Big Green Canoe and The Mighty Penobscot

Gorgeous August day in a year of crazy weather. Days and days of high northwest winds. Inclimate cold. Finally, few days of Maine “summer.” Could tell Big Green Canoe was itching to be on the water. New territory. His friend and compatriot, AJ, had decreed Lee was taking summer off. Do some traveling, enjoy Maine, hide the tool bag. Previous sunday, low idle, BGC had taken us down Somes Sound.where we actually took time to enjoy the shoreline. Discriminate the ledge formations. Find a forgotten cove.

BGC, however, was looking for a return to ancestoral territory. Penobscot river deemed perfect. Like a lot of ideas seeming to forever appear at the 3am wakeup this one had been on the list since we’d done Old Town Dam down to Hampden when BGC first came into our life. And, when time comes, not unlike many things in my brief life, just do it. Devil take the hindsight. Filled the gas tanks, water bottles in the battered blue cooler, “DeLormes” for a chart and off to Bucksport.

Few years ago, this trip in mind, I thought I’d seen the launch ramp. Not there. Guy in the parking lot pointed across the river and added, “Watch the current.”

“Oh,...right, river...current. Tide mixed in as well. BGC had timed it well though. Flood tide. Current, but manageable. Side moment to address a gremlin attack on starter switch where a wire had chosen to corroded, and we pointed his nose to the nor’ard and motored past the sad view of Bucksport Paper Mill’s ongoing demolish.

Caroline Vose photo

With a few minutes of debate during which the merits of downriver to Stockton Springs or Castine versus a run up as far as Hampden behind us and Hampden winning we continued North.

Now with Big Green Canoe’s shallow draft, we’ve really not been overly concerned with serious navigation. Buoy system has been ingrained in my head since John Kelly and I had to deliver one of our first Wilbur 38’s to Cape Cod and thought we were headed up to Kennebunk for the night and wound up in in the York river. Bouy the same...Red Right Returning....Not the same on the Mighty Penobscot. First one we encountered was green can close in to shore just north of the mill. “Weird.” Finally up river a few more miles, spotted a small boat coming downriver keeping the red nun on his starboard. “When in Rome...” and on a river same as ocean “Red Right” and the first Green still makes no sense. Delorme’s simply painted a different color ink up the middle. Love a challenge.

Upriver we ran. Half throttle. 12-15 knots. Past Frankfort, then Winterport, stretches of no homes a curious note thinking with this scenery would be many more. Thought crossed my mind this was not unlike the first settlers who roamed the area in Birch Bark varieties. Had to have remained much the same in many places ex-the lighthouses and major power lines further upriver we ran.

AJ had it in mind we’d do lunch at McCaughlins there at the marina in Hampden. Finally, about 2 and a half hours, stomachs making funny noises we rounded a bend and see it in the near distance. Now there’s a couple of major issues in my dear bride’s life, one is good food and the other is fishing and when she sees fish jumping food can often take a back seat. Out came the rods and for the next half hour we chased the jumpers which must have been Landlocked Salmon. Noone seemed overly interested in the presented Rapallas and finally appetites prevailed leading to a delicious lunch overlooking the river.

With no schedule, we took our time with lunch, shared stories with our cute waitress who would graduate next year from my alma mater, University of Maine at Orono. Now that was a distant memory. Time was getting on to half past two before we cast BGC off the float and pointed his bluff bow downstream and thinking this would be cakewalk. Wind was kicking up mere 6" ripples. We’d be on the trailer in an hour. Not to be on this day.

I think when a person lives on or near the ocean as we do in Maine you get accustomed to 10-15 knot southwesterlys most afternoons, especially in the summer. Here on the our lake can almost set the clock by them. My thinking, we’re inland. Kind of shielded. Somewhat of a lee. Then we rounded the second downriver bend. Tide coming in, wind doing it’s thing at a good 15 knot SW, and we were riding a downhill 3 knot current. Big Green Canoe just about went airborne. Hit the peaks, slammed into the troughs. Low throttle made little difference. AJ in the bow catching more air than boat cushion. She yells, “Slow down.” I holler back, “We’re just above idle now.”

Touch and go for a while. Not that we’d roll over, just damned uncomfortable. Finally, crabbing forward, picking up on BGC’s demands, angle over two chops, then more miles downriver where Penobscot widened we were able to hug the lee southwest shore, only on few occasions did the spray in face trick again. We’d put the life jackets on, however, a request Green Canoe seldom mentions.

A bit wet, with high five relief, we slip into Bucksport Harbor to load Green Canoe back on his trailer. Current still strong, but we’d figured out a current strategy which worked well. Instead of the expected one hour run there’d been one more and that was O.K. Another challenge to be added to Big Green Canoe’s log and a great day on the water. Fuel consumption 5 gallons.

When this issue of FV hits the stands, apple-picking season won’t be far behind. I try to treat us with at least one seasonal pie four times a year. This summer I cheated with two of my favorite blueberry recipe. May just have to do another. However, this will be one for the fall.

• R E C I P E •

Apple Pie with Sour Cream
1/3 c plus
2 T flour
1/2 t vanilla
1/3 c plus 3/4 c sugar
1 c sour cream
1 1/4 t cinnamon
6 med-size apples peeled, cored,
sliced
1/8 t salt
1 unbaked 9" pie shell, chilled
1 egg
1/4 c butter

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Sift together 2 T flour, 3/4 c sugar 3/4 t cinnamon and the salt. Stir in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Fold in the apples and spoon into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temp. to 350 deg. and bake 30 min. longer. Meanwhile combine the remaining flour, sugar and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or finger tips, blend the butter in until mixture is crumbly.

Increase oven temp. to 400 deg. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pie and bake 10 min. longer. Now promise you’ll wait until it cools a bit before trying the first piece.

Fair Winds and Good Roads
– Lee Wilbur