I am thinking of a sea kayak trip to Maine, any suggestions?

Question

I am in college, and would be going with other guys my age I have the gear and the boats, I am looking for trips suggestions. I am thinking last week of May/first week of June, for a max of ten days. I want to stay under twenty miles per day and A cool spot to stay for a couple of days and do short day excursions from would be a plus. I have tents, four to five places in sea kayaks, camp stoves, etc. etc. I have sp,e stuff for a good inland dayhike, if you have any suggestions for one. I want to be camping on islands and in remote places, not beach hopping from town to town

Answer 1

Hi, I'm a sea kayaker from the Passamaquoddy Bay area bordering Maine and there are a couple of factors to consider for sea kayaking in this area.  For one thing, Maine is a fairly big state with a lot of coastline, and a lot of empty coastline. Unfortunately, a lot of the apparently "empty" islands are owned and usually off limits unless you can get permission. Secondly, this is d**n cold water so I'm not sure May/June is the best time of year, unless you are prepared for cold night time temps and have wetsuits or drysuits. August is better, and less likely to have fog, too. And finally, be advised that due to the terrain, there are some wicked tidal currents in some of the bays and inlets. I would strongly recommend going with either a guide or someone who knows the area. Try "paddling.net" for some more info on the area or try doing a websearch for outfitters in various parts of the state. Some  outfitters can be quite helpful to paddlers who have their own gear. One outfitter I found great is "seascapeskayaktours.com", headquartered in Deer Island, N.B. I did a tour with him but also picked up some great local info and tips for the trips I did on my own later. Then there is this website: www.maineseakayakguides.com. The Maine state tourisn site also list all the outfitters. And finally there is the Maine Island Trail Association - you can link to them from the maineseakayakguides website - which lists a lot of info.

Good Luck, it's a fabulous coast, wherever you go!

DR