The Stonington Cat . . . A day off from paddling Maine's awesome waters.

Have you met the Stonington Cat?

I just did.

The Stonington Cat is a real cutie. Very friendly, and roams the upper reaches of Maine's Stonington harbor along Main Street.

You might want to slow down if you're driving along this street and watch out for this little kitty!

Paddling the islands from Stonington, Maine, U.S.A., with PenobscotPaddles has been AWESOME.

I'll blog about that soon when I can get a better view of my computer screen and can do more justice to a blog post. Writing this with outdoor glare from the sun is not easy.   

Maelstrom Vital 166 and Maelstrom Vaag 174 on Gooseberry Island, Maine

Today, the Stonington Cat and his harbor haunts are on my mind, so I'll go with a few pics of that for today:

Fisherman's home on the Stonington harbour

The real working McCoys

Lobster trap debris

Lobster buoy cliches

Beached at low tide. Tides are about 11 to 12 feet here.

A local rooster scratching for worms.

Stonington harbor life

Stonington harbor flower arrangements

Lobster lunch meat

A hardy and serious tie-down view of the Stonington harbor.

Stonington apples. Small, tart, and tasty!

Wednesday night and all day Thursday,  the wind was AWESOME . . . about 25 miles per hour or more!

Some kayak campers out on the islands off Stonington, Maine called in for a ride back home on a motorized boat.

In Webb Cove, at 4:30 a.m. each morning you hear a crew of lobster boats heading out. Not many on Thursday.

The Malestrom Vital 166 and Vaag 174 were beached yesterday too. The crosswind was way too wicked.

The paddle partner was bored, and the new Eureka! Bon Echo Air tent and storm shield is being fully-tested by Maine's ocean winds and evening thunderstorms and is still standing . . . the last time I checked! Although the large vestibule on these tents definitely leak from the ceiling, but the interior of the tent stays dry.

The outdoor Internet cafe at the Webb Cove basecamp at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures and the 350 pics I took in the last two days are my best friends on non-paddle days during this trip.

Basecamp is ocean waterfront.

The long blond hair in my ponytail got shaken loose every couple of hours yesterday, and my eyes feel eternally puffy from the ocean air. Or is it the camping!

One mosquito won't leave me alone and I can't catch it!

I guess I could have headed inland or indoors!

Buy why? This is the ocean!

And today is a totally different story.  Calm and sunny on the ocean front and a much better day to head out and paddle and we will!

Hey kitty, where are you off to now!? . . . The Stonington Cat.

Happy and safe paddles!
Sometimes it's just best to stay home, wherever that is!
The BaffinPaddler

Back to Maine to paddle Stonington, meet up with PenobscotPaddles, and see if I can learn to navigate water with lots of islands!

These are some of my best Maine memories . . . so far!

Here's a pic paddling Seal Cove, Maine, U.S.A. a few years back. This little "island lunch spot" disappeared 10 minutes later when the tide came in.

It's always better to have more than one guarding the boats and posing for pics before they try to take off with the incoming tide!

I love Maine! Lobster boats and traps and all. These working boats move fast. Look out!

If you see a bay in Maine filled with colorful lobster buoys, there is a lobster trap underneath each one, and a lobster boat that will soon some to fetch!

You have to watch out for them! They don't look out for you.

Since my last trip to Maine years ago, I wake up each morning to a framed picture of colorful lobster buoys hanging on an old wooden shanty wall.

Now it's time to head back to Maine to paddle Stonington, and meet up with fellow paddle blogger PenobscotPaddles - starting tomorrow! Navigation is on my mind.

It's a 10-hour drive from home in the National Capital Region of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario/Gatineau, Quebec) to Stonington, Maine, U.S.A. The Mitsubishi Outlander is packed to the "gunwales" with kayaking gear and camping stuff!

PenobscotPaddles and her paddle partner are awesome navigators of the area, and post beautiful photos and detailed trip reports of their paddles in Maine, and have posted an excellent article on route planning at: PenobscotPaddles - Magnetic North Lines - The Path to Happiness

To be honest, trying to learn navigation at this level makes my head and compass spin!

I'm still trying to get past basic navigation with a kayak compass on the kayak deck and a map. This just isn't enough when the landscape, the water, and lots of islands make figuring things out way more complicated. Then there's the possibility of fog. A GPS is in order soon. Even though they aren't always reliable.

Navigation is important

I just got back from a short kayak-camping trip with my well-packed Boreal Baffin to visit potential spots for a Paddle to Yoga project I'm working on in the 1000 Islands region off Gananoque, Ontario, Canada.

Cruise ships are as big as some islands - but they move! You have to learn to look out for them from a distance.

I quickly learned how easy it is to get mixed up (and a little stressed) when you are a novice to navigating in more complicated areas with bigger water and lots of islands, even with maps, a compass, numbered buoys in boat channels, and a mainland you can find fairly easily.

