Category: paddling

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kayak kayaking maine paddling

Paddling to Islesboro

May 15, 2008

On days like that, Islesboro seems close, almost within reach, as if on the opposite shore of a tranquil river, as if you could step into a rowboat, take a few lazy strokes, and glide ashore on the other side.

Despite a light breeze, the bay was as tranquil and glassy as a mill pond. The hilly profile of the island was colored with the fresh green of spring.

I’d made the two-mile crossing from Saturday Cove to Islesboro many times before, but only a few times on water as unrippled as that. The one mile crossing to Seal Island took just 10 minutes — the silkiness of the water punctuated only by the occasional surfacings of seals and the landings of loons and eiders. After tracing the rocky western shoreline of Seal Island, I continued north and crossed to little Ram Island. There I went ashore and walked the island’s piney paths before heading back south to aptly named Flat Island — a sandy, low island that was noisy with seals and gulls. Then I turned east into Crow Cove and The Narrows — a part of Islesboro that is less than 100 feet wide at the highest of tides.

I hope to return soon — to portage across to the other side of Islesboro and then paddle further eastward to explore the island-filled bay beyond.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling whitewater

License to Paddle

A lengthy recent discussion at Paddling.net focused on whether the idea of requiring training and licensing of paddlers is a good idea. The argument in favor of licensing holds that the number of costly rescue operations is increasing — and that requiring paddlers to be trained and licensed would reduce the number of required rescues as well as providing a source of funds to pay for the rescues that do take place.

Those who operate powerboats over a certain length are required to have licenses, so requiring paddlers to be licensed could be seen as an expansion / extension of that law.

While I encourage kayakers to get training commensurate to the kind of paddling they will be doing, I believe that this kind of increased regulation of kayaking would would be wrongheaded, ineffective, and unenforceable.

For some, kayaking means lengthy unsupported solo night crossings between distant points of land. For others, kayaking means floating in a shallow pond on a sunny summer day, while never venturing more than 100 yards from camp. What single standardized mandatory basic safety course could possibly be helpful to each?

My point is that paddling is an incredibly varied activity — and that no standard basic training course could effectively prepare the wide range of paddlers for the types of paddling they will be doing. At its simplest, paddling is an elemental activity that is little more sporting or dangerous than taking a walk around the block. To subject those who take a daily walk around the block to a new set of safety developed to protect mountaineers would be ridiculous. To certify prospective mountaineers with a basic safety course oriented to walkers would be equally ridiculous and falsely enabling.

The fact is that paddlers die each year because they fail to wear their life jackets, venture out on cold water without proper clothing, don’t pay attention to weather conditions, or paddle in conditions above their abilities. It would be great if we could reduce the number of these deaths, but I’m not convinced that regulation is the way to get it done.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling whitewater

Some of the Best Things are Close to Home

Most of Little River in Belfast, Maine is nothing more than a shallow stream for about 355 days of the year. The other 10 days it turns into something else — sometimes something very nice.

Heavy spring rains (2 inches within a 24 hour period) brought the river up to a fun but manageable level for paddling.

Who knew one could have that much adventure on a sunny spring afternoon — all within 4 miles of my house and of downtown Belfast? My little trip on Little River involved a 0.7 mile drive to the put in, a scramble down a steep bank to launch, a fun half mile stretch of Class I rapids (with a tiny bit of Class II), paddling the length of Resevoir #1, a brief portage, a scramble down an extremely steep bank, a quarter mile section of Class II – III whitewater, another mile of flatwater, and then a 3 mile run along beautiful riverside trails back to my car.

Sighting: grey heron (1), beaver (2), ducks (several), other people (0). All this on an afternoon after work. Maine — the way life should be.

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paddling St. George whitewater

Swimming the St. George

An early season “swim” is always good for helping maintain humility. Maybe I was feeling a little too confident after my clean run down the St. George on Friday.

The river level dropped about 8 – 12 inches in the last two days, which made the rapids a little more technical. And somehow (see photo above) a large log has positioned itself in an unfortunate spot, just below the drop immediately upstream from the Ghent Road bridge. As my bow nosed off the drop, it hit the submerged portion of the log, the rest of my boat swung sideways, and over I went.

So be careful out there, y’all. Scout those tricky sections even when you don’t think you need to. The river is always changing.

