I know, it's been more than two weeks since my last entry. But I have half an excuse.

Part of that time was spent in Ohio - not conducive to coastal kayaking. Then I had the post-vacation catch-up. But I did have some time to get out and catch up. Here's what's going on at a glance:

• The Biddeford Department of Parks & Recreation is offering classes on kayak rolling and becoming a Maine registered guide - recreation and sea kayaking. Non-Biddeford residents can take the course but pay a little bit more.
• The Downeast Sea Kayaking Symposium is planned for Sept. 7-10 in Bar Harbor.

I was inspecting my first aid kit the other day. It really needed cleaning out. I had a bunch of bottle of antiseptic and way too many bandages.

The need for a first aid kit may not be obvious. It's hard to imagine what type of injury needs minor care while floating on the water.

But the problem is that my kayaking trips involve stopping at islands. We tend to get out and explore an island and have lunch. That usually involves walking on wet, slippery rocks. You with me now?

Deirdre Fleming did a great story on paddling to Eagle Island off Harpswell.

I was all excited to do a blog entry about the island (one of my favorite paddling destinations). But I remembered that I already did one that includes a list of alternate launching points. So I decided to pull out one of my stories:

Dave and I did a lap around the Diamonds on Tuesday night. The fog threatened a bit but it held off while we paddled. The bay was calm. It was a great night for kayaking.

We shared beach space with another group of paddlers from MOAC. They were headed toward Mackworth Island. Except for one paddler who didn't have a complete paddle. There were the same sides to two different paddles. That meant the two halves - which normally connect - couldn't click together.

It was the kind of mistake that reminded me of the time I completely forgot to bring a paddle. I avoid that these days by keeping all my paddles in my car until snow starts falling.

A couple weekends ago (the start of vacation), I took a two-day class from Bob Myron and Chris Raab on traditional paddling. Traditional paddling was used to describe how the Inuits used their kayaks. (BTW, kayak is an Inuit word for "hunting boat." Doesn't that make you look at your boat differently?)

They taught us a bit about the Inuit way of life and paddling. But one of the big aspects was building our own paddle. They gave us a 2 x 4 that was cut in the rough shape of a paddle.We shaved it down to this:

It was a slow process. I fretted over every cut and pass with the block planer. Every once in a while, I stopped to feel the progress. It was very satisfying to craft a tool that I will use in an activity I love.

The end result was not perfect. There are a few spots I regret. The orbital sander couldn't erase all my woodworking sins. But I love it: