brambor

I will be out of state until Saturday night. Maybe I will paddle out on Sunday to wake everyone up! :-)

MITA is holding several cleanups along the coast this month and next, ending with Casco Bay on October 15th. I'd like to pitch in by doing some work on the 2 islands we adopted as a club. Anyone like to come along?

This could be either a day trip or an overnight. If some want to stay over and others want to head in, we could have 2 groups.

The launching site will be Cousins Island in Yarmouth. Handy things to bring along will be work gloves, trash bags, clippers, and I'm not sure what else.

As usual for this time of year, the trip will depend on good paddling weather. The round trip distance is just shy of 12 nm, most of it in fairly sheltered water.

I realize this date is a good ways off, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get it on the calendar early.

Interested?

Rob

Great trip report. Loved it. !

Wow! Beautiful photos and great trip report!

Gary,

I am planning to head out on Thursday evening to make it to Greenville before midnight. This would make me available for any launch on Friday morning and join you paddling until Sunday.

Sounds like a little mayhem on the beach :--)

I found this article very helpful in curbing how I behave in the surf zone:1

http://tsunamirangers.com/2011/08/15/surf-kayaking-etiquette/

10-4

I had trouble in opera browser but no problem in ie8

I got thrashed around at Higgins Beach yesterday. The largely varied which translated to multiple and continually shifting surfzones

I found a this slideshow from 2 day seakayaking trip in a landlocked country. I think this is in Germany. I think it is cool how they go through the various portage options...

It would also depend on course correcting. Opposite foot to push the bow towards the target..i.e. steady left foot to weer right.

Karen,

Sorry for the cryptic note I sent from my cell phone but I was hoping for the thread to develop and give me more information. At any rate. We have a WS Piccolo and I was offering that you could borrow it.

Hi and thanks for your response. Could you please tell me what "WS piccolo if you want" means?

Thank you.

Karen

Nice report!

We spent 2 nights on Flagstaff about 2 weeks ago. Paddled from Stratton. Stayed at Blueberry island campsite for both nights but the other campsites were all pretty much taken until we reached the saw mill area.

One of my old climbing buddies and his wife bought a semi retirement home in the Carrabbassett Valley section of Maine to be their permanent home when they retire from the college in Michigan where they are now half time. Jon had expressed an interest in kayaking and asked if I could possibly find some used kayaks here in the east for them. Two beauties showed up (a One Ocean wooden Cirrus immaculately built and a Tempest 165 Pro) right here within miles of my home so I picked them both up and headed up to their house in Maine. I got in three days of paddling on Flagstaff Lake which is Maine's 4th largest lake and about 25 miles in length. Its' southern shoreline is fronted by the Bigelow Range (several 4000 footers) that rise over 3000 feet from the lake's edge. Definitely a spectacular back drop. The lake is extremely shallow so wind waves and white caps aren't unusual with the winds running pretty consistently form the west to the east. The entire lake is basically free of homes, camps and development giving a true wilderness experience. I paddled 15 miles on Friday and saw two boats and one canoe in the distance the entire time I was on the water. There are also free first come, first served campsites along its' shore lines and I'm sure if one was judicious in where they wanted to camp, it wouldn't raise any red flags. Spring to late summer is the time to paddle there, but starting about now they steadily lower the lake to about it's original river bed then allow it to fill back up after the winter. Yes it is a drive to get there ( Go to Sugarloaf Ski area and keep heading north to Stratton-Eustis), but if you like the wilderness experience with a spectacular backdrop, it is well worth the drive. ~Scott

Photos from Flagstaff Lake - https://picasaweb.google.com/111328304688886244913/KayakingOnFlagstaffLakeMaine

If you want to launch a kayak on the western side sebago station will not let you in because the water in that section is drinking water district where body contact is disallowed. Instead you could launch a few miles up at Sebago flowage or at Harmons beach for free.

On the eastern side you can't go wrong with Raymond beach for free or a few miles before at the rest area.

There is also a small launch on the way to Point Sebago. I like this launch because it makes for a nice trip to the State Park where it is ok to land and have a picnic.

Besides the State Park there aren't many more spots at Sebago Lake to get out of the boat and stretch.

Dustin, weekend or midweek?

If you're interested we could meet for a surf session at Higgins Beach from 5PM to 7 or 8PM

Rene

Looks like I might be getting out to Casco bay for a day or two next week. I've never been out there. Any suggestions on which areas to paddle/islands to camp at?

Clear your cookies. Your nspn url might be hacked with a redirect.

Hey All,

Whenever I click on a forum message from my google reader, the first time I click it takes me to http://url123.info instead of the intended link. As I work in IT in my profession and this is ONLY happening to me with this one web site, I think nspn.org is hacked, as this is a common web site hack redirect technique.

Anyone else having this issue?

It is less likely, but possible, thats its me or google reader, anyway, just checking.

