Fife Brook in my Millbrook Outrage - August 22, 2025

Running Zoar Gap

I knew I was going to have a busy weekend, so when a saw a post for a Friday afternoon trip on Fife Brook I decided to join. This would be the first whitewater run in my new Millbrook Outrage, and I got Paul to come along as well.

We met at 12:30 at the take out below the Gap. I was surprised how many people were around for a weekday trip. We had 11 in our group – 4 canoes and 7 kayaks – and there were 3 other groups organizing to get on the river. The release was 800 cfs – an OK level, but a little boney in spots.

Running Zoar Gap

We got on the water at around 1:15, and I could tell right away that the composite Outrage was different than its Royalex cousin. It’s hard to describe, but it made the Royalex version feel a little sluggish. The composite boat was definitely faster, the turns were crisper, and it was really dry. I've always admired the Millbrook guys who were bailing out their boats with sponges – now I know why.

We worked out way downstream, and the boat felt more comfortable the more I paddled it. When we finally got to Zoar Gap I was the last one to go through. I caught a couple of eddies on the left on the way down, and the two big rocks on the right before heading in. I took the line from right to left, and made it through fine. 

Links:

My Pictures

My Video - Open Boats on Zoar Gap

Charlemont Gage

Fife Brook Release Schedule

River Description from American Whitewater

Running Zoar Gap over the Years

Routes through Zoar Gap over the years

There have been three different versions of the "Gap" since I started paddling in 2006. Back in the old days there was an easy "sneak" route on the far right (red). That got filled with rocks during Tropical Storm Irene in 2012. After that, I usually eddied out at the top and tried to go right or left of "Oh Shit Rock" in the middle of the second drop, with mixed success (yellow going right). After flooding in 2023 things got moved around again. The eddy at the top got squirrely, the right line got blocked by rocks, but cutting directly from right to left got a lot easier (blue). There has always been a kayak line of the far left (green). Here are some of my runs over the years:

Zoar Gap Runs over the Years from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo. 

My Zoar Gap record now stands at 21 attempts with 13 successful, 6 swims and 2 walks. I’ve made it through successfully on my last 5 runs.

Dead - Spencer Stream to West Forks - August 9, 2025

The boats get loaded

There are rivers that aren’t too difficult if you take the right lines, but can be brutal if you don’t. I was on one of these rivers on Saturday – the Dead in ME, and I paid the price for a bad line on the last rapid - Lower Poplar. My first swim of the year.

The Dead is one of the longest continuous whitewater runs in the Northeast with approximately thirty rapids along a fourteen-mile stretch. The river is mostly boulder-type rapids with lots of holes and pour-overs. The shoreline has thick vegetation that grows right up to the river's edge that can make it difficult to rescue swimmers or bail out an open boat. The major named rapids are:

• Spencer Rips –big weaves are to the right, big eddy below on left to stop and regroup.
• Minefield (2 miles) – long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes – difficulty increases where the river turns left.
• Hyden’s – (3 miles) good lunch spot – run in middle and stay out of holes.
• Gravel Pit (4.5 miles)
• Enchanted Stream (7 miles) – another good lunch spot.
• Elephant Rock – (7.5 miles) a river wide ledge immediately below Enchanted Stream. You can run the big waves in the center, or the slot on the right between Elephant Rock and the rock wall.
• Mile Long (8.5 miles) – another long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes. There is an eddy on the left about half-way down
• Upper Spruce Ledge (10.5 miles)
• Lower Spruce Ledge (11 miles)
• Upper Poplar Falls (11.5 miles) – short but intense rapid filled with rocks and holes. Go right and stay away from holes – stop in big eddy bottom right.
• Lower Poplar Falls (12 miles) – a longer intense rapid that tumbles down the left side in huge wave trains and large holes. Left is hero line with lots of dangerous holes. The right line along the boulder garden is the usual open boat route.

Heading out

I picked up Paul for the six hour drive up to the Forks. We stayed in a two-person cabin-tent at Northern Outdoors. We had a small fire on Friday before settling in for the night.

We were up early Saturday morning to meet our group and the shuttle. We were paddling with the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society - aka the Chowder Heads. We had a group with 13 boats – 6 canoes, 6 kayaks and 1 shredder.

