Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 1, 1990 TAG: 9007010287
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEVE SILK THE HARTFORD COURANT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Bobbing offshore, like granite crumbs chipped off during the glacial upheavals that shaped that crinkled coastline, are about 2,000 islands. Here lies a seagoing realm all its own, one destined to frustrate sightseeing landlubbers. For this is a waterman's world.
You just can't see the coast from the shore. It's like trying to get a glimpse of New York's skyline from Times Square.
Everybody knows some of the best views of Manhattan's skyline are had from the water, whether from the Staten Island Ferry, a private yacht or whatever.
Coastal Maine is much the same. To get the authentic Down East experience, you just have to be at sea. Or on it.
"If you want to see the Maine coast, the best way to see it is from a kayak - you're right on top of the water," says Joe Dunn, head guide for Coastal Kayaking Tours in Bar Harbor, Maine. "The vistas are startling; you just can't describe it."
From beneath the crackling sails of a windjammer crossing Penobscot Bay, the coastal views are almost equally startling, but creature comforts are more readily available. Maine is home to one of the nation's largest fleets of windjammers, including classic sailing ships that have been harbor-hopping for generations.
Seagoing tourists seeking a spot on craft powered by paddle or whisked by wind will find a raft of possibilities in the Vacation State. Popular jumping-off ports for kayakers include Stonington and Bar Harbor, while windjamming schooners most frequently set sail from Rockland (one of Maine's busiest fishing ports) or Camden. Once at sea, most captains and guides flock toward the waters between Frenchman Bay and Penobscot Bay.
Common to both kayak and sailing-vessel vacations are free-form itineraries set by whim, tides and weather, relatively low prices (about $100 a day for accommodations, activities and home-cooked meals that might include freshly foraged mussels and clams), and those startling vistas. The chance to picnic on remote islands or in secluded coves and the chance of spotting wildlife - seals, eagles and whatnot - is also part of the program.
Those seeking a less physically demanding vacation might opt for a windjammer trip. The sailboats, which range in length from about 60 to 120 feet, include schooners dating back as far as the 1880s and modern-day reproductions of those classic vessels from the waning days of the age of sail. Some are former cargo or fishing boats.
Passengers - smaller ships take about a score while larger boats carry about three dozen - are invited to join in shipboard activities. Salty visitors can help raise and trim the sails, steer the ship or cook in the galley. Or, you could simply retire to the deck with a book or pair of binoculars.
Accommodations are in below-deck cabins. (Kayakers camp out on the offshore islands they visit). Below decks, space may be a bit cramped and hot water in short supply, but such is the sailing life.
Food rarely disappoints, and no trip is complete without a lobster bake. At night, with the ship sheltered in a rocky cove, visitors can disembark and head for a nearby town or stay on board to watch the stars and sing along with a guitar-strumming captain.
Kayaking trips appeal primarily to the more vigorous, although folks in their 80s have paddled Maine's coastal waters. Anyone considering a paddle-powered trip should be limber and physically fit - though you certainly need not be an athlete.
Prior experience is not necessary. Depending on the outfitter (several companies in Maine conduct guided kayaking trips ranging in length from a half-day to five or more days), even rank beginners who have never sat in a kayak can put to sea for a few days. Trips are usually run at a relaxed pace and are geared to the weakest paddler.
The sea kayaks used by most outfitters bear little relation to the tippy river craft most people think of when kayaks come to mind. Oceangoing kayaks are quite stable. Gay Atkinson, program director at Explorers At Sea in Stonington, says she can paddle the company's 17-foot yellow Dirigo kayaks standing up.
Typically the boats are equipped with a rudder to aid navigation and with dry hatches to safely stow gear. Some even permit sails to be rigged. Dunn often tries to run a fleet of kayaks powered by spinnakers, running for miles with the wind.
Sails or no, the long, slender craft easily slice through oncoming waves, so paddling is like a gentle roller-coaster ride. Long, open-water crossings are kept to a minimum; boaters are more often close to the shelter of a spruce-fringed island.
High seas or inclement weather usually send kayakers ashore, but Atkinson says last year during Hurricane Hugo she hired a fishing boat to take paddlers out so they could experience high seas. Sophisticated radio gear keeps kayaking groups - usually limited to about 10 clients and two guides - in touch with shore.
Those passing fishing boats sometimes offer more than a lift out to the high seas. Dunn says he usually runs into fishermen friends while leading groups in the so-called Backside area of Acadia National Park, near the farming and fishing villages of Southwest Harbor and Tremont. Out at sea, he usually cuts a deal and buys some fresh lobsters for dinner.
Kayakers and windjammers alike rave about the wildlife off the coast. Dunn recalls once watching a 4-foot seal surfing on a wave right alongside him. The seal finished its ride, flapped his tail, splashed Dunn, and dived. On other occasions, Dunn has seen finback and minke whales, eagles and osprey, porpoises, and, on offshore islands, deer.
June, July and August are far and away the most popular months for boating vacations in Maine, but kayak guides and windjammer folk alike save their praise for September. Days tend toward crystal clarity, the wind is up, pleasure boats are gone and autumn's flame is just starting to fire the trees. The ever-chilly Maine water is at its warmest then, so swimming is best.
Half-day to five-day guided kayak trips in the Acadia National Park region are offered by Coastal Kayaking Tours Inc., P.O. Box 405, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609; or call (800) 526-8615. Minimum age for participants is 16. Custom trips also can be arranged.
Guided kayaking trips in Jericho Bay and in the eastern reaches of the Penobscot Bay ranging from a half-day to nine days are offered by Explorers at Sea, POB 51-A, Stonington, Maine, 04681. Children as young as 10 are welcome on specially planned family outings. Custom trips can be arranged.
For reservations or more information about the Vessels of Windjammer Wharf - which include the 1871 coasting schooner Stephen Taber (the oldest documented sailing vessel in continuous use in the United States), the 1931 schooner Timberwind, and the 83-foot motor yacht Pauline - write the Vessels of Windjammer Wharf, Box 1050, Rockland, Maine 04841; or call (800) 999-7352.
For a complete listing of windjamming and sea-kayaking outfitters in Maine, write the Maine Publicity Bureau, 97 Winthrop St., Hallowell, Maine 04347.
by CNB