VILLAGE MEMBER STORIES

Village Paddlers

“We had just stopped to look at the scenery in Monterey Bay when a mother otter pushed her baby onto the stern of my boat and climbed up after it. The mother promptly nestled into the small of my back, encircling her pup.”

Village member Janet Tucker has been paddling a kayak for more than 30 years and still reflects back on her incredible wildlife encounter in Monterey as one of the most memorable and profound experiences of her life.

Other Village members, who count kayaking among their passions and favorite pastimes, have similar tales to tell.

Sandra Cohen-Holmes, who first rented a kayak 25 years and will be leading this month’s meet-up on the Bellamy Reservoir in Madbury, remembers a night time kayaking trip on a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico. “Though the guides assured us there were no snakes, we could hear them slithering into the water. What is always magical for me when I kayak is the light glittering on the water.”

Whether relatively new to the sport or a seasoned paddler, it seems that a large part of what draws these Village members to kayaking is the chance for intimate interactions with nature. For Kathy Rockwood, who will be leading this month's Ayers Pond meet-up, and Linda Benton, it’s also the peace they find on the water that keeps them coming back.

Kayaking also dovetails with several people’s passions for traveling. Denny Chasteen has kayaked in the Amazon, the Florida Keys, and the "Jungle-like" rivers of Florida while Janet Tucker has explored the Sea of Cortez, San Juan Islands,  Everglades and British Columbia by kayak. But this group is quick to report that great paddling can be had closer to home along the Seacoast and throughout New Hampshire and Maine.

Among these paddler’s favorite spots are Odiorne Point in Rye; Stonington, ME; Pawtuckaway Lake out of the Fundy Boat Launch; Bellamy Reservoir; Salmon Falls River; Lamprey River out of Newmarket; Bow Lake; Back Islands of New Castle and Portsmouth; and near the Wentworth Coolidge Mansion.

Are you a kayaker looking for others who share your passion? Choose one of this month’s kayak meet-ups from our events calendar and join us! Or coordinate your own Village meet-up at your favorite spot! Email Krock@seacoastvillageproject.org to learn more.

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