Stand up Paddling at Great Island (Old Lyme, CT)

Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to go stand up paddling at Great Island in Old Lyme, CT.  It's a really neat spot about 10 miles up I-95 from my house.  This area was one of the first places I learned how to kayak when I first moved up to Connecticut in 2006.  Come to think of it, it is also one of the last places I kayaked, considering that my Necky Elaho kayak was eventually stolen (different story for another time!).

I arrived at the boat launch around 4 PM, and there were not many people around.  A couple of people were parked in a car, just looking out into the water, the marshlands, and the Long Island Sound.  The tide was coming in as I started to paddle out, but the water conditions were perfect for a calm, peaceful session.  I passed and waved to a gentleman working on his sailboat (the one pictured above) as I made my way towards the various waterways in and around the marshland.  A group of ten or so high school-age kids were in kayaks and canoes heading back to the boat launch.  I received a few customary "What is that?" looks from some of them, but one woman stopped and asked me about stand up paddling.  Her exact words were "That is awesome!".

I spent about an hour paddling in and out of the coves, passing the usual wildlife: herring gulls, snowy egrets, cormorants, jumping bait fish, etc.  I also paddled past several osprey nests but did not see a lot of activity there.  I also passed a flock of swallows, which I didn't pay much attention to, but have since found out that these are popular birds among the locals.  Two different sets of people stopped me in the parking area when I was leaving to ask if I had seen the "swallows".  I told them that I had passed by a huge flock of these miniature birds, all flying, turning and landing in unison.  Now I will know what I'm looking at the next time I go out paddling in that area.

Great Island Boat Launch

Marshlands. w/ osprey nest platforms

A nearby property that I admire.  Very Connecticut!

East River (Madison, CT) Morning Paddle

East River in Madison, Connecticut

Yesterday was the day after Labor Day, which naturally has that day-after-summer-ends feeling for many people.  Fortunately I had taken this week off from work to spend time with my family & extend summer a little bit longer.  I woke up early as usual, made my coffee, and went through my normal routine of checking news, tweets, weather, etc while my wife and two children slept.  The weather forecast called for a beautiful September day, low 80's & sunny, and I was looking forward to playing in a golf tournament in the afternoon.  More immediately though I wanted to try to fit in some time with my stand up paddleboard.

Hurricane Earl had come and go late last week, but the after-effects on the winds and tides were still being felt throughout the long weekend.  Yesterday morning was no exception, with whitecaps and choppy waters still prevalent on the Sound.  Long Island Sound is typically glassy in the early morning, followed by minimal swells (if you can call them that) throughout the day, and then often a return to calmness in the early evening.  Since Earl, though, the Sound has been somewhat choppy.  Here is an example photo from Saturday morning:

Garvin Point, Surf Club, Madison, CT 09/04/10

Yesterday I felt like something different, so I decided to try out the East River boat launch area off of Neck Road in Madison.  East River borders the towns of Madison & Guilford, and contains several inlets and waterways nestled around salt marsh lands.  As expected, this inland waterway was calm and flat, with the exception of the incoming tide pushing water from the Sound upriver.  At 8:00 AM it was also peacefully silent, and it was nice to be out there alone.  There was an abundance of wildlife, however, including sea gulls, herons, egrets, cormorants, and the occasional bait fish jumping out of the water.  It was a different experience to let the tide carry my board with it, and all I really had to do was use my paddle to navigate.  Of course, it also made it a bit more difficult paddling back into the current to return to the shore.  Here are several photos I took of the area:

Pebble path from the road to the launch area

Prime parking, of course

Calm water beyond the launch point

Moored sailboats, with Guilford in the background

One of dozens of docked boats that line the river

Another view of docked boats, moorings & beach houses

Panoramic view of beach houses that line the Sound

Installing a new deck pad for your paddle board

What I learned very quickly in my paddle board research was the need for a good, high-quality deck pad to provide grip and stability.

As part of my order from Paddleboard Direct, the package came with a deck pad specifically designed for the Oxbow series. After viewing a few videos on YouTube specifically explaining how to install a deck pad, I decided to take notes & pictures for later sharing with others.

First, here are the materials that I needed for the task:

• Deck Pad
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Tape Measure
• Paper Towels
• Sharpie Pen
• Razor Blade / Cutting Tool

Pre-work:

• Find a place where you can lay down your board in a secure fashion. You want to have enough space to walk up/down/around your board. I chose the kitchen table as my work platform, and found that to be easy to maneuver around and also easy on my back.
• If your board has a built-in handle in the center, measure the length from the back of the board to the nearest edge of the handle opening. Take a similar measurement from the side of the board to the nearest edge of the handle opening. Write down both of these measurements and keep them nearby for later referral.
• Unpack the deck board and dust off the adhesive side of each piece. You'll want to be working with dust-free conditions for both the board as well as the deck pad.

