PADDLING THROUGH MAINE’S ISLANDS ON NATURE’S SCHEDULE
A KAYAK OFFERS VIEWS of eagles and ospreys, seals and jellyfish, but for a multi-day camping trip on rocky islands, proper preparation is essential
For many Maine coast visitors, a sea kayaking trip means a quick few hours on rented boats along the coast of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor with a chartered guide. The trips are well organized, they offer basic safety and kayak instructions and will bring you to places where you can observe the resident seals, sea birds and some incredible scenery around the harbour and its surroundings. Plus, you will be home for dinner.
But for those with the necessary time, equipment and knowledge, nothing beats a multi-day trip. The stealth of a kayak offers an incredible platform from which to observe wildlife above, on and beneath the ocean’s surface.
Eagles and ospreys look down on you from their nests.
Waterfowl, porpoises, seals and – if you’re lucky – whales, will swim along with you and your boat. Tania Friedrich negotiates shallow waters as she leaves Sheep Island during a kayak trip in and around Merchant’s Row near Stonington. The coast of Maine has close to 3,000 islands, though many are quite small. Fog rolls into the harbour of Stonington. It brings smooth waters, and the temptation to venture farther out.
As you peer into the water from your kayak, you can see lion’s mane jellyfish. Closer to shore, you’ll notice crabs and lobsters going about their daily business.
These sights happen not on your time, but on nature’s time; and a multi-day trip allows Mother Nature a chance to provide them.
The coast of Maine has close to 3,000 islands, though many are just outcroppings of rock, where waves come to die. They all offer spectacular scenery from the time they break the horizon until you skirt toward them with your kayak. Fewer than 10 per cent are inhabited. About 60 are government owned and offer day or overnight accommodations.
The springboard for multiday sea kayaking expeditions on the Maine coast is the lobster town of Stonington, on Deer Isle, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge. In this area, self-guided trips are the norm, not the exception.
From the main fishing dock in Stonington, you can see a half-dozen islands often visited by kayakers. These are part of Merchant’s Row, named after one of the first settlers in the area, Anthony Merchant. Many of these islands were quarried for their granite for a good part of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the quarries are still active.
Privately owned Buckle Island, less than 5 kilometres from Stonington, serves as a great first-night stay over. If anything has been forgotten, it’s an easy ride back to town. That’s because the trip to Buckle Island takes less than one hour to complete – including some scenic detours.
The six acre, privately held island has only one campsite, onepebblebeachandaviewof the Atlantic that is yours alone to admire. It’s available on a first come, first served basis to members of the Maine Island Trail Association.
For a small annual fee ($45 U.S.), MITA members gain access to 200 islands spanning the coast of Maine. The islands snake their way through protected bays, estuaries, exposed capes and bluffs. Like Buckle, most are uninhabited and most provide only a landing site for your kayak and a knoll of grass for your tent – and plenty of solitude.
The weather can be a game changer on multi-day excursions, but because you are so close to Stonington from any of the islands, you can abort a five-day trip and bring it back in less than a day.
Loading up your kayak for a multi-day outing on the ocean requires some forethought. You will find no dépanneurs on the islands, and in most cases there is no cellphone service to allow you to summon help if need be. Although you’re surrounded by water, fresh water is worth more than its weight in gold. It’s essential that you carry it with you, for hydration and meal preparation, as on these islands, fresh water is hard to come by.
So the kayaks must be loaded with food, fresh water, fuel, tents and foul-weather gear, all well balanced and stowed tightly within the dry bulkheads – except for the VHF marine radios, marine charts and GPS, which stay on the foredeck.
Ocean kayaking, even in protected waters like those surrounding Stonington, requires you to be prepared for changes in weather, and aware of some of the hazards you might face. The waves crashing over the bow and rolling up to your face will spark a survival instinct that you never thought existed. Your boat is low in the water and hard to see at the best of times. Choppy seas will make you invisible to oncoming boats. Winds make it hard for you to communicate with your buddies (you will need to use a lot of body language). Fog will always be your worst enemy. It brings smooth waters and the temptation to venture farther out, but it brings deception about where you are and what surrounds you, and makes you forget about the currents lurking below. GPS and proper marine charts (and knowing how to use them) become essential.
Communication with the outside world and, in many instance, with your travelling companions, will rely on VHF marine radios. Those radios will be essential in any emergencies.
Planning for three squares a day for an ocean-going kayak is often done months ahead of time. For Canadians, the best plan is to write down your meals in advance, and make sure the ingredients are available at the local store, because U.S. Customs authorities are not likely to let you cross the border with fresh produce, meats and dairy for a weeklong kayak trip. (For information on U.S. Customs rules, see https://help.cbp.gov/app/ answers/detail/a_id/82/~/ travelers-bringing-food-intothe-u.s.-for-personal-use.) Depending on what time of year you set out, you can partly refrigerate some of your food during your kayaking trip by keeping it close to the hull of the boat. Because the islands have a Leave No Trace policy, packaged foods (including cans) are a liability. You can usually make it back from a weeklong trip with less than half a kitchen garbage bag per person.
Eating fresh lobster on a deserted Maine island is one of summer’s most enjoyable experiences. But catching a lobster in Maine without a proper license is strictly forbidden. It is much wiser to paddle to the closest lobster pound – they are all over the coast – purchase the crustaceans, have them cooked and then paddle back to your island, where your companions have set up camp for you.
Stonington is one of the most active lobster fishing villages in Maine. Many kayakers see buying lobster from these boats as a way to meet some of the locals and land a few cheap lobsters. Too few realize that the fishermen are working on deadline and are in no mood to haggle over the price of a couple of twopounders. But most will be happy to share their stories after the boats are unloaded and moored for the night.
The Leave No Trace policy also applies to human waste on these mostly granite islands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has developed a kayak toilet. It costs about $20. blm.gov/or/ resources/recreation/ rogue/ portable-toiletskayak.php
In general, the ocean is much calmer in the early morning hours. So be prepared to be on the water at the time you usually get up at home. This means planning for breakfast, breaking down camp, loading up boats and going through the sail plan of the day.
You should also plan on being out of the water by early afternoon. This gives you a good buffer should any mishaps occur during the day.
The Maine coast offers journeys of great solitude on the ocean. As you set foot on islands and nestle your kayak in secluded bays, you are transported back centuries.
On your return paddle after a multi-day trip, you feel a sense apprehension as you return to civilization – and you’re happy that at least you are arriving at the village of Stonington, and not a big city.