Please note: I am a member of the Maine Island Association. They have asked that information about private islands provided by them not be made public. For more information about the Main Island Association please visit their website.
08/14/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area:
Jonesport is a working harbor with a picturesque waterfront. Without lobsters there might not be a Jonesport. Jonesport harbor (Sawyers Cove) is home to about 15 lobster boats with many more over by Beals and Great Waas Islands. I'll bet they total close to 150. Each lobster boat runs 500 to 750 (or there abouts) pots and checks 150 to 300 pots a day. You do the math on how many lobsters get taken out of this area each day. I was awakened at 5:30am as the lobster boats fired up their diesels one by one and headed out to check their pots. Being more of a laggard I didn't get on the water for another 3 hours. Needless to say when I did I found a bazillion lobster pot buoys in every possible location.
When I hit the water it was about 1/2 of an ebb tide and I rode it out past Beals Island. I paddled on past Beals Island on the right and Head Harbor Island on the left with many smaller islands in the middle of this channel. Great Waas replaced Beals Island on the right and Steel Harbor Island replaced Head Harbor Island on the left.
A 5mph wind was blowing in my face as the skies clouded over and temperatures remained in the 60's. The wind picked up some and I tried to take advantage of the smaller islands to get out of it by hugging the leeward coasts. On one island I scared off two bald eagles. Hope they weren't nesting. At the outward tip of the same island I scared off about 15 seals that had been hauled up on the rocks. I had two more eagle sightings and spotted a few more seals in the water.
As I neared open water near the tips of Great Waas and Steels Harbor Island the wind picked up some more and the water became a lot more choppy. I had been paddling for 3 or 4 hours and was getting tired so searched for and found a place to camp near the tip of Great Waas Island. Apparently a hiking runs around Great Waas Island. A couple and then a threesome went by as I was preparing supper.
It rained a little that night but really started as I was thinking about getting up at 6am and lasted for 2 hours or more. I just went back to sleep for most of it. When I looked out again fog had taken over everything. I couldn't even see to the water. No point going out in that if I don't have to.
08/16/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (West):
Things brightened up about 5pm last night and by dark the stars were out. I had the rain fly off my tent and lay there enjoying the view while listening to a couple of loons and their sad cries. Clouds were moving in my morning again but stopped right at the tips of the islands. I got to watch a great sunrise turn all those clouds to red as a big orange ball appeared from the horizon.
I remained dry through the rains yesterday but the condensation formed by the wet soaked the netting and nylon of the tent and worse, did a fair job of wetting my sleeping bag. I saw fog in some of the coves towards the mainland and with the clouds and wet sleeping bag I decided to head back to Jonesport to regroup.
I had to have a bit of fun and decided to round Moose Peak Lighthouse at the end of Steels Harbor Island. No wind and no waves as I pushed off from Great Waas Islands but as I was crossing to the lighthouse swells appeared and soon they were 4 feet or more with some of them breaking as they neared islands. As I came closer to the lighthouse waves started bouncing back off the islands so I had stuff coming at me from every which way. Been a long time since I did that kind of paddling. Once away from open waters the swells subsided and I was soon paddling in perfectly flat waters again.
Spotted a couple of eagles and scared off about 30 seals hauled up on seaweed covered rocks. I apologized to them as I went by.
08/17/06 Paddling Steels Harbor Island Area:
Nothing exciting today. Paddled out to the end of the mainland intending to go over to Rouge Island and another island. but remembered Halifax is a wildlife preserve and you need permission to camp there which I didn't have. A couple more islands I was interested in lay beyond but coupled with strong currents and the distance over there made me back off.
So instead I just putted around Steels Harbor Island across the channel. Made a couple of bald eagle sightings. One, a young adult still without its white head and tail feathers, circled around directly over head for a minute. What a large bird and I didn't have my camera out.
I found a spot to camp at the tip of the island looking across towards Cutler.
08/18/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (East):
Beautiful sky last night... stars everywhere... could even see the Milky Way. Lots of condensation but not as bad as the other night. Missed the predawn show of red clouds but caught the sun just coming up over the horizon, way out to sea with a small bluff with pines on it. Hope the pictures turn out.
Was drying out the sleeping bag and tent when the sun disappeared. Now, at 8am it's all overcast with not a hint of blue up there. That's OK, I lost my sunglasses somewhere yesterday. Some lobstermen where out as early as 4am today. I woke up to the roar of their diesels as they powered by.