Charlie in one of the unnamed rapids

Old-time Dead River paddlers probably remember Webb’s Shuttle Service run by Ed Webb. Webb's (later Riverdrivers) no longer provides shuttle service, so we met the new shuttle company - Ironbound Outdoors - at 8:00 at the Public Takeout on Dead River Roar in West Forks.

With the large group of MVP'ers running the Dead for a step-up weekend, it took forever to load the boats. We finally got on the road around 9:30, and got to the river about 45 minutes later after a long, bumpy, dusty trip down 20-miles of dirt logging roads. We finally got on the water around 11:00.

Paul running Lower Poplar

The release was supposed to be 2,400 cfs, but was closer to 2,100 cfs with 25 cfs from Spencer Stream - a nice class II/III. At lower levels (1,200 cfs to 1,800 cfs) it is primarily class II except for the very first, and last couple of rapids. At medium levels (2,000 cfs to 3,500 cfs) it is mostly class III. At higher levels (4,500 cfs to–8,000 cfs) it is class IV.

We ran through Spencer Rips, Minefield and some other unnamed rapids before stopping for lunch at Hayden's. Then we ran Hayden's, Gravel Pit and some other unnamed rapids before taking a break at Enchanted Stream. Paul wanted to get some video so I ran the big waves in the middle of the ledge at Elephant Rock rather than the shoot on the right.

Erik running Lower Poplar

The next major rapid was Mile Long – another long boulder garden with big waves and lots of holes I filled my boat about half way down, but was able to empty it in a big eddy on the left before finishing the rapid. After running the Upper and Lower Spruce Ledges we took a break at the Poplar Portage Trail before taking on Upper and Lower Poplar.

Upper Poplar is a short but intense rapid filled with rocks and holes. Most of us ran it to the right and made it through fine. Lower Poplar was another story. The river turns right along a boulder garden as the water tumbles down the left side in huge wave trains and large holes.

Swimming Lower Poplar

Most of the open boats took the right line along the seam between the boulder garden and the big holes. As I was coming down I saw Charlie flip in front of me. I got around him to the left, but now I was  out in the big holes and pour-overs. Before long, my boat was full of water and I was struggling to keep it upright, never mind avoiding the rocks and holes. About half way down, I went sideways over a large rock into a hole, and over I went.

As I swam downstream I looked back to see my canoe still stuck in the hole. That was the least of my problems. Swimming through rapids is something that I try to practice, but it doesn’t match the real experience. First, I swam though a series of “haystacks” or standing waves where you have to breathe in the trough, and hold your breath as you go through the wave - breathe, glug, breathe, glug, breathe, glug.

Reunited with my boat at
the bottom of Lower Poplar

After the waves, I could see a horizon line downstream indicating that I was approaching a rock with a hole on the other side. I tucked into a ball as best I could as I went into the hole. When I came out the other side Paul was yelling at me to swim hard to the left shore since I was approaching another big hole. I wasn’t making much progress so I threw away my paddle thinking that would allow me to swim better. After more waves, rocks and holes, I finally got myself to shore. It was about a 200-yard swim, but it seemed like forever.

After I caught my breath I looked over and could see Paul on the other side of the river with my boat. I was about to jump in the shredder for a ride to the other side when Craig paddled over towing my boat. I had paddled through 30 rapids over 14-miles only to swim the last 200-yards. We had 3 other open boaters swim Lower Poplar, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. 

The swim earned me a new poem from Tom.

It’s really not an Outrage,
until one’s stood on end.
But chill we will baptised beginning,
again, again, again.

If that ol’ paddler’s adage, “Ya ain’t really learnin’ unless yer gettin’ wet,” holds any water, we’re gonna have t’call ya, Doctor Dunk, Erik.

Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

TW

Links:

My Pictures

My Video
River Description from American Whitewater
Dead River Gage
Spencer Stream Gage

Northern Outdoors 

Ironbound Outdoors 

Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society

Rapid Shooters 

Video - Poplars on the Dead

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.

Two Weeks on Salt Water - End of Another Great Vacation

Taking a break at East Matunuck Beach

Our annual summer vacation at the beach ended today, so packing up to go home trumped paddling this morning. With family, work and weather I missed a few days of paddling, but that’s OK. I was still able to get out to most of my favorites including Potter Pond, the Harbor of Refuge, Jamestown Harbor, the Narrow River and Wickford. I missed some old favorites like Dutch Harbor and Fort Wetherill. Of course, I spent a lot of time paddling on Point Judith Pond including another fun trip with RICKA.

