For Seniors New To Sea Kayaking, Join The Maine Island Trail Association.
Credit: Tamsin Venn
If you’re new to sea kayaking, and if you live in the Northeast, one of the best resources for where to paddle is the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) Guidebook. You know summer has arrived when this annually updated treasure trove arrives in the mail. Or, “digital members” can download new online version from iTunes. For the price of membership, you can get down to some serious paddling adventure planning this summer.
The Maine Island Trail is a 375-mile recreational waterway that spans the entire coast of Maine. It connects more than 200 island and mainland sites open for day visits or overnight camping. The Maine islands are some of the most beautiful spots you can kayak to. Think smooth granite ledges, islands decked with fir trees, clear water colored Caribbean blue from crushed white shells, spectacular sunsets, and friendly visits from porpoises and seals.
Many of the islands are close together, making island hopping eminently doable.
The annual Trail Guide has comprehensive descriptions and usage guidelines for the islands, and offers details on accessing dozens of privately owned sites that are not open to the general public. The online app has photos of the islands so you can put a place to a name on the nautical chart.
The concept of the Maine Island Trail was founded on the simple premise that those who paddled to these islands would also want to engage in their stewardship. That premise has been born out, by the increasing number of private owners who entrust their islands’ care to MITA.
The guidebook always sends me into flights of fancy. Will this be the summer I paddle the entire trail, from Kittery Point to Machias? Or will I revisit a well-loved spot, like the Deer Island Thorofare, or discover a new place, with family and friends?
Note that while the Trail offers enticing journeys, it is a maritime environment with all the vagaries of ocean conditions, including strong afternoon winds. Kayakers who have accidents tend to become debilitated from cold water and hypothermia more than any other cause. Traveling here is not for the uninitiated. It is best to go with a tour operator (there are many good ones in Maine) or get some instruction and safety information under your PFD (personal floatation device). A good place to start is the guidebook.
The guidebook explains the areas that are riskiest for kayakers but also covers the essentials like what to carry for safety measures, wildlife protection and viewing, camping regulations, leave-no-trace ethics, what to do with waste and trash, afternoon winds and weather, and how to tie some sturdy knots. All of it is incredibly useful information, admonitions interspersed with basic know-how.
MITA also offers volunteer island clean-ups and meet-ups, a great way to get to know other senior kayakers.
Summer is not summer without a trip to a Maine island. For the price of membership in MITA, you have all the information you need to make that happen. Go to www.mita.org.
See you on a Maine island this summer!
This is the 25th year Tamsin Venn has been publishing Atlantic Coastal Kayaker Magazine. For a subscription, go to www.atlanticcoastalkayaker.com
Credit: Tamsin Venn
