Dear Editor:

Last Friday afternoon, after a wonderful lunch at Trevett's General Store, the Howard family was boating home to Edgecomb along the Sheepscot River. All of a sudden they came upon an overturned kayak. The pilot, who was the middle generation Howard, spotted the kayak and made a quick U-turn roughly near the Indian Head emblem. The other passengers asked why they had turned around, and when told about the kayak, they jumped into action.

The first concern was to find the kayaker(s) and make sure they were all right. However, as they came upon the boat, no kayaker was to be found.

Using a boat hook, the youngest Howard and his mother grabbed the kayak and flipped it upright, and still there was no sign of a kayaker. Next they tried to lift the vessel and drain the substantial water in it. Unsurprisingly, the boat was too heavy to lift so they used a bilge pump to put the water back in the river. Meanwhile the elder Howard kept their boat from drifting into the rocks and the youngest Howard secured the kayak to a grommet hook. After five to 10 minutes of bilge pumping, and tying another line to the kayak, the crew set off for home.

The kayak was less than cooperative on the return voyage and required continual monitoring to make sure it did not capsize and take on water. During one changing of the guard, the kayak indeed flipped and took on water requiring the family to stop their motorboat and attend to the waterlogged kayak. Another seven minutes of bilge pumping was needed to return the kayak to a proper level of water. Finally the Howards reached their destination, and after navigating in shallow water, they maneuvered the kayak around their boat and up onto their dock.

Once the kayak was on the dock, the middle and younger Howards thoroughly searched it for any identifying labels. None could be found and no other objects were in the vessel. Due to the lack of a kayaker, the family suspects that the kayak was washed into the river by the heavy rains earlier this week. However, it is entirely possible the kayak entered the river by other means. To ensure the kayak did not escape once again, the family tied its bowline to their dock, even though it was still out of the water. When questioned whether this would be adequate, the middle and elder Howards both replied, "It's not going anywhere." The wife of the eldest Howard quipped, "That's what the kayaker was thinking, too."

We want to return the kayak to its rightful owner. If you think it may be yours, please contact Chip Howard at 612-310-4470 or jwhoward3@gmail.com or John Howard at 882-6998 or johnhoward05@roadrunner.com.

John Howard, III
Edgecomb