Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Damariscove Island Sea Kayak Adventure

Mussel Ridge Adventures

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 ).
Mussel Ridge Adventures
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




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