Thanks

Maybe we can just tell you what we carry and where...that will give you an idea.

I carry:

paddle float/pump - on deck somewhere (depending on the kayak)

knife, light, noseplugs, whistle

VHF radio - day hatch or sometimes inside PFD

Towcable - day hatch or sometimes on my waist

Flares - sometimes in the dayhatch

Water - under bungees or in the dayhatch or sometimes in my pfd pocket

Snack - day hatch or sometimes in my pfd pocket

Helmet - only when surfing

Spare paddle - front deck

Map - front deck

GPS - day hatch waterproof pouch

CAG/Rain Poncho - sometimes in a hatch

Sunscreen - hopefully on me

That is probably all the safety equipment I can think of the top of my head.

I went to local surf spot (Higgins Beach) and the surf was huge and messy. Forecasted 2-4 foot seas at maineharbors did not translate to the 6 to 7 foot surf I saw when I got to the beach.

I did get into the kayak but I did not even dream paddling through the break but I did try playing in the impact paddling close to the shore where it was like confused 4 foot seas.

I decided to paddle along the shore to the river outlet and then back. When I turned to paddle back I realized that I kept staying in the same place for about 5 minutes and that the rip current was 'pretty strong' ;-). Between bracing and paddling I wasn't making enough headway.

After one particular 'ride' that took me high up to the beach I just got up and carried the kayak back to where I started.

I then paddled a little bit there and consciously tried not to lose any ground to the rip current. It was interesting to realize that my paddling skills were no match to a strong current when I had to do both bracing and paddling at the same time. :-) all in all a good time at the beach.

The surf was just too messy. If one has Monday off that might be the day.

Ws piccolo if you want.

Have you actually tried to do the "scramble" with the kayak you were paddling?

awesome. It looks like you squeezed every inch out of the day.

4 adults, 4 kids - good times.

Imho SOT's with paddle attached to the boat are the safest form of kayak for newbies and tourists, provided they wear their PFD and dress for immersion.

My tentative route is: Saquenay-Mingan-Anticosti-Gaspe

I've used those Trader Joe's pouches and used sea water for the boiling. Worked fine!

You are going to Mingan! Can't wait to hear from you when you get back! Hope you can fit in a stop along the Saguenay area of the St Lawrence to see all the whales, too...

k

My new discovery for camping meals comes from Trader Joe's. They sell these already cooked meals in pouches that need to be boiled for 5 minutes. For ocean camping - the boiling water could just as well be ocean water and that helps saving on water supplies.

For my use I used a rice cooker at home to make two large tupperware container full of rice. Took the packets and rice with me in a kayak, boiled the packet in ocean water and then poured it over the rice. The meal was delicious. It appears that what my Trader Joe's currently has for flavors are Thai and Indian dishes.

Kate - I am heading to Mingan next week. Your report was my primary information for the trip planning. :-) Thank You.

Thank you for all the great ideas and comments.

Rene - As August gets closer, please contact me with some dates that are good for you for a camping trip. I would like that very much!

Ed - I signed onto Amazon this morning and the book you suggested is on it's way to me. Thank you for the recommendation and have a great trip on Friday!

Peter - Thank you for the suggestions, I will study my MITA Guide Book and find the islands that I seek. On my next trip to Boothbay, I want to visit Little Ram. I also want to visit Little Birch when I am back on Casco Bay. Both islands sound secluded. Have a great trip tomorrow!

Suz - My meal prep skills are improving. Over the weekend I tried four more meals. If you end up buying the book we spoke about, I would value your experiences and comments.

Kate - I do hope you are planning another trip this year and will post the trip report. I so very much enjoy reading them! By the way, I did buy the waterproof camera you suggested and now I just need the skill to use it.

Warren

After reading Barry's link it appears to me that the man either got trapped in the kayak or suffered a medical condition which caused him to be incapacitated and therefore unable to exit the kayak.

I find it somewhat puzzling as the kayak in the picture of the link appears to have a pretty large cockpit. Any capsize that I was part of where large cockpit of the kayak is involved makes the person pretty much 'fall out' of the kayak once capsized.

More detailed article here.

The kayakers had life jackets but weren't wearing them. ---- This sentence should be the first sentence in any articles about kayaking fatalities.

Sun Journal

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Authorities say a kayak capsized off the coast of Maine, killing a New Hampshire man who was paddling with relatives.

The Maine Marine Patrol says it's unclear how the 43-year-old man's kayak capsized Sunday afternoon off Mount Desert Island. The man's companion jumped out of her kayak to try to rescue him, but Officer Colin MacDonald told the Bangor Daily News that the man was too big for her to keep him above water.

MacDonald says a sailboat eventually pulled the pair from the water, but the man was unresponsive and died. The kayakers had life jackets but weren't wearing them.

Three weeks ago, a 28-year-old man from Webster, Mass., died off Mount Desert Island while kayaking on his honeymoon. Strong winds were thought to have caused the accident.