|
If you are new to Maine or to recreational boating in general, and would like to learn more about safe boat handling, please contact the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at (207) 287-8000 or click here:
State of Maine - Boating Laws and Rules.
SEA-KAYAKING
Sea kayaking in your own equipment is one of the most popular activities in the Cobscook Bay area.
|
The cold temperatures of the bay waters, coupled with strong tidal currents and the solitude of the area are never to be underestimated. Always paddle with a buddy!
Levels of Expertise
|
|
Beginners, who understand safety rules, paddling techniques and gear use can enjoy a leisurely exploration of several comfortable paddling locations.
More experienced paddlers may like to island hop and explore hidden coves.
Experts can find greater challenges surfing tidal currents.
Where Can You Paddle?
Cobscook Bay - the average tide in Cobscook Bay is 24 feet, with some running as high as 28 feet, and the word Cobscook is a Maliseet- Passamaquoddy Indian word for
boiling tides.
Cobscook Bay is a unique, relatively undiscovered area, which has countless places to paddle, see and explore. Some of the locations enjoyed by paddlers include:
-
Pennamaquan estuary and bay
-
Young's and Ox Cove
-
Gleason's Cove, Little River and Pleasant Point Dennys Bay
-
Whiting Bay and Hobart Stream estuary
-
Sipp's Bay and Perry shores
-
Several locations within the Roosevelt Campobello International Park
<
back to top >
CANOEING
Canoeing is a great way to explore the rivers which abound in this area.
|
If you have your own equipment, understand its use, the safety rules and paddling techniques, you will delight in the experiences available here. Always paddle with a buddy!
Where Can You Paddle?
The most popular runs in the area requiring varying levels of expertise include: |
|
The Dennys River - a Spring or Fall run. The most popular run is 18 miles through woods and wetlands. Put in at the dam in Meddybemps and take out at Robinson’s landing in Dennysville. Great rapids and quick-water. A 5-6 hour paddle.
Cathance Stream - early Spring accessibility only. A tributary of the Dennys and an enlivening paddle for all skill levels. Mix of quick- and flat-water. A half-day paddle.
The St. Croix River - this 17 mile wilderness run comprises Class 1 and 2 whitewater rips with quick-water and flat-water stretches and easy to moderate whitewater. Put in at Vanceboro and take out in Loon Bay. A day paddle.
NOTE: The St. Croix River twists in ever-changing moods for many miles along the Maine-Canadian border, all the way down to the city of Calais and the sea. It winds through deep forests and offers camping along the way.
Great Heath Public Reserved Land - includes the Pleasant River as it flows through the center of Maine’s largest peat bog. Flat water paddling. Access is off unmarked gravel roads north of Cherryfield.
Rocky Lake Public Reserved Land - this area includes meandering rivers and streams bordered by wetlands, and shallow, rocky lakes dotted with islands.
<
back to top >
TIDES
|
The greatest rise and fall of tides on the shores of the continental United States occur along the Washington County coast. The tall pilings at Lubec, Eastport and Jonesport, attest to the enormous fluctuations of the ocean's level, where 18-foot variations are average.
However, at certain times of the year, the water level will vary 28 feet every six hours. |
High tide - spilling over the Breakwater
|
<
back to top >
SALT WATER LAUNCH SITES
|
NOTE: The U.S. Coast Guard is likely to board any vessel in local waters at any time of year, to check registration and safety equipment.
Lubec - has a first class ramp and floating dock (June through October), which makes it easy to load your gear and passengers. Beware of the tidal current that flows between Lubec and Campobello - it peaks at 12 knots. From here you can explore Dudley Island,
Pope's Folly and Rodgers Island, all uninhabited with beaches and tidal pools.
Eastport - there are two places you can launch your boat and boaters are advised to use a 4-wheel drive vehicle for either of them.
One of the sites is at the northern part of town where the ferry beaches, and if the tide is out when you come in you might get into trouble with a regular drive vehicle. The other place is at the main harbor and is quite steep. Once in the water, there are a dozen uninhabited islands in nearby New Brunswick to visit as well as Deer Island and Campobello Island. Beware of the Old Sow Whirlpool just west of Deer Island!
|
This is a planning aid: use only U.S. Geodetic charts for navigation
Click to enlarge
|
Pembroke - has a new launch ramp located at Leighton Point at the end of Leighton Road.
Robbinston - is 40 miles north of Lubec and has a well-kept 6-acre park with a ramp and floating dock. For the convenience of visitors, picnic tables, a well, rest rooms and grills are available close-by. It is an easy run across the St. Croix river to St. Andrews in New Brunswick, Canada. (Be sure to check-in with Canadian Customs after you disembark.)
Machias - has a launch ramp located on the dike. This ramp and floating dock gives boaters access to the many islands in the Machias River and Machais
Bay.
Jonesport - is another first-class facility located in Mossabec Reach, a body of water that separates Jonesport from Beals Island and dozens of other pristine islands.
Narraguagus Bay - is located in Milbridge and is another good boating facility and there's a marvelous shoreline to explore on the mainland and on the many islands that dot the Bay.
The St. Croix River - in Calais at the foot of North Street. You can put in here and come back six hours later and you won't recognize where you
are. For here, where the salt water meets fresh water, the highest rise and fall of tides occurs in the continental United States. The difference can be as much as 28 feet - and it is always at least 20 feet.
<
back to top >
FRESH WATER LAUNCH SITES
Six Mile Lake - is six miles north of Machias on Route 192. (This reclaimed lake provides some excellent trout fishing.)
Gardner's Lake - is located between Lubec and East Machias. The launching site allows the exploration of Gardner's and Second Lake, a combined body of water stretching for about ten miles.
Cathance Lake - in the town of Cooper has a launch site right on Route 191.
Safe boating!
<
back to top >
|
