Sebascodegan Island Circumnavigation

[...]

They say if a sea kayaker is very lucky they may, at least once in their lifetime, experience the transition of an ordinary trip to an extraordinary one. Those trips always create lasting memories. This past weekend I had the privilege to participate in an extraordinary trip. I will admit that Mother Nature played an important role by delivering up a small craft advisory for Casco Bay. But the weather simply played a supporting role in the process that would unfold.

Now there are already many excellent trip reports which capture the beauty of a Sebascodegan Island circumnavigation. One such report was authored by Gary York on May 29, 2012 and it served as the basis for our planning. This trip report will not attempt to duplicate the efforts of previous authors, but will instead focus on the key factors which I believe were the catalyst for the transition to extraordinary.

The plan, which began one week prior, was for Robert Folster and I to launch on Saturday, September 10 from Bethel Point Road. We would circumnavigate Sebascodegan Island in a clockwise fashion, camping overnight on a MITA island in the northeast corner, then complete the trip down the eastern side on Sunday morning with a return to the launch site around 12:00N. The weather had been nasty with a small craft advisory being issued during the week. We decided a "go, no-go" would be made on the morning of Friday, September 9. The small craft advisory was lifted and the trip was on.

On Saturday morning we arrived at the launch site around 9:30AM. Overnight the small craft advisory was reissued, so a careful beach briefing was begun. We clearly had three goals for the weekend. 1. Improve our paddling and camping skills in inclement weather. 2. Conduct our activities in a safe and responsible manner. 3. Have fun! Now during the briefing, we acknowledged the fact the neither of us had ever before paddled these waters. So we were not certain how the weather would manifest itself in the sea state. We believed we each possessed intermediate level skills but the conditions may push our skills to their limits. To adjust for this we would stop at key points along the way, make careful observation, decide on a plan forward, and then execute on the plan. Rob understood that this methodology had a flaw with only two paddlers. So he volunteered a solution, which would give me the final say when we could not agree on the best plan forward. Perhaps Rob had sensed the burden of responsibility which is felt by any trip initiator and crafted the plan accordingly.

We launch at 10:30AM and arrived at a MITA island which had some exposure to what was forecast to be 3 to 5 foot seas. We were pleasantly surprised to see 1 to 2 foot seas and winds of approximately 10 kts. However, the fog which was forecast to lift at 9:00AM was still very thick. The fog made me hesitant to advance to our next decision point at Long Point Island, but we had agreed to sit tight, eat a sandwich and make careful observations. Within 15 minutes, the fog had lifted and the course ahead looked promising. We headed off to Long Point Island to continue our observations and make a "go, no-go" decision to round Gun Point and head into Gun Point Cove. This decision would affect whether or not we initiate the circumnavigation or head back to Quahog Bay and camp in the bay. Once again we were pleasantly surprised to discover 2 foot waves and wind of 10 knots so the circumnavigation was initiated.

Now the plan to launch around 10:30AM and follow a clock wise route was crafted to take advantage of a flood tide which would begin at approximately 11:00AM as well as the south winds. As we paddled along Gun Point Cove, and into Ewin Narrows, the wind had increased to what felt like 20 kts and we were feeling the benefit of the inflowing tide. We were traveling at 5.0 to 5.8kts as recorded on my GPS. It felt like being on a log flume ride. The wind was constant and unrelenting. We looked forward to what we hoped would be some relief on the lee side of Sebascodegan. Little did we realize what Mother Nature had in store for us?

We entered Prince Gurnet and were ready to round Doughty Point when I was stopped cold. I immediately voiced "Oh s**t, do you see what I see?" The water ahead looked like a broad expanse of white water rapids. Rob suggested we stop at a small cove, climb the rocks to the top of Doughty Point and observe. By our calculations we were at max flood moving at 3 to 4 kts and an opposing wind which funneled up Long Reach pushing the water back at 20 to 25 kts. The effect was "stunning". Now Rob had recently completed specialized training with Greg Paguin on moving water, so he could see past the challenge. He observed the effect, and then crafted a plan which we discussed. Rob would lead with me on his tail, playing a "catch me if you can" game. As we left the quiet cove in a wide arc, the current grabbed hold and swung us into position. After a brief paddle through the wind wave section, we executed a sharp left turn and arrived in Long Reach. Through the sound of the wind I could hear Greg say to Rob, "could use a little improvement, but not bad."

Luckily paddling with the current and the wind to our backs had helped us conserve energy levels and we were feeling fine. Throughout the trip we found ourselves checking in with each other as to whether we were drinking water, feeling cold, in need of a break, etc. By this time we did not know what to expect as we entered Gurnet Strait. Luckily our passage was uneventful and we enjoyed a break from the wind. As we arrived at the northern tip of Bombazine Island, I could sense Mother Nature saying, "Not so fast, I have a treat for you!" We actually translated that message to "I am going to kick your butts' big time!" We began a slog of approximately one mile to get to our camp site. The wind was funneling up the New Meadows River at what seemed like 20 to 25 kts and wind gusts of 25 to 30 kts hitting us on beam. I had received training from John Carmody for paddling in strong winds which included, deploy the skeg, shift your weight in the seat, use edging, maintain a rhythmic cadence, etc. As we completed our passage I could hear John say to me, "Could have used more torso rotation in that forward stroke, but not bad."

Now I could tell you the rest of the trip was uneventful, but that would leave out the tree crashing to the ground at our camp site as we hunkered down in our tents listening to the howling wind and the torrential downpour. But I believe my examples above may have communicate my message.

This trip went from the ordinary to the extraordinary due to the complementary nature of our skills and the methodology which brought structure to our decision making. With good structured training, an honest appraisal of our skills and teamwork we saw opportunity at each point along the way. Oh, and by the way, we had two bald eagle sightings!

Warren

[prudenceb]

Wow! I had hoped to join you on this trip, as you know, but reading your trip report, I don't know if I'm glad I missed it - or sorry I wasn't able to share the experience with you. I'm sure Rob's and your various teachers were saying all kinds of positive things as you planned, launched, paddled, and accomplished what you did.

As for that falling tree - I heard one of those in the night on one of our earlier trips, and ever since then, haven't looked at trees the same!

I'm VERY glad that both of you are back safe and sound, and look forward to our next planned camping adventure, which I hope is not as adventurous as this one!

pru

[cfolster]

Great trip report Warren! It's funny how your description of the falling object at camp was a 'tree', but Robert described it as a 'branch'. I think he was downplaying it for me so I would not worry-after-the-fact!

[rfolster]

'twas a twig really, maybe just a leaf thundering, uh, I mean gently drifting down to the forest floor

Nice job, Warren, on a terrific trip and a great report. After reading it, it made me think of Greg Anderson's quote "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

For me, the "extraordinary" extended into Sunday, mostly due to the vast difference between the two days. The entire region seemed to be sleeping in after the ordeals of the previous day. Even a couple of lobster boats that chose to venture out only did so with a quiet purr. The serenity of the day, the ease of the paddling, the fact that we had survived the night, and great company all made for an impressionable journey that would have otherwise been just another paddle.

[prudenceb]

"journey that would have otherwise been just another paddle."

Hey! No journey is "just another paddle." They are all unique, although some are clearly more memorable than others!

pru

[...]

Hey Pru, Rob and I are hoping you could dial up Mother Nature on the direct line you have. Based on this past weekend, we think we are on her S**t List and need you to put in a good word for us.

Cathy and Pru, with 3 and a half good camping months left in 2012, we should be able to schedule 5 or 6 more trips. Especially when we count in December. Oops........did we forget to mention how great it would be to go camping in December???

Warren

[cfolster]

Hey Pru, Rob and I are hoping you could dial up Mother Nature on the direct line you have. Based on this past weekend, we think we are on her S**t List and need you to put in a good word for us.

Cathy and Pru, with 3 and a half good camping months left in 2012, we should be able to schedule 5 or 6 more trips. Especially when we count in December. Oops........did we forget to mention how great it would be to go camping in December???

Warren

The colder, the better. That's 1/2 the reason I haven't been on the last couple trips!

[prudenceb]

Yeah, bring it on!

pru

[Lallen]

Warren, glad you both enjoyed the trip and challenges. It's a fine line to balance pushing one's skills in conditions and staying safe. if you don't have an opportunity-and willingness-to test your skills, then it's hard to find out what your limits are. Ideally, doing that without ending up in the "Terror Zone."

And, having successfully completed your journey without mishap, my guess is your confidence experienced a huge boost. Which will translate to greater ease next time you find yourself faced with similar conditions...

[Lallen]

Warren, glad you both enjoyed the trip and challenges. It's a fine line to balance pushing one's skills in conditions and staying safe. if you don't have an opportunity-and willingness-to test your skills, then it's hard to find out what your limits are. Ideally, doing that without ending up in the "Terror Zone."

And, having successfully completed your journey without mishap, my guess is your confidence experienced a huge boost. Which will translate to greater ease next time you find yourself faced with similar conditions...

[...]

Lorrie,

Yes, we did have an opportunity to test our skills in conditions and yes it was a boost to our confidence. But the weekend also helped me answer questions circulating around in my mind regarding the interaction of body, boat and mind.

You see Rob and I try to be avid kayak campers and perhaps we see ourselves as multiday expedition wannabes. We know that during a multiday expedition we might encounter particularly nasty weather and how would we do, how would the boats do and how would the teamwork and decision making flow in a less than ideal situation. So on Saturday we wanted to see how it would feel to have a fully loaded boat with the need to paddle over one mile in sustained winds of 20+ kts, gusts of 25+ kts and do all this after paddling 12+ miles. We believe this was not an extreme situation, but a very real life encounter on an expedition. Numerous other situations like that were tested. The locale was ideal, sort of like a very safe water based tough mudder course. So in many ways I believe it was the decision making, teamwork and endurance which were also tested.

Warren

[Lallen]

Absolutely, Warren! And you are correct, those are exactly the types of situations and decisions you might find yourself facing on a multi-day expedition.