... Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Today, David Mercer, Jeff Charette and I enjoyed a day paddle on Casco Bay. The weather was good, the company was great and the location was outstanding. I felt Mother Nature noticed our efforts and felt sorry for the three New Hampshire boys, so she gave us a window of opportunity to play in boats. The trip involved launching from Winslow Park and Campgrounds in Freeport, Maine and paddling approximately 8 miles around the islands in the mid section of the bay. We stopped at one of the islands and had a most enjoyable lunch.A couple weeks ago I laid out a plan to help David Mercer and I prepare for our paddling trip to Alaska this coming July. Key components of the plan were a number of February and March day trips. We needed experience paddling in ice floes and cold water as we plan to encounter those conditions in Columbia Bay and the waters around Glacier Island in Prince William Sound. The February 15 paddle was designed to achieve that goal.In addition to paddling in winter conditions, I planned to test out on David two soups and one breakfast drink developed for the Alaska trip. He seemed to like the food, so they are going in the kit to Alaska.Several times during the paddle I would pause and just listen to the sounds of water birds. There was no one else on the Bay. We enjoyed how Mother Nature smiled down on us and let us enjoy a very special place.Now some might say we were nuts to go kayaking in February, but we felt safe and comfortable and a feeling of being in the right place at the right time swept over me. We liked being in our boats.At one point during the paddle, I fondly remembered a wise counsel I received from Suz Hutchinson. She encouraged me to paddle during the off season and get good use from my Kokatat dry suit! She also shared her philosophy for when she would not paddle. It was her “20,20,20” rule. She would not paddle when the air temp was less than 20 degrees, the wind speed greater than 20 mph or after drinking 20 beers.Suz, we adhered to your standard today and had a great time!WarrenP.S. Photos to follow tomorrow. Edited February 15, 2014 by Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Charette Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Warren, thank you for a great trip report and for planning a wonderful day on Casco Bay. I'm already looking forward to the next kayak trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Boy, you guys really squeaked in what sounds like a wonderful paddle between small craft advisories the night before and gale/ blizzard warnings for right after.I'm glad you kept it to less than 20 beers!Pru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) Pru, you are correct that Mother Nature served up a superb set of variables for our review. What is even more interesting is how she teams up with Father Winter at this time of year to increase the number of key metrics for our analysis.Now, I admire the skill and dedication of those among us who aspire to achieve leadership roles within our community of sea kayaking. That is a goal that I do not aspire to for myself. However, we paddle within a CAM model and that model requires that each of us be able to step forward to make good decisions which focus on group safety at any time while out on a trip. Interestingly, a paddle at this time of year dramatically increases your opportunity to analyze risks and make good decisions. It can be a superb learning environment.Pru, you and Rob have seen that Mother Nature will frequently toss me a curve ball. I understand it is related to paddling in the off seasons as well as working with a predetermined trip date. Early in my paddling career I learned the effect of those fixed variables while training with John Carmody. At the time we were crossing the Sheepscot River and a fast moving thunder and lightning storm was descending upon us from Augusta, Maine. Although our training date was fixed and Mother Nature had other ideas in mind, it forced John to make constant observations and adjust the plan to achieve group safety. We all arrived back to the launch site safely that day and it served as an important learning opportunity. However, it was not until I had a conversation with Suz that a path forward would develop. Suz encouraged me to learn by doing, take my observations into the real world and test them out in a safe and responsible manner.I will admit, paddling yesterday with David and Jeff makes life easy, since they are both great paddlers who value group safety. We did have fun seeking out the condition of each other as we paddled along. Yesterday David reminded me of what we should all aspire to as sea kayakers. You see the loved ones we all leave behind when we go out to play in boats, see us all in a more objective manner. Those loved ones measure our abilities by looking for proof in how we demonstrate a focus on group safety and the ability to make good decisions. Perhaps achieving a positive image in the eyes of the loved ones will be our greatest measure of success.Now on to planning the next great (and safe) adventure! Warren Edited February 16, 2014 by Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 At one point during the paddle, I fondly remembered a wise counsel I received from Suz Hutchinson. She encouraged me to paddle during the off season and get good use from my Kokatat dry suit! She also shared her philosophy for when she would not paddle. It was her “20,20,20” rule. She would not paddle when the air temp was less than 20 degrees, the wind speed greater than 20 mph or after drinking 20 beers.Suz, we adhered to your standard today and had a great time!WarrenP.S. Photos to follow tomorrow.Glad you got out and had fun. Surely I didn't really say that! I suppose though if you remember it, I probably did. My reference to the beers is from the fact that personally alcohol consumption affects my metabolism greatly the next day. It is never more apparent than in trying to keep warm after a night of drinking. I don't mean heavy consumption, just a few glasses of wine, a few beers, a few martinis. I do mean a few of any of those, not a few of each of those. I don't think everyone is affected as much as I am. Everyone needs to develop their own rule for what works for them on the water. Combining 20 degree air temps with a 20 KT wind, makes for a really cold day!Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Charette Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Suz, when we were out on Casco Bay last Sat we were discussing winter paddling safey. Warren mentioned your "20,20,20" rule. He could recall only two of the three 20's. 20 degree air temp and 20 KT winds. In good humor I added the idea of not paddling after one has had more than 20 beers. This is most likely not something you ever said, however, you can take credit for it if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Jeff,That really good because I really couldn't remember saying that about the beer! Really 3 is usually my limit!Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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