Maine Island Trail Association

[chinooktrail]

Ok, I just joined this group, and am eagerly awaiting my 'guidebook' to arrive in the mail!

Are there members on this board?

I would like a nice 3 day 2 night camping on an island trip for my first real ocean voyage. Any suggestions for a new ocean kayaker such as myself?

I had spent quite a bit of time sailing in and around Casco Bay, and far too many trips on a Dragger from Glouchester to Portland to know I don't want my first trip to be in Casco Bay. Nothing at all against the area, love Portland, lived there for a long time, would just like to not have to worry so much about other boats and ferries and fishing boats etc...

Looking for someplace perhaps a little protected, less used or more secluded.

Guess I don't want too big an audience in case I do something really wrong!

I don't mind the drive up the coast of Maine either, even up to Machias.

As with Casco bay, I think I would like to avoid Acadia 'proper' for this first journey, more for the crowds than any other reason. But Schoodic Point is not out of the question, I don't believe it gets so much traffic...

So I am game for pretty much any other area!

 

[spider solo]

Yes, I have been a member for a number of years. Though I do a lot of paddling, we haven't been to any of the Islands as of yet.
We are hoping to learn our way around more this year so as to find coastal paddling /camping places closer to home (NH)

What happens to us is that we tend to drive through Maine on our way to other destinations more north.

Folks at North shore paddling network www.nspn.org
seem to do a fair amount of paddling on the trail and have also recently partnered with them to look after a couple of the Island, so you might also pick up some ideas from them.

good luck
...happy paddling!

 

[daxs]

Jim and I spent a few days paddling around the islands last September. We only saw one other group of kayakers. We put in at Old Quarry Campgrounds where they cater to paddlers. There is a fee to launch and park your car. There are sites to rent with hot showers if you need to before or after your trip. The campground also had hoses for you to wash down your gear after getting out of the salt water. On our trip, our GPS would not work and out compass broke so we really needed to rely on our charts to navigate. As the tides change (huge swings) the islands can really take on a different look. We were concerned about out kayaks overnight so we carried them as high up onto the island as possible and tied them off to a tree. We were able to build campfires at the low tide line which was really nice. Sunrise was gorgeous. I can't find my guide to let you know what islands we camped on but we also landed and explored several of the islands. The moqsuitos were bad, even in mid sept. In some places you need to watch out for boat traffic which can be heavy. You will need wag bags. Overall, it was a great experience.

 

[Stan]

Have been a member for several years but only paddled in Muscongus Bay. We stayed at Thief Island where there is a group site on the north end of the island and a small site at the south end.

You'll get plenty of ideas from the Guide. I've paddled vicariously through this Guide.

Beal Island has a lot of first time appeal, one of the few islands with a privy ... on others you must pack out solid human waste ... and exploring Georgetown marshes, shorelines and Robinhood Cove has intrigued me.

 

[bobandgeri]

Muscongus Bay between New Harbor and Friendship has some very nice paddling and islands to stay on and sets you up to take a paddle out to see the Puffins on Eastern Egg Rock.

http://rbhayes.net/kayakjuly04.html

Know you said not Casco Bay, but you might want to take a look at the Goslings - two small islands with campsites on them just off the southern tip of Lower Goose Island. Putin about 1/3 of the way down Harpswell Island by the Harpswell Inn, or at Sandy Point Beach, Cousins Island .

Be aware that many of the islands are closed until After July 31, some even longer due to bird nesting.

We second checking out NSPN - We were 2 of the 13 founding members!

Another good resource is the Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network who we have paddled with in the past. Lot's of good knowledge to be found there.
http://www.smskn.org/


A real good resource is the book Kayaling the Maine Coast by Dorcas S Miller.

Also - we have a VFTT member that has extensive kayaking camping experience in Maine that we met via NSPN. We will PM you their name.

But the best for last - if you want an area where you will not see another person all day - head to Nova Scotia and the numerous (dozens upon dozens) islands off the coast of the Eastern Shore. We spent two week long vacations paddling up there and can't wait to go back.

 

[Jay H]

I was a member for a short bit and I even wrote an article for their newsletter about a 3 day circumnavigation of Vinalhaven and North Haven. A wonderful trip that combined everything from protected ocean kayaking to a very short stint of open water to kayaking in fog and navigation as well as staying on some MITA associated islands and also the one island that has a caretaker (and lots of sheep).

Stonington is a great location for numerous possibilities of island hopping, Old Quarry. open water paddling, Isle au Haut, although probably not if you're a novice. You wont have to worry much of ferrys and wayfarers there but there are obviously active fisherman and you just stay out of their way and all is well. They are working, you are having fun (hopefully )...

