Cushman opens paddling season with a win Water level adequate for St. George race

SEARSMONT – In the weeks leading up to the 24th running of the St. George River Race, most of the attention was on Maine’s drought and how the lack of any serious rainfall would negatively affect race-day conditions.

Heck, the way some meteorologists talked, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see paddlers in Saturday’s race picking up their canoes and/or kayaks and carrying or dragging them along most of the six-mile course for lack of water.

Good thing most paddlers don’t pay attention… Well, at least not until they get into their boats.

“We would have paddled this in any conditions, even if it was snowing,” said Pownal’s Alix Hopkins, who drove with good friend Sheila Sullivan Saturday morning to compete in the race.

“We drove up this morning in the rain and the fog, but you can only really paddle these rivers this time of year and it’s a great way to get out and see rivers you don’t really get to go on,” said Sullivan, who lives in Portland. “We were expecting the course to be a lot more bony when we scouted it this morning, but I think because of the rain, it came up six inches or so and it was much nicer than we expected.”

Hampden’s Kenny Cushman maneuvered his kayak through the six-mile course with the best time of the day: 39 minutes, seven seconds.

Saturday’s registration numbers were much nicer than even optimistic race director Dale Cross expected as 96 boats signed in with all but two finishing. The field was much larger than last year’s 59-boat turnout and the 155 total paddlers who participated was the most since 190 took to the white-water two years ago.

“That is a great number for us this year, especially when we were worried about there being no water,” said Cross. “I think the warm weather we got yesterday started the small tributaries and we got some runoff there. I think it also loosened up the ice and stuff in the small streams. Then that rain this morning made a difference. It’s still coming up.”

“It was a lot higher than I thought it would be this spring, so we were lucky. It was almost perfect conditions today.”

Cushman would certainly agree with that statement.

“I thought it was great today. I think I only hit one rock all day,” said Cushman, who also won the race in 1999, the last time he did it. “At the very end, that part was a little tough, but really it was pretty smooth all the way down.”

It was a nice start to the season for Cushman, who drastically pared down his schedule by competing in only two races last year. In fact, Cushman wasn’t even sure he’d do it this year until less than 24 hours before the race began.

“I think it was Friday morning when I heard the news about there being good water when I decided I’d do this,” he said. “I won’t do as many as I used to, but yeah, I’ll be in more this year.”

The overall race runner-up was Houlton’s Fred Ludwig, who kayaked his way to a 40:13 finish. Two-time defending race champ Jeff Sands of Bangor, another kayaker, was third in 40:48. The best canoe time of the day was turned in by the two-man, open canoe medium team of Corinth’s Clayton Cole and Paul Cole of Groveland, Mass. The Coles came in at 42:44 for first in their division and fourth overall.

Wiscasset’s Kate Ziminsky, a registered Maine guide who works for the Chewonki Foundation as a trip leader, also finished first in her division. Of course, she was the only one competing in the one-woman OC division.

“I guess I started doing these races back in 1993 and this was one of the first races I ever did,” she said. “I’m interested in coming into these races to explore the rivers of Maine and get better at canoeing.”

Then there are those who just enjoy getting on the water, are up for a challenge, or both; like Belmont’s Scott Nelson and father Jim, who lives in Oak Island, N.C.

“I’ve been doing this one every year since about 1992, when my wife and I did it,” said Scott Nelson. “It’s close to home and it’s a rite of spring. If it’s not fun for you, you shouldn’t be here.”

The Nelsons had a dubious start when their canoe overturned and they got an early taste of icy water before even crossing the start line.

“I did this several years ago and the conditions were the same… Except I didn’t dump last time,” the elder Nelson chided, shooting a mock glare at his son.

It may have been a first for the 73-year-old Nelson, who didn’t do the race last year because of double-bypass heart surgery, but it wasn’t for his son.

“This is my second time. I was hot anyway so I never really got cold,” said Scott, who was wearing no shirt or coat under his life jacket at the time.

The pair not only continued on, they finished fifth in the century class with a time of 52:37.

“I guess they fixed me up good,” Jim Nelson said. “I just pace myself. Actually, he supplies all the horsepower and I steer.”