Paddling in pool prepares kayaker Safety symposium scheduled May 21

Enough already! Stop toying with me! Just when I start to think about something other than snow and mud, you throw another load down and cover the ground. Well, I’ve had it! I’m not shoveling again this spring. I’m putting the shovel in the garage and you can dump all the snow you want on me. Go ahead, make my day!

There! I feel better having had a chance to vent.

I feel the need for open-water paddling – soon. It would be too much to ask for warmer water, so I’ll just settle for stuff that’ s ice-free.

In the meantime I’ll just have to settle for pool sessions, planning for our Fourth Annual Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium May 21 at the YMCA in Bangor and helping with sea kayak guide classes my friend Karen Farncoeur is teaching locally.

I’ve managed to get in a little practice time as I try to train my aging body how to Eskimo roll. It’ll probably be another year before I drill the necessary moves into my head. In the grand scheme of things, I have the first 180 degrees down pat, the next 90 degrees are getting close, but the final 90 remain somewhat elusive. My goal is all 360 degrees at once. That way if I tip over, I’ll be able to get back upright without having to drink an ocean or wet exit my boat and then have to re-enter it.

In the meantime I’ve done my catalog shopping and I’m ready (or I will be soon) when and if we get better weather.

I know of others who are hoping we’ll get some fine paddling weather soon. Erin Rice at the Pine Tree Society dropped me a line to tell me about the “Paddle for Pine Tree Camp” on June 5. This will be the eighth year for the fundraiser, and this year there will be three venues to appeal to various whims and desires.

All three involve 6.5-mile paddles. One is on the Saco River, one is on the Kennebec River, and the third is on the ocean at Wolf’s Neck in Freeport. As in the past, paddlers will be asked to raise money through pledges. In addition to having a great time on these three bodies of water you’ll get prizes based on the amount of money you raise. At $50 you’ll get a T-shirt, at $250 there’s a $50 gift certificate for G.M. Pollack and Sons Jewelers; at $1,000 you’ll receive an L.L. Bean personal flotation device; and for $2,500 there’s a $250 G.M. Pollack and Sons Jewelers gift certificate. There will be a Concord Canoe from Lincoln Canoes and Kayaks for the top fundraiser, and other prizes for group participation.

On the Saco River, the stretch covered is near the New Hampshire border. The Kennebec River stretch is from Solon to North Anson. At Wolf’s Neck you’ll get a chance to paddle your sea kayak with “Survivor” contestant Zoe Zanidakis, the 37-year-old lobster woman from Monhegan who was voted off the TV show two years ago, leaving six others to duke it out to the finish.

Since 1997 when Maine Guide Darrell Buzzell conceived the idea of the fundraiser, some $40,000 has been raised for the summer camp for adults and children with disabilities, Rice told me from her office on Front Street in Bath. The way Pine Tree Society tells it, Buzzell spent a warm summer day teaching Pine Tree campers to kayak. “After seeing first-hand what a difference Pine Tree Camp makes in the lives of children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, he felt he had to do something more and thus the Paddle for Pine Tree Camp was born,” the organization’s Web site says. “The paddle seemed like a natural way for us to be able to support Pine Tree Camp. …There’s nothing better than doing something you love to help a great cause,” he’s quoted as saying.

Paddle coordinator Kris Dorer says “paddling sports, including canoeing and kayaking, fit perfectly in Pine Tree Camp’s mission of providing accessible recreation to Maine people with disabilities.” The camp has “opened its doors to anyone who can benefit from the experience regardless of their ability to pay tuition. Families pay what they can afford, but many lack the finances to cover even a fraction of their child’s stay at camp. Fund-raising events like the Paddle of Pine Tree Camp are held throughout the year to raise tuition assistance funds for campers and their families, thus keeping the camp’s open door policy firmly in place,” Rice said.

Pine Tree Camp opened in Rome in 1945 as a recreational and therapy outlet for Maine children with disabilities. It is one of several programs offered by the Pine Tree Society of Handicapped Children and Adults in Bath. A stay at the 250-acre facility in the Belgrade Lakes region allows campers to participate in such activities as arts and crafts, swimming, boating, fishing, and overnight camping.

For more information, call 397-2141 or check out the organization’s Web site at www.pinetreesociety.org.

If you find open water or are planning on paddling on tidal waters, keep in mind that water temperatures are downright cold. The Coast Guard sent out an advisory last week reminding all early-season boaters to use caution, especially in rivers where high water levels and swift currents make recreational boating dangerous.

Al Johnson, recreational boating safety specialist with the First Coast Guard District office in Boston, wanted me to remind you to be prepared for cold-water immersion. “A sudden spill into frigid waters will incapacitate most people within minutes,” he said.

Exacerbating the problem is swollen river levels. “When a heavy deluge rapidly pushes water levels to the flood stage, it drastically alters the characteristics of the flow. High waters cover the usually exposed hazards creating strainers which create a funnel effect and can easily capsize a small boat, canoe or kayak and trap a person suddenly thrown into the water,” Johnson said. Inland water temperatures are in the 40-degree range and coastal waters are colder, he added. (On Thursday at the National Oceanographic Data Center Web site the reading for Portland, the only Maine listing that day, was a chilly 38.5 degrees. Think about trying to swim at Sand Beach at Acadia National Park in the summer when the water has warmed up to the high 50s and lower 60s. I’ve tried a couple of polar dips and believe me, you don’t want to spend much time in water that cold. I’d say 10 seconds is about my limit.)

Johnson stressed the need for boaters and paddlers always to wear a personal flotation device. In Massachusetts, PFDs are mandatory until May 15, and in Connecticut they are mandatory until the end of May. In Maine, unfortunately, we don’t have such a law. We need only have a life jacket in the boat.

But anyone with half a brain should know it makes no sense to be out on cold water without wearing the darned thing. You don’t have enough time after falling into such cold water to put the device on, fasten it properly, and rescue yourself. Put it on before you get in the boat, adjust it properly and wear it until you get off the water. Your family and friends will appreciate it.

If you need some advice or want more information on paddling safety, come to the Fourth Annual Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium at the YMCA in Bangor on May 21. It’s free and you’ll come away a believer. Best of all, you’ll get to meet Johnson and other Coast Guardsmen in person.

Here’s one final bit of advice: If you’re planning a day’s outing on the water, check the weather forecast and consult a tide chart if you’re headed to the ocean. There’s nothing more embarrassing (and potentially dangerous) than having to walk over flats mud to get back to your car. There are also currents associated with the incoming and outgoing tides. Knowing how strong the currents are and which way they’ll be moving is something you’ll need to know. Paddling against a 2-knot current will make your return trip a real chore. If the current’s any faster, you may not make any headway.

And it’s a good idea to know what water conditions are before you get to the riverbank. To get a heads up, try the U.S. Geological Survey Real-Time Water Date Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/realtime.html or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hydrologic Information Center – River Stages Web site at http://nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/current/riverflooding/Stages.htm.

If birds tickle your fancy, check out International Migratory Bird Day at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery on May 8. Folks there want you to join them from 7-9 a.m. for the annual bird walk and banding demonstration. Some 125 species have been spotted nearby – from Blackburnian warblers to buffleheads. You bring your binoculars, they’ll provide the coffee. You must preregister by calling 469-7300, extension 206 or e-mail CherylDomina@fws.gov. Space is limited to 20 people age 12 and up, so get your name in early. The theme this year is special lifestyles and needs of colonial birds. For information on colonial birds check out http://birds.fws.gov/imbd/materials.html.

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