Castine Maine - We do have a plan

Basics: 8 miles launch 8:30AM, finish 12:30. High 6:30AM. Launching from town ramp beside dock, parking limited, moved car to a side road. Flush toilets.

Our goal: to see if Hurricane Earl was kicking up waves. Castine Harbor is protected area, but we could paddle out to beyond Holbrook Island and see if there were waves. If they were high, we could duck back into the back coves. And if a strong wind from the south picked up, we would be blown back to the dock.
As usual, we left early, arriving at the dock at 8. A boat was being pulled in, and an empty trailer positioned to use the ramp next. On the dock several parking spaces were available, and a man was wandering about the parking lot noting the license plates. In the fall, when Maine Maritime Academy(MMA) is in session and tourist season is still in effect, the three hour limit is strictly enforced.
Since I was hoping not to rush the trip, we readied our kayaks then moved the car to a side street. In the meantime yet another boat was pulled off the water and another trailer lined up ready to use the ramp. The boats being taken off were the smaller boats; zodiacs and peapods. Fortunately the current ramp user was kind enough to allow us to squeeze by.
Out in the harbor many MMA boats were in motion; three piloted motor boats practicing docking and backing; two row boats filled with new rowers, another motor boat delivering students out to the sailboat rack. But other than the MMA boats, the harbor was quiet. So we crossed right from the town dock out by the MMA sailboat rack, which was anchored in front of Great Island, avoiding the MMA traffic.
The tiny islands on the south side of the harbor are a part of Castine, though at lower tides they connect to Brooksville. Two hours after high, this was the bar behind Hospital Island, we could pass further out where there was water but the other bars totally above water.
On the other hand, the bar between Whites Hd and Nautilus is generally passable and we paddled easily over it. Out to Ram Island which had some campers. And the ledge beyond it which had some cormorants.
Tom Cod Cove, a frequent overnight location for sailboats was mostly empty. We popped into see Goose Falls. Those are reversing falls, at two and a half hours after high we couldn’t get into Goose Pond. But the passage still seemed to be open. There was remediation planned for the old Callahan mine site, but I didn’t see anything in process.
Around Holbrook. Holbrook Island is part of a state park, available for day use, no camping or fires. Buildings on Holbrook are often used for educational programs. On the west side was a bit of wind, but only slight waves. We were too early to see Hurricane Earl, but that wouldn’t stop us from enjoying the day. We stopped at a cobble beach on the far side, enjoyed a pleasant break.
Then on, enjoying the underwater scenery, urchins and starfish; as well as a distant view to Dyce's Head Lighthouse.

Around Ram again, spotted a crew digging for something. Sometimes huge starfish are in the shallows behind Ram, though we didn’t see any. Back around Nautilus where we caught a glimpse of the new residents who’d come to the west point to look for waves.
This is a ledge near Hosmer, claimed by a great black backed gull and a laughing gull.

We crossed at day marker on Hosmer Ledge to the State of Maine, an MMA ship taken on cruises by the students.
Joining us in entering the harbor was a large yacht, which was headed to Smith Cove to join many other boats in that safe harbor.
On the way we saw first one seal, then a second which popped up very close to us. Seals are tricky creatures, they stay up until the camera is pointed at them, then they duck under. But this seal was so close. I took a few shots quickly. In the first is a mere dark dot, in the second a dark dot on a lump of seaweed. Oh well.
As we came in, Karen Franceour, owner of Castine Kayak and a tireless supporter of kayak safety was heading out in her Vaag make sure her kayaks were tightly tied down. Since she had a different seat back than me, and invited me to try it. So over we went to her floats, where I tried her boat and Mark played with the ropes while we caught up on stories. Karen runs kayaks tours in Castine and around the world. This summer she had many kayaking camping trips. Her next trip was a leading a tour around Campobello Island to look for whales. It sounded amazing!
An hour later we were beck at Castine’s dock, now a maze of cars trying for spaces.
In the evening we drove up to Bangor thinking we might see other boats seeking refuge. At Hamlin Marine in Hampden all the boats had been pulled in. Perhaps one boat had come into Bangor harbor.

Castine - Best Laid Plans

Basics: Parked at the town dock. Parking is available early in the morning, but only for three hours. Longer parking is available on some side streets and in a lot, for which directions are given at the site. Flush toilets. High 10:15 AM, launch 9, finish 11:45 9.75 miles.
It was the second Monday in a row we’d planned to paddle in Castine. Last Monday predictions of high winds and rain scared us off, this Monday was basically the same forecast. High winds, gray skies, some showers, but not consistent rain. Since last Monday the forecast was more ominous than reality we decided to risk a visit. We arrived before nine; Castine was tearing up several streets and also welcoming the Maine Maritime Class of 2014, many of whom were practicing marching through the town. Surprisingly parking was available.
Because winds were from the north, we decided to forgo our favorite area, out by Holbrook Island and instead paddle up the Bagaduce River. The Bagaduce has some narrow sections. Water does not compress, at narrow points it speeds up. We did not expect those would be a challenge, given the tide cycle, and they weren’t. But if you’re planning a trip along the Bagaduce, (which some claim means “tricky currents” in the native tongue) you should be wary of the narrows and current.
The wind on the river was less than 10 mph so we made good time paddling between the boats in the harbor, delighted by the gulls and cormorants which claimed mooring balls.

Assorted guillemots also swam about. It was surprising to see them so close to shore and far from cliffs.
In town the houses were jammed together, many shore houses are converted from former fishing shacks. By Hatch Cove we saw our first seal swimming along the surface, daring us to pull out the camera.
Just north of Hatch Cove is a fine estate on the land where Baron Castin, for whom the town is named, once lived. The huge white house stretches on, and looks like it could easily have accommodated Baron Castin and his four native wives, though they lived in a simple wood and daub house.

We went up past the Negro Islands, Lower Negro is owned by the conservation trust of Brooksville, Castine and Penobscot. It is a MITA island allowing access. Upper Negro is privately owned and allows no access. The Negro’s are thought to have derived their name because they were used as way stations on the underground railroad. Fishing ships sailing from Castine delivered cod to the plantations in the south and frequently picked up stowaways headed north. From Castine the slaves would travel to Brewer and on north to Quebec. Lower Negro has seen no inhabitation in over 100 years. Upper Negro has at least two small cottages on it, whose residents often decorate the beaches with stone designs.
The Brooksville side tended toward more wild landscape. The Castine side had many huge estates, plainly this is where the resident who wanted land settled. Overall our journey was quite pretty, the gray skies meant the sea water was green, still quite clear.

Grindle’s Eddy is filled with moored boats. The water in the narrows beyond Grindle’s Eddy was moving swiftly, but looked to be under three knots, so we continued, riding the currents and watching as eddies bubbled up around us.
We paddled around the lobster shaped Young’s Island.

The rocks by the island were filled with cormorants, also terns, laughing gulls, herring gulls and ring bill gulls.


Then it was time to make our way back. We were always conscious of the time passing, not wanting to exceed our allotted three hours. It was a pleasant trip, but the real joy of the Bagaduce is in the current, especially at the narrows. We should have parked elsewhere so we could have spent more time in North Bay, perhaps visiting Battle Island, another MITA island, while we let the downstream current build for a wonderful cruise downstream.
No report on Castine is complete without a link to Castine Kayak, which offers many kayaking adventures always timed perfectly.