Knubble Bay, Maine

In my kayaking plans for the year I was planning a spring time Lake Champlain paddle and a fall Maine Island paddle. But when I saw that the Knubble Bay AMC club was holding a spring paddle I couldn’t resist. I signed up instantly and it didn’t take much coaxing to get Bob, MA and Carole to join me. We carpooled up together Friday afternoon to the lodge just south of Bath Maine. We arrived just in time to meet Gail, Dave, Dave and Steve and head back into town for dinner. The conversation over dinner was very comfortable as we traded stories about kayaking, our professions and hobbies. As we left the restaurant our group leader asked us “where did you park” even though we had followed him and parked right beside him. Was this a sign of things to come? (It wasn’t.)

The first day we caravanned to the put in at the top of the New Meadows River. We were joined by Leah, Cathy, Barbara and another Dave. The tide was just about dead low and the mud and rockweed were everywhere. We paddled down stream and then up into Back Cove for lunch. We ate on the shore which MA dubbed the “muddy butt spot”. The group shared food and jokes and took pictures. After lunch we poked north into a narrow cove lined with steep rock walls and tall trees. It had the prettiest views of the day. With so many new people to paddle with there were no shortage of stories. I was yak yak yakking about the Maine Island Trail Association with Steve when there was a Puffin sighting. I missed it. A seal was spotted somewhere along the way also. I missed it. I did see the pair of Bald Eagles in a tree however. And the Osprey were everywhere. On the way back I managed to slip in a few rolls and then a few more at the launch. I just had to do that in the cold Maine waters! Dave had done a few before lunch without a hood on. Ouch!

Back at the lodge the feasting began. Wine and cheese and crackers and snacks. Then pork and carrots and potatoes and peach cobbler and carrot cake. The RICKA crew, sans me, helped with the dishes. I yak yak yakked about where we might paddle on a future kayak camping adventure. (Stonington, Deer Island, and the dozens upon dozens of small islands off the coast was the recommendation.) Then, the RICKA 4 went for a walk in the dark to help the huge quantities of food we ate digest. When we returned Carole and I engaged Mary, Dave, and Gail in a little speed scrabble game. I do not recommend you play scrabble with a woman with a PhD in English. (Unless, as Steve said, you are honored to loose to her!)

Day two was scheduled to be a half day paddle directly from the lodge. We paddled out of Knubble bay by Goose Rock Passage and across the Sheepscott River to Barters Island. Here we explored some nature trails and some beautiful views from the observation benches. We crossed back with the group and then the four RICKA members headed out the Little Sheepscott River towards the Ocean.
We successfully navigated a small tidal rip at the end of the river and were treated to “5 Islands”. The quintessential Maine fishing village. It was absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch on a rock, careful to pull our boats up high, away from the grip of the rising 12 foot tide.


Back in our boats we continued south to the start of Reid State Park. Here the on-shore breeze was just beginning to liven up the seas that had been smoothed by a couple of days of light north winds. On the way back we saw a seal and explored a huge crevasse that although only about 3 feet wide was deep enough to fit all four of our boats end to end and rose straight from the high water line for another 30 feet.

Another tidal rip in Knubble Bay entertained us with its dancing water and a small whirlpool that MA and Bob avoided. And we returned with the second 15 mile day under our hulls.

The ride home included a nearly mandatory stop at the LLBean store. A wonderful dinner at “The Muddy Rudder” finished the adventure.

The lodge and the associated Beal Island Camp both provide a launching point for miles of protected water paddling plus access to a number of reasonable distance open water paddles. Plus, if you play the tides and winds right there are a number of places with some interesting tidal rips. Some with names like “Hells Gate” which I think is a little more self explanatory than Goose Rock.

4/21-4/22 Light winds, 74 degrees and 60 degrees, water temperature 40 degrees.