Only once in nearly 30 years of paddling have I found myself facing a familiar adage in real life. I couldn't help but chuckle when I realized my mistake while unloading my kayak at the put-in: I'd ...

It’s April on the coast of Maine, and I’m upside-down underwater again. The ocean’s surface is a green gauze curtain swaying in the wind, and I can’t tell sideways from up. Think. I force my numb ...