A Sighting of Ctenophora

At least four little creatures are in this picture

   We were on the south side of Long Porcupine island, headed back to Bar Harbor, when I noticed something iridescent in the water, then something else and another!   Dozens of quarter-sized striped balls with two long tentacles.
   A little ways on, there were more, and then a few of these larger creatures:

 

   We watched and photographed. Through the rest of the trip, we occasionally stopped and searched for more.  There were none close to Bar Harbor, or Bar Island, but most other places we saw them.

  My Mac's Field Guide to Northeast Coastal Invertebrates identified the larger creatures as Northern Comb Jellies and the superball-sized ones as Sea Gooseberries.  Some more research at home would provide some interesting tidbits.

Both Northern Comb Jellies and Sea Gooseberries are Ctenophora.  (Americans get to use CB language to pronounce Ctenophora, "10-o 4-a little rainbow buddy,"  but everyone else has to append a "ka" on the front.) Ctenophora are a separate phylum from jellyfish, (which are cnidarians).  Both ctenophora and cnidarians are simple brainless creatures.  Both are a mass of jelly with cell layers outside and lining the body cavity.  In the ctenophora those layers are two cells thick (versus one for the jellyfish.)

An underwater shot

Ctenophora get their name from their combs (or ctenes.)  These combs are made up of rows of fused cilia, whose movement propels the little creatures.  It is also the movement of cilia which causes their iridescence.

This is blurry but is shows a few flashes of green and blue

Those two strings hanging out from the Sea Gooseberry are not stingers.  Jellyfish may have stingers, but ctenophora do not.  The strings are made up of sticky cells, used to capture prey and drag it to their mouths.  (One end of the body is a mouth, the other an anus.)

These little creatures look harmless, but Ctenophora are voracious carnivores; consuming zooplankton, fish eggs and pretty much anything else they can stuff inside themselves.  They can eat ten times their body weight every day.

One species of ctenophora, the sea walnut or Mnemiopsis, is an invasive species in the Black Sea, destroying the fishing industry there.

Blooms of ctenophora, like jellyfish blooms, can be a sign of an ecosystem out of whack, or they might just indicate favorable conditions for breeding.  Ctenophora reproduce year 'round.

There are about 150 known species of ctenophora, found from arctic to tropic waters.  Many are bioluminescent.

So, those were our new species sighting of the day!  If you'd like to learn more, check out:
 Wikipedia: Centaphora   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctenophora
Centophores - some notes from an expert - http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Ctenophores.html
Smithsonian Jelly Fish and Comb Jellies  - http://ocean.si.edu/jellyfish-and-comb-jellies

Mark is moving on...

Scenes from the Porcupines - Mount Desert Island

Out by Burnt Porcupine and Rum Key looking across Frenchman's bay

Sunday was just another glorious day in Maine.  Lots of sun, just enough wind.  A bright and early start on one of our favorite trips.

    We were greeted by a black backed gull and a porpoise at buoy 7.  We'd see another pod of porpoise out beyond Long Porcupine.

   The cliffs, as always were amazing.

Lots of guillemots on the water, once again, most came out in pictures as blurry black dots.  We took a break on the tombolo between Long Porcupine and the Hop.

Out at the Hop lots of new sea bricks had been deposited on shore.  Bricks (or stones) were a necessity to sink wooden lobster traps, at least until the laths became soaked.  With metal traps, bricks help keep the trap in place, and help it to sink right side up.  These bricks have escaped from traps and tumbled across the ocean floor before being tossed up on shore.  (Many traps now use concrete bars instead - somewhat less attractive.)

Lots of others out on Frenchman's Bay.  We came upon the Margaret Todd by Rum Key.  I just love this four masted schooner, so I had a hard time choosing between this shot of the ship on Frenchmen's Bay.

This one, sailing by Sheep Porcupine with Cadillac Mountain in the background.

Or this with Mark positioned between them.

At any rate, there are few places as magnificent for paddling.

Summary Information: Launch Bar at the end of Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. No parking at launch: parking is available on West Street and side streets. No facilities: the information booth on Thompson Island is one options as are public toilets at the town dock.
High about 5:30 AM  Launch 9AM Finish Noon.  8 miles

Porcupine Islands Again

Basics: Launch Bar at the end of Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. No parking: parking is available on West Street and side streets. No facilities: the information booth on Thompson Island has toilets, as does the town dock.  High 8.22AM Launch 9:00AM Finish 1:30 PM, 12 miles.

