By Johna Till Johnson
Freshly Pressed on the WordPress.com home page!
Every good kayaking story starts with “So there I was,” according to Carl Ladd (of Osprey Sea Kayak fame). In keeping with that adage, here goes:
Setting off along the Maine coast
So there I was, bobbing up and down on the frigid waves crashing into the rocky coastline of Maine’s Sheepscot Bay. The swells were substantial—four to six feet, big enough to rip someone from her kayak and deposit her and the boat on separate rocks.
That exact thing had recently happened, in fact, to another paddler.
Fortunately neither she nor her boat sustained damage, but it was a strikingly close call. One moment she was riding the surf, high over our heads, after a larger-than-usual wave broke suddenly. The next moment she was struggling in the water, and we all winced as we heard the hollow sound of her fiberglass boat crunch into the rocky shore.
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 