Point Judith Pond with RICKA - July 26, 2025

Paddling by the osprey nest

This year my annual Point Judith Pond trip for RICKA coincided with the Blessing of the Fleet in Galilee. This is usually a flatwater trip, but since there was no sea kayak trip on the calendar, I posted in the sea kayak board as well.

Point Judith Pond, or the Great Salt Pond, is located along the border of Narragansett and South Kingstown, and is the second largest of the Rhode Island’s South County salt ponds. It is a shallow, four-mile long pond located behind the barrier beaches and sand dunes that form Point Judith. The pond is 20 miles around with many pretty islands and coves to explore.

Group picture form the cottage

We met in Marina Park at the hand-carried boat ramp next to the Point Judith Yacht Club at 10:00, and were on the water by 10:30. We had 7 boats – all kayaks, and a nice mix of flatwater and sea kayak paddlers. Winds were from the north, but switched to the east later in the day

We headed out into the Upper Pond from Marina Park, paddled through the Narrows and out into Point Judith Pond. We checked out the osprey nest at Billington Cove and explored the islands and coves in the upper Point Judith Pond before heading to down to Gardner Island where we crossed the boat channel.

View from the top of the Breachway

We paddled past Beach Island and across the top of Ram Island before paddling down the east side of Ram Island to Great Island. Michelle came out and snapped a few pictures before we headed to the east side of Great Island to Galilee.

It was a little after 12:00 when we paddled into Galilee. We stayed out the boat channel and paddled down to the last red buoys above the Breachway. With the tide going out, the current kept pulling us down into the Breachway. We saw the fire boat come through and then got shooed away. We headed up to Dog Beach for lunch.

Approaching Pine Tree Point

After lunch, we crossed the boat channel and paddled up the west side of Great Island. This area is shallow at low tide, but there was enough water that the boats could use this area to zip up and down the pond and avoid the speed restrictions in the boat channel. I was glad when we could cross over to Harbor Island to get out of the traffic.

Between the wind and the boat traffic there was a lot of choppy water as we paddled along Harbor Island. We rounded Pine Tree Point, paddled through the Narrows and back down the Upper Pond. It was another great day.

Links:

My Pictures

Tony's Video

Marina Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Galilee Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Introduction to Canoe/Kayak Camping - July 9, 2025

Chuck and I did a virtual canoe/kayak camping training for RICKA last night. Not a bad turn out – great questions and discussion. Here is the recording.

If you go to the description on the Vimeo page, you will see a list of the topics that we covered with the time stamp. Click the time stamp and it will take you to that section of the video.

Fife Brook - Pride Day on the Deerfield - June 21, 2025

Paul, Fran and me

It was a day to show support LGBTQ+ folks, and to encourage everyone to get out and paddle. Who wouldn’t want to do that. Besides, it has been a while since I’ve done a run on the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield River, so I was glad when Paul posted this trip on RICKA’s Flatwater calendar. 

There are several sections of the Deerfield that are popular for whitewater paddling. Advanced paddlers often head to the Dryway in Monroe Bridge. This is a class III-IV section of river for experienced whitewater paddlers. We would be paddling the Fife Brook section, which is mostly class II, with the exception of Zoar Gap in the middle which is class III.

Paul and Fran

I met Paul at the take out below the Gap at 11:00. There were lots of people looking for rides, so I ended up taking Mary Theresa’s boat and aother paddler – Seth – up to the put-in. We hung out for a while waiting for the water to come up and got on the river a little after noon.

The day was sunny and warm – first trip in swim trunks and a tee shirt. The Fife Brook Dam was supposed to release 1,200 – not sure it actually did but it was still a good level. Just downstream from the put-in is the first rapid known as Hangover Helper - a ledge extends across most of the river resulting in a 2-foot drop followed by a long wave train. We ran the drop and played in the waves before moving downstream.

Fran in the Island Rapid

The next rapid - Carbis Bend - is similar but smaller. A ledge extends out from the left side of the river producing a couple of easy surf waves. Just downstream from Carbis Bend is a rapid known as Freight Train. This rapid starts with a long wave train and ends with a large surf wave. The rapid takes its name from the speed that many people build up running through the waves, and the railroad bridge just downstream that carries freight trains across the river.

