An Intro to Saltwater Paddling... Spurwink River to Higgins Beach...July 10th

 Many people have inquired about paddling in saltwater... We do have a few saltwater trips in the book... protected coves and some tidal rivers.  Before meeting Sandy I didn't think I would ever feel confident paddling on any kind of saltwater, but... she challenged me to try it... and she was right, some places are okay for recreational paddlers. 

As always.. it is important for people to know and respect their own skills/abilities, but... if you want to try a tidal river the Spurwink is a good place to start.  I am going to paddle this river on July 10th.  I am not guiding this trip... I am inviting other people who want to paddle this river to join me.  I posted this on my facebook page as well .   Feel free to message me there or send me an email, mainekayakgirl@gmail.com if you have questions.  

See below for more info/details!

This is a GREAT introduction to Saltwater paddling! We will ride the river out with the tide and we will land at Higgins Beach... we will have lunch and enjoy the beach then ride the river back to the launch site!

Low Tide is around 12:15 p.m. So... I would plan to launch at 10:00 (If the water gets too low we will be walking our kayaks instead of paddling!) Then we would start the return trek up the river somewhere between 2 and 3 pm.

We will 'park' our kayaks up high on the beach (and I will bring an anchor so we can make sure the kayaks don't float away should we lose track of time!)

If we are lucky the 'shipwreck' will be uncovered and we can explore it! (Sometimes it is buried in the sand!)

What to Bring: Kayak/paddleboard/canoe, pfd, paddle, WATER, lunch/snacks, beach towel and/or chair, sunscreen, wear beach attire, an extra layer or two just in case (it IS Maine after all!) frisbee, book or other ways to entertain yourself on the beach)... camera!

This will, of course, be dependent on weather. (I will cancel if it is definitely going to rain, will post it to the facebook event.) I know this is a weekday and people's availability may be limited...(I am going to take the day off!) I will look for other options throughout the summer too!

Disclaimer: As with any paddle I post about, I am inviting people to join me. I am not a guide and am not responsible for the safety of other people. I have done this trip a few times and am happy to paddle with people as an intro to saltwater paddling. (I am still learning the tides so the timing may not be perfect. If the tide doesn't turn soon enough we may have to delay returning to the launch, but we should be okay!) But again... I am NOT responsible for your safety. This is not a service I am providing, it is an invitation to kayak/paddle with me.

For directions and more info about this trip: https://kayakinginmaine.blogspot.com/2014/09/spurwink-river-cape-elizabethscarboroug.html

New Meadows

Body of Water: New Meadows River, West Bath/Brunswick

Boat Launch/Parking/Fees: No fees! Large boat launch, plenty of parking

Wildlife: Eagles, osprey, cormorants, various waterfowl, moon jellyfish, hoseshoe crabs

Notes: New Meadows is a nice paddle!  I am not sharing directions here because this is one in the book, Paddling Southern Maine,  that has not been on the blog until now... I am sure with some research you can figure it out.. but... I gotta keep a little mystery!  (I also hope you consider buying a book that includes this trip and MANY others!)

Usually when doing a tidal river I would recommend  launching at a time where you would be paddling WITH the tides... but... this was a little different.. my mission was to find horseshoe crabs... see... the Full Moon in June... is when the horseshoe crabs get all frisky and mate.  From what I had read they are most active close to high tide close to the full moon... 

Monday is the full moon...High Tide was supposed to be around 10:25... Given the location of the launch that meant paddling against the tide... going out towards the ocean as the tide was coming in... I got on the water around 8:00 a.m. paddled 'against' the tide until I rounded the point and headed up towards Thomas Point Beach... (My route was like a J...)  I paddled around and by about 10 I was heading back towards the launch... and I had a little bit of the incoming tide still in my favor!  (The further inland you go the later the high tide is... from what I have heard/learned.)  I was off the water by about noon.  

As I said this was my first solo paddle in a tidal river... so I played it extra safe... I did my usual routine (Click the link for a blog I did for our publisher and the coast guard!)  including  wearing my RoadID dogtag... it has my name, address, emergency contacts, and medical allergies... I advise having one, especially if you paddle solo a lot! 

Ok... I got to the launch and it was beautiful!  The sun was shining through the trees... and there was still dew on the forget me nots!

There were several trucks/trailers parked at the launch, so there were lots of people out on the water... but I had the launch to myself!  

I took time to explore lots of nooks and crannies...

And in one of the coves... I saw my first pair!  Yahoo!  I wanted to see horseshoe crabs and... I did!  (But I decided to keep paddling anyway!) 

There are a lot of houses along this river...they are beautiful... and the owners are lucky... just watch that last step at the dock!  ha!

Not sure what kind of bird this is.. but beautiful!

There were a lot of cormorants...

and SO MANY jellyfish!  I had seen some here before, but not like this!  There were hundreds!  At times I was worried I would somehow hut them because I was paddling.  I know that the Gulf of Maine Research Institute ilke to know when people see jellies... they are researching what may play a role in the number of jellyfish is the amount of oxygen in the water... I am not sure if they indicate higher or lower levels... so much to learn! (By the way.. from what I have read... moon jellies do NOT sting! Makes them even cooler in my book!  I have never tested this theory as they look so delicate, I do not want to damage them.) 

There were some working lobster boats today... I have so much respect for Maine's fishermen! (And women!)

At this point in the river it widens quite a bit... after this there is an point and you bear to the right... and go up into the cove by Thomas Beach Campground...

I thought I would stay in my kayak... but there were other people out watching the love fest... and it was easier to get pics... so I got out... 

There were SEVERAL crabs!

The barnacles!  Crazy!

This LARGE flock of birds was fun to watch... it seemed like they all took care of the babies...

There was a marine bio teacher there also watching this... and she said picking them up was ok ... I only picked up one... hen I felt guilty... but they are so... prehistoric!  Like turtles...and they intrigue me!  Did you know they help us? Medically?Yup!  Medicines and vaccines...

They explored my foot... to see if I was a crab?? I had worn my watershoes that cover my whole foot because I was worried about stepping on sharp rocks/shells at the launch... but extra glad I wore them after this!! Ha! 

I turned back around 10, hoping to get a little help from the tide still coming in...

I spotted a crab up on a rock!  I was convinced it was related to turtles at this point! 

But.. sadly, this one was dead... I am not sure if it got stuck there and the sun dried it out... in my research I had read that if you see one upside down we should flip it over to help it... 

This one was not moving... and I touched it with my paddle and it didn't move... I was afraid it was dead... I flipped it over and it looked in tact... so I wondered if it just needed some water... but nothing helped... it was dead... So.. it became a hood ornament... taking it to the marine bio teacher at school!

 Wondered if it would stay? Hmmm... Also wondered if it is legal to take a dead horseshoe crab... (and fyi.. I just read something that says sometimes the shells are actually molted shells... hmmmm... need to explore more...

 There were so many jellies!

This jelly was different!  Six circles instead of four... in the four moon jellyfish the circles are their gonads/sexual organs... I am awaiting information to see if the six circles means this is a different kind of jelly fish... 

There are a few jellyfish in this pic 

And then there were two!  (The second STINKS... so I now wonder if the first one is a molted skeleton and the second was dead?)  

So pretty... the green is so lush right now! 

This was a great trip!  I was happy to find the horseshoe crabs as I had hoped!  A very cool thing to witness!  And... coming from a non science minded person... that says something!!  

Happy Paddling!