Stonington Maine - Two Wonderful

OK, BaffinPaddler has posted her Stonington photos, Each and Everyone has posted his photos. I think it’s pretty clear who is keeping their blogs current and who is concentrating on finishing the frozen tiramisu before a hurricane-induced power outage ruins it.

Two bloggers head out

Anyway, what can we say, Stonington, is an amazing place, BaffinPaddler is an amazing Greenland style paddler. It was just so much fun to be entertained by her and her companion on Tuesday, that we asked if we could come back and do it all again on Friday.

Our Tuesday outing was a remarkably clear day, and we ventured out through the maze of islands to Gooseberry.  This was similar to a trip we'd done last year.  But this year we had an unscheduled convergence with the Each and Everyone blogger and his sparkling blue Capella.

Each and Everyone Blogger arrives at Gooseberry

Friday was unfortunately shorter, but no less enjoyable.  We visited the harbor, and inner islands, discovering a perfect little beach we'd never noticed before.

A few stories; BaffinPaddler asked me for suggestions of where to paddle in Maine. I suggested Stonington, specifically Old Quarry Ocean Adventures. Old Quarry has a beautiful location on Webb Cove.

A view from Old Quarry

Also on Webb Cove is an active lobster facility, which sent over a dozen boats by her tent early in the morning. To be fair, almost all of coastal Maine has that same issue. But never-the-less she was always in a good mood, energetic, ready to head out to paddle and do yoga.

Baffinpaddler was just back from a Paddle to Yoga tour she’d led in the Thousand Islands, and eager for similar adventures on the ocean. She’d also spent a lot of time paddling in the Georgian Bay, off Lake Huron, which in her understated way she mentioned was the “size of a lake.” The size of a great lake, about as big as Massachusetts. She had a healthy respect for the cold Atlantic waters and their mercurial nature.

She made the Georgian Bay area sound very appealing, with its deep clear waters. However as we approached an island, she asked if there were bears there, because on the Georgian Bay apparently bears thrive on the islands. Believe me, I would not be nearly as enthusiastic about Stonington if the islands had bears. And I noted the importance of her recommendation about using a good outfitter with local knowledge on the Georgian Bay waters.



Maelstroms react to the notion of bears on islands



Paddling with two bloggers and four photographers meant a lot of breaks, and some great entertainment while on land as we checked out each other’s artistic visions. We all took photos of a toadstool and a skull. Hopefully Baffinpaddler was happy with her shots, in ours the focus was never right, instead we’ll substitute this picture of the same skull (a groundhog??) on a rock.

We saw many lobster boats and were often surprised at how close to shore they went.  As Baffinpaddler noted, "There is no place where they do not go."  Lobster boats are cautious in the Stonington area, but kayaks are low and not always visible to them.

I am impressed with her yoga visions and projects. We do need to work yoga into our daily lives. Flexibility is key to enjoyable kayaking.

Baffinpaddler prepares herself for yoga on a perch

 

The picture above was taken on Russ Island.  Back when Mark and I made regular runs to clean the island, we always landed on a broad shell beach there.   Here we are on a run in 2007. 

 At first I thought it washed away over the years, but now as I check the rocks and angles, I suspect it is just a tide issue.  We generally would have aimed for a low tide cleaning, that's probably why I think of Russ as having an expansive beach there.

 Fortunately one my favorite sights, the round rock boulder field of Gooseberry, is there at all tides.

The boulder field of Gooseberry

Stonington carries many scars from granite quarrying, where island shores are replaced with granite tailings. Being there always makes me a bit negative toward using granite in kitchens. It's one thing to scar the land for timeless memorials, another for a room which will be redecorated in a few years.

This boulder on Green Island shows how slabs are cut

We’d managed to encourage Baffinpaddler to visit on a week with two high wind days and an impending hurricane! Pretty impressive timing. I hope they can forgive us and come back some day to do other great areas, like Castine and Camden.

A few more photos from our adventures:

A schooner near Wreck

Looking from Gooseberry out to Isle au Haut





An inuksuk

Just a pretty plant

Waiting for a schooner to clear the thorofare

And now, the server battery has only a few minutes left, so I guess I'll post this and make corrections later.

Stonington Maine

High 8, launch 10, return 1:30, 9 miles

Stonington is well known as a destination for sea kayaking. Dozens of islands within five miles of shore, many open to the public, some for camping, others for day use only make Stonington an incredible place. And the day was certainly hopping at Old Quarry Adventures. Old Quarry offers stress free access to the water. It has two ramps, parking, toilets and showers available for small fees. There is also camping, kayak tours, boat rentals, taxis to Isle au Haut and many other services available.
At the launch ramp a group of ten kayaks was preparing for a tour, a family was building a klepper kayak which they planned to take out for overnight camping, two kayaks were headed in after spending the night out on the islands, another pair was launching. And why not? It was a beautiful clear day, not too humid, though rain was expected in the evening.


We had planned a moderate trip out to McGlathery and back, but Todd, a guide, mentioned Gooseberry, near McGlathery as a recent addition to accessible islands, so that became our goal. Gooseberry was added to the Maine Coastal Heritage Trust in December 2009.
Old Quarry Adventure shares Webb Cove with a granite company and a fish processing plant. As a result lobster boats and larger fishing vessels make frequent trips into the Cove. You need to watch out for them, since they often can’t see us.

Grog Island.

We went out to the Channel Rock, by Grog, past Bold and Devil and through the Coombs. A bar joins the two Coombs for about half the tide cycle. We passed through two and a half hours after high with no trouble.

Heading through Coombs with Isle au Haut in the distance.

Then it was out to Ram, past McGlathery to Gooseberry. McGlathery is a common anchorage for sailboats, a few were anchored there.
We landed on a shell beach on the north side of Gooseberry, at higher tides the east side might provide better access. We had a delightful lunch, and wandered about the island admiring the incredible views. You could make an entire scenic calendar of Maine from that one island. I took over 60 shots. That so few are here reflects my limited skill.





On the way back we passed west of McGlathery and Round, between Wreck and Round, west of Bare and through the Potatoes to take a break on Russ. We saw other kayaks as we got closer to town, but on the outer layers we were on our own.
When we returned to the landing the Klepper was making its final preparations. It was an older boat, loaded above the brim in the middle. Toward the back sleeping bags and pads were piled high on the desk. I tried to refrain myself from speaking, but when I met the owner in the bathroom, I couldn’t help but ask where they were headed. “Out near Isle au Haut; we’ve made the trip many times.” she replied in a tone that said she’d heard enough about how unstable the load looked.
Old Quarry has a list of islands which allow access and the limits.
Boyce’s Motel in Stonington is another place to stay; we stayed there once after a trip to Isle au Haut and were delighted by the cottage. There are also several Bed and Breakfasts.