Every spring and fall (and sometimes summer) one of the main stems of the Penobscot River near Old Town, Maine, my home town where I grew up rises to 35,000 cfs+.

When these levels occur a set of waves and holes come in between the Penobscot Nations Island and the town of Milford.

This rapid called Joe P’s is named after a friend of Chief Orono. It is a rapid I was first introduced to and consequently swam a few times in the early 90’s. My thanks go out to Troy Francis for plucking me out of the water.

The best thing about my home wave:

It’s five minutes from my house.

It makes remember why I love to kayak.

It usually means spring is here.

There are three or four different play spots in one destination.

I was lucky enough to be let out of work early Friday evening and with all my gear already in my truck I was at the wave to meet a few paddling friends. My friend Mike said it would be good to spend the weekend surfing this spot and sinking in another and I could not have been more excited as the USGS gauge indicated the river had crested and was dropping. With no rain in sight we surfed Joe P’s for three days and were happy we did!

I paddled my new Rockstar Medium and could not have had a better weekend. This boat is already opening the door for me to bigger better tricks. I can’t wait to take it to the next wave! I have a Rockstar Large also but am becoming very partial to the Medium.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di19_xCWmAU&feature=plcp&context=C48f02e8VDvjVQa1PpcFOd8LQ1SY2Wm6gZrPNBDNHDzWNxuT2rO1Q=[/youtube]