Lucky for me, experienced navigators were also along on the trip, otherwise I would not have headed out there without a guide. It was a good and safe trip that saw nothing but perfect weather and moderate winds.

When you get churned around and a little confused in spots, you may find your way eventually, but you will need time, energy, and good weather on your side. These things can run out.

I prefer knowing where I am and where I'm going . . . all or most of the time! And to have the energy and equipment to get me there!

In the 1000 Islands, there are cottages on many islands, and often motor boaters docking or sail boats mooring along some islands who know the area well and can help with directions or at least that can tell you where you are - but don't count on it.

The boats out on the water are moving at speed, the cottages may be empty, and you are on your own to find your way. Bring your cell phone. The cell phone connection out there is pretty good!

Stonington, Maine, U.S.A.

Now, it's off to another week of camping and paddling in Stonington, Maine, this time with my Maelstrom Vital 166, and more of my custom made trail mix for lunch: roasted soy nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried papaya, apricots, and apples.

You have to love this stuff. It is the most convenient, compact, and healthy source of energy on the water.

Last minute preps that I didn't think about earlier mean sunscreening the kayaks with 303 Aerospace Protectant out in the grass in the front yard just before you put them up on the car after the sun has gone down and the mosquitoes are out in force.

Bad planning! And a bunch of mosquito bites I didn't plan for. But, hey, sometimes that's the way it goes!

As night falls, the decklines on the white Malestrom Vital 166 and red Maelstrom Vaag 174 begin to glow.

I'll also be hauling a yoga mat on this trip and strapping it onto the white Maelstrom Vital 166 as I continue looking for more awesome Paddle to Yoga spots! I love it. Paddling to yoga rocks!

Happy paddling!
The BaffinPaddler

The magic of camping and kayaking at Bon Echo Provincial Park, Mazinaw Rock, Ontario, Canada! Get your bug suit on!

This is one of my favourite "easy to paddle" little magic spots!

Bon Echo Provincial Park is in the south central part of Ontario, Canada. It's a pretty nice place to camp! You have amenites here. Even on the back country sites - where you'll have more bugs - but more privacy. Take your pick. More people or more bugs? It's hard to choose sometimes!

Mazinaw Rock is on picturesque and easy to paddle Mazinaw Lake.

Mazinaw Rock is 100 metres high. If you call out, it echos three times - hence the name, "Bon Echo". In French it means, "good echo". I'll agree! I tried it - three times. It's true!

Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. It averages 135 feet deep, and its deepest parts are 476 feet deep. Wow! Suddenly, I feel so small.

You might want to think about a float for your camera here! If it goes overboard, you'll never find it again.

I'll admit - I love rocks. Doesn't everyone? 

Sorry for all the rock pics if that's not your thing. But Bon Echo rocks have great moods when the sun starts to set.

Reflections

Bring your bug suit!

 It's summer in Canada. The bugs just love you!

Consider making breakfast at the beach instead of the woods!

Enjoy your breakfast without any bug bites!

And make it back to shore safely before that afternoon thunderstorm hits in July! Remember to bring the cockpit covers!

I'm short on words here for one reason

I know you're shopping for ideas and just want to plan a trip, get out and paddle and have fun. Me too!
For you climbers out there who may just want to climb the rock Google The Alpine Club of Canada

Note to readers and publishers: The images and content on this site are the copyright of Peggy Varner, BaffinPaddler and cannot be used for any other purpose without my permission. Contact me if you would like to purchase images. 

Happy paddle trails!
The BaffinPaddler

It's HOT! Swim with your boat!

That's my gloved hand on the tail end of my Maelstrom Vital 166.

Wow! It's way too hot around here in the National Capital Region of Canada (Ottawa/Gatineau) and lots of other places. We're in a heat wave. I would call it an oven! A sauna!

The only place to hide is in some cool water, air-conditioning, the woods, a cave, or in a friend's basement.

This isn't weather that motivates me to head out to paddle unless I can jump out often and swim with my boat.

How to Stay Cool with your Boat!

Swim with it. It's fun. 
Why should your boat have all the fun. It's in the water. You're not!
I'm swimming with my boat in a pretty little lake in Canada and loving it. But I don't want it to get away.

Come back here boat! Wind takes it away quickly when I snap a shot from the water.

Although, when you jump overboard intentionally to cool off and start snapping shots from the water, your paddle buddy may ask . . . "What are you doing now . . . !?" People on the beach wonder if you need help. I just hope they get used to me.

Then I Cowboy Scramble back into my boat. It's so easy for me now. I do it just about every time I paddle or five or six times per paddle if I need to hop out and cool off.

Some people roll to cool off, that's great!

Balance brace your kayak

This is something I just learned a few days ago from a local Greenland roller and kayak instructor and I love it! Here's the link to the video of me practising the balance brace in my Maelstrom Vital 166.

