INDEX

SEA KAYAKING IN THE NORTHEASTERN US

I. NEW HAMPSHIRE

Shame on our arrogance if we believe, "man is the dream of the dolphin".

OCEANS

GREAT BAY- NOAA # 13285. For those of us who live in New Hampshire the ocean is somewhat of a hidden asset. An old joke states that a sign on Hampton beach says "Welcome, youare entering and leaving the coast of New Hampshire". I don'tknow if there is a state that can call itself an ocean state with less coastline than New Hampshire? But therein lies the rub-actually NH has a reasonably long coast line (approximately150+ miles) when considering the esturarine environment compared to the 14 miles that faces the Atlantic. Great Bay ispart of that extended coast line and is the southern most part ofa rather complex group of bays, channels and river outflows that connect to the Atlantic ocean via the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth. The Piscataqua and 5 -7 other rivers are part of what is commonly called the Great Bay complex and all are estuarine. Great Bay itself is the southern tip of this complex and is an elongated basin approx 3.5 nm(nautical mile) long(E-W) and 1.5 nm wide (N-S). It is formed from the confluence of the Squamscott and Lamprey rivers. Both empty into Great Bay basin and whole system is flooded by the sea water that flows through the Furber Straits into the Bay. The connection to the ocean isvia Little Bay, the Piscataqua, Portsmouth Harbor - a 12 mile pipeline. The Bay is almost a totally enclosed giant estuary, and an extremely productive part of the Marine ecosystem. There are 2main "deep" channels that run through the bay which are only tens of meters wide in most places, while the rest of the bay becomes a mud flat at low tide. With this in mind and knowledge of localtides at mid to high tide the Bay is a great place to kayak. The NE part of the Bay is a bird sanctuary and only partially developed while the eastern, southern and western shores are lightly to moderately developed. A number of islands (extended peninsulas) dot the periphery. Boat traffic is usually very light to absent with all sorts of water fowl and an occasional seal to keep one company.

This spring (0H, 0H) has been cold and rainy and the bay mostly unsettled. Still between storm fronts there has been some magnificent paddling. The bay has survived the winter well. This year Iam traveling in a new boat- a Necky Looksha IV kevlar and I seem to have found every rock in the bay and hit each twice. The bad news about kevlar is that now scratches become a concern and that changes the style, will it reduce the adventure????

. Still stormy skies do often set an errie mode for a quiet paddle.

FAVORITE PUT INS- 1. Adams point just north of the Furber Straits and North of Great Bay.May be limited parking on some days.

2. Newmarket public landing, Newmarket. A 1.5 NM trip down the Lamprey river to the Bay. Limited Parking

CAUTION: 1. No serious currents outside of the Furber Straits

2. At low tide nearly the whole Bay is a mud flat so Tide Tables must be consulted. Two hrs before and after low tide are usually adequate.

3. It does not take much wind to develop quite a chop in the Bay I generally feel 15MPH is an upper limit. Altho this is a great and reasonably sheltered place to practice wave handling.

PICT 6 ADAMS PT LAUNCH

PICT7 WINTER SUN

PICT8 LUNCH BREAK

PICT9 NANNIE ISL DIST

PORTSMOUTH HARBOR-

A beautiful harbor, busy, working and just the right size. Several islands occur in PH with nice pullouts for a picnic lunch. There are some currents in the bay during tidal flushes and currents under bridges can be strong but manageable. No-See-Um's will enjoy your presence in the summer- bring bug spray. The bridge between PH and Little Harbor near the Wentworth Yacht Club can produce very strong currents during most of the tide cycle. Caution is required and a fast paddle stroke to get through against the current. Little Harbor opens up onto the Atlantic but is sheltered from the waves by a breakwater. Past the breakwater one finds the Isl of Shoals 7 nm away - next stop Europe. This is surf country for those so inclined.

Portsmouth has been busy this spring, numerous kayaks on the water. The wonders of PH have been discovered!! The town of Portsmouth has decided to cash in on PH's popularity by now charging $5 per launch from Pierce island, seems a bit high. New place to launch must be found-too bad PI was a great launch.

PUT INS: Pierce Island Portsmouth. Odiornes Point.

