Sailing in Penobscot Bay

Penobscot Bay sailing Overnight to Castine

         Castine is a great place to visit by boat. Its about 20 miles sail from Rockland Harbor. Boats have been sailing into Castine for hundreds of years. Although there are some mooring and dock space for rent here I prefer not to use them. The current runs very strong in the mooring field and frankly makes your boat sound like you're under way. I like going over to Smith Cove. It is very protected! you could ride out a hurricane here. The picture you see above is from Smith cove looking back towards Castine. From this anchorage you can dingy over to Castine. Its a little over a mile so if you're rowing you might want to get closer. Castine has everything you might need provision wise and some great places to eat. Also from this anchorage is a small beach and access to Holbrook Island Sanctuary. There are some really nice trails to hike on and some great views of Penbay. Its a great place to visit!! FYI the big motor boat in the picture is Eric Clapton's boat Blue Guitar. He wasn't on it at the time. We did go visit to see :-) 

Damariscove Island Sea Kayak Adventure

Sea Kayak loop around Damariscove Island Maine

        Today's adventure starts out at a campground in Southport Maine which in itself is an awesome place to just visit. The camp ground charges a fee to launch and park, but it is well worth it. Don't forget to pay. You will find it if you navigate to these coordinates N43 48.9103  W69 39.1420  (Gray Homestead Camping,  21 Homestead Road, Southport, ME (207) 633-4612 ‎ graysoceancamping.com).  Launching at any tide is easy from the sand beach. We paddled down the coast of Southport Island then across the open water to Damariscove island ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damariscove_Island ).

Damariscove Island Photo by: Tom Higbee

This picture is a view from the harbor of the island showing the old coast guard station. There are trails on the island if you want to do a little walking. There's also a museum. A cool thing I saw in the museum was a bug spray  can from Russia or a Russian ship that washed up on the beach. Junk I know, but it symbolizes how small the earth really is...something to keep in mind.. We spent a little time on the island talking to a kayaking guide and checking out the museum. Then we got in our boats, headed around the tip of the island, and up the coast.

Halfway up we stopped at another beach where my friend Dave had seen a dead whale on an earlier trip. When we left this beach spot the wind was starting to come up (as it often does), and we had some waves increasing.  This makes paddling more fun in my opinion, 3 to 4 feet and some coming over the boat. This is why you need a good spray skirt. After looking at most of them I picked the snapdragon sea trek it is super comfortable and sheds the water magnificently. It can be purchased at NRS. We then ducked in behind Fisherman's island and Ram island to get out of the wind, then made our way back to the launch site. Great fun day, but also one for an experienced paddler. Make sure you are prepared for all conditions especially fog! Also, keep your eye out for whales, as you might be lucky enough to see one.

GPS kayaking Stats:

Start Time: 6/9/2012 8:34:29 AM EDT

Acquisition Time: 6/9/2012 8:34:29 AM EDT

Finish Time: 6/9/2012 1:36:19 PM EDT

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is GMT-4

Distance: 13.80 mi

Average Speed: 2.7 MPH

Average Moving Speed: 3.7 MPH

Maximum Speed: 13.3 MPH

Fix Was Lost: 0 times

Readings: 5810

Acquisition Street: Homestead Rd

Acquisition Location: Southport, Maine (04576)

Finish Street: Homestead Rd

Finish Location: Southport, Maine (04576)

Acquisition Coordinate: N43° 48.8659' W69° 39.0205'

Finish Coordinate: N43° 48.8897' W69° 39.1294'

Time from Start to Finish: 5:01:50 (hr:min:sec)

Time to Acquire: 0:00:00 (hr:min:sec)

Time from Acquisition to Finish: 5:01:50 (hr:min:sec)

Time Moving: 3:41:09 (hr:min:sec)

Time Stopped: 1:20:41 (hr:min:sec)

