Tragedy emphasizes need to ‘Paddle Smart’

Last weekend’s fourth annual Paddle Smart from the Start Safety Symposium at the YMCA in Bangor was another success by all measures. Attendance was around 250, speakers and demonstrations were well accepted (at least that’s what the feedback forms indicated), and recognition from officials was abundant. The people I talked with at the event were pleased as could be.

The governor sent a proclamation that was read by Rep. Pat Blanchette. Bangor Mayor Dan Tremble, who voluntarily capsized a boat in the YMCA pool for television cameras, proclaimed the city’s support of safe boating. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and Coast Guard turned out a sea of blue uniforms. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Marine Patrol turned out in numbers, and Penobscot Bay Power and Sail Squadron turned out as well. They all carried a message of support for safe boating week.

And then there were the organizers and volunteers who did all the legwork to carry off this fourth paddling safety symposium. Castine Kayak Adventures owner Karen Francoeur and Epic Sports owner Brad Ryder provided the engine that produced the momentum throughout the months of planning, and guides Mark Goff and John Rice smoothed the ways for setup at the YMCA’s gym. Numerous volunteers provided the slave labor to keep the wheels turning.

Hats off to all who helped make this event a success and who helped to spread the message of wearing your life jacket when you’re on the water in your canoe or kayak.

Those of us who helped to plan and execute the event were saddened by the news Wednesday that a young man from New Jersey had drowned in Millinocket Lake when the canoe in which he and two friends were paddling overturned. None of the three was wearing a lifejacket. Two, lucky for them, were able to swim 100 yards in 45-degree water to the shore of an island and yell for help.

Perhaps the most poignant quote in the story in this newspaper were the words of Warden diver Mike Joy, who found the body of the dead canoeist in 8 feet of water fewer than 50 yards from shore: “I can tell you one thing for sure: You’ll never find a body on the bottom with a life jacket on.” I’d be willing to bet that there wouldn’t have been a news story about a dead canoeist if he’d put on a life jacket before heading out on the water.

If the tragedy helps you remember to put on your life jacket, some good will have come out of it.

My job took me Down East this week to visit with our Washington County reporters. It wasn’t any warmer there than it was here. As a matter of fact it looks like spring was a little later arriving in the Calais-Perry area than more western parts of the county and certainly a week or two behind us in Bangor.

It was great to get the chance to make a quick tour. When I visited in January it was to take a dip in Passamaquoddy Bay. Tuesday it was too cold, drizzly, and windy to think about it. As I walked around the new St. Croix International Historic Site at Red Beach overlooking St. Croix Island dressed in fleece and Gore-Tex-lined rainwear, I couldn’t help but wonder how a bunch of settlers in 1604 could have survived in such a cold place.

The eagles and ospreys were out in force, however. The Moosehorn eagle nest next to Route 1 between Baring and Calais was occupied. I caught a glimpse of two heads poking up as I drove past.

Last Sunday marked the fifth of our continuing magical mystery tour of scenic local lakes. Dr. Robert Causey and I ventured out into the rain and headed to Alamoosook Lake in Orland (we needed to try a lake that began with a vowel after touring Cold Stream, Branch, Toddy, and Pushaw).

If rain or light fog keeps you off the water, you’re missing some fine paddling. The stillness is great, and even better is the fact that you have the water to yourself. And all you really need is a hat to keep the rain off your head and a paddling jacket that sheds water. The rest of you is contained in your boat, snug and dry.

We launched around 1 p.m. on the Narramessic River off the Mast Hill Road at the dam and paddled just over 1.5 miles to the picnic area at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery on the eastern shore for a quick stretch and rest stop. Then we wended our way along that shoreline exploring a couple of small wetland areas to watch birds. Lunch beckoned from inside the hatches as we completed most of the circle of the lake, so we headed for a small rock outcropping near Loon Island to snack on leftover sausages, crackers, and cheese.

The mist and fog cleared as the day progressed, revealing Great Pond Mountain, and by the time we had to go home (around 5:30 p.m.), the sun was shining and the temperature had climbed to the high 60s.

Maybe it was the weather or just the time of year, but I don’t think I’ve been on an outing where I’ve seen so many different birds. We saw at least three eagles, too many osprey to count (including two that put on a fishing display for us), a cormorant, red-winged blackbirds, goldfinches, ducks, and a few birds I couldn’t identify, and schools of fish.

One immature eagle, perched atop a broken-off birch tree next to the Dead River and not far from Hell Bottom Swamp, watched us as we watched him for more than 10 minutes, less than 100 feet away. Its golden talons gripped the tree as its grayish eyes kept us closely in focus as we slowly drifted away. Even as our mutual friend, Karen Francour, paddled up to join us, the bird remained on his perch.

Earlier I watched as an osprey dove into the lake and came up with a fish, turning it in its talons to point the fish’s head into the wind as he (or she) flew off to deliver a meal. Another osprey flew over us as we paddled in the Dead River. This one stopped briefly in a tree as we wondered aloud how it could land and still keep a firm grip on the fish in hand. And later we watched several other ospreys fly over with their scaly dinner in hand. At one point an eagle flew into the picture as we held our breath waiting for a confrontation that didn’t happen.

Tuesday I took a short detour on my way back to Bangor from Calais to stop by Cobscook Bay State Park. I haven’t had a chance to get back there for a couple of years, and I hope it’s not that long before I get back to this 888-acre paradise. What a fantastic place this is! I think I need to take a couple of days and explore it again.

It’s located off Route 1 six miles south of Dennysville. There are more than 100 campsites in this park, many of them located on the water of Cobscook Bay or Broad Cove. There is a day-use area on a point surrounded by Burnt and Broad coves.

If dramatic tidal water is what you’re after, this is the place to go. Tides run 24 feet and sometimes 28 feet, hence the name Cobscook from the Native American “boiling tides.” If you’re a birder, you have the opportunity to see some of the 200 species of birds that have been seen in this park and nearby Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. Or wait for low tide and dig a mess of clams for supper.

There are numerous natural wonders in the area as well. Just up the road is West Pembroke (Delorme Map 37) where you can take Leighton Point Road to Cross Road and drive down to Reversing Falls Park and witness the full power of all that water exiting or entering Dennys and Whiting Bays. Go around midtide when the water is moving its fastest. If you’re not impressed, check your pulse.

Other places to visit include Campobello Island, New Brunswick, which is across the International Bridge from Lubec. While you’re in Lubec check out Quoddy Head State Park, where you can hike and take in the coastal beauty. At Machiasport, there’s Fort O’Brien State Park, which overlooks the area where the first naval engagement of the American Revolution took place. In Machias is the pre-Revolutionary Burnham Tavern, the oldest building in eastern Maine (that’s what the pamphlet on Cobscook Bay tells me).

And then there’s some of the most awesome coastal beauty you’ll ever want to see at the Bureau of Public Lands-owned Cutler Coast park, just north of Cutler on Route 191. A short hike will take you down to spectacular cliffs overlooking the open ocean with views across to Grand Manan. There are just under 10 miles of trails in this park and there are a few camping sites that you must hike to about five miles from the parking area.

For more information on Cobscook Bay State Park, call 726-4412 or go online and check out www.campwithme.com where you can look at site maps for various state parks and even make reservations electronically.

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