Until recently, I've never made it out
to Isle au Haut, which is about 6 miles off the coast of Stonington, Maine. Last time I
tried, the group of us got hit by fog, and we could barely see our own bows. We turned
back halfway & navigated our way back to Stonington by GPS, and paddled near shore for
the day. The sound of a diesel lobster boat motor coming through the fog is enough to make
you want to be on shore, especially when you realize that the lobstermen in Maine are the
ones who coined the phrase “speed bumps” with regard to kayaks.
I finally made it there in July of 2004. Judith and I launched from Old Quarry Kayak
Adventures’ launch site in Stonington, and found a calm wind, calm sea, and clear
sky. And, we could see the island: 6 miles distant and the biggest object on the horizon.
Still, I left nothing to chance: I plotted a bearing to the island, entered waypoints for
the launch and the landing area on the island into my GPS, brought a hand compass for
taking sight bearings, and made sure Judith had a deck compass on her boat for
comparison's sake in case we got fogged in (I hadn't installed a compass mount on the
Recluse by this point). I had a GPS & chart on my deck, a Nav-aid for plotting new
bearings (And old-fashioned dividers and parallel ruler in my hatch as well), and my VHF
radio turned on.
And of course, none of it was necessary. It was a beautiful day, and we could navigate by
sight all day long if the weather held.
We crossed Deer Isle Thoroughfare heading south into the archipelago. We wove in and out
of numerous beautiful islands around our main heading until we got to Merchant's Row,
which splits the main body of islands into northern and southern sections. After a quick
course adjustment at Wreck Island, we crossed Merchant's row, and landed on Kimball
Island, 100 yards from downtown Isle au Haut for lunch. Quite a nice spot! After lunch, it
was further south to the lighthouse for a few snapshots. We headed back north, and came
across a kayak tour group headed to the lighthouse. One of the
customers told me he wished that he had brought his "eskimo paddle", referring
to our Greenland paddles.
Isle au Haut
light
We headed to Pell Island, and then took a sight bearing on downtown Stonington: 5 miles
due north, and a clear line of sight to the cell phone tower in town, which we used as a
visual range. There were several charter schooners in the area, including the Victory
Chimes, the last 3 masted schooner on the east coast. I have seen her anchored in Bar
Harbor in the past, and she's quite a sight.
We got to Steves Island, and took a break. We explored the island a bit, and stretched our
legs. Once we were back under way, a pod of harbor porpoises swam by about 25 yards off
our bows, and then dove & surfaced behind us. They swam around for about 5 minutes,
and then they were gone. A few seals popped up nearby, too. Fun!
Steves Island
We paddled across Deer Isle Thoroughfare again into downtown Stonington, and along the
shore through moored lobster boats back to the cove. Still warm, clear, and sunny 17 miles
later.