After Freight Train is a rock garden known as Pinball. With scattered rocks and ledges, it’s a great place to practice eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. After Pinball is the Island Rapid. As the name describes, the river is split by an island. The usual route is to the left with large waves and fast moving water where the river reconnects at the end.

Approaching Zoar Gap

After the Island Rapid comes Zoar Gap – the largest rapid on this section of the river. Paul went through first, caught the eddy after the first drop, but couldn’t spin his boat around to run the second drop. He ended up running the shoot backwards and dumped on the big curling wave at the bottom. I took the line from right to left, skipped the eddy, and made it through fine.

After the gap, we continued downstream to the Shunpike Rest Area.  As ususal, we stopped for sub’s on the way home at Georgio's Pizza in Greenfield. I took Route 2 home to avoid the construction on the MassPike.

Links:

My Pictures

Fife Brook Dam Releases

Charlemont Gage

Baskehegan Stream - May 17-21, 2025

The crew - loaded up and ready to go

The forecast called for rain on Saturday, and Sunday, and Monday and Tuesday, but it didn’t matter. This trip on the Baskehegan had been on the calendar since March, so we weren’t going to miss it no matter what the weather.

Baskehegan Stream arises in Carroll, ME and flows generally north for around 40-miles to Bancroft where it joins the Mattawamkeag River. We would be paddling the section through Baskehegan Lake from White Farm Road in Topsfield to the dam in Danforth. Originally, the plan was to paddle down to the bridge in Bancroft, but more on that later.

Put in on White Farm Road

We met at Jonathan’s in Wiscasset Friday night so we could get an early start Saturday morning. There was a steady drizzle on Saturday as we loaded the boats and gear and headed out. It was about a 3-hour drive from Jonathan’s house to the river, about 6.5-hours from my house in Woonsocket.

White Farm Road is a dirt logging road owned by a local logging company. The put in is just below a bridge and a pretty waterfall. After unloading our boats and gear we ran the shuttle up to Bancroft. We finally got on the water at around 4:00.

Wading through the shallows

This first section of the river tends to be shallow. With recent rains, we hoped the river would be up, but it wasn’t. We frequently ran aground and had to get out to wade our heavily loaded boats. Fortunately, it was a short trip down to the first campsite – Upper Baskahegan Campsite. Day 1 paddling – about 2 miles.

We unloaded our gear and quickly got the tarp and tents set up. We gathered wood as Jonathan prepared dinner – his classic fried fish with Maine guide potatoes. After dinner we sat around the fire until 9:45 when we called it a night.

Beaver lodge in the Big Bog

There is something to be said for staying warm and dry inside your tent as the rain is falling outside. I woke up at 6:00, but with the rain I didn’t crawl out of my tent until around 7:30 when I heard Conrad making coffee. The rain was expected to fall until noon, so we had a soggy breakfast and packed up a soggy camp.

We got on the water around 11:00 for our trip through Big Bog – the large wetland that feeds Baskehegan Lake. There were beaver lodges everywhere, but surprisingly few birds or other wildlife. The river twisted and turned through a marsh with very little solid ground. We took a break for lunch in our boats.

Crossing to Long Island

We arrived at Baskehegan Lake and found it flat and calm. Fog was rolling in and out as made the crossing to the Long Island Campsite. Day 2 paddling – about 9-miles.

The rain and fog continued as we set up camp. By 6:00, tents and tarps were up, and wood was gathered. Time for cocktails. Dinner was Ellen’s chili, and desert was Jules’ brownies. It was another early night. I was in the tent around 9:30.

Tents with extra tarps for the rain

I woke up at 2:30 to a torrential downpour. Everything was dry in my tent, so I fell back asleep and woke up around 5:00 to rain and gusting winds. The plan was to get an early start, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen, so I went back to sleep. I woke up again at 7:00 to another torrential downpour.

I finally crawled out of my tent around 7:30 when I heard Jonathan lighting the fire and making coffee. We cooked breakfast and started taking down camp in the rain. We finally got on the water at around 11:00. This was to be our biggest paddling day – around 12-miles down to the Narrows Campsite on Crooked Brook Flowage. We would be paddling into 10-mph headwinds with gusts around 25-mph.

