SEARSMONT, Maine — Max Dingle of Rockport has been paddling with one or both of his parents in canoe races for several years.
On Saturday morning, he achieved an important milestone when he competed on his own.
The 13-year-old was among 150 paddling enthusiasts celebrating the weather-delayed start to the 2015 canoe and kayak racing season with the 36th running of the St. George River Race.
Dingle completed the winding 6-mile stretch of the river in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 9 seconds.
“It went awesome,” Dingle beamed as he stood barefoot in the mud in the staging area just above the finish line.
“I’ve done the river by myself, but not in a race,” he said, explaining he ditched his sopping wet socks and sneakers.
There were 91 canoes and kayaks in the race, during which Ray Wirth of Belfast piloted his long kayak to a third consecutive overall title in 43:11. Hank Thorburn was second in 43:39.
The canoeing contingent was led by the first-place OC2 Mixed duo of Katie Owen and Jeff Owen (45:05) and the winning Century Recreational (combined age of 100) tandem of Al Paradise and Bill Anderson (46:04). The fastest solo canoeist was James Mabee (47:50).
While the temperature flirted with 50 degrees, clouds were prevalent and the wind gusted up to 25 mph, making the conditions challenging.
“The water level was great — just the wind destroyed you,” Max Dingle said. “I got pushed up on the bank so many times.”
Dingle’s parents Matt and Sarah, veteran paddlers who met through paddling, kept a watchful eye on their son from their canoe.
“I tried to convince them not to follow me down the river. Every minute I hear from my dad, ‘pull right, pull right!” Max said.
“He’s paddled quite a bit but mostly with one of us, so being in a canoe by himself is a whole different animal,” Sarah Dingle said.
The camaraderie among the members of the eastern Maine canoe racing and kayaking community was evident Saturday, as the diverse group gathered to celebrate the official kickoff to the paddling season. The St. George race, originally scheduled for March 28, had twice been postponed because of lingering ice in the river.
“Today was a great day,” Dale Cross of Morrill, the director of the race sponsored by the Waldo County YMCA in Belfast, said.
Cross believes the friendships and mutual respect among the paddlers and organizers helps make the St. George race special.
“That’s what makes it really cool,” he said. “They’re tight. They like each other. A lot of them have been paddling for a long time.”
Cross didn’t just oversee the race, he took part in it. He and his daughter, Caitlin, took first place in the OC2 Mixed Recreational division in 49:44.
The water level was more than adequate for the race, which consists of 5 miles of deadwater and 1 mile of Class II-III rapids with one Class III drop.
“To have real good conditions, you need rain as well,” Anderson, a longtime paddler who lives in Morrill, said. “We don’t hit anything. We’re very … mature.”
Anderson paddled with Paradise of Pittsfield, New Hampshire, after Paradise’s usual partner was not available. They have a combined age of 128.
However, paddlers did have to negotiate numerous downed trees and branches along the race route, remnants from heavy snows late last year.
“That just made it a little more interesting,” Jen Adams of Wiscasset said.
“It’s exciting to get back out on the water,” her paddling partner, Adrianna Beaudette of Wiscasset, said.
The award for the most determined canoeist should go to Mark Risinger of Hermon. He competed in a Penobscot canoe that has a bit of a history.
“Last year, I ripped it apart on the Souadabscook,” he said of a training mishap that resulted in his canoe breaking apart and being washed downstream, where it was lost.
He paid $1,200 for a new canoe, but later recovered the damaged boat under a pile of logs. The last 4 feet on the stern end was broken completely off, and there was other extensive damage.
“The bow started to be ripped off as well,” he said.
However, he reattached the stern and repaired other cracks using a high-strength epoxy material. He also had to replace the gunnels and the hand holds, but made all the repairs for about $150.
Risinger admitted there was some trepidation in putting the canoe through Saturday’s race, despite having paddled it on flatwater.
“The worry’s always there. I actually did pretty well today. I’m surprised,” Risinger, who placed third in the OC1 Rec division (53:43), said.
Bill Deighan was presented with the Warren Greeley Award, a canoe paddle given to “the racer whose joy is not just tied to the place of finish but comes from a love of paddling and a camaraderie shared with fellow paddlers.”
The 42nd annual Passagassawakeag River Race is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. It starts at Littlefield Farm in Waldo.