Souadabscook features tough paddling

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HAMPDEN – They may have taken a couple of quick swims. But East Holden’s Bob Martin and Newburgh’s Rich Bartlett did not let those distractions prevent them from posting the fastest time among two-person canoes in the 18th annual Souadabscook Canoe Race on Sunday afternoon.

Martin and Bartlett paddled their Old Town White Lightning canoe, entered in the OC-2-man medium class, through the ferocious high water in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 49 seconds.

The fastest overall time belonged to kayaker Steve Moser of Hampden, who covered the 8.5-mile course in 58 minutes, 58 seconds.

An unusually low 63 craft were entered in the race, according to race director Greg Morin of the sponsoring Katahdin Area Council of Boy Scouts.

“The course was as wild as I’ve ever seen it,” said Irving Gilbert of Guilford who has been a regular in the Souadabscook race since its inception. “You couldn’t get away from the standing waves, and if you went through them, you took on water.”

The water was so high and fast, a mandatory portage at Crawford’s was added.

“That was a good decision,” said Indian Island’s Mark Ranco, who teamed with Troy Francis to finish second in the OC-2-man medium class behind Martin and Bartlett in 1:04.52.

“If it had been optional, my ego probably would have had me try it,” added Ranco. “I’m glad they made it mandatory. That was definitely a (level) four white water. The course itself was definitely a three-plus. It was national championship course caliber white water.”

“It was pushy water. You kept getting swept into the holes and the waves,” said Swanville’s Paul Brown, who beat Irving to win the OC1 class in 1:05.57. Irving was second in 1:10.09.

“I ran it as a safety run. Irving and I ran it together. We were telling jokes during the flat water,” said Brown.

Martin and Bartlett said they were satisfied with their run.

“When you consider everything, like the difficulty of the course, we were damned happy with our run,” said Martin. “We hung in there.”

“As we went through the course, we saw that everybody else was having problems, just like we were,” agreed Bartlett.

Their two swims resulted from taking on water. That was the biggest problem of the day.

Two other happy survivors and winners were Garland’s Ann O’Brien and Dedham’s Kate Judy, the only team in the two-woman class. Their time was 2:16.31.

“We didn’t swim. We did the whole race upright,” pointed out O’Brien. “We’re proud of ourselves.”

“We had hoped for a better time, but we got lost in the woods at Grand Falls,” said Judy.

Judy said they were “scared and excited” at the same time during the race.

“We’re a good team. We had good balance and we work together,” said O’Brien. “This was the most challenging of the three Souadabscooks we’ve done together.”

The two women teach at Eastern Maine Technical College in Bangor.

Moser, Camden’s Bob Dean (K1-short) and the brother and sister team of Rick and Sarah O’Donald of Newburgh (OC2X) won for the second weekend in a row. They were triumphant in their respective classes at the St. George River Race in Searsmont last Saturday.

18th SOUADABSCOOK CANOE RACE AT HAMPDEN

K1-short: Bob Dean, Camden, 1:08.23; Earl Baldwin, Orrington, 1:15.51; Mark Bamford, Brewer, 1:17.59

K1-long: Steve Moser, Hampden, 58:58

K1-recreation: Brent Chasse, Bucksport, 1:08.05; Harland Hasey, Bangor, 1:09.21; Richard Slowikowski, Bangor, 1:43.21

OC-1: Paul Brown, Swanville, 1:05.57; Irving Gilbert, Guilford, 1:10.09; Tom Page, York, 1:39.17

OC2M (men)-short: Tim McCluskey, Bangor, and Paul McCluskey, Hampden, 1:04.21; Gregg Jones, Bangor, and Dan Groshon, Hampden, 1:27.34

OC2M-medium: Bob Martin, East Holden, and Rich Bartlett, Newburgh, 1:02.49; Mark Ranco and Troy Francis, Indian Island, 1:04.52; Bill Deighan and Kevin Toothaker, Newburgh, 1:08.37

OC2M-long: Ralph Robertson, Stockton Springs, and Terry Wescott, Orland, 1:19.18; Mark Renquin, Brewer, and Neal Jacobs, Brewer, 1:25.22

OC2X (man and woman): Rick and Sarah O’Donald, Newburgh, 1:06.47; Mike and Kim Bailey, Jefferson, 1:22.58

OC2F (two women): Kate Judy, East Holden, and Ann O’Brien, Garland, 2:16.31

Rec OC-1: James Jordan, Brewer, 1:12.43; Todd Messer, Bangor, 1:35.26

Rec OC2M-short: Tim Dysart and Heath Hathaway, Hampden, 1:10.43; Shawn Savasuk, Orrington, and Lance Losurdo, East Orland, 1:21.53; Jonathan Lindberg, Orono, and Ken Gehrt, Bangor, 1:23.13

OC2M-medium: Rick Swan, Brewer, and Lee Martin, Winterport, 1:03.47; Paul Cole, Groveland, Mass. and Clayton Cole, Corinth, 1:07.08; Tom Cronkhite, Etna, and Jim Decoste, Bangor, 1:09.07

Rec OC2X: James and Vicki Doane, Bangor, 1:27.43; Jerry and Susan Smith, Sidney, 1:47.23; Todd DeLuck, Carmel, and Christy Stout, Bangor, 2:02.17

Rec OC2 (Jr. and Sr.): Brian and Gregory Cataldo, Hampden, 2:33.07

Rec OC2M-novice: Richard Stoddard, Old Town, and Mathew Leland, Alton, 1:24.14; Brian Burt, Brewer, and Rick Rounds, Hudson, 1:46.04; Albert Allen, Veazie, and Mike McHugh, East Corinth, 1:46.54.