Late to the New Year’s Day Paddle Party

    New Year’s Day we were able to get out paddling!  I’d like to say this is a time honored tradition, but in reality we’ve just lucked out with two warm still January 1^st’s in a row.

   This year we headed down to Bucksport, neatly avoiding the issue of tide rips just north of the paper mill by launching at low tide.  We paddled along the backside of Verona Island a bit before looping the harbor.

   Below are some of my favorite shots of the day (and some related trivia):

    Foam on the water, steam in the sky.  The paper mill is barely visible in this shot, though it's steam rises over the hotel.  I always enjoy asking folks to name the paper mill in Bucksport.  Initially built in 1928 as the Seaboard Paper Company, it’s had five owners since, listed in this Maine Ahead article.  

   Mooring Gears.  I’m not sure what company provided these gears, but they are huge and I love them.

   Looking across to the old Prospect-Bucksport ferry landing.  Before there was the Waldo Hancock Bridge, a ferry brought five cars at a time across.  There’s a film of the old ferry in action at the Maine Memory Network.  (Page opens to a photo, the film clip is lower)  Unfortunately I can’t quite read all the signs on the clip.  

   A different angle on Fort Knox.  In 1887,  Sergeant Leopold Hegyi  became sole guardian of Fort Knox.  His duties included walking the grounds each day to assess the condition of the fort.  That assignment ended in July of 1900 with his passing, but his dedication to the fort continues to keep the hopes of ghost hunters alive.  

   Heading back under the double bridge span to Verona Island.  The old Waldo-Hancock bridge (in green and rust) has been re-purposed as a peregrine falcon and osprey nesting site.

   It was wonderful to be on the water on New Year’s Day.  The lighting is always very dramatic.  And I remember thinking how much better my back felt as the trip went on.  But, alas, that was apparently an illusion, because when I went to get up on Tuesday, I discovered I couldn’t walk without staggering.   So I've spent the week on various home remedies, and things are much better now, and hopefully will be for the rest of the winter... 

Paddle to the Sea Part 3: Verona to Fort Point Maine

Basics: Verona Island landing: Plenty of parking, no facilities (public toilets are available along the harbor in nearby Bucksport)


Fort Point State Park: Stockton Springs $2 per person entrance fees. Pit Toilets. Not technically a launch site and a rather long haul to the water.

High Tide: 10AM. Launch 12:20PM, finish 2:04PM, 8 miles.

What a difference a week makes! Our third leg would be on a bright day with temperatures in the 80’s. Rather than barely seeing the far side of the river, we could easily see four miles ahead. Rather than cringing as we waded in to launch, we welcomed the cooling powers of 50 degree water. This leg would take us from Verona Island to Fort Point in Stockton Springs.

This is the trip I looked forward to the most. I’ve been along Verona Island many times, but generally at peak or ebb tides. Today we’d be riding at mid tide, flying through the Penobscot Narrows. For as I taught Webelos again and again, the Bernoulli Principle states that water does not compress, so where it narrows it flows faster.

It is also one of the most scenic areas, with Fort Knox, the bridges, and Sandy Point, as well as the high banks which caused the Penobscot to once be known as the “Rhine of America.”

We started at the Verona Ramp in a confused back eddy created near the island. A pleasant whiff of crushed wood fiber from the Verso plant confirmed that the wind was from the north. Cormorants and seagulls decorated nearby rocks, but not a single buzzard was in sight.

Soon we were in the downstream current, which didn’t seem too bad by the bridges, but was easily dragging this buoy under.

New to the shore was this cross.

Old to the shore were the bright rocks and high walls. Overhead a flock of young ring bills passed by, one after another, their brownish bodies dark against the sky.

We clung close to Stockton Springs shore. I couldn’t help but look longingly to Odom Ledge and what looked to be several seals there. But pupping season is near, if it’s not already here. Seal pups nurse as few as 14 times, and cannot afford to miss a feeding. Since seals are often nervous in the presence of kayaks we wanted to stay at least a quarter of a mile away.

In place of observing seals, I watched the crowds at the beach. What a rarity, to have such a warm Memorial Day! Sandy Point is a free beach located in Stockton Springs, and a sandy beach to boot. Since it’s in a cove, it does not have the strong currents we enjoyed further off shore. There is plenty of parking, but no facilities.

Just below the beach was an abandoned set of pilings which have become a nesting colony for cormorants. My guide books describe cormorant nests as large and bulky, but they seem pretty basic compared to the more ostentatious nests of eagles and osprey.

Next were the beautiful shore houses of Sandy Point. We pulled out of the current to inspect this solidly constructed boat house, and admire the other houses.

A tall dune marks Sandy Point, atop the dune was a gazebo belonging to Hersey Retreat. That dune is a glacial esker, which has been eroding away, creating the sandy beach along the shore.

Beyond Sandy Point was a deep cove. We intended to follow along the cove shore, but we could hear a seal barking in caution. I didn’t see any ledges on the chart, and the shoreline seemed to be mostly marsh, but the sounds of distress were obvious. Rather than disturb a seal we opted to paddle straight to Fort Point. And what a great ride it was, with the wind to our backs and waves perfectly designed to aid us without requiring too much attention on our part.

At Fort Point folks were also out in abundance. Swimming is not allowed at Fort Point because of the strong currents. We rode those current out and took a few pictures of the lighthouse, before returning upstream to the dock.

It looked like it would be a challenge getting our kayaks to the top of the ramp, so instead we hauled them up the bank, which was also not an easy task.

A final picture of a sailboat at the base of Verona Island