Cruising World – May 2018

may 2018

cruisingworld.com

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for. Knock on wood, we very
rarely fall in. (In winter, pad-
dleboarding from the beach
while West Wind rests in a
Maine shed, we wear drysuits.)
Our staying upright largely
results from confi ning our
paddleboarding to relatively
calm days with minimal waves
and keeping a close eye on
depth in shallow water. Lob-
ster-boat wakes can be a par-
ticular hazard in Maine. If they
look too big for us to remain
standing and paddle through
with the bow into the waves,
we drop to our knees.
Launching and retrieving
the boards is easy on West
Wind. Our lifeline gates are
well aft and wide. The toe
rail is aluminum, much better
than a varnished wooden toe
rail at tolerating sliding the
boards over it. For a wood-
en rail, however, it would not
be hard to make a padded
protective piece over which
boards could slide.
There are two disadvantag-
es, neither serious, that we
fi nd in having paddleboards on
deck while cruising coastal wa-
ters. We lash them far enough
aft so that visibility forward
is not affected. Depending
on the helmsman’s position,
whether standing or sitting
and whether amidships, to
windward or leeward, the
boards can interfere with
visibility in the sector from
about 45 degrees off the bow
to nearly amidships. Just as
a helmsman needs to peer
around a low-cut jib that re-
stricts visibility, so he or she
needs to shift position and

look over the board frequent-
ly if dangers may be obscured.
The second effect of having
the boards on deck is that
their windage can increase
the boat’s blowing back and
forth at anchor. Generally,
this is no problem, but if high
winds are forecast, we some-
times move the boards aft
alongside the cockpit to get
the windage aft and thereby

steady the boat.

Getting adequate exercise

while cruising is crucial to us,

for both our physical and men-

tal health. The Maine coast is

blessed with an array of lands

with wonderful trails open to

the public, including mainland

and island properties of Acadia

National Park, Coastal Islands

National Wildlife Refuge,

the state park system, Maine

Coast Heritage Trust, the

Nature Conservancy and lo-

cal land trusts. We anchor off

and enjoy the hikes through

forests and grassy meadows

and along rocky shorelines.

Rowing our pea pod has been

another superb way to have a

workout, discovering nooks

and crannies in innumerable

bays and archipelagos. And

then we added paddleboard-

ing. Like cross-country skiing

and swimming, it provides

low-impact, full-body exer-

cise, and is especially excel-

lent for the body’s core.

For Dianna, loving to break

a good sweat, paddling hard

often replaces or augments

running. One year, frequent

paddling once greatly speeded

her recovery from a broken an-

kle and knee.

The fact that paddling brings

us so close to nature, as in our

venture into the Englishman

River, does as much good for

our psyche as the balancing and

the pulling on the paddle does

for our muscles. The scenery

and the birds are a constant

presence. Paddling also draws

one to what is under the water.

Standing 5 to 6 feet above the

surface of clear water enables a

very good view of what is below

— rockweed, eelgrass, crabs,

starfi sh, sea urchins, sand dol-

lars and a host of other forms

of marine life. In tropical wa-

ters, we have done a great deal

of snorkeling. Paddleboarding

provides a viewing experience

reminiscent of that. Carrying a

mask and snorkel on the pad-

dleboard and going into the wa-

ter occasionally, even in Maine,

is an enjoyable option in warm

weather.

Seals, curious creatures,

often pop their whiskery

snouts up to watch us pad-

dle by. One morning brought

three porpoises streaming

along to cross Dianna’s wake

and dive close under the

board. A different day saw her

slip off her board to swim with

them as they chased mackerel.

River otters are other mam-

mals of coastal Maine waters

we’ve encountered on rare but

exciting occasions.

On stand-up paddleboards

we have closely explored the

best of Maine’s coastal sailing

destinations, discovering jew-

els above and below the water.

Paddling has added a yet more

intimate connection to this

magnifi cent coast. We return

from our cruising feeling more

fi t physically and mentally,

bonded with the coastal eco-

system that sustains us.

Ben and Dianna Emory are long-

time sailors from Salisbury Cove

and Brooklin, Maine. Each has

a book being published by Sea-

point Books in May 2018. Ben

has written Sailor for the Wild

— on Maine, Conservation

and Boats. Dianna has written

Bonding with Nature — Re-

spondingto Life’s Challenges

and the Aging Process.

One morning brought three porpoises streaming along

to cross Dianna’s wake and dive close under the board.

A different day saw her slip off her board to swim with

them as they chased mackerel.

With West Wind anchored

nearby, just south of Roque

Bluffs State Park in Down

East Maine, Dianna ex-

plores the marshlands of

Englishman River.

HANDS-ON SAILOR