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Paddling around So. Bristol, Maine?


rpg51

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Is there decent protected water paddling to be done around So. Bristol?  My wife and I have a bead on a vacation rental in So. Bristol.  We are very familiar with the paddling around Georgetown, Deer Isle, and the areas down from Bath.  We like that area a great deal.  Not so familiar with So. Bristol.  Anyone familiar with the paddling in that area?  We are looking for protected water, not open ocean.

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Rob:

The eastern shore of Rutherford Island down to Shipley Point makes for a nice Maine coast paddle and a bit of rock garden play especially if you include the islets and ledges down to Thrumcap Island.  Whether it's protected or not depends on the wind.  We paddled out of East Boothbay, across to the Gut at the top of Rutherford and down--retracing the route on the way back.  There is a current at the Gut so check the tides.

For a more protected route, the western shore of Rutherford includes Christmas Cove which is picturesque and much more protected.  The wester shore itself can be nice but expect some current as it's the Damriscotta River and can be lively in a southerly against the tide.  Ebb tides run a bit above 1 knot.

Happy paddling,

Scott

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That is one of my favorite areas. Right from the launch in South Bristol you can do the The Thread of Life, Thrumcap (as already mentioned) circumnavigate Rutherford, or mosey over to Colonial Pemaquid. You can also go up the Johns River or Pemaquid River (they apparently used the term "river" loosely when they named these). You can easily drive to Round Pond to launch, and then have all of Muscongus available.  For a short but interesting paddle, you can launch at Damariscotta and go with the tide to explore the Salt Bay and oyster shell middens.  Actually from South Bristol you can also drive to quite a number of launches without even having to get back on Route 1. It is often helpful to factor in tides but there is something to do at any stage in the tide cycle. 

Edited by Cath
correction
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