Crossing to Round Island

We launched and headed out on the crossing to Round Island – about 1/2-mile. The going was slow, and the wind was kicking up small waves, but everyone made it across fine. From there, we did another 1/2-mile crossing from Round Island to North Point. Once again, it was a slow crossing, but everyone made it across fine. Finally, we had to paddle about a mile along the shore to the outlet for Baskehegan Stream.

We ran the broken dam as we left the lake and reentered the river. We continued to fight a strong headwind as the river twisted and turned thorough another large wetland. We were cold and tired when we pulled into the Anvil Meadows Campsite for a break at around 3:00. Rather than paddling on, we decided to call it a day. Day 3 paddling – about 8 miles, about 4 miles short of our goal.

Tarp is up at Anvil Meadows

With the decision made to stay, we got to work setting up camp and gathering wood. I was the chef for the evening and made lasagna in the Dutch oven. Everyone was tired, and we were in the tents even earlier – a little after 9:00.

Tuesday was the first morning that the rain didn’t keep me in the tent. I got up around 6:00, started the fire and the coffee, and started taking down my tent. With the truncated day on Monday, we knew that we needed to get an early start today. We had a quick breakfast, broke down camp and loaded the boats for the final leg of our trip. We are on the water at around 8:30.

Running the small rapids

This section of the river was a lot of fun with short sections of flatwater separated by quickwater and easy rapids. We took turns picking lines through the rapids. Eventually, we reached Crooked Brook Flowage, which is the dead water above the Danforth Dam. We passed the Narrows camp site – our intended campsite from the day before.

We crossed the flowage, and paddled along the shore down to the Danforth Dam into a 15-mph headwind with gusts around 30-mph. It was a real slog. We pulled into the boat ramp at around noon. Day 3 paddling – around 7-miles.

Take out at Danforth Dam

It was clear that we didn’t have time to do the portage and 7-mile trip down to Bancroft, so we needed to get a ride back to our cars. Fortunately, there was a guy sitting in his truck in the parking lot. We struck up a conversation and he offered to give Jonathan a ride - problem solved.

This trip was definitely a case of Type 2 Fun. It was cold, cloudy, windy and rainy. We spent most of our time cold and wet. We were paddling heavily-loaded boats through shallow water and against strong headwinds. But in the end, we pulled together and made it work. We only paddled 26-miles total, but the camping and comradery was still great.

 

Links:
My Pictures
My Video

RICKA trip on the Knightville section of the Westfield - April 19, 2025

Group picture for the Jim O'Brien Memorial

In 2010, well-known local paddler Jim O'Brien died in a tragic boating accident on Hubbard Brook. Each year, his friends organize a memorial paddle in his memory on his home river – the Knightville section of the Westfield. Its dam-controlled so there is always water, and there is always a big crowd. It is the bumper-boats of whitewater paddling, and Paul posted a trip on the RICKA Whitewater Message Board.

The Westfield River arises in the Berkshires and flows generally southeast for 78 miles to its confluence with the Connecticut River in Agawam. The river has lots of great whitewater paddling on three branches that join in Huntington to form the main stem - the North Branch (sometimes called the East Branch) that includes Pork Barrel, the Middle Branch, and the West Branch that includes Knightville.

Paul and I heading down

This is also the weekend of the Westfield River Wildwater Race, so there is a big crowd along the river as well. As I was bringing my boat up to the put-in I saw racers coming down the expert course, and saw Rick at the finish line at the gazebo. 

After dropping my boat up at the dam, I drove back to the parking lot at the Huntington Health Center and waited for Aaron to pick up for a ride back to the put-in. We got into the group picture before heading out with the rest of the crew. We had a mixed group (2 canoes and 2 kayaks) and first-time runs for Aaron and Logan. The river was at nice level 5-feet, 1,100 cfs – a typical dam release level. 

Aaron running the Gorge Drop

The run is mostly class II rock dodging until you get to the Gorge in the Gardner State Park. We had one swim on the top half, but after a quick rescue we were back on our way. The Gorge Drop is a 3-foot ledge to the right of a large jumble of rocks. The easiest line is just to the right of the rocks. From there you can either catch the eddy behind the rocks, or ride the haystack waves downstream.

I went through first and caught the eddy behind the rocks. Unfortunately, I didn’t get my camera out in time to catch Paul and Logan coming through, but I did catch Aaron. From the Gorge Drop down to the take-out is quickwater and more class II rock-dodging. Here's my edit from Aaron's helmet camera video.

