Paddlers raising ire of other users at launch areas Common sense is best solution

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Another paddling season is fast approaching and with it some more potential conflicts between paddlers, motor-powered boats, and those charged with enforcing local ordinances and regulations.

For the uninitiated, sea kayaking isn’t without its detractors. Hard to believe, isn’t it? How could such a serene sport be anything but a crowd pleaser?

Well, to a typical lobsterman, those of us who paddle are called speed bumps. To power boaters – ditto. Along most of the coast, if you don’t burn gasoline or diesel, or have a 40-foot stick and sail above your head, you’re basically flotsam.

If you think that’s fantasy, you’d best not test your theory on the water.

And on land there’s another reason paddlers are giving the sport a black eye. It’s happening with increasing frequency. It’s the launch ramp conflict.

Two springs ago I attended a safety symposium at the U.S. Coast Guard station in South Portland where, among others, there was a contingent of harbormasters, mostly from the southern coastal region. I’d heard of occasional conflicts between kayakers and commercial fishermen, but the disdain for the paddling crowd was driven home at this gathering by the harbormasters.

They didn’t have anything good to say about us – we’re not visible on the water, we’re not supposed to be in the channel, we’re clogging the launch ramps and docks, we’re always getting in trouble and in need of rescue. It amazed me, in my innocence, how such a horrible picture could be painted. (More amazing to me was that I pay pretty close attention to paddling issues and the transgressions were not even on the radar in our neck of the woods at the time.)

Here’s what I hear is one of the major problems sticking in the craw of the boating and harbormaster crowd: hogging precious dock and launch ramp space.

As a paddler you may be under the impression that public boat ramps are just that – public, free for the world to use. Well, that’s only partly true. As a paddler you have your choice of hand-carry launch sites (you may find one here and there in your DeLorme designated by red outlines of boats).

The others (designated in DeLorme by all-red boats) are ramps for trailerable boats, most often motorboats. Funds for these ramps are usually paid for in part or in full by gas tax funds. The state has a special formula for figuring how much gasoline is sold for marine use and a percentage of the taxes paid on that fuel is designated for boat ramps, according to George Powell, director of boating facilities at the Bureau of Parks and Lands in Augusta. That amounts to about $1.7 million annually, he said.

Recreational paddlers or sailors who don’t have motors on their boats do not pay into that fund. There also is some federal money from the Sport Fish Restoration Fund that comes from taxes on the sales of boats and motors, Powell said. In some instances there is some state economic and community development money used for boat ramps.

So, paddlers, we’re not part of the funding mix – strike one (disregard the $20 conservation license plate fund, that apparently doesn’t count…).

Even though we may not be welcome because we don’t burn 330 gallons of gas a year, we’re tolerated as long as we stay out of the way. Here comes strike two.

There are some (millions if you ask harbormasters) who spend too much time on the launch ramp or dock getting their kayaks outfitted for launch and stripped down for retrieval. If you’re one of these people, you’re not making any points and ruining it for others.

In some places, launching is just not safe.

Freeport considers kayak ban

Case in point: Freeport’s Coastal Waters Commission is considering a ban on kayaks and canoes at the town wharf. I talked with Joe Hahn, chairman of the Coastal Waters Commission for Freeport, and his assessment is that the busy dock, which is perpendicular to the tidal current, is too high for novices to safely use and the rushing current could sweep a capsized boater under the dock.

He said the town’s liability insurance carrier is concerned about possible lawsuits against the town that might be filed by canoeists and/or kayakers who could injure themselves getting into or out of their boats at the floats. Hahn described the floats as being high or unfriendly for launch and retrieval.

A public hearing on this proposed ban will be held at 6:30 p.m. on April 21 at the Freeport Town Hall, Town Manager Dale Olmstead told me. Afterward, the commission will make a recommendation to the town council, which in turn will decide whether to ban kayaks and canoes from the wharf.

The town would have kayakers and canoeists use Winslow Park a quarter-mile south of the town wharf for access. A day-use fee of $1.50 for non-residents (75 cents for residents) is charged to use the park. As part of the proposal, the town would install 300 feet of floats to allow access to the bay at low tide.

Also available at the park is a beach, playground, volleyball, open picnic areas and sheltered picnic facilities, scenic trails, and 100 campsites.

Hahn said the issue strictly is one of safety. He said there is a 3- to 4-foot height difference between the wharf and water, making it difficult for people to get into and out of their kayaks. In addition, tidal currents of 2 knots running against the wharf can sweep capsized boaters under the wharf. Winslow Park is out of the way of boat traffic and there is much less current. The new floats would make it an all-tide facility, except, possibly, the last half-hour of low tide.

Strike three comes when inexperienced paddlers finally get on the water and presume they own it. In a busy harbor the last thing large boat operators may see is your tiny profile on the water. And if you’re close in front of them, the operator may not see you at all. (And should he happen to drive over you, depending on the size of the boat, he may not even feel you.)

What’s a paddler to do?

First off, get some paddling experience under your belt before you head for cold ocean waters. You should consider taking a lesson or two from a qualified instructor. There are plenty of lakes and ponds on which to practice your skills. Knowing how to handle your boat and how to perform self- and partner-rescues is a prerequisite. Learn about tides and tidal currents. Learn the so-called rules of the road on the ocean. Learn how to read a chart. You probably know something about the weather, but consider what it will do to you if you’re out on the water in a tiny boat.

Learn how to dress for the weather and water temperature. Always wear a personal flotation device. You may think you can swim, but think again, especially in our cold ocean. It takes only minutes in cold water for you to begin losing coordination in your hands. Your PFD will help you float and keep your core temperature warmer longer, giving you the edge you need to save yourself.

Once you get the fundamentals down, practiced your paddling skills and familiarized yourself with the dangers that face you on the water and you’re ready to give the ocean a try, then take the time to learn something about boat launch ramp etiquette. Don’t take over the parking lot and ramp by spreading your gear all over the place.

The best and quickest way to launch is to put your kayak on the ground next to your car and outfit it right there. It’s quick and easy because your gear comes out of the car and goes onto or into the boat. Once you are dressed and your boat is outfitted, you can carry the kayak to the water’s edge, get in and paddle away.

If carrying your boat is difficult, look into getting some wheels you can use to roll your boat to the water’s edge and then stow in the hatches.

If you paddle with a group, try not to take over the parking lot and ramp. You can outfit your party by your cars and help each other carry boats to the water.

Once on the water, it’s safe practice to stay away from powerboats or sailboats that are under way. Assume you are invisible. You draw only inches of water, so you can go places other boats cannot, and besides, those other places provide the best opportunities for sightseeing and observing marine life.

When you must cross a busy channel, do so as directly as possible and don’t linger in the middle any more than you’d dawdle in the middle of Main Street. If you’re with a group of other paddlers crossing a channel, keep your group tight. Don’t string out like the tail on a kite. A group is easier for other boaters to see and you’re not tying up the channel.

The bottom line? It all comes down to using common sense. Think about what you’re doing and what impact it might have on others

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