Lincoln Woods Again - August 16, 2025

I have my grandson’s birthday today, and a visit to Rehoboth and my brother’s cookout in NH tomorrow, so there will be no paddling trips for me this weekend. I did get out this morning for a quick trip to Lincoln Woods in the Millbrook. It felt good on flatwater, but I need to get it out on some whitewater - maybe Fife Brook next week.  

Lincoln Woods - August 6, 2025

I got up early, and got out to paddle my new Millbrook Outrage. I started out on flatwater at Lincoln Woods. It is great at spinning and carving turns, but like all whitewater boats, it can be a bit of a challenge to paddle straight. After that I headed over to River Island Park to paddle in some current, but there wasn’t enough water to do much. I’m off to the Dead this weekend with Paul, but I’m going to bring my Mad River Outrage. I want to spend a little more time in this new boat before taking it on a big trip like that.

Launching and Landing - September 7, 2024

I had some repair work done on my sea kayak (skeg and bulkheads), so I decided to check it out at Lincoln Woods. I also decided that I would spend some time on launching and landings.

Being and open boater, I find one of the hardest parts of kayaking is getting in and out of the boat. I am OK launching and landing using the paddle as a brace, but that doesn’t work so well in surf. Mike tried to explain a surf launch at the RICKA Meeting on the Water,  but it didn’t work out so well.

I knew I needed to get better at a surf launches and landings, so I practiced today. Here is what I came up with for launching:

• Pull the boat out into the water – it should be floating, but the stern can rest slightly on shore for support.
• Straddle the boat, and drop into the seat - I found it easier if I didn’t settle all the way down in the seat.
• Using the paddle as support, bring your first leg in – not the leg on your paddle side.
• Continuing to use the paddle as support, bring your other leg into the boat and slip all the way into the seat.

I didn’t have the skirt on, so I’ll have to try it with the skirt next time. Landing is similar:

• Paddle in to shore bow first – bow can rest slightly on shore for support.
• Pull one leg up and out of the boat – I find it easier if I push myself slightly up and out of the seat.
• Using that leg as support move the other leg to the center of the boat.
• Holding onto the cockpit combing push yourself up to a standing position.

I paddled around Olney Pond stopping anywhere that I could to do a landing and a launch. I got pretty good at it by the time I got all the way around. I did cheat a little by have the bow and stern resting slightly on shore for support.

Paddling in the Wind - September 18, 2022

A family party and work around the house kept me busy for most of the weekend, but I did get out with my kayak to practice paddling in the wind at Lincoln Woods. I was interesting to see how the boat responded - with no momentum the boat turned sideways and with momentum the boat turned into the wind. I practiced outside turns into the wind, inside turns downwind, and paddling sideways in the wind with and without the skeg.  

Circles on an outside edge in the Capella - Lincoln Woods - August 20, 2022

Over the years I’ve heard people talk about leaning/healing/edging to the outside of a turn, but I never really knew what they were talking about. In whitewater paddling (canoe or kayak) leaning to the outside of the turn is a great way to end up in the drink – at least when crossing eddy lines. There is a freestyle canoeing move called a post that involves an outside edge heal, but I didn’t think that it was any more effective than its inside edge counterpart the axle, so I rarely did it. Like the bow pry/jam, it was something that I practiced, but didn’t really use in my day-to-day paddling. The only time I ever use an outside edge heal in my canoe is for a sideslip with a sculling draw.

After being out in the Capella a couple of times, I now know what they mean by edging to the outside of the turn. This boat absolutely responds to an outside edge heal. Raise the thigh and butt to the side that you want to turn (or drop the outside edge) and the boat will gradually turn in that direction. Add a forward sweep and the boat turns faster. Adjust the edging while paddling forward and you can make subtle turns without resorting to correction stokes.

Why does this work in a sea kayak? Sea kayaks are displacement hulls. Edging the boat changes the hull profile, releasing the stems, and moving the boat into an outside edge turn. Leaning slightly forward engages the bow in a carve and allows the stern to skid through the turn. It might have worked in my canoes if I gave it a chance, but the effect is much more pronounced in the Capella.

I went back to Lincoln Woods to practice some more outside edge turns. Before going I had practiced using the paddled as a brace on shore while getting in and getting out of the boat, and I was much more stable on the water. I set up the camera to do some off side edge circles. My edging technique needs work (I think the pegs are still too loose), but the boat definitely turns. There were times when I had locked in a good off side edge and I could feel the stern skidding through the turn. I also did some shoreline paddling using only forward strokes and outside edge turns to follow the shoreline.

I still get confused about which way to edge – raise the side in the direction that you want to go seems to be the easiest for me to remember. Its definitely not intuitive yet, and is the exact opposite of what I have always done, but I’ll get there eventually. Hopefully I won’t screw-up my whitewater boating in the process.

