My Book!!

One opportunity that the blog has brought me is the co-authoring of a guidebook, Paddling Southern Maine! It is something in which I take a lot of pride! My writing partner, Sandy Moore, and I have created a book with 54 amazing trips that are within about an hour of Portland! Our motto as we wrote the book was wanting to 'get people to spend the day on the water and not in their cars!'

If you want more information on our book please click on the image of the book below.

Sandy and I are available to attend/present various functions/events. Please email me at mainekayakgirl@gmail.com for more information!

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Back to Back Back River! (And a new Kayaking Accessory!)

 Ok, before the post... I must share this...
 I got a cool new tool for my truck... the bed of my truck is short... and when I need to haul more kayaks my track rac wasn't cutting it. I mean I am TALL, but... getting more kayaks on the rack above the two I normally already carry was tough...

I needed something else... so I ordered THIS and it is AWESOME! 
 This is an Erickson Pick Up Bed Extender called Big Bed Junior...and has a capacity of 350 lbs.  


It makes my truck look like this: 


I used it again today, taking two friends with me...since Boothbay was over an hour away it was more fun to ride together and share some laughs... I love this accessory!   Ok... Onto the trip!

Boothbay, Knickerkane Island/Hodgdon Island, Back River/Sheepscot River

Body Of Water:  Back River & Sheepscot River [Maine Gazetteer, Map 7,  C 1.5] This is a tidal location. 

Directions: From Portland, take 295 North to Exit 28 Bath/Brunswick.  Stay on Rt. 1 through Brunswick, Bath, and Wiscasset. As Rt. 1 takes you out of Wiscasset you will turn/bear right onto Rt. 27.  Stay on Rt. 27 through Edgecomb and into Boothbay.  Just after a convenience store and a baptist church you will want to depart from Rt. 27 by staying kind of straight onto Corey Lane, which then turns into Barter's island Road.  You will pass Camp Knickerbocker and Knickerbocker Lake Recreational area on the right, then the Coastal Botanical Gardens on your left.  You are close!  You will come up a slight hill and as the road starts to descend you won't be able to see very far in front of you for a bit, then at the bottom of the hill and across the bridge the launch is right there! 
(I strongly suggest using a GPS for this trip, head to the Boothbay Botanical Gardens and instead of turning into the gardens stay straight, then you will go down a hill and the boat landing will be right there!) 

For previous posts from this location click HERE or HERE

I have been lucky enough to be on the Back River in Boothbay in back to back trips!  I was there Sunday with my sister and nephews and went again today!  Since I have posted this destination a couple of times already, I won't write much...will just include some photos from the trips.  I will say, today's trip  was timed differently.  We timed the tide well, getting on the water after high tide, but we didn't get on the water until about 8:30... by 9:30 when we were out in the Sheepscot the wind had picked up and it made some decent swells.  We enjoyed seeing the seals, but I definitely prefer being off the water by that time in this location... it was hard to take photos today because of bobbing up and down in the waves. 

Here are some pics... Enjoy! 

This was when the wind began to pick up a bit... you can see some small waves... they got bigger.. remember, SAFETY first, if you are nervous, go back to the protected coves! 

Just starting to be able to get out of the water on the rocks... 


Osprey nest with 2 babies


This shows how close the seals came to us... and again the choppy water... 

Baby osprey


As we were leaving the Sheepscot and heading back into Back River this guy wanted to send us on our way... 

THESE photos are from Sunday morning... EARLY.  We were on the water by 6:30... such a difference in the water conditions... I prefer early!  Today as the waves picked up I headed back into Back River while my friends stayed out a bit longer.  Their boats are more designed for ocean where mine is strictly recreational (very wide and a very open cockpit).  

Had to share this... my family was amazing on Sunday.. we got up at 4 a.m. and were on the road by 4:49!  So glad they support my paddling habit!  

This is one of my nephews being checked out by one of the seals.  Look at the difference in the water...so much calmer!  

 


 This is an amazing spot.. but I don't suggest going here solo...just because of the factors at play with tides, currents, and wind.  Also novice paddlers should do some other 'salt water' rivers before coming here.  The Sheepscot is a strong and wide river... 
If you come here... please go VERY early your first time.  Plan to unload about 2 hours after high tide and you will increase your chances of seeing seals. 

(Route: Make sure you look at a map to plan your trip and I do not recommend going out far into the Sheepscot River.) 


No comments:

Post a Comment