I spent nearly a week paddling in Maine this month. You can tell from my tan line.
The water is still cold, in the fifties Fahrenheit, but the weather was otherwise very pleasant. I participated in an ACA L5 Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayak instructor certification workshop, four days of practice and two days of certification. I was not a candidate, but I participated in the practice activities and was a student for the candidates to use in their sessions.
On our first day, we were in relatively calm waters near Robinhood marina, where the Sasanoa river flows into the Sheepscot. We finessed our strokes and practiced teaching, the idea being that teaching in a calm environment can help prepare for the bigger environment, rather than jumping right in.
For several years in a row, I would come to this area for training. I paddled here once since 2020, spending more time in other parts of Maine since. It was nice to be back in a familiar area. Hard to believe it’s been ten years since I succeeded at my Four Star / Sea Leader assessment here.
The remainder of days we were at Popham Beach, south of Phippsburg, where the Kennebec river flows out to the ocean. There were at least three distinct areas where a tiderace sets up, and when aligned with ocean swell they made for great surfing. There were also small islands for a bit of rock play.
I capsized a lot, always on purpose, and usually rolled up, sometimes choosing not to. There was a fair amount of, “take turns paddling into the flow, capsize and come out of your boat, so this person can come in and rescue you”.
It wasn’t all rescue practice though. We spent quite a bit of time on peelouts and eddy turns, and breaking out of an eddy facing upstream to get into the flow for surfing. Maneuvering in these conditions was part of the practice, and near the rocks we identified places that were safe and places that were not. A lot of our sessions, both actual and candidate-led, revolved around reading water and using it to our advantage.
A number of us shared a house, and I met some people for the first time. There was TS, a fellow New York paddler; two people from Michigan, where they paddle both whitewater and on the great lakes; a familiar face from Quebec, and a guy from Vermont who runs programs for a trail society there.
There was ample wildlife. Near Popham beach, numerous seals would line up along the eddy line to await the fish being brought down by the current. There were quite a few jellyfish as well – mostly the lions mane kind, which have painful stings. I learned to take a quick glance around the water before I capsized.
On land, we saw a porcupine climb up a tree after being chased by dogs.
After nearly a week of paddling, I was ready to come home. Our last day was shorter than the rest by couple of hours, so that all the candidates could get feedback on the results. Some of us were going for a skills award, and we got some feedback from the trainers as well.
After that, it was a quick drive back, on a route I am familiar with: Interstate 95, orbit around Boston to 91, get on the Wilber Cross / Merrit parkway. I drove to David’s house, where we chatted a little before going to bed, and the next day I rinsed my gear while remembering bobbing around in swell, riding the front of a wave, and tumbling into the ocean.
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