Arrived yesterday around 10:30 a.m. and immediately did a kayak paddle around Barters Island. Definitely felt like I made better time than last year.
On the way picked up some donuts, from holy donut in Brunswick. 6 for $24, pricey but worth the occasional splurge
Back to paddling....
I had the wind on my back after navigating past the southern tip. I was flying as I paddled up the western side of Barters up the Sheepscot River. With the northenmost point of the island being 12 o'clock, at around 11 o'clock the water gets weird from currents, tidal changes and wind funnel points. I started to catch some of the waves coming up behind me. Honest to god surfing on my "surfski" kayak. Nothing outstanding, but I got going 6mph or so a few times per my watch. It feels like a hand coming up beneath you, giving you free speed.
Once I hooked around the topmost part of the island, I took a break before battling the wind back. Quick snack and some water. Paddling southward on the inland side, i played the game of seeing how many docks I could scoot under. No idea if that's legal/illegal, but it keeps me out of the way of the boats passing by and the water gets quite narrow through there. It was mid tide, heading towards low, but I was I was able to hug the shoreline more heading south. At low tide, you can't. You'll get stuck in mud or hit rocks.
When scooting under the dock ramps or walkways, the floating docks are nice to paddle behind when someone's blasting through making big wakes. The docks block the waves from the boats and cancel the rebound waves because they don't reach the shore.
This week, I'll have to get Jacqui to get a photo of me at some point on the water, but the surfski is definitely higher in the water and I can feel that some of the carbon fiber/kevlar weave is now visible when I feel by hand. behind higher up in the water, makes it easier to deal with the waves that hit broadside. The surfski used to ride Low....like loooooow in the water when I was >60lbs heavier, and because I was heavier i was taking on more water via the self-bailer too. So when I was 275 last summer, I had at least another 10lbs of water in the footwell too. During much of the paddle around Barters, the inside was bone dry. So it's more like the surfski carrying just my 215lbs now, not 275 + 10-20lbs of water. As long as I paddle close to 4mph, she's dry now.
Anyway, I've done the paddle around Barters a gazzilion times. Not much new to report. I briefly saw one seal right near the beginning but not much after that. On the northwest side I annoyed an egret pair at one point. They'd nested in a mooring ball, and the papa bird kept flying at my head. I ignored it and after 100 yards it stopped divebombing me.
After getting back to the truck. I made myself a black bean wrap with stuff in the truck. So i had the rear of the truck open and the kitchen drawer pullout out. A few of the local guys walking back to their trucks were asking questions. They liked the setup. One younger guy was most impressed. I'd seen him just paddle up to a lobster boat and it turns out he was looking to buy a lobster direct. Got one for $10, probably less than half what he'd pay at the local market. I'm sure the lobsterman made more too that way.
Also at the knickerbocker parking area, a trophy wife with her two little girls kept giving the side eye . She'd parked 2 spots over and was in mama bear mode. Probably worried I was a homeless van lifer I imagine. She relaxed when she overheard me telling one of the guys I'd rented a cabin for a week. People are judgey. then again, i'm >6'tall and >200lbs so i can fra la la through life not worrying about anything. Different when you're 5'4 and 110lbs soaking wet I suppose.
After my bean burrito it was still only 2p.m. ish, so I decided to plot a bike ride from the knickerbocker park area. I locked the surfski to the rack before leaving. Check in at the cabin is at 3pm.
This ride was short but has a few brutal short hills that used to kill me. I still went full granny gear on them, but it wasn't bad at all. The ride was a fun way to kill time. During the ride Jacqui texted she was at the cabin unloading. Most of the stuff is in my truck so I didn't feel bad I wasn't there to help.
After the ride I unpacked, took a shower and then we were off to Boothbay Craft Brewery for beer and pizza. Jacqui wanted pretzels with beer cheese, and I wanted wings, we got both. The wings are cooked in a smoker, they don't chopped them into flats and drumsticks first. even leave the useless tips on. I only ate one, and stole 1 pretzel stick from Jacqui's appetizer. The sticks were big. The pretzels were like large polish sausage size. Not quite as big as a long hotdog bun, but close.
We split a pepperoni pizza and ate the whole thing. Their pizza's are more thin crust and again, not big diameter wise. Briefly considered saving the last 2 slices, but when Jacqui said she could eat one more, i was like F it, we're on vacation. Stuck to 1 beer each. Good dinner out
back at the cabin, did a little more unpacking and organizing. my new truck kitchen drawer bags make it easier to stock the cabin's kitchen. the kitchen is stocked too, but I prefer my stuff. I know how it performs. We use their plates, bowls and glassware though.
The pantry bin with my dry rice and beans and protein powders are easy to load into the pantry closet in the cabin, along with my spices bag.i'll fix the photo orientation later.
The cutlery bag is right by the sink. Made it easy to wash everything. I hadn't done that yet after the camping session with Jeff.
And the counter full of my cooking gadgets. My half size instant pot, blender for smoothies, sodastream seltzer maker, hot water kettle. The toaster is the cabin's.
Today (sunday), I did a paddle first after making myself the peanut protein oatmeal breakfast I like when I know I'm going to be doing lots of outdoorsy stuff.
i used the kayak cart to walk the surfski over to the town launch in West Boothbay. I bring a bike lock cable and just lock the kart to a tree near the hiking path over there. It's a quick 5 minute walk from the cabin.
