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Isle au Haut, Maine - A new place every month in your issue of Atlantic Coast Kayaker!

Places to Go: Isle au Haut, Maine

We rode the tide south along the eastern shore of the island with nothing between us and the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean except a couple of small islands called Little Spoon and Great Spoon. As we paddled through the narrows between rocky Eastern Ear and the extreme southeastern tip of the island, onshore granite formations became more prominent. Rounding the head and turning west, we were greeted by spectacular, rugged cliffs that extended for a couple of miles forming the island's southern boundary.

My friend, Steve Ward, and I were circumnavigating Isle au Haut in sea kayaks, and this view was the highpoint of an exceptional day of paddling. As we traversed Head Harbor and the adjoining bay approximately a mile from shore, we observed a fog bank approaching from the west. Almost instantaneously, Western Ear Island was cloaked in soupy haze. We quickly took a bearing for the closest point of land using our deck compasses and vigorously paddled towards shore. A wise decision, as we were enveloped immediately in thick fog with virtually zero visibility. Carefully following a northerly bearing, we continued paddling until we finally reached the relative safety of the rocky coastline.

Hearing lobster boats hauling traps in the area, we decided to hug the shore to avoid being struck. Staying close together and just a few feet from the cliffs, we paddled westerly to Western Head then southwesterly to Western Ear. Our maritime charts indicated a navigable channel between the Ear and the Head, but our attempts to find it were futile. Rounding the Ear and heading north, we unexpectedly emerged from the fog. The large islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven appeared to our west and the entire western shore of Isle au Haut opened in front of us.

This was the second day of a three-day sea kayak trip exploring the Deer Isle Archipelago and the outer reaches of Penobscot Bay. Our trip began the previous morning at the Old Quarry Campground, located on Buckmaster Neck a couple of miles northeast of Stonington on Deer Isle.

 

For the rest of this article and other great places to kayak see the May 2007 issue of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker