Re: [Paddlewise] Kittery Point, ME.

At 09:30 AM 5/26/98 -0400, "Sisler, Clyde" <Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com> wrote:
>
>Saturday the forecast was for 20-30 knot winds and 4-8 foot (I think)
>seas with a small craft advisory so I wimped out and stayed home doing
>chores :-(.

As usual, Clyde tells a great story.  I thought I'd add a bit to it by
telling about the the paddling a few miles north of Kittery Point, Maine.
On Saturday my SO and I went out into Casco Bay by Portland, Maine and there
was indeed a small craft advisory but it didn't seem too bad.  I've been out
in much worse advisories.  However, I don't recommend to anyone that they
venture out in small craft advisories.  It's best to build up to the point
that you're comfortable with it.  If you haven't reached that point, do as
Clyde did, and I have many times in the past:  stay ashore.  Anyway, I think
I loaded too much weight into the bow hatch.  This was to be a 3-day trip so
there was plenty to be loaded but I think the weight differential between
bow and stern was wrong.  Very quickly I found that it was a struggle to
keep my eddyline Raven pointed off the wind.  I was continually using
correcting strokes to deal with the weathercocking.  At one point, when the
wind was particularly strong from the west (from Clyde's neighborhood), I
was using every bit of strength in my left arm to keep the boat on the right
course.  I guess because it was our first trip of the season, I never
thought of the possibility of the trim of the boat being wrong until the
next day when I had taken gear our and re-loaded and found that correction
strokes were now a breeze!  The cost for this mistake was a sore left arm
for the remainder of the trip.

We stayed on Jewell Island on the outside edge of Casco Bay and visited
Eagle Island nearby, which at one time was the summer home of Admiral Peary,
the Arctic explorer.  The weather was terrific all 3 days and the paddling
couldn't have been finer.

For those who might be considering a Maine kayaking trip, the water was 48
degrees F., the air temperature was about 70 or so except when the wind
shifted into the south and dropped the air temp to about 59 or 60 F.  Also,
it's been a great spring for the mosquito population.  They're extremely
hungry for blood!  If you stay right on the shore it's ok but when you
venture into the woods, you'll have about 100 "friends" buzzing around and
on your body.

One other item for Clyde, who seems to be working on his paddle stroke:  I
found that because my left arm muscle got strained, shortly thereafter my
right tricep got sore.  I'm guessing that it's because I was doing a lot of
pushing with my right arm to relieve the stress of pulling with my left arm.

The lessons I took from this were not to make the first paddle of the season
a 3-day trip and to make sure I get the trim right when packing the hatches.
			Bill Ridlon
			Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network

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