I find it relaxing, fun, and a great way to cool off.

When you balance brace (if you are flexible enough), it allows you to stretch out your body without getting out of the boat. You can gain tremendous confidence in yourself, your body, and your boat handling skills, especially if you are still "Rolling Challenged" like me, or if you don't like the feeling of being upside down in a kayak.

Don't worry if flexibility is an issue. Be patient with yourself and work on things slowly. Don't force what's not there. Your right side may be awesome! Your left side efforts may feel like it's not your body at all! Yes, that's me.  Even if you do yoga!


Wear rash guard, (get it wet before paddling), a hat, and lightweight paddle gloves

When it's hot and sunny, I do the opposite of most people, who paddle in swim suits and T-shirts!

I wear a white and pink long-sleeve, crew neck, UV Rash Guard and swim in the water while wearing it to get it wet before I paddle. It feels good! I do this in lakes and rivers. In the summer, I don't paddle water I don't consider clean enough to swim in. Although, I wouldn't wet my shirt in salty sea water. The salt is drying to the skin. On some river paddles with questionable water, I wet my long-sleeve rash guard with tap water or an extra bottle of drinking water before paddling.

This keeps me cool, comfortable and protected from the sun for an hour or two before the shirt dries and I need to cool off in the water again.

In this grueling heat, a paddle buddy complained about being too hot paddling in a T-shirt! And he could roll.

The next day I said, "Go to the paddle shop and get yourself some long-sleeved Rash Guard with a crew neck. I'll show you how to stay cool in this heat."

Sometimes on hot days, you are in long stretches of river water that is too shallow to swim or roll in, has too much current to dunk into, has unfriendly shorelines, or is too rocky to get out and swim or roll in.

You need another way to stay cool when paddling.

The hot sun hitting your skin or a cotton shirt is not the way to do it. And paddling in soggy, baggy cotton is not comfortable.

In the summer heat in Canada, and especially when I paddle heat I can't stand in Florida, I wear long sleeve Rash Guard with a crew neck. What's that? 

Rash Guard is great gear for paddling made out of Polyester and Spandex and has UV protection from the sun. I like the long sleeve shirts that fit like a body glove. The shirts have flatlock stitching that doesn't rub on my skin while paddling and are very comfortable and cool.

I've worn the same pink and white long-sleeved Rash Guard for 5 years. It still looks good and is performing well. I've washed it more times than I can count and it hasn't worn out or needed any mending. It dries quickly and doesn't pick up odours quickly or easily. There are several brands to choose from.

What did my paddle partner say the next hot summer paddle while wearing his new white long-sleeved Rash Guard? "Hey, this is amazing! It works."

Make sure to buy a light color for summer. The bugs are attracted to dark colors and light colors attract less sun. A light color makes for a winning combo!

I always wear a hat - it's amazing how many people don't. Sometimes it blows off and I have to retrieve it. A paddle hat that you can dunk and wet in the water can keep your head cool. I've learned to remove my sunglasses before I put the soaking wet hat back on my head though.

Paddle Gloves - I've taken the habit of wearing lightweight neoprene paddle gloves in the hot summer to keep the sun off. The gloves stay wet when I paddle, keep my hands cool, and prevent a nasty sunburn.

You can pick up a lot of sun on your hands year after year. Waterproof sunscreen only goes so far, and I don't like it on my hands when I paddle.

If I want to catch sun, I wait until I hit a beach and can get it evenly in a swim suit.

Sitting in a boat only gives you odd burn lines!

I hope you manage to stay cool and hydrated! It's way too HOT!

Yep! It's another bad hair day when your hat blows off and you practice balance bracing!

Happy paddling!
The BaffinPaddler

How not to haul your sea kayaks! Caught in the 96 km winds that brought down the Ottawa Bluesfest main stage, July 17, 2011

Can you see what's wrong with this picture? If not, read on.

On July 17 at 7:00 p.m., the summer sky went dark and I could see I was driving into the storm. It hit my red Mitsubishi Outlander with the Maelstrom Vital and Vaag sea kayaks strapped on top all at once 30 minutes later.

Of course, there's no pic of that! This is back home safe and sound.

My first thought was, "There's a tornado hitting somewhere, I hope I'm not in it!" Or, "I'm in a micro-burst! What do I do?" There was no gradual build up of wind. Just a sudden burst of 90 km or plus wind! It was like a punch in the face. "Whoa."

When you have two 17 foot long sea kayaks strapped on top of your car, you are very vulnerable to high winds, gusty winds, cross winds, and sudden storms!

Just an hour earlier while packing up and strapping down the Malestrom kayaks on a hot, calm, sunny day at a lake up in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, my paddling partner said, "I don't think these front and back tie downs are really necessary . . . "

I said, "but this time, for the first time, we're going to do it anyway. This is how we're supposed to tie down the boats . . . so let's practice."