CAUTIONS: Currents especially under the bridge to Little Harbor. Stormy days can make travel less pleasant.

pict1 Pierce isl launch

pict 2 FOGGY DAY

pict 3 CLAMPIT ISL

pict 4 LUNCH

pict5 Little Harbor

pict6 clampit2

LAKES

SQUAM LAKE. A beautiful lake, clear clean water. Loons abound. I would suggest the SE part of the lake. It is more sheltered from the winds which can kick up quite rough water on this large lake and it has somewhat less boat traffic- or at least the boats may slow down a bit. Usually this lake is best after the main boating season, for example during Fall Foliage- then it is spectacular.

PUT IN: Squam Lake Association headquarters on Rte 3.

CAUTION: 1. Heavy boat traffic during the summer season.

2. Winds create rather large waves.

pict 1 FALL FOLIAGE

pict 2 SLA LAUNCH

pict 3 MARSH

WINNIPESAUKEE-I have only explored a small part of this lake near Wolfeboro. A beautifulbut very heavily developed lake. The water is cool and clear and there are numerous islands and a "forever" shoreline. But you will be paddling past the backyards of many houses and the boat traffic is nothing less than heavy during the summer. The boat sizes are large and with sufficient speed that one is able to surf on their wake- alright a short ride but surfing none-the-less.

PUT INS: 1. Winnipesaukee Kayak Company in Wolfeboro. Good place for launch, advice andequipment.

CAUTION: 1. Winds generate big waves

2. Heavy boat use and watch for wakes off the big tourists boats.

pict 1 CLINTON

BELAMY RESERVOIR- This lake is the water supply for Dover and as such does not allow motored boats- other than those with electric motors. This narrow reservoir is a beautiful kayak spot with over 5 miles of shoreline and back away from Rte 9 it is quiet and peaceful. Beaver lodges and activity are evident throughout the northern part of the lake, ducks and several Great Blue Herons make their home here. A few islands in the northern part are great stops for a picnic lunch. Mostly undeveloped. This spring has been especially nice on the Belamy. Its narrow channel gives one a protected paddle on windy days. The water lilies are also beginning to flower which adds even more pleasure to the paddle.

PUT INS: There is a muddy boat launch on Rte 9 between Dover and Barrington. Parking may be somewhat limited some days.

CAUTIONS: None to speak of. Even wind does not have as much affect here because of the narrow nature of the lake, therefore protected shores.

pict 1BELAMY

pict 2 BLUE HERON

SWAINS LAKE- A highly developed lake in Barrington with about five miles of shoreline. Still it is a pretty paddle and a good place to practice rolls and wet exits etc. Not many places to pull out for lunch however because of development.

PUT INS: 1. Only one public launch off of Young road which comes off of Rte 9 near the Barrington town hall. Parking may be very limited in the summer.

CAUTIONS: 1. Some days the boat traffic may be high but close to shore it is pretty safe.

pict 1 swains lake

II. MAINE

CASCO BAY- Now we are talking quintessential kayaking. This bay is sheltered from the direct ocean extremes by a chain of offshore islands. It is a large Bay, the Northern end is least busy but the whole is a working bay and boat traffic can be high in the summer. Beautiful islands dot and surround the bay, seals frolic and the feel and smell of the ocean is rich. Access is surprisingly limited with few public launches- tons of private launches. The more northern section has less big boats than that near Portland. For those of us from away (i.e. not native Mainers) the reception toour presence is often taciturn at best and parking spaces and launch space are reluctantly relinquished. Courtesy on our part and appreciation for the Mainer's position goes a long way. This is a place worth visiting.

PUT INS 1. Falmouth Foreside. Very, very limited parking, best to go during off season in the Fall and winter.

CAUTIONS: 1. This is a big bay, storms and wind have their way with the water.

2. Watch for sail boats and working boats in the summer

pict 1 FALMOUTH FORESIDE

pict 2 FALMOUTH FORESIDE

pict 3 ON THE CASCO

pict 4 STURDIVANT ISL

PADDLINGLINKS

1. UNH Paddling Club

CLUB

ROLLINPROG

2, New England tides

3. PADDLER'S BULLETIN BOARD

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last modified: 14 June 2000