Jay H
New member
Over the last week, Warren and I went and paddled around Penobscot bay, including an around the mainland islands of the Vinalhaven archipelago and also of North Haven. Both of us wound up driving most of the day on sunday through what remained of Ernesto as we both managed to drive from points south to a friend's house in Stockon Springs. The rain for me stopped just south of Portland but it was pretty much clouds or rain on the way up.
Monday, we were hearing small craft advisories and looking out into Stockton Harbor at the public boat launch/marina, couldn't really say how the bay would be as the harbor is protected, it wasn't raining and wasn't really windy. We really played the safe card and simply went out for a day paddle, in which we crossed parts of the upper bay towards Castine and the Castine harbor. Water, currents, wind were pretty mild but we knew it was already too late to officially launch on a planned 4 or 5 day circumnavigation. So we returned towards Cape Jellison and the Fort Point lighthouse at which we stopped for some food and lunch. Relaunching to return to the port.
Tuesday, weather was much more favorable and no more small craft advisory so we packed up and shipped out. With the ebb tide at 9:30, we got to the launch around 8:30 and spent the next hour packing and readying gear. We launched pretty much at 9:30 and was able to do a good 5.5mph pretty much out of the harbor and towards North Haven. Visibility was good, water was fairly calm and we made excellent time, way faster than guestimatted. Hit East Barred island, which is the first island (other than some of the legal islands around Islesboro) you get to across the upper bay that you can land on. Stopped for lunch around 1pm there and both of us felt great. It took us less than 4 hours to make the 12 miles there so we continued on....
18 miles later, we get to Little hen on the west coast of Vinalhaven, around 5:30ish. Just about enough time to unpack and get eaten alive by mosquitos! Oh well, such is life on a Maine island.
Next day, we awake to a pea soup of fog, perhaps 100ft visibility at best, but we had a task to do, both of us felt comfortable navigating, having done a lot of bushwacking and stuff when hiking. We set off to do the counterclockwise navigation keeping land to our right and checking the NOAA charts for inlets and coves to try not to get sucked in there.
Sound travels farther in fog, which was obvious cause we'd here lobstermen from everywhere, just couldn't see them. Anyway, rounding the SE corner of Vinalhaven was tricky as the southern island is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic. Winds in the fog are typically calm so that was a factor in our deciding to leave that day too. Figure, what we lacked in visibility, we gained in sea calmness. Mind you, there were breakers going off on jettys and some wicked strong currents in isolated spots, but they were easily paddled around. Got to Carver's Harbor, which is a major lobsterman port and the fog lifted as if on cue! Of course, we had to cross the harbor and the small island in the middle of it, trying not to piss off the lobsterman trying to earn their wage. Going west towards the Reach, we travelled up to it to Ram Island in which we ate lunch and ran into 4 other intrepid MITA paddlers heading to Stonington from Rockland, they were camping. Being 1pm, we both decided to push on. Capping another 30mileish day when we finished rounding North haven and headed towards an island west of Deer Isle.
Since we obviously finished the circumnavigation in 2 days versus the planned 4, we had an extra day which we spent lazying following some harbor seals not far from Butter Island. Looking at Starfish and crabs beneath the bay and just kind of enjoying the bay. Not much boat traffic, saw 5 other kayakers, we ran into a solo guy at North Haven too.
Friday, we woke up to more fog and did the 13 miles back to Stockton Harbor and eventually to our launch.
Saw a bunch of windjammer cruises or 2-masted sailboats seemingly heading towards the Penobscot river. I know they sail out of Camden and Rockland and saw some tourist ferries as well as the official Ferry to Vinalhaven.
Had a great time, looking to do more MITA paddling next year...
Google map of the area around Penobscot Bay
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=....289452,-68.855438&spn=0.403043,1.237335&om=1
We launched from where the 'i' in "springs" there in "stockton Springs" and paddled pretty much magnetic south as there wasn't any boat traffic that day at all. Then we did the navigation counter clockwise. Fox Island Thoroughfare was busy and Carver's Harbor was busy but it was fairly mild in terms of boat traffic.
Pictures:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/554004489mNGzLN
Jay (14' Impex Mystic)
Warren (17' Feathercraft K1)
Overall, it was a great experience, it was probably my first time actually using the compass for navigation, rather than for point of interest location or just for fun. Paddling in the fog is a cool thing, even if it can be eerie and sometimes scary. We met some very friendly sailers and kayakers, and sheep and had a good time exploring the bay.