It was the same widespread and vicious storm with 96 km winds that instantly brought down the Ottawa Bluesfest main stage like a deck of cards at about 7:30 p.m. on July 17, 2011.

The storm also caused widespread power outages in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec - my house too!  There were a number of large trees that fell into the street. I had to dodge a few to get home.


I was an hour and half away from Ottawa/Gatineau on an open winding country highway returning from a weekend of paddling lake and river in the Mont Tremblant, Quebec area when the storm hit me. Suddenly, I was in high wind, pounding rain and lighting.

My car, even with the kayaks well battened down and not shifting on top of the car, were really catching the wind on the highway, even at a very reduced speed.

I felt I needed to get off the road, and pulled off the single lane highway into a long driveway of someone's home, turned off the engine, and waited 20 minutes for the worst of the storm to pass over before I hit the road again. I felt better and could relax a little. Your heart can't pound too hard for too long!

This also allowed all the faster moving traffic to keep going. The other people on the road were doing all kinds of crazy and dangerous things to pass me, like passing at high speed over double lines, and blind curves in driving rain and wind.

Geez people! Don't ever do this! Never pass any slower vehicle on blind curves and double yellow lines, especially under these conditions, or for any reason! At least 50 people did just that before I found a spot to get off the road. I couldn't believe it.

Talk about ending a relaxing and enjoyable trip with a BIG BANG and an adrenalin rush of fear! 

This is how I used to haul a sea kayak

With spongy foams on a car rack and straps, with no tie downs in the front or back.

"Tisk, tisk!" My beautiful and beloved Boreal Baffin is literally a "sitting duck" on my vehicle. Or rather, it would be a flying torpedo if I had to stop suddenly or worse. In a strong crosswind, the nose would quickly blow sideways.

What was I thinking?

I wasn't thinking! My boat was not very secure. And, my plastic Boreal Baffin oil-canned where the straps held it in place every time it was hauled any kind of distance in the hot summer or fall sun. Luckily, the newer plastic boats have a "memory" and usually go back into shape unless you abuse them too much or too often.

I hate to admit this today, but I hauled my boat this way for several years on long trips from the National Capital Region in Canada (Ottawa/Gatineau) to many lakes and rivers, and ocean in places like Seal Cove, Maine, and the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior near Bayfield, Wisconsin. Combine that with many short and long hauls in Canada, including a trip to the Saguenay River near Tadoussac, Quebec, and much more.

All with no problems other than oil canning. I was lucky, but luck usually runs out at one point.

I don't even want to think about what might have happened if I had been caught in the July 17, 2011 storm with sea kayaks strapped on to my car like this.  

Other kayakers who were "well-attired" and tying down their boats properly started to shake their heads at me. I took notice, and took action. Sometimes, peer pressure is a good thing!

I did research, compared notes with other paddlers, and bought good quality car racks for my new red Mitsubishi Outlander, kayak saddles (I love them!), and two strong tie down ropes for each boat. I already had good, strong straps for kayaks.

Now, in addition to strapping the kayaks down on to the racks, I use rope to tie down the front and back of EACH kayak and attach it to something solid on the car frame or tow bar. I tie down using the toggles or through the well-battened down deck lines on the front or back of the boats. Never tie down using a bungee and never tie to a bungee. They stretch!

I also tie a knot on each buckle of the straps to prevent slippage while driving.

Luck or fate?

The first time I finally tied down our sea kayaks properly was the first time I really needed to on July 17, 2011. Luck or fate? Or rather, it was time to stop testing fate and good luck.

And I'm so happy I did! I was just taught a good lesson.

I think I just went through a pretty good test of why it's a good idea to learn how to properly haul a sea kayak. And this is why I'm sharing this story with you. Maybe you need a push, just like I did.

How do you haul your boats? The right way or the wrong way?

Hauling your boats properly is not just about your safety, or protecting your gear investment. It's also about the safety of others on the road with you. You wouldn't want your racks and boats suddenly ripping off the top of your car and flying off behind you. In our paddle chat community, we do hear tales of this happening.

Happy and safe travels!
I guess you could say I was just in a maelstrom (bad storm) with two Maelstroms (two terrific boats!).

The BaffinPaddler

Watch video of the Ottawa Bluesfest Main Stage going down and read more about the story:

Ottawa Sun

Bluesfest storms to early end, July 17, 2011

The Globe and Mail

Storm brings down main stage at Ottawa Bluesfest July 17,2011

Yahoo News
Bad signs of more nasty weather to come by an Environment Canada Climatologist: The freak windstorm that toppled the main stage at the Ottawa Bluesfest, July 17, 2011.

Paddle Glass

Find your paddle glass!
The BaffinPaddler