In Blue Hill, Maine
It’s a cool, gray day with occasional soft rain. We should not be standing on the narrow Stevens Bridge over the Reversing Falls, also known here as Falls Bridge. This bridge has no walkway, but here we stand. Not only are we watching the roiling waves of the in-coming tide, we’re also marveling at two talented performers in what reportedly is the fastest growing water sport: Standup Paddleboarding (aka SUP). The sport, we later find out, is the subject of a number of popular magazines, including the SUP Journal.
John Frachella
(©2015 R J Leighton)
Below us, in that cold green water, are John Frachella and Peter Lataille, who are practicing an advanced form of the sport: Standup Paddleboard Surfing. John resides in both Hudson, Maine, and Bend, Oregon; Peter hails from Hampden, Maine. They love paddling, kayaking, and surfing; today, in a way, they’re combining all three. Both men get good rides in the tricky waves.
Peter Lataille
(©2015 R J Leighton)
John is on a red board shaped by Titus Kinamaka, a notable big wave surfer in Hawaii; Peter is on a white board that he made for himself. John rides with his left foot forward and paddles up-current into the waves. He often hunches over with a wry grin on his face -- especially, as we'll see, during difficult current shifts.
Peter is right-footed; he's rigged a red rope to the bridge that allows him to swing into mid-channel near the beginning of the waves, then let go, often standing almost erect
It’s time for a 20- second virtual tour of this event via the link to our photosite below. (As usual, we recommend that the initial screening be in full-frame, which can be achieved by clicking on the featured [largest] image on the gallery page to which the link will take you. Use your right and left keyboard arrows to proceed or go back; press Esc to return to the thumbnail gallery.) Here's the link to the images:
https://leightons.smugmug.com/Maine/Windjammers-and-Other-Boats/SUPing-the-Reverse-Falls/
Cheers,
Barbara and Dick
[P.S. in Response to Questions: the Postcards From Maine for July already was published; see the “Out & About” Section in the “In Maine” part of the photosite. The monthly Postcards for August will be issued in early September; we’re "collecting" them now.]