Kennebec River: Sea Kayak
Augusta to Bowdoinham, Maine (Sea Kayak)
Athlete: Jake Haugevik
START POINT: Augusta, Maine - (The Augusta Kayak Launch)
END POINT: Bowdoinham Town Park, Maine
Mode of Travel ( Ex: Run, Swim, Bike, Paddle, Hike) : SEA KAYAK
Distance: 31.1 Miles
Date of Completion: 8/15/26
Levels of Support: Solo and Self-Supported mission. (Got a shuttle back from Bowdoinham to Augusta after route completion to get my car).
Trip Report: “For this patch challenge I really wanted to achieve two goals. The first was to explore a new body of water in Maine. I chose the Kennebec River since I have such limited river experience and because of its wild mill-town history. To survive with the loss of the Maine paper-mill industry, these river towns have transformed and I wanted to see them from the river view. The second goal was to connect back to my Sag paddle roots. This year my father has struggled with a rare illness and I wanted to carry his love for the water with me so I chose to paddle a 34-year old Prijon sea kayak that I paddled in my youth, rather than my faster kayaks.
Weapon of Choice
To catch a tidal push I launched from Augusta kayak launch at 5:30am with the high tide. As a self-supported trip, I loaded the kayak with all I would need for the day and left the truck in Augusta. The first 10 miles were better than I could have hoped for. The sun reflected off the glassy-flat water, slowly burning a thin layer of fog from the river. I quickly moved through Augusta, Hallowell, and Garner as the towns began to wake for the day: people sipped coffee on benches, did yoga on the docks, and a few fishermen loaded gear for the day.
Around mile 10, the real work set-in. While benefiting from a 1 mph tidal push made the work easier, the next stretch was hot, desolate, and monotonous. Around mile 18 I gained new life with a changing landscape at Swan Island. The river split at Richmond where I took an eastern route and a nice side breeze set in to cool the trip.
Miles 22-38 felt more familiar with the Kennebec dumping into Merrymeeting Bay. While more than 150 miles away, this felt similar to Sag: Sandbars with people swimming, open bays, and a nice breeze off the water.
The trip finished with a paddle upstream against the tide and the wind, landing at Bowdoinham Riverfront Park at 11:45 am. My shuttle was there waiting to take me back to Augusta to get the truck.” - Jake Haugevik
Additional Details: “While the kayak is my normal craft, the one I chose for this trip was one I used to paddle as a kid in Sag. This thing has been around forever and has logged thousands of miles all across the coast. I spent time in the beginning of the summer fixing it up and bringing it back to its glory with this trip in mind.” - Jake Haugevik
