Sea Kayaking

 Three kayakers, bright sun, incoming tide, and eye candy on and off the water!  We timed our put-in for 12:00 noon  so that the put-in itself had enough water to make it easy, so that we had favorable incoming tidal current to make for an effortless paddle, and so that we could actually go through the culvert under the road in Wells.  We followed oxbow after oxbow until we reached the end of the Ogunquit River and made it back in time for a late lunch and some people watching on Ogunquit's Main Street.  Next time, maybe a more energetic trip with spray skirts attached:   through the surf and out to Perkin's Cove for lunch and a walk around the grounds of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art at the cove entrance before the draw bridge?

The Ogunquit River is a beautiful sand dune tidal river.  The sandy beach on the other side of the river dune is one of the finest in Maine with a large gay section, which is somewhat beyond the crowds.  Paddling just the river with the incoming tide is a trip for the novice and the one that we will do.  There is of course, tidal river current, but it is comparatively minimal - with no rock obstructions and the views from a kayak are wonderful - yes we will also stop at the gay beach :-).

I will gear the trip to the skill level that we have (and even make it an instruction trip if that is the participant sentiment) but you must:  1.  be relaxed and comfortable in and around water;  2.  be able to swim well;  3.  and have paddled a real kayak before or be willing to do so on this trip.  Sit-on-top and surf kayaks do not work for longer distances like this one and will not be allowed on the trip. Remember too that kayaking is a wet sport.  You will get wet and with good luck, you will get wet intentionally, if only your feet.  

Make sure to sign up here on the GO website and make sure to include your last-minute contact information in case I must cancel the trip.  If no one signs up here and/or the weather is bad, the trip will be cancelled - I will let you know. 

Meet at the River Road parking lot @ 11 AM (plan for Sat. traffic on I-95 and bumper-to-bumper traffic on Route 1 as you approach Ogunquit).  If you are late, you take your chances that we have not already left without you.  This is a pre-season trip so the crowds will be minimal but the water temperature will also be minimal (i.e. COLD) at about 50 degrees so please do not wear cotton clothing while on the water.  Bring:  extra clothes for warmth and wind, water, sun screen, hat, foot protection, bathing suit, first aid stuff such as any medication you must take, lunch/snacks, etc.  DO NOT BRING PETS OTHER THAN HUMAN ONES.  However, that special other person in your life who does not kayak may want to take photos and prowl around the beach and town while we paddle.

Boat rentals:  In the Boston area, one can rent a kayak at Charles River kayak (they have a good website).  Other places in the Northeast that rent kayaks for private use are ephemeral so you will have to do some research and ask if they let you take the boat to wherever you like without a guide etc.  If you do rent, do not get a sit-on-top or surf kayak and try to avoid the standard rental, which is a "roto-molded " plastic kayak because they are very heavy, they often have distorted bottoms, and therefore do not steer easily and they take a lot of effort to paddle.  Instead, rent a "thermoform" plastic (good), fiberglass (good), kevlar/carbon (best) kayak that is designed to be stable (i.e., wide "beam" like some interesting guys that I know).  With a rental, you should get the lightest paddle that they have, a life vest, and a spray skirt (but they will not give you one unless you have done a "wet exit" with spray skirt fastened before, which is absolutely necessary if you are going to use one). If you do not have a kayak rack for transporting the boat, you can ask the rental place ahead of time to provide you with a foam block kayak carrier for the top of your car.  IN ALL CASES OF TRANSPORTING BOATS, PLEASE FASTEN THEM TO YOUR CAR IN 4 PLACES:  1. TO UNDER FRONT BUMPER OR UNDER HOOD; 2. TO UNDER REAR BUMPER;  3. & 4 TWO ROPES AROUND THE BELLY OF THE BOAT AND FASTENED TO YOUR CAR ROOF RAILS OR THROUGH THE REAR WINDOWS.  These fastening points prevent the boat from becoming a rocket in the event of a car crash and they prevent wind-shear at I-95 travel speeds.