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| Camden Harbour, Maine |
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| Maine |
I
feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to explore a little gem
hidden in the northeast of the US in the state of Maine. Camden, ME
is this fun little coastal town along a beaut of a harbour and filled
with tourists (in tourist season). Surprisingly, it is totally a
little outdoor mecca too!
I
got the fine pleasure to have participated in a great grassroot,
unique, fun, and beautiful race called the Lobster SUP CUP.
I
arrived Friday evening so missed most of the "party" but
caught the tail end which included my first ever Lobster roll and
some delicious chicken tacos from Fox on the Run: this great local
food truck... AMAZINGNESS! I already love this place. I also got the
pleasure to stay with the race organizers in their house, whom happen
to be some of the nicest, entertaining, and helpful folks. Their
house was this beautiful old 1800's house with a white picket fence,
a stone's throw away from town...
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| Fox on the Run food truck |
Saturday
day 1: We started in Camden where we had a great race briefing some
fruits and bars and time to get our things together. There were a ton
of Werner Paddles and SIC boards around, I loved it... I felt like I
was on the teams to be on:) The crowd was positive and welcoming. Our
actual start was a short paddle away at Kurtis Island to avoid the
busy harbour boats. The start was totally fun as the water was messy
with chop from all directions. As I was paddling out to the first
buoy I could hear people falling in the water all around me... I had
to really focus so I would not join the party going in the water and
stick with the crowd staying ON the water...The waters off the start
definitely challenged some folk which allowed the field to spread
apart. Around the first buoy at the graveyard rocks we headed for a
very very light downwind (we were hoping for more but...) to the next
buoy.. then along the coast and into the harbour. It was very
peaceful and serene out there. The harbour tour during the race was
kind of fun as you could take any line you wanted through the boats
as long as you came into the harbour on the right side.... I was a
little concerned about this section at first but in the end it was
totally fun with people cheering and others totally confused, the
traffic... chaotic but organized and entertaining. The hardest part
was going through the finish knowing we had another smaller lap to
go... hahaha... always tough on the mind but it is good practice and
training:) So, after the harbour tour, off we went for a second
different lap... that lap was okay until the last bit where I was
done mentally... but once I crossed the line it felt great to be
finished, tired, and sore... I love that feeling when you worked your
body nice and hard. I was on a SIC X12'6 PRO and faired fairly well
amongst the men on 14ft boards... Cyril came across in first and Bill
from St Croix in 2nd. Kim from NE came in 2nd
for the ladies.
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| Thor and Mark, the brains and power behind Lobster SUP CUP! |
Saturday
evening was probably the highlight of my weekend in Maine. I got to
retrieve some lobsters right from their traps, put them in the
cooler, walk them up the docks, bring them to the house, dump them in
the steamer, AND then EAT them.. it was my first ever lobster feast
and I loved it!!! Alex kindly provided the lobsters that he caught
that day, the Benjamin family provided their home and Thor and Amy
helped host...
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| carrying the empty soon to be filled cooler to the docks |
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| picking the lobster |
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| Alex, the lobster man |
Sunday
was day 2, the second 10mile race of the weekend. I definitely felt
sore in my triceps but otherwise pretty good. I actually haven't done
two long paddles back to back in awhile... so it was feeling good to
be sore and tired... The second day we took off at Rockport Harbour a
quieter picturesque harbour just down the road from Camden. Here we
did a big triangle course where we headed to the breakwater of
Rockland yet another harbour along the coast. The coast line is quite
pretty in these parts and it was really fun to get to see these
different harbours and areas over the weekend. Thor and Mark did a
great job of showing off their amazing surroundings. The wind was
extremely light on day 2 but the water in parts was pretty swirly so
you still had to be on your toes and pay attention. It was a
beautiful day and a great course for day 2. I definitely felt my body
once we reached the end:) I managed to win the races over the weekend
and therefore the overall title!
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| Awards |
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| Top 3 ladies |
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| Thank you SOPO SUP (Portland, ME) for the amazing support |
My
last morning in Camden was an early one. Thor picked me up with
running shoes and we headed for a trail run up and over Mount Battie. Once
we returned to our starting point we switched the shoes for boards and paddles and went for a SUP around Rockport Harbour.
Totally my kind of morning and it was a beaut of a morning too with
gorgeous views and peaceful paddles.... I ended my time with lunch
with the ladies at Salt Water Farm in Rockport. It has the perfect
patio overlooking the harbour with some great food and people. THANK YOU Mark,
Thor, Amy, Karin, SIC, and everyone for helping me make it to this race. I
HIGHLY recommend anyone to put this race on their calendar for next
year you will NOT regret it....
live,
love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina
1 comment:
We love Lina! A super athlete and even better person. See you next year.
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