Updates & News From Portland Paddle

We noticed that many of Portland Paddle’s favorite organizations and instructors are offering some terrific opportunities for learning in the months ahead, so we thought we’d give you a heads up… Rolling Practice at Riverton Pool with Portland Paddle friend Cheri Perry of Kayak Ways is a master of teaching the roll, and there’s still…

Portland Paddle Guides Share Their Favorite Paddling Spots With all of Maine’s lakes, rivers, and coastline, there’s enough paddling to keep kayakers and paddleboarders busy for several lifetimes. You could very well pick a launch at random out of your trusty Maine Gazetteer and fall straight in love. And since we’re all about sharing our…

If you want a glimpse at what makes paddling on Casco Bay such a unique experience, check out this video featuring Portland Paddle. It was a pleasure to work with Rob Holmes and his team from GLP Films to get such beautiful footage.

Last summer three guides from the Portland Paddle took time off from leading trips to embark on some ambitious expeditions on the Maine Island Trail. Here’s a look at some highlights. Joe Paddles from New Hampshire to Canada in 4 Days (Really!) Portland Paddle instructor and guide Joe Guglielmetti proved he can paddle fast when…

Joe Guglieletti Paddled from Portsmouth to Eastport in 4 Days, 7 Hours and 17 Minutes, Setting a Record Speed Portland Paddle instructor and guide Joe Guglielmetti proved he can paddle fast when he won first place in last year’s Paddle for the Promenade 10-mile race. This summer he took his speed-paddling up a few notches…

Looking to Connect with Other Paddlers in Southern Maine? Here are Some Tips: There are lots of people out there looking for paddle buddies. We hear from them all the time at Portland Paddle: the couple with lots of lake paddling experience that just moved to the Maine coast; the rookie paddler who just discovered…

Cathy has been swimming in waterfalls in Costa Rica (with her daughter, Portland Paddle staffer Zoe)   Dana has been sailing from San Francisco to Baja California   Sam Marjerison has been paddling  whitewater through the off-season   Abbey King has been teaching backcountry skiing courses in the White Mountains   Suzzanne has been making…

Sam Frankel guides sea kayak trips for Portland Paddle and was recently elected president of the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors (MASKGI). We asked Sam to write this blog post for Portland Paddle to spread awareness about MASKGI and the organization’s plans for the coming year.  If you are interested in becoming…

 How long have you been a guide? Since 2016, when I started guiding for Portland Paddle. SUP/Kayak/Both? Primarily sea kayak, although I enjoy SUP. Why guide? I started sea kayaking after coming back to the United States in 2013. I’d spent the previous four or five years overseas, and wanted to feel a sense…

Entries from a Sea Kayaking Trip in Fiji By Joe Guglielmetti Joe Guglielmetti journeyed to Fiji during the fall of 2017 and paddled around the island of Kadavu. This report on his trip is part of a longer writing project that is currently completing. Joe is a sea kayak guide for Portland Paddle.  The ferry…

This month’s Paddle Talk is a conversation with Joe Guglielmetti, a kayak guide who grew up in Cape Elizabeth and now lives on Munjoy Hill in Portland. Joe just returned from a kayaking expedition in Fiji. He repairs boats!  How long have you been a guide? I entered the guide world five years ago, and began…

This month’s Paddle Talk is with Suzanne Blackburn, a licensed Maine Sea Kayak Guide and ACA-certified Instructor who began working for Portland Paddle in 2014.  How long have you been a guide? With Portland Paddle? I took the guide training with Maine Sport and passed the test in 1996. At that time the sea kayaking…