Mellow Days Along he Bold Coast

We’d been working without much break since June. The guiding business had done well, and in addition we’d kept-on with some of the home improvement work, hedging our bets in case the kayaking work didn’t come-in. But it did come-in, so we worked every day, trying to keep up with it, the rest of the summer stretching ahead like marathons yet to be run. Finally, on Labor Day, we tied the Delphins atop the car and drove Downeast. We felt a weight lifted, just to be driving, a few days-off ahead.

We took a few kayak excursions off the Bold Coast, paddling it just the way we like: no need to get anywhere, just tooling along the steep rocks, exploring, looking for waves to buoy us over ledges or through chasms. 

Despite windy forecasts, the conditions were perfect for near-shore wave and rock play: small swell gently rolling-in, nothing too big. We did this each day, taking-on short stretches of the shore, retracing our routes as the tide changed, revealing a different set of features. It was the first time we’d paddled together in a while, the first time in a while either of us had paddled without a guest. 

On that first excursion I caught a wave between some rocks – one of those moments when you’re not sure if it will play-out like you hope, but a pillow of refracting wave bounced me along into a watery pile-up that left me in a calm pool when the wave went back out. I felt myself smiling, We’d felt worn-down enough on the drive up, that it almost came as a surprise, this smile. 

The new guiding business had evolved over the summer. I began with the idea we would simply be guides for hire, and try to avoid investing in too much overhead like boats and gear. But I suspected that this approach might take a while to catch-on, so I started offering scheduled day trips through Air BnB Experiences. This has gone well. I’ve offered regular trips in the Brooklin Islands and Stonington as well as the Cranberry Islands and a few sunset trips. The private trips and instruction filled-in the rest, including a few multi-day trips. Rebecca was further busied with her studio-gallery in Stonington, and filling-in at the Old Quarry shop. 

All this time we lived in our vintage (old) thirteen-foot travel trailer on a friend’s property in Deer Isle. It was tight, rustic living, but nice, despite this being a banner year for mosquitoes. I built a small deck with a screen room as a vestibule, which gave the mosquitoes a place to congregate and feel welcome before proceeding to the inner sanctum where we slept. Evenings found me rinsing gear and hanging it out, hoping it might be somewhat dry before I needed it again in the morning. We roasted vegetables on the grill as it grew dark and usually fell asleep exhausted. We’d wake with sunrise and think ‘what now?’ In those last weeks of August we looked forward to the four days off we’d planned way back in April. 

Anyway, that’s what we’ve been up to, in case anyone has wondered why this blog has been dormant. I feel less inclined anymore to write about trips with guests, and that’s pretty much all the paddling I’ve done for a while. I’ve had very little down-time these last few months. But I’d like to have a few more days like the ones we spent along the Bold Coast. We were in a rented cabin, and when we weren’t on the water, we stared-out at Grand Manan Channel, puzzling over the mysteries of this stretch of coast, watching the water surface for indicators about current direction. The seas were generally calm. It was foggy about as much as it was clear. 

In our kayaks, we just followed the shore, looking for passages among the rocks, riding occasional waves, gradually emptying our heads of clutter. 

Driving back to Stonington, where we would be cat-sitting for the next few weeks, we felt pleasantly drained, not quite ready to leave the quiet behind, but I also looked forward to returning to my work, which over the next week would include several full days and an overnight off of Stonington.

Notes

Looking for more particulars about paddling off the Bold Coast? Buy my book, AMC’s Best Sea Kayaking in New England. The Maine Island Trail Association’s annual guidebook also now includes some good info on paddling this volatile area. If it’s not obvious from my observations here, I think a great way to explore this area is to take smaller day trips, rather than the end-to-end approach that some paddlers follow when they want to ‘do’ this spectacular stretch of shoreline.

My article Dallying Downeast came out in July’s Small Boats Magazine. The article covers the same trip that inspired a forthcoming book… hopefully out soon. 

Want to book a trip with me or Rebecca?  Check-out our website or our listings on Air BnB Experiences.