Maine Island trail in September

[openboater]

I'm thinking of doing part of the Maine Island Trail (MIT) in September. 3 days, 2 nights camping or sleeping on the boat.

I'm looking for advice. I'm interested in a section thats relatively safe and consolidated for an Inland boater that's never ventured on salt water before. I've done a fair amount of lake, river and canal boating. While most of my experince is whitewater canoeing up thru solid class IV, i'll be using a powerboat for this trip.

I've got a 17 wooden skiff with an 8 hp Yamaha High Thrust and remote control, electric start.

I've joined MITA and i've given the guide book a once over, but i'm looking for suggestions before I key in on one section and get charts and start making plans.

Any help from those that's been on the Trail will help. If not what section to do, what sections NOT to do is just as helpfull.

Thanks.

[Hwyl]

Generally you'll get the nice September Northwesters, meaning, you'll get the lee of the coast and clear skies. Look for campsites that are sheltered from the NWesterlies.

Only sailed it in a big boat.

[Lance F. Gunderson]

How about Butter Island, Pond Island, Great Spruce Head and then around to the islands off Stonington? That's about as good as it gets.Where would you like to launch? For the above Bucks Harbor might be a good choice, but there are many other possibilities. Be sure to read Curtis Rindlaub's Maine Coast Guide and Small Boat Guide To Casco Bay (which also has many possibilities for cruising). You might also want to consider just going to MDI and cruising around there...Bartlett Island, Somes Sound, the Cranberries, Pretty Marsh; if it's foggy you can go hiking, or ride the free propane powered busses all around the park. I've been to all the above places by rowboat, kayak and 18'catboat over the years. Pay attention to the weather and use common sense; you should have a great time!

[rbgarr]

My son and I put in at Sedgwick on Eggemoggin Reach and spent a few days camping in the 'Deer Isle Area' of the Guide. 13' outboard w/30 hp and we never needed that much power, though we got as far as Bucks Harbor and Somesville on calm days. Love those islands in Merchant Row. There's also a book called 'A Visual Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast' which is useful for trip planning: http://tinyurl.com/2f2slm

[openboater]

Thanks guy's. I'll start my research in those areas. If it wasn't an 11 hour drive, I'd just go and see what awaits me, but with a drive like that I'd rather do some planning.

[Bill Perkins]

I've driven up to Maine after Labor Day 3 times and camped the Islands in my Ducker .What a beutifull experience ; you won't be sorry .I carried a hand held VHF radio which I think is wise on the open water . I only used it for the constant NOAA weather report , but I had the ability to communicate if needed ,which is a good safety feature .I also carried a small pressurized air horn to make sure I was heard and seen .Used it once in fog . Had charts and compass of course .

I carried a set of beach rollers ,in the form of a pair of 8 in. fenders tied end to end . You've got to get boat and gear up above the high water line befor getting too relaxed ,and there's about a 10 ft. tidal range .I carried the rollers lashed up under the fordeck to act as flotation .

I lounged on the little boats bottom as I sailed , on my half inflated air mattress,which is pure luxury ,and I didn't then have to inflate the thing from scratch at the end of the day . I wouldn't want to sit on thwarts all day long .Sitting on the bottom with ones back against the topsides is a nice way to go .The mattress is great for lounging in camp in that rocky world too , not to mention when sleeping . It takes the really durable type with a canvas like finish . I wouldn't be without it there .

[Raka025]

You can't make a wrong choice from Portland to Mount Desert. Get the Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast for some good history of the area. As I've only sailed it in a 35' and larger boats, I'm sure you'll have more choices under motor and a smaller boat. Get familiar with charts and take a navigation course or read up on how to read one. A hand held GPS could save your butt. There is an 8' tide so you'll have to have a plan for anchoring and getting ashore if that's where your camping. It would be a chore to drag a 17' boat over rocky seaweed to get underway.

Plan for the worst and expect the best.

Eat some lobster for me.

[FSS172]

I carried a set of beach rollers ,in the form of a pair of 8 in. fenders tied end to end. I carried the rollers lashed up under the fordeck to act as flotation .

I lounged on the little boats bottom as I sailed , on my half inflated air mattress,which is pure luxury ,and I didn't then have to inflate the thing from scratch at the end of the day . I wouldn't want to sit on thwarts all day long. Sitting on the bottom with ones back against the topsides is a nice way to go. The mattress is great for lounging in camp in that rocky world too , not to mention when sleeping . It takes the really durable type with a canvas like finish . I wouldn't be without it there .

Bill - That fender-roller/flotation is a really great idea! About your recommended air mattress, do you have a source/brand specification for that ''really durable type with a canvas like finish''?

[Bill Perkins]

Fss ; I finally got to where my mattress is stored . I regret to say there's not a single identifying mark on it . This champion must have lost all that during hard usage . It's full length and I believe I bought it at REI.

It's "Valveless" . The air goes in through a hole in a hard plastic casting . You can stop it up with anything : a golf tee , a whittled twig .I think if you can find a valveless mattress it will likely be similarly heavy duty .

[Bruce Hooke]

I'd also recommend the area around Deer Isle. You can go many islands in that area while staying in relatively protected waters.

There are beautiful areas further Downeast but it is harder to get around in these areas without getting into some areas were you are pretty exposed to the open ocean and may not have many options for shelter available if the weather turns bad in a hurry. Also, the further east you get the higher the tides are and the stronger the tidal currents run.

The area around Vinalhaven and North Haven in Penobscot Bay is wonderful but the open water passage to get to them means they should be left to more experienced boaters.