Point Created: 6/9/2012 12:32:25 PM EDT

Point Speed: 4 MPH

Point Heading: 18°T

Point Elevation: -18 feet

13.80 miles

Sea Kayak tour of Muscle Ridge Maine

Sea Kayak tour of the Muscle Ridge

Birch Point Beach

Today's sea kayak adventure starts at Birch Point Beach State Park which is a really great place to visit on any day. I live near here so I go at all times of the year to embrace its beauty. When I started from the beach it was quite hazy, and I could not see any islands on the ridge. Using my small craft nav aid I charted a course to Otter Ledge then across the channel to Otter Island. Otter Ledge was filled with ducks and birds. I stopped in the eddy behind the rock and enjoyed the tide rushing by on either side. Paddling forward I went past Little Green Island then on through the channel between Birch and Dix Island. Birch island is availible for day use to MITA members. Contact MITA for more information. Moving along I stayed on the inside up to Hewett Island. The outside of the Muscle Ridge is fantastic paddling. It is exposed to the open ocean, and can be much more challenging than within the protection of the archipealgo.  I recommend keeping this in mind if you are going to go out there and be prepared!  From the outside of the ridge I made my way up to Bar Island then to Graffam island. On my return I paddled to Hurricane Island and could see the "target" on Spruce Head which is a great navigational aid.  Keeping up with my progress, passing a really nice ketch, I made it to Tommy Island. From here you can see Waterman's Beach Lobster which is great place for lunch or dinner. Also right there is Lobster Buoy Campground which might be a great place for you to camp and launch. From there I finished up my trip going into the Weskeag river which has another good launch and lunch spot at the Keag Store (pronounced "Gig.") This Kayaking route is just a suggested one. You will not be disappointed with any of the islands in the Muscle Ridge, so check them out. Keep in mind that it is mostly private property and should be treated as such. Happy paddling, and feel free to make comments and ask questions.

Stats:

Start Time: 5/26/2012 12:09:10 PM EDT
Acquisition Time: 5/26/2012 12:09:10 PM EDT
Finish Time: 5/26/2012 2:53:01 PM EDT
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is GMT-4
Distance: 9.84 mi
Average Speed: 3.6 MPH
Average Moving Speed: 4.1 MPH
Maximum Speed: 10.0 MPH
Average Elevation: -6 feet
Minimum Elevation: -41 feet
Maximum Elevation: 102 feet
Average Status: 3-D
Fix Was Lost: 0 times
Readings: 4032
Acquisition Location: N/A
Finish Street: Maker Cove Rd
Finish Location: Owls Head, Maine (04854)
Acquisition Coordinate: N44° 2.2368' W69° 5.7439'
Finish Coordinate: N44° 2.5835' W69° 6.6209'
Time from Start to Finish: 2:43:51 (hr:min:sec)
Time to Acquire: 0:00:00 (hr:min:sec)
Time from Acquisition to Finish: 2:43:51 (hr:min:sec)
Time Moving: 2:23:19 (hr:min:sec)
Time Stopped: 0:20:32 (hr:min:sec)
Point Created: 5/26/2012 12:41:12 PM EDT
Point Speed: 4 MPH
Point Heading: 167°T
Point Elevation: -3 feet
9.84 miles

Sea Kayaking in Muscongus Bay Maine

Sea Kayaking Adventure

Muscongus bay Maine

Muscongus  Bay is one of my favorite places to paddle. It has many islands and tons of wildlife making it one of the best places in the world (in my humble opinion) to be on the water. On this particular day we (my friend Dave and I) launched from a private location. You could launch from the ramp at Port Clyde harbor where there is a great little general store or restaurant for some great lunch. Parking can be an issue so make sure you don't park where you are not supposed to. On this particular day we headed out in the thick fog (visibility 10 feet). As we often do, we put our GPS away and navigated by chart and compass only using the  GPS to occasionally check our position for safety reasons. It can be a little eerie paddling in the fog. Usually it is very quite, and you can hear the lobster boats all around you working hard for their catch. I always carry a VHF radio just in case I need to get in touch with a bigger boat bearing down on me who may or may not see a kayak on a foggy day. That being said, I ALWAYS! try my best to stay out of their way, the boats are usually working and don't need me in their way. You can see the route we took from the picture of it above. Not much to see in the fog but it is a really good way to hone your navigation skills. There are no land marks to look at, so you need to estimate your speed, keeping in mind the current, which can move very fast in this part of the world. Another cool thing is that the seals will come right up to your boat, sometimes it's startling the way they seem to come out of no where, staring at you with those curious eyes. About half way through our route the fog lifted exposing a beautiful marine environment filled with life. Fish, birds, eagles, seals ducks, plus a dramatic landscape of water and rocks. This was not a small little paddle. It was an all day event somewhere around 17 miles (I can paddle an average of 3 miles per hour). We were prepared with plenty of food, water and a good attitude- all being essential. If you have any questions or would like more information post your questions below.

Kayaking adventure

Sea Kayaking Adventure

So, here it goes. This is my latest adventure, sea kayaking, as the picture shows. I paddle a P&H Cetus. I think the P&H is a great boat. I take the usual safety gear, as well as a GPS,and a VHF radio. This time I went solo but often I will go with others. On this paddle I saw two Bald Eagles nests and two osprey nests. From the water I could hear the eagle chicks in the nest while mom and dad watched me closely. This day was a kayaking day, but in this blog I will be telling you about all my different outdoor adventures from sailing and racing sailboats, to mountain biking, to hiking, etc.. Pretty much anything with an ING after it and I'm in. I have been doing these adventures my whole life and hope to do them till the day I'm gone. I am open to any questions about routes, launch sites, gear, areas, you name it. If it has to do with outdoor adventuring, I probably have at least some opinion on it. I hope to expand this blog as I go into different categories, as needed. If you have any suggestions let me know. My opinions on gear are my own and will come from personal use and knowledge (unbiased) .

Happy Safe Adventuring!!

Get outside!!