Doing the paddle to Powderhorn I was thinking i might try to do the drainage culvert loop near the botanical gardens, but it was so calm I just said the heck with it. From Powderhorn, I texted Jacqui that the conditions were really good and I decided to circumnavigate Southport island. I always text the rough plan to jacqui, so they know where to go looking in case something happens.
On the paddle down on the west side of Southport I spotted Dolphins! Actually, I think they were harbor porpoises, but I was watching them from 100 yards out. They were feeding on fish I think. I wasn't trying to get close; I was just on my own track, but as I neared, they disappeared. Better than them getting playful and coming to mess with me tbh.
Other than that, the only other wildlife were just the normal birds, mostly seagulls and cormorants.
The paddle down the west side was super calm until i got closer to the southern point. I normally don't do the Southport loop because the west side is usually an exposed killzone of waves from the wind. "kill" is harsh, but unless i get up at the crack of dawn, it's rough through there. Today, super calm.
The swells from open ocean started to arrive as I neared the southern tip. Swells aren't scary. They're like slow moving small hills, which on their own aren't bad at all, but when combined with the weird criss cross of large wakes from boats passing on both sides and in different directions made the paddle more interesting.
At the southern tip I cut into a little protected cove/bay, ate my last snack bar, drank some water. things got crowded with too many moving boats in the little bay down there. everyone coming to pick people up or to check mail at the town dock. I had to grab the side of a moored boat at one point to stay in place until everyone cleared out. wasn't bad, just weird after such a calm paddle so far. It's like there was suddenly a parade no one told me about.
After they cleared out, I headed north out of the cove. From about 4 to 6 o'clock around Southport, the winds were a B!tch. Weirdly the wind was coming from the east. Right from the open Ocean. Combined with the swells it was time to focus.
We're in a low pressure system right now, upper 60's only, and I think the Ocean system overpowered everything from inland, wind wise. So i had to suck it up and do a lot of the paddling with waves hitting my starboard side (right hand side as I sit and paddle). Quite a few waves broached the side, briefly swamping my legs with cold water and filling the footwell. I had to switch to a sweep paddle instead of pulling more straight back. Less speed but way better stability. The conditions got better once Squirrel Island offered some protection from the East side. Not many boats where I was either. It was rough where I was so they were sticking to the leeward side of the islands in the middle of the harbor to block the wind, waves and swells. I stayed away from the Southport shore too. Waves were crashing hard and bouncing back. Safer to be a 100-200 yards out in the open water.
Eventually, I made it past where the Greylock campground is and the water calmed down from islands to the east. Once I got to Pig Cove, the Capitol islands blocked everything and I had a calm paddle through there. I even stopped at one point, did the old pee in your wet suit trick. Gross I know, but I straddle the surfski with my feet in the water and let er rip. My leggings were soaked with sea water at that point from all the broadsides, so it actually helped warm me up a little. I just make a point to jump off the boat a little early at the ramp so I'm in water above my waist to flush the wetsuit leggings out before walking back to the cabin.
Across from the town boat launch is the swing bridge my dad liked when I camped with him at Greylock.
Anyhoo, I definitely wasn't as fast as the day before. Partly because my muscles were more tired from the paddle yesterday too. About 12.5 miles in 3.5 hours. Including 2 food breaks, and one pee break in the bushes at Powderhorn.
I did the walk back to the cabin pulling the kayak on the cart. Thought I was going to luck out with no traffic again, but there was a ton of cars all at once. I walk on the wrong side of the road on the way back. With traffic instead of against, but that's because the road has no shoulder and the curve is against a carved out rock wall/cliff on the side I technically "should" be walking on when going back.
But, if I did that, the cars driving towards me wouldn't see me until it was too late to slow down. No one honked or yelled. Got a few thumbs up from a couple cars as they passed. I think they appreciate the more "hard core" kayakers here.
Back at the cabin, I devoured lunch. Realized I'm way too wiped to also bike today, and proceeded to nap most of the afternoon. I also drank a smoothie to help my muscles. Less my upper body, and more my butt and hammies. I NEVER feel those muscles. I've got the seat adjusted so I can use some leg drive when paddling, and I'm feeling it in the "Butt tocks" as Forest Gump would say. Another reason I wanted to skip biking today.
I think my upper body is doing ok because I've been using my kayak ergometer hard in the attic a couple times a week. I maybe felt my outer shoulders (delts?) and my lats some.
Tomorrow though, I'm doing the big 45 mile bike loop around Merrymeeting bay. Monday and Tuesday look great weather-wise. Wednesday morning I might squeeze in a bike ride on Southport in the morning, then the rain comes. I think it's from a tropical depression down South. Thursday will be a Freeport shopping day. Friday afternoon I may get out again, after the rain clears out Friday morning.
Saturday, i think I'll stop and do some kayaking and biking in Brunswick before driving home later in the day. I normally get up at the crack to beat the traffic back, but with the rain coming, I think I'll play hookie on my own while Jacqui goes directly home to soothe Twitch's hurt feelings from being abandoned for a week.
That's all for now. Having Fun.