There are also some good areas in the Midcoast (Portland to Rockland), but this area is still more exposed than the area around Deer Isle. None-the-less, if the drive the Deer Isle puts you off then I'd look at Midcoast more. The rivers between Bath and Boothbay Harbor look like they would be wonderful to explore and very protected, but I've never had a chance to poke around in this area much. Paying attention to tidal currents would be important in this area.

In general, it is pretty easy to judge what areas will be sheltered and what areas will be more exposed. If you will have to cross long stretches of open water, if you will have to cross areas where there will be no land between you and the open ocean, and especially if you have to round points that stick out into the open ocean, then you can expect rougher water and more risks. In the Midcoast area you also need to be aware that the tides run strong in and out of the long thin tidal rivers that penetrate the coast so watch out, especially at the mouths of such rivers. If the wind is blowing in the opposite direction to the current it can get very rough. The mouth of the Kennebec River (near Bath) is one good example of this.

Do be aware that by mid to late September it is starting to get cold (frost may be possible inland) and higher winds are more likely.

Lastly, don't underestimate how long it takes to drive the back roads of Maine and how big a state Maine is. Google Maps probably gets it about right on driving times, but you may want to add some time since you will be pulling a trailer and so will likely have to go slower on winding back roads.

P.S., While not a bad book, The Cruising Guide to the Coast of Maine has some limitations when it comes to small boat cruising. It is really more oriented towards boats where you expect to anchor in a harbor and sleep on board. It does have useful information on where special risks such as strong tide rips may be encountered and so would be worth reading once you pick an area, but I'd start with the MITA guide and a good map.

[rbgarr]

... rivers between Bath and Boothbay Harbor look like they would be wonderful to explore and very protected, but I've never had a chance to poke around in this area much.

They are wonderful for exploring but the Trail has only a few places for camping out and leaving a boat secure overnight. If B&Bs are in the budget there are plenty all around and very nice.

[Lance F. Gunderson]

The Maine Coast Guide For Small Boats-Casco Bay, by Curtis Rindlaub just might serve you better than the MITA guide if you should decide to explore Casco Bay. You could use Jewel's Island as a base and cruise all around from there. There are several convenient launch ramps right in Portland. Quahog Bay and the New Meadows River area are especially nice. Little Snow Island is on the MITA trail, and there is a marina/boatyard at the head of the cove if you need supplies. You could also launch there. Casco Bay has a lot to offer.

[Bill Perkins]

I don't know those particular islands , but I found that traveling in a boat small enough for the crew to drag up above high water opened up possibilities , as well as being hard work at times . I was safe and snug in places that might not be great overnight anchorages .No worries about dragging at least .This was in the Deer Isle area , which seemed ideal .My toughest haul out was at Steves Island ,but it was worth it .

A hurricane passed offshore one time I was up there. I stayed ashore a couple of days and hiked the beach at the mouth of the Kennebec the day after the storm's passage .The conditions that day as the tide ran out against the swell were frightening .

[Raka025]

If you only have a long weekend, go to Portland and explore Casco Bay. More time on the water the better. If the weather is bad, Portland is a nice town to hang out in. You can also head over to LLBean. I've never seen the MIT book but I would bet the Cruising Guide would have some very interesting info if you've never been to this area. Have fun, be safe.

[rbgarr]

The island shorelines between Vinalhaven/North Haven and Blue Hill Bay have always seemed markedly different (IMO) from the 'more western' coast of Maine. Here on the 'midcoast' there are more jagged, rocky (body sized boulders) at the shoreline, while in Merchant Row and the best parts of Eggemoggin Reach you get these smoothed off, granitic, barnacled 'whalebacks' along the shore (sometimes entire islands) that are much easier to land/ launch from at all tides, and are fascinating to row over and look down at.

This is dawn at Hell's Half Acre (half tide), a MITA camping island just off Stonington. The shore you see is smooth or barnacled granite, easy to walk on (barefoot even!), and quite easy and safe to carry a small boat over compared to the common seaweed and rock strewn ledgy shoreline further west. My wife explained the geology of it to me once (it's her favorite part of Maine) but I can't recall the reasons for it.

http://i12.tinypic.com/4vqs289.jpg


[We have a skiff similar to the Lumberyard skiff that we use for landing ashore on the midcoast, and have to replace the bottom every few years because it gets beat to hell on the rocks and ledges when we land on islands (Seguin, Monhegan, Muscongus Bay islands, etc.) down this way, west of Penobscot Bay.]

[Bruce Hooke]

I think camping is now discouraged on Hells Half Acre because it was getting way overused. However, it is still a great place to visit during the day before heading on to somewhere else to camp.

[openboater]

I must admit, I've yet to see a 'bad' picture of this area.

[rbgarr]

That's certainly understandable about Hell's Half Acre. It showed signs of overuse when I was there last, but was still clean and well cared for.

Here's another resource for trip planning, though I don't know how current the info is: http://outdoors.mainetoday.com/kayaking/hotshowers3.shtml

[Bill Perkins]

I camped on Hells Half acre in September ,and had the place to myself in 2000 . I'd had a beautiful row to get there on a very calm evening . I don't know how else you can really see some of the shallow cut throughs and get arounds . Take good oars .

On the Island it got really quiet toward sunset , like the picture . After a spell of this I heard some distant whooping ,hollering and splashing from the nearest island . I couldn't see anyone , but could just make out that a small group of girls had gone for a short swim in the cold water . At twilight they spontaneously began singing God Bless America ; expressing the beauty of the moment through a song they all knew . I remembered doing the same thing while driving across the Great Plains with a friend .

[Bruce Hooke]

In September you are likely to have totally to yourself many places that are very busy a month earlier.