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Portland Paddle Guides’ 2020 Expeditions On the Maine Island Trail

a boat on a body of water

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 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 and departed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 10 with the intention of reaching the Canadian Border as fast as he could. His traverse of the Maine coast in 4 days, 7 hours and 17 minutes is the fastest recorded.

The 230-mile route Joe paddled is not one that anyone regular kayaker should attempt to follow. Joe is an expert paddler and he took extensive precautions and preparations to minimize the risk of taking long open-ocean crossings. But his expedition is inspiring to paddlers of all backgrounds, and we hope it will lead others to find a Maine paddling adventure that suits their experience level.

a sign on the side of a fence a person flying a kite in a large body of water a boat on a body of water a stack of flyers on a table

Suzanne Completes Her Third Traverse of the Entire Maine Coast

Suzanne had so much fun paddling the Maine coast the first two times that she couldn’t help heading out for a third traverse last summer. Suzanne and her friend Janet had faced some challenging days this time, paddling through gale warnings and covering more than 28 knots on some days. “It was an epic saltwater rinse and spin cycle and just what we needed,” Suzanne said. Will Suzanne go for a fourth traverse of the Maine coast? Wouldn’t be surprised.

a large body of water with a mountain in the background a group of people in a large body of water a group of people sitting at a beach a sunset over a body of water a tent in a body of water a group of people riding on the back of a boat in the water a small boat in a body of water

Garrison Paddles from Merrymeeting Bay to MDI and Back

Garrison is relatively new to paddling compared to Suzanne and Joe, but since he started taking sea kayaking seriously a couple years ago he quickly developed the skills and knowledge he needed to embark on an ambitious expedition last summer. His trip, which covered around 330 miles, started at Bay Bridge landing in Merrymeeting bay, then traced the coast north across Penobscot Bay, looped around MDI, meandered back around Penobscot Bay, and then continued south to end at Knicker Cane Park in Boothbay. Garrison’s did all that in 18 days.

a rocky beach next to a body of water a man smiling for the camera a sunset over a body of water

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