Yesterday, while at Naskeag Harbor, I noticed a slow-moving reflection on the clear horizon. At first, it seemed to be a school of big fish or perhaps a whale or two, but the movement proved to be too slow and the water was not being disturbed much.
As it came closer, I wondered “Is that a man paddling a silver canoe in open water in the middle of winter?” The movement got closer and entered deeper into the Harbor: It definitely was a man. He was wearing a bulky winter jacket under a bulkier life vest and paddling slowly. He seemed to be enjoying the clear, 28-degree weather and the quiet ride.
However, what he was paddling wasn’t your traditional canoe. Let’s call it a canoe-like object. It had a translucent plastic hull that appeared to have been put together mostly with vertical strips of tape that gave the vessel the appearance of a floating fence. On the other hand, the vessel probably was very light and easy to swing up into a truck or onto a car top.
This winter apparition continued slowly on, over the Harbor Bar, and around the shrub-lined bend until it was gone from my sight. It left me with a strange feeling – mostly jealousy, I think. (Brooklin, Maine)