Links:
My Pictures

Aaron's Video

Knightville Gage

Sugar River - April 5, 2025

The crew at the put-in

There were a few different options for today, but I decided to join the NHAMC for a run on the Sugar River. We would be paddling the section from Corbin Road to Route 103 that I fist paddled as a student in NHAMC Whitewater School back in April 2005.

The Sugar River originates at Lake Sunapee and flows generally west for 27-miles to join the Connecticut River in Claremont, NH. My father was an active NHAMC member, so when I first got into paddling I signed up for their whitewater school. It was a two-day class with the first day spent on flatwater and the second day on this river.

Running Sweet Tooth

Today, the river was at a nice level – 3-feet, 1,000 cfs on the West Claremont gage. I was the only open boater paddling with 6 kayakers. We put-in at the covered bridge and headed downstream. The river starts off with easy class I/II rapids until you reach Sweet Tooth – the largest rapid on this section of the river

Sweet Tooth takes its name from two large boulders just left of center with the easier line to the right, and the spicier to the left. Four of us ran it successfully on the right. Three chose a spicier route left resulting in one out of boat experience. From Sweet Tooth to the take-out is a fun section that is pretty much continuous class II.

Links:

My Pictures

West Claremont Gage

River Description for American Whitewater

Mohawk Whitewater 16

Running Stokers on the Scantic

Of my 8 canoes and kayaks, the Mohawk Whitewater 16 is one of two that I inherited from my father (along with the Spirit II). Mohawk built the Whitewater 16 in the 1980's, and at the time was considered a pretty hot whitewater boat. It was later rebranded as the Intrepid. It is 16-feet long, 36-inches wide with a flat bottom. It weights a ton and will take a beating.

My boat was built in 1989. My father bought it new in the early 1990’s and had it outfitted for whitewater with larger bench seats, knee pads, thigh straps and float bags. We used it for annual whitewater trips on the Androscoggin in the 1990’s with the Boston AMC. That was my introduction to paddling.

Running Staircase on the Scantic

Since then, the Mohawk Whitewater 16 has been my go-to tandem boat for anything other than lake paddling. As a solo boat it is a beast unless you have gear in the front. It is great as a tandem or as a poling boat. Even with the flat bottom it has good secondary stability, at least when you are kneeling. It surfs great and poles easy.

And it is tough. I wrapped this boat on a rock when I was poling at the Manville Dam. It took us a while to get it off, but it popped back with one foot stomp, and I have been paddling it ever since.

Links:

My Pictures

Tandem at the Scantic Spring Splash - March 29, 2024

Opening Ceremony 

I’m not much of a canoe racer, but I’ve always loved watching the carnage at the Scantic Spring Splash Canoe and Kayak Race – especially the tandem canoes. I have run the Scantic many times in my solo canoes. This year I wanted to try a tandem run, so I partnered with Aaron for a run in my Mohawk Whitewater 16.

The Scantic arises in Hampden, MA (southeast of Springfield) and flows general southwest for 40-miles to join the Connecticut River in South Windsor, CT. We would be running the "Expert Course" from Quality Avenue in Somers to the Powder Hollow Barn on South Maple Street in Hazardville – about 5-miles. 

Competition takes a swim above Trestle

Much like RICKA’s old Branch River Race (AKA Rhode Island Whitewater Championship), the Scantic Spring Splash is a downriver race with four significant rapids. On the Branch the rapids are below the Harrisville Bridge, Whipple Drop, Glendale and Oakland. On the Scantic they are Trestle, Stokers, Chimney and Staircase. 

I dropped off my boat at the put-in and headed down to the barn to register with Aaron and pick up our bib. We got number 29. We then caught the shuttle bus back to the put-in. 

Running Stokers

After the mandatory safety meeting we got on the water at around noon with our class – Men's OC2 – Masters (AKA the “old fogey” group). There was only one other boat in our class, so we were guaranteed to place. We launched first and headed downstream. 

Even with the dam release the river was very low - .75-feet, 22 cfs on the Broad Brook gage. The race starts off with 2.5-miles of quickwater, and we scraped and bumped our way down the upper section. At one point we grounded on a gravel bar and got passed by our competition. The first of 5-times that the lead would change,  

Below Stokers

The removal of the Springborn Dam in 2017 created the first major rapid – Trestle. As we approached the rapid we saw our competitions swimming down the left side.  We went right, checked to make sure they were OK, and continued downstream. We were back in the lead. 

