
Next year, I’ll aim to trust the boat more, crash the whitewater with more gusto, and be more efficient on the portages.
Theories on why canoes did so well in this years race:
1. the absence of kayakers Kenny Cushman and Jeff Sands (among others)
2. multi-person craft may have had an advantage in maintaining their momentum and pushing through the sections of standing waves
3. just plain good paddling! (I am in awe of anyone who can go that fast in a canoe).
4. take-outs at portages were muddy, slippery, steep — maybe easier to handle with a 2-person canoe.
5. paddling Six-Mile Falls? All of the first 3 kayaks portaged it. Not sure about the canoes.
Look out next year canoeists! I’ll be gunning for ya!
That’s me setting up for the drop. A canoe is capsized just ahead.
Michael Alden’s photos of this years Kenduskeag Stream
Canoe Race are online at kenduskeagstreamcanoerace.com/
Categories
The Race is On!
High water won’t stop Kenduskeag according to an article in today’s Bangor Daily News. Discussion on the MACKRO board speculates about possible changes in the number and length of mandatory portages in order to avoid sending paddlers through danger spots such as the rapids at Shopping Cart.