Step 1: The deck pad is essentially a giant set of stickers that attach to your board, so you need to clean the topside of your board to ensure a proper connection.

(One of the tutorial videos on YouTube suggested using denatured alcohol solvent as the cleaning agent, but you don't need to get that drastic. Rubbing alcohol that most of us have sitting around the house (and wonder when we'd ever use it) works just fine for the job. In fact, rubbing alcohol is a derivative of denatured alcohol.). Back to the instructions...

Using a damp paper towel, wipe away any dust or dirt that may have accumulated on the board. Once the board is completely dry, take a clump of paper towels and apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to them. Wipe the main surface area of the board in smooth, deliberate strokes until you've covered the section where the deck pad will go. Allow a couple of minutes for the entire board to dry - it should only take a minute or two at most.

Step 2: Starting from the back of the board, take the corresponding deck pad piece and before you peel of the protective layer, lay it into position (note - I had my laptop projecting a manufacturer's picture so that I had a frame of reference for how the pad is supposed to lay out on the board). Using your tape measure, find the center point on the back edge of the deck pad piece. Mark the spot on the top and bottom of the piece using your Sharpie. See where the top end of this back piece falls on the board, and make sure that it looks even to you.

Step 3: Hold the piece in place while you begin to peel back the protective layer from the top end. Peel roughly 3" and fold the layer underneath. Take a deep breath (!) and press down on the top end of the deck pad piece and rub it in to ensure a snug fit. Flip the back of the pad over the stuck part and grab hold of the folded protective layer. Using one hand to peel more of the protective layer, use the other hand to firmly apply the rest of the deck pad piece into place. Take your time and smooth over the entire piece to ensure that you are not leaving any surface bubbles.

Step 4: If your deck pad came in three independent pieces, then its on to the 2nd & 3rd pieces. For the middle piece, lay it out on the board leaving about 1/2 - 1" space between the first piece. Ensure that the middle piece looks even, and then repeat the sticking process as mentioned in Step 3. Always work from the front of the sticky part towards the back.

Step 5: For the final (third) piece, repeats Steps 3 & 4 and ensure that your deck pad is laying out evenly (more or less) in relation to the surface of the board. For all three sections, smooth your hand over the pad to ensure a flat surface that is bounded well to the board. Your board now has a deck pad!

Step 6 (for boards with built-in center handles): Refer to the measurements you took earlier for the center handle. Re-utilize the tape measure in the same fashion, and this time use your Sharpie to mark spots where you will cut out. Once your marks have been made, use your fingers to try to find the outline of the handle. Use your cutting knife to cut through the pad into the recession of the door handle, guiding the blade against the outline of the handle. Cut away the strips to form a rectangle box in the pad. That's it - you're done!

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It took me about an hour to complete this task. I tried to be methodical and take my time, but I knew going in that the results were never going to be PERFECT. My end result was not perfect (there is slight misalignment between the second and third pieces) but overall I was pleased with how it came out. The pictures are available in a gallery via Picasa.

Good luck!

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Reference video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feJk8ddb8ok

Taking the plunge

After weeks of research, internal debate, and mental cost/benefit analysis, I decided to try stand up paddling (SUP) this summer.  With no prior SUP experience I bought my first board last month - an Oxbow Cruiser 11'6" - with intentions of mostly explore the coastal areas in and around Long Island Sound.  I've been able to get out on the water several times this month, and it's been a blast.

Last Saturday I had my best session yet.  There is a 3+ mile stretch of beach front properties that I've normally only been able to admire from the street.  I started out from the town beach launch ~7:30 AM and was pleased/surprised to be the only one out on the water (there's usually a handful of morning kayakers).  The conditions for a novice like myself were optimal (see picture).  I moved easily through the water and built up a good place as I paddled past all sorts of herons, egrets and other birds.

As a beginner it was fantastic to be able to focus on mechanics in very calm water, and I feel so much more confident now than I did a day ago.  I've seen other people recommended starting out in these conditions and I absolutely agree.  I did the entire loop comfortably and it was nice to be able to decide to jump into the water rather than falling off the board.

I've had a few friends seeing my tweets about stand up paddling and ask what this sport is all about.  It's hard to explain, but I've seen more than one person refer to it as "like walking on water", so that's a good enough description for me.

Looking forward to getting out on the water this weekend...