The Porcupines again?  Why not, not only are the Porcupines only an hour away, but I think the Porcupine Islands are one of the best sea kayak trips Maine has to offer.  They have dramatic cliffs, water which feels like open ocean instead of a pond, salt air smell and most important, a backdrop of mountains, lobster boats and sailboats.  And, as is probably no coincidence, Bar Harbor offers many guided kayak tours out to the Porcupines.  Most of the group trips won’t make it out as far as Long Porcupine, much less Ironbound, but there are plenty of great sites on the inner islands as well.

We arrived at 8:30AM, just after high tide.  We headed down Bridge Street, which leads to the bar which gives Bar Harbor its name, a sand and gravel bar between Mount Desert Island and Bar Island.  A new lime green sign cautioned us that parking is not allowed on the bar.  Any temptation to park on the bar was negligible at that hour, as Bridge Street dead ended right into Frenchman’s Bay, with barely room to turn a car around.  We offloaded our kayaks and lined them up tightly against a stone wall.  Then Mark headed off to find one of the few street parking spaces left.  (Morning whale watches leave at 8:30 so the streets fill quickly.) 

Backing down, as Mark drove up, was a trailer full of tandems headed out on tour.

The bar at high, this couple awaits their tour, Mark's boat peaks out by their feet.

Much of the area between Bar Island and Mount Desert Island (MDI- the island with Bar Harbor and other towns on it) drains out by low tide, we took advantage of the high tide to cross over that land, passing by a different set of tandems, this nicely grouped set one which had probably launched from the Town Docks. 

Guillemots were in abundance near the cliffs, the spring weather must have been favorable for them; good for those who enjoy watching dangling red feet taking flight, and bad news for their prey.

Guillemots on rocks

Wind and swells were slight.  The Porcupines are lovely on still days, since we can explore the inlets and keys.  They are impressive in swell, since we can watch waves crash against the high cliffs.

Interesting fracturing on one of the Porcupines

We stopped at the Hop to free what must have been a suicidal attack periwinkle from Mark’s skeg box.  The tombolo between Long Porcupine and the Hop was completely underwater, and the beach pretty small. 

Clear paddling between Long Porcupine and the Hop

We wandered the beach, gathering some drifted trash and taking a few close-ups.  

Water moves over the tombolo

Then it was off to Ironbound.  A few of the inlets seemed tame enough to peek into.  A few cautions to consider should you consider doing the same:  think ahead of time about rescue options should anything go wrong; having a throw rope ready might be a good idea.  Watch the opening through the duration of a few swells to see the pattern inside.  Keep someone outside to watch for passing boats (and their wake) or a change in the wave pattern.  I’ve heard that you should back into caves, since it allows you to keep a good watch on incoming swells, keeps you cautious and makes it easier to get out. 

I never know which, if any, caves will be accessible, some are better at higher tides, others at lower, and they all depend on the direction and amount of sea swell, as well as what other boats are in the area.   A fishing boat filled with a family casting lines puttering surprisingly near the ledge meant one stretch was unavailable.

At the base of a cliff on Long Porcupine

On the way back we stopped at Rum Key for a snack (having promised ourselves Geddy’s Pizza for lunch.)  No surprise, before we left another kayak tour landed for their break. You can see them there in the top photo.  And what a beautiful place for a snack!  
At the channel between Burnt and Sheep Porcupine several harbor porpoise were feeding.  A few surfaced right beside Mark, but were gone by the time a camera was out.

It's easier to get photos of seagulls than porpoises

Coming back to the Bar, especially now that it was fully exposed, was an exercise in contrasts.  We’d been by ourselves at the Hop, seen no other kayaks beyond Rum Key, but on shore we were in the midst of explorers speaking a polyglot of languages.   I think it’s wonderful to see so many people outside enjoying nature, looking at the sea shells, observing the sea gulls, strolling Bar Islands beaches and trails.  Another kayak tour was launching, this one, filled with young children, bounced along like ping pongs, with one tandem continually grounding near the bar.  Strangers passing by took pity on the wanderer, wading into the chilly waters push it to deeper water. 

