Two Lights to Ft. Williams 'Starter Run'

Hi Marilyn- I read your

Hi Marilyn-
I read your negative post about our April 24th downwind run. I feel that your post was based on a number of misunderstandings and so wanted to respond.
First, you state that we were “clearly struggling”. We were not struggling. I’ve spent hundreds of hours paddle boarding off the Cape Elizabeth coast in a variety of conditions and fully understood what I was getting into. This was precisely the reason that we went out. While we were all doing our fair share of falling off of our boards, this was what we expected in 8 foot swells. As Raf pointed out in his post, the good thing about a SUP is that falling off your board only means that you need to take ten seconds to crawl back on. If you had been closer you would have seen that we were all smiling. We all had redundant safety gear and had preplanned our strategy in the event of a broken leash, multiple broken leashes, etc.
Second, I disagree that SUPs are only “fair weather toys”. The board that I took out on April 24th was specifically designed for downwind runs with winds of 25 kph +. If your home was on the coast in South Africa, Australia, or Hawaii you would likely look out your window and see a number of paddle boarders out every time the wind cooperated.
Third, I don’t agree that the waters between Two Lights and Fort Williams should be off limits to paddlers. I’ve paddled this route many times before in a wide variety of conditions, winds, swells, and tides. We were all aware of the reefs and other hazards from personal experience and also from reviewing the nautical maps again and again. We chose a route that took us well clear of any breaks.
You are absolutely right that the ocean, in general, and the waters off of Cape Elizabeth, in particular, can be very dangerous. Also, we all know from experience that things often do not go according to plan, especially not when the ocean is involved. No one should ever go out without a very healthy respect for what the ocean can do. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that someone head out into the open ocean on a SUP without the appropriate plan or experience. That said, I believe that with the appropriate experience, gear, and plan in place that it is not “irresponsible” to paddle out there.
I moved to Portland from Colorado about ten years ago and soon discovered that here the ocean is the wilderness, the public space. For me, my SUP has been the way for me to get out there and do it safely. As you can see from the posts and Mark’s video, our April 24th paddle was fantastic. When we were out there we commented to each other how fortunate we were to be able to experience such a wonderful place. So, as you might expect, I disagree that access should be limited to those with homes on the coast and “ocean going” boats.
I’ve got an extra board and paddle. You should come out with me sometime (a calm day at Kettle Cove). You’ll have a blast.

Chad Hansen