Circles on an outside edge in the Capella from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo

Back to Lincoln Woods – Wet Exits and Edging in the Capella – August 17, 2022

Bill in his P&H Ocra

My spray skirt came in yesterday, so I asked Bill to spot for me at Lincoln Woods while I did some wet exits. It turns out that swimming out of a canoe for years is good practice for doing wet exits in a kayak. I did one without the skirt, one with the skirt, and popped out both times. Bill said that I was out of the boat so fast that I didn’t even get one side of my body wet. A bit of an exaggeration, but I was out fast and I don’t like being upside-down in the water. I need to work on that if I am ever going to learn to roll.

Me in my P&H Capella

We did a leisurely paddle around Olney Pond and I tried to practice some edging. I used Bill’s bow to figure out where the secondary stability was, and tried paddling some circles on an outside edge – it worked.  I was able to paddle circles with sweep and forward strokes.  Even without paddling, the boat was turning away from the side that I edged – pretty cool.  Definitely going to take some practice for me to get used to these outside edge turns, but I am beginning to see where the skill in sea kayaking comes from.

Lincoln Woods with the Capella - August 16, 2022

I got out for my first trip in the Capella, and I think I made a good choice with this boat. It is stable, picks up speed fast, and is more maneuverable than the Perception that I paddled at the kayak class. I tried some edging, and it responded best when edged to the outside of the turn. With the skeg down it tracked straight as an arrow. I set the paddle at 210 cm with 0º feather, just like at the kayak class. The toughest thing about this boat is getting in and out (fell out twice - one getting in and once getting out), and I still need to practice wet exits.

Me in the P&H Capella 166 RM

Lincoln Woods - June 13, 2021

I just got back from 4 days of paddling in the wind on Umbagog Lake. So what did I do today while Michelle went to visit the Brothers? I paddled in the wind on Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods. The place was packed - especially the beach.

Lincoln Woods - September 7, 2020

Third day of paddling in a row - a pleasant trip around Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods.

Link:
My Pictures

My old Impluse has a new home – September 2, 2019

Glendale Rapid on the Branch in 2006

With the purchase of my new Outrage, it was time to make room in the boathouse by passing on my old Impluse to a new paddler, and Danny seemed like the perfect choice. I met him this morning at Lincoln Woods and he took it for a spin – deal done.

I bought the the Impluse in the fall of 2005 after taking the NHAMC Whitewater School in the spring. The first trip that I did in this boat was the fall draw-down at the Pcat, which I have done many times since. The next trip was the icebreaker trip on the Upper Winni the following spring, and then I did my first trip on the Branch with Bill Luther in June. The first picture that I have in this boat is running the Glendale Rapid on the Branch.

Shepaug in February 2008

In the fall of 2007, I started paddling with Matt and Scott, and took many trips to CT to run the Farmington. One of my favorite pictures in the Impluse is a winter shot from February 2008 on the Shepaug.

In 2008 or 2009 I bought my first Encore, and the Impluse became my spare boat. I used in for a few months in 2011 when my original Encore got stolen. Fortunately, I was able to purchase another Encore from Tommy, and the Impluse went back to being my spare. I think the Impluse will have a good new home with Danny.

Danny in his new boat - have fun!

Links:
My Pictures

Mad River Outrage – August 18, 2019

New boat arrives home

I have a new boat – a 15-year old, but like-new Mad River Outrage. I bought it from Nancy Gero, and picked it up this week. A great find.

Mad River Canoe was founded in 1971 by Jim Henry in a shed at his home near the Mad River in VT. In its early years, Mad River was known for innovative designs and the use of new materials. Mad River was among the first to mold Royalex canoes in 1973, and introduced Kevlar to the canoe industry in 1974. Its best-known canoe, the Explorer, was introduced in 1975. Mad River merged with Wilderness Systems in 1998 to form Confluence Watersports, which would later acquire the Dagger, Harmony and Perception brands. 

Bags installed - ready to go

In 1995, Mad River introduced the Outrage whitewater canoe, which was designed by Tom Foster and Jim Henry. The Outrage is a fish-form design (widest section forward of the centerline producing a buoyant bow that is ideal for paddling upstream and rising over large waves) with soft chines, a shallow arch hull, and lots of rocker. Specifcations are:

• Length: 12'
• Gunwale Width: 25.5"
• Depth at Center: 15.5"
• Weight: 52 lbs.

First paddle at Lincoln Woods

Back in the old days a 12’ boat was considered short and a 13’ version, the Outrage X, was introduced for paddlers over 180 lbs. Today, 12’ is “old school”. Mine is the 12’ version with wood  gunwales, outfitting by John Kaz (Millbrook Boats) and hardly a scratch on the hull itself. All I needed to do when I got it home was adjust the straps and put in the bags.

I finally got it out on flatwater today. I am 50 lbs. over the old 180 lbs. max. weight, but it paddled fine. It is great at spinning and carving circles, but like all whitewater boats, it can be a challenge to paddle straight. I love the hip blocks and lack of foot pegs. I added a half inch to the pedestal, which is now 8 1/2 inches - much lower than the 10 1/2 inches in my old Encore.

Outrage from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures

My Video

Lincoln Woods - July 6, 2019

It's been a while since I had my whitewater boat out, so I took it down to Lincoln Woods for some flatwater practice.  I'm not as good as I use to be at carving circles - more practice needed!

Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods

Lincoln Woods Go! Paddle - September 16, 2018

I went out with Michelle in the Spirit II to paddle the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Go! paddle at Lincoln Woods.

Links:
My Pictures
Lincoln Woods from RI Blueways

RICKA SUP Night at Lincoln Woods - August 17, 2017

We had a good time trying out SUP boards last night with EMS at Lincoln Woods. We had lots of boards to try, great staff to get us started, and a perfect night. I spent most of my time falling of the board trying to do pivot turns, but I was starting to get the back of it. Thanks to Joe, Benn, Cat and the rest of the EMS staff.

Links:
My Pictures
Lincoln Woods from Rhode Island Blueways

Lincoln Woods Again – August 28, 2016

You never know who you are going to run into at Lincoln Woods. Today it was Daniel O'Shea paddling a canoe. A new convert!  I tried some self-rescues – could get the boat empty, but couldn’t get back in.

Danny in the Wildfire

SUPing at Lincoln Woods - August 11, 2016

Joe explains SUPing

I got to do some SUPing at Lincoln Woods with RICKA and EMS.

I bumped into Joe Sherlock last month at Lincoln Woods while he was teaching a SUP class. One thing led to another, and Joe offered to run a SUP session for RICKA.  We ended up coming to an arrangement that the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club would rent the boards, EMS would provide instructors, and any RICKA member could attend.

It worked out great.  We had 18 paddlers who got some basic instruction and could try lots of different boards. I got to try a touring board, a surf board (fell off that a few times) and a general-purpose board – lots of fun.

With Michelle and Justin

Links:

My Pictures
EMS Schools

Lincoln Woods - July 2, 2016

It was a beautiful day, and I need to stay local, so I took my Wildfire down to Lincoln Woods to practice some freestyle moves. I spent a lot of time trying to “heel the rail to the water”.  With both knees in the chine I could get it down to the shoulder, but getting both knees into the chine and then back out again was tough.

I also spent a lot of time doing the wedge (bow pry) and cross wedge. Wow – what a great turn. I was pretty easily getting to 180°.   Lastly I was practicing in-water recoveries with the palm roll.  Can’t do that with a spooned paddle.  

Not many pictures of me, but I got a few of Joe and Benn teaching the EMS SUP class.

Benn and Joe teaching the EMS SUP class

 Links:
My Photos

Lincoln Woods - August 10, 2014

I wanted to paddle today, but I also wanted to go swimming, so I decided to go down to Lincoln Woods to paddle Olney Pond.

  

Olney Pond is named after one of the area’s principal families. In the early 1800s, the Olney’s created a dam at the eastern end of their property making a waterfall sufficient to run a small thread mill. Thread Mill Brook leads southeasterly from the dam to other ponds along the Moshassuck as it loops its way back to Providence.

Small islands dot this 126-acre pond. The shores are surrounded by woodlands, and the edge is lined with granite and quartz boulders. I thought it would be quiet there today, but it was actually pretty busy.  Red and yellow rental boats dotted the pond.  I paddled around the pond exploring the shoreline and the small coves and islands.  The sky was bright blue with puffy white clouds.

My canoe flipped just before I got back to the boat ramp – imagine that ;-)

Blue sky and white, puffy clouds

Links:

My Pictures

Lincoln Woods - July 20, 2013

I wanted to paddle today, but it was so hot that I also wanted to be able to go swimming.  That meant that most of my usual haunts were out.  I decided to go down to Lincoln Woods to paddle Olney Pond.

I thought it would be quiet there today, but it was actually pretty busy.  Red and yellow rental boats dotted the pond.  As I pulled into the boat launch, a group of canoe racers with 5-man canoes was pulling in as well.  These boats came in pieces, and you could add or remove pieces depending on how many paddlers you had.

I paddled around the pond exploring the shoreline and the small coves and islands.  There was a small flock of cormorants, a heron, and lots of seagulls.  I forgot how different it was to paddle on a lake, even with a small breeze.

I took a swim at the start of the paddle, and at the end of the paddle – it felt good.

Links:

My pictures

Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods - August 11, 2012

Took the canoe out yesterday with my favorite paddling partner - my wife Michelle.  We did a lap around the Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods.
  
Olney Pond, named after one of the area’s principal families. In the early 1800s, the Olney’s created a dam at the eastern end of their property offering a fall of water sufficient to run a thread mill about a century before the park was created. Thread Mill Brook leads southeasterly from the dam to other ponds along the Moshassuck as it loops its way back to Providence.

Small islands dot this 126-acre pond. The shores are surrounded by woodland filled with red and white oak, dogwood, hickory, and red maple as well as ferns and wildflowers. The pond’s edge is lined with granite and quartz boulders. Migratory waterfowl such as cormorants, mallards, American black ducks, mergansers, and ring-necked ducks stop at the pond during migrating seasons.

 It wasn't very crowded, and there was a nice breeze on the water.

Exploring one of the many coves.

Links:

Olney Pond from Friends of the Mosshassuck