Manville Dam - January 22, 2023

Selfie at the Manville Dam

It has been raining here on-and-off for weeks. Up north they are getting snow, but here in southern New England we keep getting rain. All the rivers were up, so I tried to drum up a crew for a quickwater run yesterday. No one was interested. Today I had some family obligations to take care of in the morning, but I did get out in the afternoon for an up-and-back trip at the Manville Dam. 

Typically, this section of the river is flatwater with very little current. Today it was cranking along at 4.2 feet, 1,750 cfs. I decided to take my kayak since it would be easier paddling upstream. It was still a slog - especially up at the top near the Hamlet Avenue Bridge. 

Hamlet Avenue Bridge - 3-miles upstream

Going upstream the boat was all over the place, and I wasn’t sure why. I assumed it was the current and tried to manage it by edging the boat. Eventually I gave in and put down the skeg. It was a lot easier. When I turned around at the top of the run I realized that I had been paddling upstream with a pretty strong tail wind, so the boat had been weathercocking. Putting down the skeg was the right thing to do.

The run was 6-miles – 3-miles up and 3-miles back. It was a gray day, but it was still nice to get out.