Cars were parked three rows deep at the end of Bridge Street, parked in what they apparently defined as “not the bar”, though it would be underwater at high.  Threading our SUV down Bridge Street, through the cars, walkers, dogs, motorcycles and bikes was a challenge, and making our way downtown along the narrow streets through the construction area was equally entertaining. (And this on a day without a large cruise ship in the harbor.)  But Geddy's pizza was worth it.
Bar Harbor is justly famous for its amazing vistas and access to nature. Though we spotted several groups, that was over a couple hours and several miles, each group was visually by itself.  These paddlers were lucky to see those incredible islands up close, to watch the guillemots fly from sea to high on the cliffs, to note the eagles soaring above, to spot seals and porpoises, to smell the salt air and paddle through seas of lobster buoys.

Porcupine Islands – Always amazing!

Basics: Launch Bar at the end of Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. No parking: parking is available on West Street and side streets. No facilities: the information booth on Thompson Island is open through another week or so; public toilets are also available at the town dock, seasonably.
High 6:55AM Launch 9:30AM Finish 12:30AM. Prior visit

It was cold this Sunday, just about 50 degrees when we arrived at the end of Bridge Street.
The bar between Bridge Street(left) and Bar Island(right) was still underwater 2.5 hours after high, high tide is marked by the line of seaweed. The ocean is still fairly warm. We packed additional dry clothes, but have not shifted to wetsuits yet (though as Paddle Plump members we retain year round internal wetsuits.) With a pfd on, I didn’t even need a coat, just gloves.
Gracing the water were two huge cruise ships; a big blue ship, the Maasdam and the even bigger Explorer of the Sea. These ships absolutely dominate the water, appearing as big as an island. Foliage season is a popular time to visit Bar Harbor, and cruise ships allow extra visitors without requiring hotels be built. But cruise ships mean tenders; the Maasdam had its own tenders, the Explorer of the Seas was using several large whale watch boats (appearing above as tiny craft.) While Mark parked the car, I checked out the harbor and saw one set of tenders was traveling between Bar and Sheep Porcupine, not normally a busy channel.

Thousands of people made the town jammed, thrilling the shopkeepers. Fortunately Acadia National Park has many different areas to explore. Particularly a short distance from the roads, anyone could find their own space. As paddlers, in no time we’d be on our own private beach, enjoying the glorious day.

We went across to Bar Island, and crept around Bar on the south side until the Explorer came into view. Making sure no tenders were headed in or out, we crossed to Sheep and began seeing some wonderful wave action.

These were just one – two foot swells, not very big at all. Swells are rolling waves, a gentle lift up or down. They usually break only in shallow water, thus seeing breakers off shore often indicates ledge. But when the swells hit the islands, the water exploded up, then poured off the rocks.
We paddled quickly from Sheep Porcupine to Burnt Porcupine, a major boating channel, and from Burnt Porcupine across to Long Porcupine. Along the west shore a lobster boat was setting traps. Lobster boats don’t often work Sundays; but they were out in force. The lobster boat below has a seagull trailing it, hoping for more cast off bait. It’s got a representative buoy posted; orange with a white stripe, so we can guess where it’s headed. Lobster boats come close to shore, and often the crew is focused more on chores than looking ahead, so look out for them, and stay out of their way.
On the corner of Long Porcupine were found a blow hole, performing just like Thunder Hole. And along the South shore cliffs spray sometime went 40 feet in the air!


Obviously we stayed well back from the cliffs and from any confused water echoing off the rocks. In this shot it looks like Mark could reach out and touch the cliffs, he’s actually 20-30 feet away.
The Hop is a tiny island at the end of Long Porcupine which allows public access. As we paddled around it, we spotted an eagle high in the tree. We landed and enjoyed sitting in the sun, though as is often the case, now that we weren’t exercising, we were a little cold. I love beach shots: this shot shows a couple of rounded red rocks. Those are sea bricks, originally used by lobstermen to weight their traps, now rounding in the waves. There are mussel shells. There is a small area of mussels on the Hop, nothing like Bartlett Island though. There are many dark rocks, reflecting the dominate cliff coloring. And there’s a sea urchin.
Usually I don’t see many sea urchins on the Hop. This time there were several collections.

