Kayakers: don’t scare the seals

Two weeks of summer vacation is not enough. It seems like it lasted only a couple of days now that it’s over.

The good part about that feeling is that it hasn’t been too tough getting back into the work routine. The bad part is that it should be. It feels almost like I didn’t leave! One thing’s for sure, I don’t have jet lag.

While not exotic, the two weeks were an adventure. I got in some time paddling around the Castine area on the first weekend, and then I had the opportunity to explore the ins and outs of insurance companies.

Actually, my wife got to do the actual exploration, I got to experience it vicariously. She had the misfortune of driving our Jeep Cherokee when it was rear-ended on Tuesday of our first week of vacation. Fortunately, she wasn’t severely injured. It could have been worse considering she was stopped in traffic when she was struck by a pickup with a plow rig traveling in excess of 20 mph. The impact drove the Jeep into the rear of another pickup – instant Jeep sandwich.

We got a chance to say goodbye to the totaled wreck when we cleaned out our personal belongings at the city storage lot. The day after the crash the Jeep was gone. My wife, who got a chauffeured visit Eastern Maine Medical Center’s emergency room, was stiff and bruised and our soul means of transporting our kayaks was on a truck headed to some insurance yard in Lyman, downstate near Sanford. Our dog seems to have weathered the sudden trip from the back seat to the front, and my new kayak that was on the roof racks looks like it survived. (I haven’t had a vehicle that I could use to transport it to water to try it out.)

Things could have been a lot worse.

Or so I thought until the calls to the insurance companies began. I hope you never have to go through the hassle of dealing with them, or have to stand by as someone else goes through the ordeal. It’s nerve wracking and frustrating to say the least. Good luck, by the way, trying to get the value of your vehicle from them.

From what I’ve seen so far, we’ll be playing this game for some time to come. And it appears as though I’ll be rigging up some means of towing my kayak behind my bike in the meantime.

When I got back to work from vacation the other day, I had a virtual pile of e-mail waiting. Two readers, Tina Reese and Paul Travis, wrote to tell me of their recent paddling experiences (they must have vehicles).

Paul passed along a helpful reminder to those of us who frequent the ocean’s waters. He had been out paddling near the Ram Islands in Castine and accidentally flushed six to eight seals off a ledge as he approached. He wanted to remind paddlers and boaters that seals need to have time out of the water to dry out and rest. They are apt to be spooked by kayaks more quickly than by motorboats (does anybody know why?), so exercise caution when approaching exposed ledges at low tide and keep an eye out for seals. Give them a wide berth.

I recently had the opportunity to pass the same ledge Paul described. There were 40 or so seals of all ages hauled out on it. It was a sight to behold as we slowly passed in a Boston Whaler at a distance eyeing the animals with binoculars. The young, born in May and June, are turning color from their light whitish baby fir to reddish.

Tina, responding to my column on the fun I had while exploring the Castine area by kayak recently, told me of her favorite paddling trip – from Hadley Point to Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island with a stop at The Ovens. I really liked the pictures she e-mailed. One is of her in her kayak floating in one of the ovens, the other of a kayaker silhouetted against a brilliant sunset. She related that a pair of porpoises visited her and her paddling companion around Salsbury Cove “at times one would come within a couple of feet of the kayaks, once even lingering motionless on the water’s surface, as if it was checking us out.” What fun.

Her experience illustrates one of the joys of paddling a kayak or a canoe – the total freedom you have and the wonders that await your exploration. In tidal waters the scenery is always changing. I especially like being able to skim the shoreline. If you’re new to tidal waters, remember to check a tide chart for times of high and low tides. Keep in mind that if you put in at high tide from a beach and return at low tide you could be facing hundreds of yards of mud and shells between you and what was the shore. It’s always smart to ask for details like this from someone who’s familiar with the area and to plan your trip accordingly.

It probably goes without saying, but keep in mind the rising tide when you launch at low tide. Don’t leave your vehicle below the high water mark.

Not as obvious as rising or falling water levels is the fact that along with all this water going up and down are currents that go in and out. Plan your trip to go with the currents. It’ll save you some work. Again, ask the local folks, they’re pretty sharp about these things.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.