Monday, we were hearing small craft advisories and looking out into Stockton Harbor at the public boat launch/marina, couldn't really say how the bay would be as the harbor is protected, it wasn't raining and wasn't really windy. We really played the safe card and simply went out for a day paddle, in which we crossed parts of the upper bay towards Castine and the Castine harbor. Water, currents, wind were pretty mild but we knew it was already too late to officially launch on a planned 4 or 5 day circumnavigation. So we returned towards Cape Jellison and the Fort Point lighthouse at which we stopped for some food and lunch. Relaunching to return to the port.
Tuesday, weather was much more favorable and no more small craft advisory so we packed up and shipped out. With the ebb tide at 9:30, we got to the launch around 8:30 and spent the next hour packing and readying gear. We launched pretty much at 9:30 and was able to do a good 5.5mph pretty much out of the harbor and towards North Haven. Visibility was good, water was fairly calm and we made excellent time, way faster than guestimatted. Hit East Barred island, which is the first island (other than some of the legal islands around Islesboro) you get to across the upper bay that you can land on. Stopped for lunch around 1pm there and both of us felt great. It took us less than 4 hours to make the 12 miles there so we continued on....
18 miles later, we get to Little hen on the west coast of Vinalhaven, around 5:30ish. Just about enough time to unpack and get eaten alive by mosquitos! Oh well, such is life on a Maine island.
Next day, we awake to a pea soup of fog, perhaps 100ft visibility at best, but we had a task to do, both of us felt comfortable navigating, having done a lot of bushwacking and stuff when hiking. We set off to do the counterclockwise navigation keeping land to our right and checking the NOAA charts for inlets and coves to try not to get sucked in there.
Sound travels farther in fog, which was obvious cause we'd here lobstermen from everywhere, just couldn't see them. Anyway, rounding the SE corner of Vinalhaven was tricky as the southern island is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic. Winds in the fog are typically calm so that was a factor in our deciding to leave that day too. Figure, what we lacked in visibility, we gained in sea calmness. Mind you, there were breakers going off on jettys and some wicked strong currents in isolated spots, but they were easily paddled around. Got to Carver's Harbor, which is a major lobsterman port and the fog lifted as if on cue! Of course, we had to cross the harbor and the small island in the middle of it, trying not to piss off the lobsterman trying to earn their wage. Going west towards the Reach, we travelled up to it to Ram Island in which we ate lunch and ran into 4 other intrepid MITA paddlers heading to Stonington from Rockland, they were camping. Being 1pm, we both decided to push on. Capping another 30mileish day when we finished rounding North haven and headed towards an island west of Deer Isle.
Since we obviously finished the circumnavigation in 2 days versus the planned 4, we had an extra day which we spent lazying following some harbor seals not far from Butter Island. Looking at Starfish and crabs beneath the bay and just kind of enjoying the bay. Not much boat traffic, saw 5 other kayakers, we ran into a solo guy at North Haven too.
Friday, we woke up to more fog and did the 13 miles back to Stockton Harbor and eventually to our launch.
Saw a bunch of windjammer cruises or 2-masted sailboats seemingly heading towards the Penobscot river. I know they sail out of Camden and Rockland and saw some tourist ferries as well as the official Ferry to Vinalhaven.
Had a great time, looking to do more MITA paddling next year...
Google map of the area around Penobscot Bay
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=....289452,-68.855438&spn=0.403043,1.237335&om=1
We launched from where the 'i' in "springs" there in "stockton Springs" and paddled pretty much magnetic south as there wasn't any boat traffic that day at all. Then we did the navigation counter clockwise. Fox Island Thoroughfare was busy and Carver's Harbor was busy but it was fairly mild in terms of boat traffic.
Pictures:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/554004489mNGzLN
Jay (14' Impex Mystic)
Warren (17' Feathercraft K1)
Overall, it was a great experience, it was probably my first time actually using the compass for navigation, rather than for point of interest location or just for fun. Paddling in the fog is a cool thing, even if it can be eerie and sometimes scary. We met some very friendly sailers and kayakers, and sheep and had a good time exploring the bay.
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