Our boats arch-enemy: barnacles. Each live barnacle has a tiny crab like creature living in it, sticking out feeders to eat. The hollow ones are dead, but still surprising sharp. Mark practices some strokes while waiting for a lobster boat to go through the channel.

Then crosses
By Bald Porcupine we saw a guided kayak tour headed out, one guide two tandems. They'd picked a great day! Along the shallow water behind Bar Island I looked for seastars without luck. Meanwhile this Herring Gull on the shore had a big catch. So I looked harder, and eventually saw a few. We made good time on the trip, helped by an outgoing current. The current was still flowing out as we headed back, check lines about this buoy.
But I figure it was just two hours paddling, the rest on the beach or watching swells smash into the cliffs. The salt air, the cooling breeze, the incredible scenery, the darling urchins (did you notice the tiny heart on one?) It all just went by so quickly.

It was nearly low when we returned and the bar was far busier. We didn’t visit town this trip, but we’ll be back again for pizza at Geddy’s and to see the season end bargains.

Bartlett Island Maine – Decorating with Mussels

Basics: Ramp off Bartlett Island Road on Mount Desert Island. Parking limited, Portapottie. High 6AM, launch 10:30AM, finish 1:30PM 9.5 miles.

How crowded is Mount Desert Island? How popular is this area? Well, even before we arrived at the ramp there was a warning sign: “Caution dead end road, no turn around.” There is never much parking at the ramp, which is used by commercial fishermen, and may someday be offlimits to non residents (check the signs.)
As an alternative, if the area is jammed, a similar paddle can be had out of Seal Cove, just a few miles up route 102, and with much less stressful parking. Circumnavigation of Barlett may not be practical from there, but you can paddle by Hardwood and Moose, landing at Pretty Marsh, John, Folly or Bartlett Island.
But September is not as busy as August, so we thought we'd attempt it. We don't try paddles like this in the spring, which is when seals are pupping. Kayaks terrify harbor seals on ledges (in the water seals seem curious about kayaks.) Often seals are scared off ledges even before we are even close enough to see there are seals on ledges. If that happens in June, adult seals will abandon their babies, meaning sometimes a pup misses a feeding. Since pups only get fourteen nursings, missing just one feeding can be a problem. So we avoid any locations with seal ledges in the spring.
Bartlett Island is owned by the Rockefeller family, and the interior appears to be a delightful collection of homes, fields and forests. I imagine that half the houses on Bartlett belong to Rockerfellers and the other half are reserved for a skilled set grounds men and housekeepers. In this photo two trucks are pulling away after a boat pulled up at the dock, a red truck and a black truck.
Bartlett’s owners very kindly allow visitors to land on the shoreline. There are dozens of private beaches available.
We went around the island counterclockwise. On the east side are the narrows which can generate a significant current. Interestingly, we must have caught a back eddy, for though the tide was going out, the water was moving north. At the northern tip is this small island, the Hub, a Maine owned island. It is supposed to be a seal hang out, but we’ve never seen seals there.
MITA (Maine Island Trail) warns to avoid this area in the spring, and we do.
We stopped on a quiet beach halfway along the west side, with a friendly sign at its edge.

The tops of the beaches are littered with piles of storm strewn mussels. Since mussels keep their bold blue color, unlike many shells, they make a striking accent. A few more shots and the camera warned us that its battery was about to fail.

We decided to save the last few shots in case a seal or porpoise appeared.
After that we continued paddling south into the wind. Not a stiff wind, but continuous, with waves from the side, meaning there were a lot of side sweeps. As my hands grew tired, I needed to remind myself “Push, push”, reminding myself to propel my kayak by pushing the top part of my paddle forward with an open hand rather than by pulling the bottom side back through the water. Flexing my hand with each stroke keeps me from gripping the paddle too tightly.
In due time we made it to the south end, passing another pair of kayakers sitting on their “own” beach.
Then it was north again, weaving by two other MITA islands, Folly and John. Since no large sea life had presented itself, we took a few more shots of the area.
At the launch another kayak was heading out, and once again every parking space was filled.