Penobscot bay is very nice and I've heard a lot about Muscle Ridge which is on the western side of Penobscot bay... I can't vouch for the conditions or if it is good for beginners but I know friends whove said it is a nice place.

Jay

 

[Jay H]

Do remember that the MITA membership is yearly and NOT from your sign on date, so right now, you'd only get a 1/2 year out of it. Kind of why I have let me membership lapse, since I am god-awful far from ME, it's not like I go there every weekend. In fact, it's been a bit since I've paddled there, my Vinalhaven circumnavigation was the last trip there.

Also, when you do sign up and take a trip, they do ask you refrain from publicly stating where you camped, i.e. don't go naming the island in your trip reports, you can kind of say you camped on an island on the west side of Vinalhaven or so, but don't mention the name, it just keeps the places, especially the private ones a bit more private.

Jay

 

[chinooktrail]

Whoo Hooo! Got the book today!

Can't wait to get home and plan out a trip!

Ok, one more question, where do you 'ocean kayakers' like to buy your charts from?

When I lived in Portland a hundred years ago there was a shop called the 'chart room', but I believe they are long gone.

Is there a good online source? Our local EMS USED to carry them, but now they are far too 'edgy' to bother with anything as mundane as charts...

Thanks again!

 

[Jay H]

Maptech sells blue charts for most/all??? of the Atlantic Coastline, you can google them to see if you can buy it, I think they have an online map thing which shows you the section you will need... You can probably find them in most paddling store. There are also usually local paddling charts from the local kayak/boating community.... Again, a local boating or paddling store will be helpful.

You can even buy bluecharts for your GPS if you are so inclined, I know MapTech sells them, I'm sure Garmin has their own.


Jay

 

[spider solo]

I also use the Maptech series of maps, Think I've also gotten them from Kittery Trading Post, REI, Biss Marine (that name may have changed) and places like that.
Don't know much about what they may offer for GPS compatible products.

I do know the garmin "Blue Charts" can lead to major headaches. You'll need plenty deep pockets ($) and the patience of a saint if you want to use their charts....still it is less expensive than buying individual paper nautical charts
esp. of large regions.

Maptech charts are waterproof and user friendly. They also have 2 nice learning maps.
One on how to read charts and how it looks in real life on the water. The other one on how to use GPS with their charts.

Hope you have a great time !

 

[chinooktrail]

the learning guide sounds good, i saw that online.

no gps, well, i have one, and i can almost turn the thing on...

i am pretty much an analog girl trapped in a digital world.

i would rather learn to use a sextant!

dang, i was in portsmouth yesterday, i could have run over to KTP!

oh well, good excuse for a road trip!

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Jay H]

I think for Blue charts, one thing you will have to do and something that I always forget with disuse is to Learn how to read them. You will need to get/download the Coastal Pilot's 1st reference which explains a bit of all the symbols you'll find in nautical charts....

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/chartspubs.html

Atlantic Coast, specific to MA to ME
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/coastpilot.php?book=1

Chart 1 which should be looked at:

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/chartno1.htm

I had a link to an online chart viewer but it has since been invalidated..

Jay

 

[bobandgeri]

We have electronic charts for all of the East Coast of the USA and Canada and Caribbean that we print out on 11x17 paper with planned waypoints.

Any good Marina will have a store with paper charts.

You can order the online at West Marine.

 

[Brambor]

2 years

been a member for 2 years. for your first trip try exploring the cape porpoise archipelago and there are a couple islands nearby.

 

[darren]

VFTT group MITA trip this summer? I'd be down for a 3 day trip. Who is in?

- darren

 

[spider solo]

We could be mighty tempted esp. if it involved seeing some wildlife (puffins?). Most we can do for now is see how it shapes up time wise with when you think you might want to be going.

 

[chinooktrail]

I'm in!

That would be wicked fun.

In Maine you have to say 'wicked' a lot...



Now I just need to life weights so I can get the kayak on the roof of the car...

 

[Stan]

Now I just need to life weights so I can get the kayak on the roof of the car...

You might want to look into the Thule Hullavator ... like boat davits on a car ... and leveraged to reduce the boat's weight by half.

 

[chinooktrail]

Yeah, I did, I think it costs more than my boat, and a lot of the vehicles I have owned...

Seriously thinking about getting a little trailer for the back of the car, it would make life easier in a lot of ways...

And a lot more practical than a rig that only works for one toy.

 

[Jay H]

Chinooktrail: What kind of kayak carriers do you have? there are sometimes ways for the solo kayaker to load a kayak by oneself depending on the carrier. easier with rollers and saddles than those J-carriers but it can be done with both, usually.

3-day MITA paddle.. would be nice Darren, but I don't think my vacation time will let me now that I just got back from ME (hiking trip)...

Jay