Mouth of the Bagaduce

I met Nate at a crossroads in Brooksville, which for the moment, was busy. Two guys driving lawn tractors had stopped to refuel from jerry cans they carried in trailers. They were patrolling the roadsides for returnable bottles and cans.

We continued on to Cape Rosier, taking a few wrong turns, as is the norm whenever I’m in Cape Rosier. Then, after some messy driving through deep, muddy ruts, we discovered a pile of snow blocking the road. Instead of letting the afternoon get away from us any further, we chose to launch at the nearest somewhat convenient spot: Goose Falls.


Goose Falls is a small, freshwater stream emptying from Goose Pond, and depending on the flow and the height of the tide, can be a fun bonus to launching here. Nate got in and bounced over a few waves before we headed out.

With strong winds from the west, we sought calmer waters in the lee of Holbrook Island, the mouth of the Bagaduce River and Smith Cove. We paddled past Castine, dominated by the State of Maine, Maine Maritime Academy’s training ship, and into Smith Cove, where we checked-out the wooden, seaweed-draped skeleton of a shipwreck.


While it was good to get out of the wind, I think we both perked-up a bit when we returned to Penobscot Bay, paddling among rocks and waves along the west side of Holbrook Island. The afternoon gave me an appreciation for the paddling we can do from Stonington, without even having to spend part of the day driving, but of course it’s always interesting to check-out other spots. We’re scheming on an upriver trip, timed with the tides.