Shortly after Trestle is Stokers - a 3-foot ledge that needs to be run about 10 feet off the left bank. We ran the drop fine, but filled the boat up with water and needed to pull over to empty it out.  As we were emptying the boat our competition passed us again.

Running Staircase

We got back on the water and continued down some more quickwater. It wasn’t long before we saw our competition stuck on a gravel bar on the left.  We passed them to the right and were back in the lead. 

After some more quickwater we came to the next major rapid – Chimney.  It’s an “S-turn” through some rocky ledges that is run down the center. We made it through fine, but got hung up on a gravel bar at the bottom. Unfortunately, our competition grounded on the same gravel bar and blocked us in. They got back on the water first, so they were back in the lead.  

Staircase from the Bridge

We continued downstream to the last rapid – Staircase. It is exactly what you would expect - a series of ledges that look like a staircase with a large shoot at the bottom. We could see our competition out in front of us. At this point, our only chance to win would be if our competition swam the big drop at the bottom They didn’t, and neither did we.

It was fun paddling under the bridge at the finish line to the cheers of spectators above. We finished second in out class with a time of 57:19 - that was 32nd out of 55 racers. We hung around to collect our trophy at the awards ceremony before heading home.

Link:

My Pictures

My short video of the run

Aaron's longer video of the run

Richard Tanguay Slideshow at Stokers

Stuck on Staircase Video

Spring Splash Video from Staircase

Scantic Spring Splash website 

2025 Race Results at PaddleStats.net

Broad Brook Gage

Remembering the Family Farm - February 11, 2025

My father and grandparents in front
of the house in the 1930's

Today was bittersweet. We sold the family farm. My grandfather purchased the property in 1923 to start a chicken farm. At the time he was working as a supervisor in a factory somewhere in Providence. He made good money, but he really wanted to be a farmer.

Originally, the property was more than 40-acres running west along Winthrop Street/Route 44 past the plaza that is now Rehoboth House of Pizza, then south down Fuller's Brook to the Palmer River, then east along the Palmer River to Wilmarth Bridge Road, and then north up Wilmarth Bridge Road back to Route 44.

Party in the living room
in the 1940's

Over the years most of the property got sold off. The house next to Rehoboth House of Pizza was originally Aunt Helen’s (Memi’s sister). Next door was Uncle Al’s house. Trim Street down by the river got sold off long before I was born. When I was growing up, the Beauvais lived next door on the other side of the field.

My grandfather built the family house in 1923. Uncle Al always talked about how much work it was to dig out the cellar by hand. They also built a large hen house (demolished in the 50’s and used the lumber to build a house in Franklin, NH), the barn with the shed in the back (still there) and the brooder coop for raising chicks (demolished in the 2000’s when the lot in the field was sold).

With my mother in the
driveway in 1962

The house got renovated in the 40’s to turn the front porch into a bedroom, extend the living room and add the columns and portico to the front door. My parents bought the property in 1958 when my grandparents moved to NH. They sold the Machado’s lot and used the money to remodel the kitchen in the early 60’s.

My father spent pretty much his whole life in this house except for a couple of years as newlyweds when my parents lived in the village, and the year that my father took a job in NH and the house got rented to Auntie Jane.

Holding Lady in 1967

When we came back from NH we got involved in 4-H and raised cows, pigs and sheep. My brother never lost the farming bug – just like my grandfather. The house was the gathering place for family parties like birthdays, holidays and summer cookouts.

With my mother’s passing, I haven’t paddled much for the past couple of months. Cleaning out the house to prepare it for sale was a huge task. What do you do with a 100-years’ worth of memories. It broke my heart to empty it out.

One of many summer cook-outs

One thing that we did find were lots of pictures – like Memi’s album from the 1930’s when my father was small, my mother’s album from the 1950’s when they were first married and living in the village, and lots of pictures of the cows and all those family gatherings. It's been fun to go through and organize them.

Today, we sold the final piece of the family farm (lot 1). Hopefully the new owners will cherish it as much as we did. The old saying is true – you don’t realize how important something is until you have to part with it.

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