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Jun 21, 2002: Sea Kayak to Eastern Egg Rock

Six Chowderheads met at Bradford Point in Friendship for a two-day sea kayak expedition to Eastern Egg Rock to visit the recently arrived puffins.  Paddling to a campsite on Black Island was the immediate goal.  The weather forecast for day two had deteriorated overnight with fog and strong onshore winds predicted.  The four mile paddle to Black Island with sunny skies and light winds was a delight.  Two remaining trip participants, outliers if you will, were met at the large Maine Coastal Heritage campsite on the north end of the island.  After a group discussion regarding concerns about the worsening second day weather forecast, a change of plans was made:  We would attempt to complete the nine mile roundtrip to Eastern Egg Rock during the afternoon.  Excellent conditions were encountered traversing south through the narrow channel between Harbor and Hall Islands and passing Franklin Island Light, the last island before a couple of miles of open water to Eastern Egg.  Light winds and gentle seas continued to Eastern Egg where we were greeted with scores of colorful puffins.  We also had the opportunity to exchange greetings with club member Olivia Ridley who was working on the island as a member of the Audubon staff.  After completing a circumnavigation of the rock in rolling swells, we returned to Black Island with a tailwind and an ingoing tide.  A sunny end of the day with a cool sea breeze made for a very pleasant evening camping on Black Island.  The following morning, we awoke to patchy fog and a strong onshore wind.  Three in the group decided to return to Friendship while the remaining Chowderheads outwaited the fog and paddled to a beach on Harbor Island to hike Cliff Trail.  The trek across the island led to spectacular cliffs with a panoramic view of Muscongus Bay on the west side.  Afterwards, the hiking contingent returned to the mainland assisted by a strong tailwind and a cooperative ingoing tide.  Jean Miller and Ken Gordon took some exceptional pictures of the wonderful little puffins.  Special thanks to Troad for organizing overnight parking even though she was unable to participate.

Participants:  Helen Hess, Rick Farnsworth, Adam Chase, Brent Elwell, Deb Harris, Jean Miller, Ken Gordon, and TC

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Oct 10, 2021: Porcupine Islands

Unpredictable winds and logistical issues made my first choice, a traverse from Seal Harbor to Bar Harbor, problematic.  So we opted for a circumnavigation of the Porcupine Islands.  It was good decision.  We launched at Bridge Street boat landing in Bar Harbor shortly after low tide and began our voyage on the north side of the islands with modest winds from the north.  The views were phenomenal in all directions.  An absence of cruise ships was not a disappointment.  After lunch on Burnt Porcupine, we navigated through the narrow channel between East Porcupine and The Hop before starting our return on the outer side of the island chain.  For the remainder of the excursion, we enjoyed continuous views of the mountains of Acadia National Park.  A changing wind from the southeast caused a little turbulence between Long and Sheep Porcupines; otherwise it was a calm yet exceptionally stimulating day of paddling.  I made it back to our very rustic motel room in time to watch the Red Sox win a playoff game.  In short, it was a great day.

Participants:  Ken Gordon, Eggman DeCoster and TC

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Aug 10, 2021: Damariscove Island

Damariscove Island is one of the most unique kayak destinations on the Maine coast.  Visiting the historic island requires about 10 miles of paddling with little opportunity to land and negotiating a sometimes treacherous cluster of ledges called The Motions.  So I waited for a good forecast to announce the trip.  Due to early morning fog, we started late but the forecast held with light winds and partly sunny skies throughout.  The Motions were unusually friendly and we had a remarkably successful outing.  For the rest of the story, follow this link to a Bangor Daily News article about the trip:  https://bangordailynews.com/2021/09/12/act-out/damariscove-island-is-a-remarkable-kayak-destination/

Participants:  Ellen Nelson, Mark Nelson, Dave Boyle, Brent Elwell, and TC

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Jun 24, 2021: Eastern Egg Rock

The need for a quality forecast makes planning a sea kayak trip to distant Eastern Egg Rock a challenge.  That was especially true this year as strong winds and high seas (due at least in part to Tropical Storm Bill) resulted in four postponements.  We finally got a good wind and weather forecast but 2 to 4 foot seas were predicted.  It seemed like every aspect of the trip was formidable.  Round Pond Landing was crowded and chaotic.  I estimate the seas were in the 4 to 5 foot range approaching Western Egg Rock where we initially thought we’d had a close shark encounter.  Turns out it was probably a sunfish.  It was unsafe to land on Western Egg, a first for me.  That meant remaining in our boats for an extended time.  We decided on a short visit with the puffins with a stop at western on our return.  The seas were still big leaving Western but mellowed as we neared Eastern Egg Rock.  Usually, most of the puffins are located on the west side of the rock but only a few were present this year.   Since a tour boat was circumnavigating the island, we reluctantly decided to extend our trip and do the same.  Our efforts were rewarded as scores of the delightful seabirds were swimming and feeding in large swells on the south side.  Numerous more sightings were made as we continued around the rock.  Hurrying back to Western Egg, it was still unsafe to land.  After about 5 hours in our boats, we found relief at Noyes Preserve on the southern end of Loud’s Island.  Whitecaps were building when we finally returned to Round Pond Harbor.  Despite a multitude of obstacles, we had another successful puffin endeavor.

Participants:  Ellen Nelson, Mark Nelson, Jean Miller, Randy Berube, Laurie Wunder, Tom Meredith, and TC

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July 21, 2020: Damariscove Island

A paddle to Damariscove Island is one of my favorite sea kayak trips on the Maine coast.  From Ocean Point in East Boothbay, the distance to the picturesque sheltered harbor at the far southern end of the almost barren atoll is about five miles.  Damariscove has a rich history which is particularly appealing for me.  Entering and exiting the distant harbor can often be precarious so I’m careful to select a day with light winds and gentle seas.   Identifying a Goldilock’s forecast; I posted a club trip with very short notice.  Fortunately for me, Cath Kimball signed on.  When we met at Ocean Point, it was sunny, warm, and winds were light.  After paddling across Fisherman Island Passage, we proceeded southerly along the west side of Ram Island Lighthouse and elongated Fisherman Island.  Traversing a channel to the northern terminus of Damariscove, the waters were remarkably calm.  Approaching the southwestern end, I expected to see waves breaking over the treacherous shoals that populate the area.  Nothing but benign two foot swells on this exceptional day.  A lobster boat was loading traps when we entered the otherwise quiet harbor.  As usual avoiding poison ivy was an obstacle on a hiking trail that leads to the rockbound scenic eastern shore where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch.  The conditions were exceptionally placid departing around the southeastern tip of the island and an incoming tide helped propel us rapidly north along the eastern shore.  Views of Outer Heron and the White Islands farther east were outstanding while kayaking along Fisherman Island to the beach on Ocean Point.  Arriving at high tide, the carry to our vehicles was a short one.  Neither of us could recall a more tranquil Damariscove trip.

Participants:  Cath Kimball and TC