A sea kayaking trip to Muscongus Bay provides scenic views in a pristine environment.
As we paddled southeasterly from our previous night’s campsite on Crane Island, the partially barren Franklin Island, with its distinctive lighthouse, was the only land that was clearly visible. In the distance beyond Franklin was the hazy outline of Monhegan Island, which was about seven miles further out in the Gulf of Maine.
We were sea kayaking on the outer edge of Muscongus Bay, and these two islands represented the only land between us and the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. We were left with a keen sense of our relative insignificance.
This was the second day of a three-day kayak trip in the Muscongus Bay area, which is in the mid-coast region east of Pemaquid Point. When we approached Franklin Island, I was impressed with its lonely and desolate character, yet stark beauty. We spent the previous night viewing this small, but commanding granite-walled island from our campsite a short mile away.
Now, we had a close-up view. As we bobbed in the gentle swells next to the rocky shore, we observed that the island was essentially a large rock pile with a modest amount of under-sized vegetation. Now unmanned, the old lighthouse appeared to be an integral, almost natural part of the terrain.
There were three of us – Ken Gordon of Auburn, Don Skolfield of Etna and myself. We are longtime friends who have shared numerous outdoor adventures during the last 20 years. Ken organized the trip, which had a twofold benefit – he is familiar with the Muscongus Bay area and also has the most sea kayaking experience.
Be prepared
Organizing a sea kayaking trip is a logistical challenge. Responsibility for food, water and gear must be properly planned and rationed. That is accomplished by having one person take charge and then assigning each participant specific responsibilities. It is also necessary to determine the weather forecast, how the tides are running and where campsites might be available.
Planning for most of the gear is similar to that of a canoe or backpacking trip. Tents, sleeping bags and clothing that are appropriate for the anticipated weather conditions are essential. So are a stove, fuel and a cook set. However, there are some considerations that are unique to sea kayaking. Most of the small coastal islands lack freshwater, and it is necessary to carry sufficient quantities, which Ken estimates to be about 1 gallon per person per day. We also took spare paddles, rescue equipment, flares, strobe lights, maritime charts, GPS, weather radio, cell phone and deck compasses. The deck compasses and GPS are particularly important when paddling in the fog, which is not an uncommon occurrence in Maine coastal waters.
Finding campsites can also be problematic. Many of the coastal islands are privately owned and camping is often prohibited. The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) has arranged access for its members to more than 100 campsites along the 325-mile Maine Island Trail, which extends from Casco Bay to Machias Bay. You can learn more about MITA on its Web site at www.mita.org. MITA also publishes a guidebook that provides information on campsites and coastal paddling routes.
An expedition-sized sea kayak is not normally necessary for a three-day trip. However, it must be large enough to carry the necessary gear and be sufficiently sea worthy. Most touring kayaks meet those standards. My companions had medium sized wooden touring kayaks that they had built themselves. If it can’t be built with two by fours, I can’t build it. So, I paddled a fiberglass Cadence LP, which is a somewhat larger touring kayak. Although not essential, I find a rudder to be very helpful, especially with following seas.
There are several boat landings in the Muscongus Bay area. We launched at the Medomak Town Landing. It can be reached by traveling north on Route 1 to Route 32 in Waldoboro. Drive south on Route 32 for about eight miles into the Town of Bremen and then take a left turn on the Medomak Road. It is a couple of miles to the landing on the left, where there is a fairly large parking area.
Setting out
On our first day, we had a modest wind blowing out of the northwest as we paddled south through Hockomock Channel, past Hog Island to our west and Cow Island to our east and out into Muscongus Bay.
The tailwind created moderately choppy seas as we passed the southern tip of the Friendship peninsula and Cranberry Island to our east. After about a six-mile paddle, we reached the northern end of Harbor Island. Even at low tide, we were able to negotiate our way through the narrow channel between Hall and Harbor Islands, and then traveled still further south to the southern tip of Crane Island. There we found an excellent campsite that provided continuous views of Franklin Island and the outer bay area and had sufficient exposure so that ocean breezes kept the mosquitoes away. That night, we had a full moon and clear skies that allowed for continued enjoyment of the views of the outer bay.
On our second day, after leaving Franklin Island, we paddled almost due east across Old Hump Channel to the southern tip of Allen Island. Allen is the last island to be passed on the traditional mail boat route from Port Clyde to Monhegan Island. Mild swells crashed into the ragged shore of Allen Island as we traveled north between it and Burnt Island heading generally towards Port Clyde. After lunch on the north end of Burnt, we paddled northwesterly, weaving circuitously through an archipelago called Georges Islands until we reached the boulder strewn shore of tiny Eagle Island.
We then experienced the roughest conditions of our trip, as we paddled west from Eagle into southwesterly winds and challenging seas for about three miles to a MITA campsite on the northeast shore of Black Island. There are two MITA campsites on Black, which is a short distance from the southeast tip of Cranberry Island. Black Island is a popular destination for kayakers, so we considered ourselves fortunate to find a vacant site late in the day. After our demanding crossing, we were more than ready for rest and recuperation.
On the final day, we finished our journey by riding the incoming tide north through Muscongus Bay and into Flying Passage, which is between Bremen Long Island and Hungry Island. We stopped and inspected the new MITA campsites on Hungry Island. We concluded that these sites are perfectly located for someone seeking a somewhat more moderate sea kayaking experience, as they are only a couple of miles from several boat landings. From there, it is only a short paddle around the northern tip of Bremen Long Island and then south to the Medomak Town Landing.
We paddled about 30 miles during our trip. We explored off-shore islands, had exposed crossings and enjoyed excellent campsites. Most of the time, we had relatively calm waters, but we also experienced some fairly demanding conditions. The Bay area provided scenic views in a fairly benign and protected coastal environment.
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