Continued on around the headland of Steels Harbor Island's wonderful, rugged, rocky coast all of it topped by pines. Most about 10-20 feet high but some bluffs rising above 50 feet. Only two hours into an ebb tide so not much seaweed visible. Great stuff.
No wind today and the water is like glass. I was getting ready to take a picture of a pretty little rocky cove when a bald eagle flew out of it. I wasn't quite ready yet and missed him. I was taking a picture of another rocky cove when he flew out of that one too. I was a little preoccupied by some turbulent waters where swells were sweeping over some rocks and just got off a picture of his tail feathers as he flew off into the distance. Oh well, maybe someday... Also been hearing a number of loons but haven't actually spotted any this morning.
Quite a few seals in the water between Steels Harbor Island and Moose Peak Lighthouse. They're difficult to see sometimes amongst all the lobster buoys particularly when they're near the dark ones. Sometimes you don't even know you're looking at one until it disappears. Watched a family of 6 loons all in a row heading out to sea? Tried to get a picture of them but they were too far off and I don't chase animals.
A porpoise surfaced between the lighthouse and Great Waas Island and dove right where I was looking, probably the only reason I saw it. A very sharp and pointed dorsal fin. Unlike a dolphin, very dark rather than gray too. Then I started doubting myself... maybe it was a seal that rolled over on its side and had a flipper sticking up when it dived. Nah... this was about the same size but narrower than a seal.
A large flock of cormorants has been flying around the past couple of days. I haven't seen that many together before, usually just a few. Then I saw a total of 30-40 seals pulled out on several seaweed cover rocks sticking up out of the water. Another half a dozen were in the water keeping an eye on me. I got by without disturbing them.
Then I saw another dorsal fin right in front of me. Then another one a little farther away. No doubt this time what these guys were. They surfaced 4 or 5 times and then nothing. I finally saw them off in the distance. Still no wind and very calm waters helped me see them. Saw several more as I headed for my first MITA island.
I had no more than landed than a MITA volunteer cleanup patrol pulled their powerboat in behind me. They told me other MITA members paddle out here for years and never see them. They also mentioned seeing several porpoises.
While setting up camp I watched a mink scamper around the rocks looking for supper.
08/19/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (East):
Overcast with a 5-10mph wind blowing for the most part. Seas with 1-2 foot waves and some 2-3 foot swells. Paddled off to a couple of islands closer to the mainland, about 2 miles away. Stayed out for about 3 hours but the tendons in my shoulders started aching a little. Probably too much paddling too soon after such a long layoff. Spotted one eagle and that was about it.
Got back to camp and just hung out not doing much. Bagged some trash and left it on the beach for someone to cart away.
I was having an early supper when all of a sudden it really started to feel like rain. It didn't look too bad but just didn't feel right. I asked myself if I'd rather camp in the rain again or paddle in it. Paddling won out.
I was about 7 miles from the van and started out. A 10mph wind was blowing on shore and the tide as coming in so the rudder went down. I cruised along at a pretty good rate. I got over to Beals Island and Great Waas and tried to find a way between them but no go. I had gone 1/2 mile into a cove and then had to fight the wind and waves coming back out again when I saw I couldn't get through.
As I neared one island I spotted a seal sound asleep in the water. They do something with that buoyancy thing and just suspend themselves in the water with just their noses sticking up. This guy didn't quite have the hang of it yet and would go under every once in a while. No big deal. He seemed to stop breathing automatically and then would kinda realize he was under the water, pop back up, look around and nod off again. I found about 15 young seals at the point of the island and they hit the water when they saw me. If that other guy was supposed to be their watch guard he oughta be shot for sleeping on duty.
An eagle flew overhead and landed on a rocky ledge on Beals Island. Guess he was getting ready for supper.
When I finally saw the bridge to Beals Island from the mainland I knew I had 1.5 miles to go yet. It was just getting dark when I landed and I hadn't been rained on at all yet. Got the stuff unloaded and the kayak pulled up above the high tide line. Wiped myself down and went to bed. Woke up at midnight the sound of rain pouring down.
It's 9am on the 20th and still raining and the fog has moved in. I'm going to take a couple of days off, get a shower and let the shoulders rest a bit.
08/22/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (East):
It rained for two days but today is sunny as I headed out from Jonesport towards the Beals Island Bridge again at 10am. Paddled into a 5mph wind and choppy waters. Rounding Beals Island the wind and waves both picked up.
Spotted an eagle flying from one island to the next. Saw the seals I had disturbed the other day hauled out on the same ledges. Got past them without bothering them this time. While having lunch I thought I saw a fish jump but then saw it was a porpoise as it surfaced a couple more times.
The last 1.5 miles to my island was pretty tuff for an old guy. Wind in my face approaching 15mph and waves near 2 feet high every 2 or 3 seconds, many with white caps. I'd belly flop off the top of one wave and then plow through the next and get a ton of water crashing over the foredeck and me.
As I got to my island I watched a bald eagle fly over the island. As I landed it soared directly overhead. What a beautiful, beautiful animal. I saw it several more times that afternoon and then I started seeing a young adult eagle. A lot of white or light gray showing on the wings and body but none on the head nor tail. One time it tried to fly into the wind and didn't quite have the hang of it. After a lot of wing flapping it gave up and veered off.
08/23/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (East):
2 hours into the flood tide as I launched at 8am. Temperature in the 70's but it cooled off some as I got out on the water. Nothing special today. I paddled seaward around and past several islands. The outer most one was the most impressive with a rugged shoreline to meet the incoming waves. I guess they'd have to be rugged to withstand the constant beating of the waves over the eons. Otherwise it would just erode right away.
Tendons in the right shoulder are a little achy and I don't want to put too much strain on it or I'll have to stop paddling and that's not in my plans for the future. So I came in after 3 hours. By 2pm it was 2 hours into an ebb tide. Ledges 100 yards off my island were exposed and a couple of seals hauled out on them. I watched them through my cheapy binoculars for a while.
The young bald eagle flew back and forth across my little cove every few minutes and then landed out on the ledges. A number of sea gulls had landed out there and they scattered in a hurry when they saw the eagle coming. They can and do harass eagles in the air. Kinda like small fighter jets diving on a big B52 bomber. They didn't want any parts of the eagle when it landed though.
After a couple of minutes the youngster flew to the top of a spruce about 50 yards away and I had an excellent view through the binoculars. It shifted its weight a little and lost its balance. Lots more wing flapping before it flew off.
08/24/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (East):
On the water by 8:30am. Sunny, no wind, no waves, temperature in the low 70's. Stopped to pick up some trash and spotted a couple of seals following me as I turned. They do that frequently and dive when they see you're looking at them.
Rounded the headlands of Great Waas Island after 3 hours of paddling. Got some wind then and the waters became pretty choppy, enough so for me to fasten the PFD and spray skirt. These headlands are pink granite rising up 20 feet or so. Topped by pines and backed by big white clouds and blue sky and waves crashing against them they made for a very pretty sight.
A dozen or more seals in the water all straining to get a better look at me. A little farther on I saw a half dozen more pulled out on some ledges. I was much closer than usual before I saw them and thought to get a picture. But by the time I was ready a guy in the water, who must have been the lookout, raised up out of the water and belly flopped back down making a large splash and everyone else hit the water and that was that. The guy that gave warning must have been so impressed by his own performance he raised up and splashed down several more times. Talk about exuberance.
08/25/06 Paddling Great Waas Island Area (West):
Heavy condensation on tent netting again last night. Sleeping bag pretty wet this morning. I dunno if its camping in the grasses that's drawing it or just that location. Heavy condensation at that site before too. Not a problem today because the sun was out and I wasn't in a hurry.
My watch reset itself the other day for some reason, maybe batteries are dieing. I think it's Friday the 25th. I set the time based on sunrise, sunset and the tides. When I got back to the van I was 20 minutes off the actual time. I don't really care (usually) what the time or date is. I use the watch mostly to help judge distances. But boy was it annoying not knowing the proper time. I changed batteries in the GPS and didn't set the time so I didn't have that to fall back on either.
Anyway, it's about 9am, the sleeping bag's dry, the gear's packed and I paddled past two lobster pots that had been swept inshore during some recent storm. 4 sailboats anchored behind an island near the Moose Peak Lighthouse. As I passed the lighthouse a coast guard cutter came out of the same area. I waved but they just ignored me.
I ran out of munchies last night and have nothing to read so its time to head in again. I think that's all for Jonesport for this year. What a great place to paddle and camp. I'll be back.