There are big changes going on in the Old Town/Orono area as I mentioned in a previous post here on Jackson Kayak’s website. https://hub.jacksonkayak.com/blog/2013/03/11/2013-allstar-at-the-owave/

I saw this wave pop up after a construction company spent much of the winter building a road down to and blasting/drilling away and tailwater section for runout of some new turbines. The blasting/drilling took away an old set of waves called the Typewriter Wave which was disappointing to say the least but now maybe not…….

Jackson Kayak

Saturday I saw the wave again after returning from paddling the Penobscot at Great Works, the Souadabscook and Kenduskeag Rivers. Chuck and I were still in our gear but cold, tired and hungry. That just led us to the local Tai Kitchen for sustenance. There is nothing like hot noodle soup after a session of mind numbing loops at shopping cart on the Keag, where I swam for the first time in awhile after my skirt blew off and I swamped out. BRRRRRR!

Jackson Kayak Rockstar

Sunday was 29 degrees and windy and I rested all day with the thought of this wave I hadn’t seen before in the back of my mind.

Monday I pack up the 2013 Allstar and head out to see if the wave is there after noting the Penobscot river gauge at Enfield in dropping fast. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/me/nwis/uv?site_no=01034500
I drive across the Stillwater River and the wave is there but looks small from 500 yards, now I have to go paddle out there and see what is up.

I call Pete, he has a new Rockstar and he is excited to hear there is a new feature to check out and within an hour we are walking around shelf ice trying to find a spot to break through the inch of ice that extends out from shore 20 yards into the river. We get in and spend a minute breaking up a path out through the ice and also a place to take out. We don’t know if we will be 5 minutes at this spot or 2 hours………….

We paddle up river, Peter on one side and me on the other and the wave looks really good. Peter catches the wave surfs and paddles over to me with a big smile on his face. He says it looks deeper on surfer’s right so I ferry out and the fun begins.

We spend the next 2 hours surfing, throwing cartwheels, splits in the Rockstar and Allstar, throwing flips and trying to figure out some of the “new” moves too. We were yelling and laughing so much I am horse a day after. This wave has a longer flat boil line, has shoulders, is deep and powerful but very friendly at this level. It is not steep or fast. This is the type of feature where beginners can learn to surf and experts could go big. Or an intermediate can try to get a Mcnasty,Phonix or Felix. Two eddies service this wave on both sides of the river.

I have never been on a first decent of any river or creek but stumbling into this spot and another last fall(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td7m22WZGlo) has been just electrifying. I don’t know if this wave will be around in the future but if it is, it is going to be a blast!