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kayaking paddling

A Lesson in the Importance of Bulkheads

During a family gathering at a friend’s lakeside camp last summer, after deciding I could bear life as a landlubber no longer, I shoved off in a borrowed Dagger rec kayak to play around for a few minutes. With no life jacket or skirt available, I restricted myself to shoulder-deep water just offshore. My playing around became a lesson in several things: (1) it is very possible to roll a kayak without wearing a skirt. In fact, the water scooped up by the cockpit as you roll may lower the center of gravity, actually making it easier to roll; (2) Bulkheads were invented for a reason (this model, like many rec kayaks, did not have any bulkheads); (3) If at first you succeed, quit!

The impromptu video of the moment was posted on Youtube and then re-edited by DeepSixDave and posted as an informational video on the importance of bulkheads. Dave’s other videos are here. His blog is here.

DeepSixDave’s re-edited version of my video is below:

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Point 65 Rocker Rocks


One of the best parts of my job (“job” is a euphemism here), is paddling new boats. Me taking a new kayak out on the water for the first time is a lot like Christmas morning for my kids. The Point 65 Crunch Rocker did not disappoint. Paddling the Rocker out in Belfast Harbor on Monday (1 knot tidal current, 10 – 15 knot wind, slight chop), I was impressed by the speed and tracking of this boat. No matter which direction I pointed it, the Crunch Rocker held course.

The Crunch Rocker is actually the poky little sister of the Crunch Rocket. But poky it is not. In fact with its narrow beam, fine ends, v-ed hull, and sculpted deck it is the sleekest, sharpest polyethylene kayak I have seen. Put that together with its extended waterline and moderate rocker and it may also be the fastest. Very easy to set on edge, the Rocker turns well once leaned and is thus a great boat for rivers as well as for ocean paddling.

Which gets me thinking that the record time for the touring/rec category on the Kenduskeag River could fall next spring. Rocket or Rocker? Hmmm . . . I’m not sure it’s even fair to to put the Rocker and Rocket in the same category as conventional plastic touring boats. But then again, there is nothing in the category rules that states that a rec/touring boat has to be rounded, blunt, slow, and beamy. More on the Crunch Rocker here.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling

Some Like it Rough: New Book on Rough Water Paddling

Alex Matthews’ new book, Sea Kayaking Rough Waters, is intended for those who end up paddling in tough conditions either by design or by chance. Either way, it will help you improve your confidence, your ability, and — hopefully your enjoyment — of kayaking in challenging conditions. The book is highlighted by awesome photos that just make you want to get out there.

Among other things, the book includes a section on the High Brace Lean Turn, a stroke I have not seen described in many other places. Other information new to me included “The Rule of Thirds” — a method of determining tidal currents at different stages of the tide cycle. (O% at slack, 50% at 1 hour after slack, 90% at two hours after slack, and 100% at 3 hours after slack).

Following is an excerpt from a section on landing in surf: “Once you’ve made the decision to go, you really have two options. You can ride a wave right into shore. This means following on the heels of the last wave of a set. To chase a wave in, you’ll let the last wave of a set pass and then sprint in behind it all the way into shore. If timed correctly, this approach negates the need to control a dynamic surf ride, or at least it will allow you to avoid the worst of the impact zone . . .”

Sea Kayaking Rough Waters and other books from Heliconia Press area can be purchased online from our website.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling

Belfast Harbor Tours This Summer!

In addition to our day tours to the Muscle Ridge Islands, Camden, Rockport, and Jonesport, we’ll be offering tours of Belfast Harbor this summer.

These 1.5 hour late afternoon tours are ideal for those new to kayaking, families, and those wishing to explore a beautiful midcoast Maine town from the water.

As always, instruction will be provided — and we’ll carefully choose a boat suited to your size and ability. Discounts available to those who decide to sign up for another tour with us. Belfast features a picturesque harbor filled with sailboats, views of the Camden Hills, Islesboro, and Sears Island, and opportunity to paddle either out the harbor or up the Passy River. Depending on weather and tides, tours will be offered in the mornings, late afternoons, and occasionally for sunset and moonrise. Details coming soon.

Belfast, population 6870, has been named one of the top 5 “culturally cool towns in America” by USA Today. Come find out why. More on Belfast at the Belfast Area Chamber.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling Passy whitewater

Passy in the Spring (Passagassawakeag River, Belfast, Maine)


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.

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kayak kayaking maine paddling Passy whitewater

Rain or Shine


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!