Experience Paddling Great Waas?

[EEL]

Well, it appears Winter has us for awhile longer so I have gone back to books and charts to dream of future trips. One area of Maine that looks interesting is the Great Waas Archipelago. Has anyone toured or day paddled there? If so, is it a beautiful and adventuresome place to go? I get the impression it is more remote, demanding, and rugged. Which also suggests the rewards are greater too.

TIA

Ed Lawson

[jonsprag1]

I"ve been to the Jonesport---Machias area on business many times but have never taken my boat---plan to change that this summer--I know some commercial outfitters---Ray Wirth of waterwalker amoung others--run guided overnight tours out of Jonesport and Great Wass is included on the itinery. You might try his website for more infomation--just google waterwalkers. From what I've seen on land the area is relativly isolated with fewer boats than the southern/western part of the Maine coast---also you are starting to get fundy tides---not as much as you would get in Cobscook Bay(18-20 feet) but still more than Portland. Fog is also a big issue in the summer. Let me know how your trip goes--might try it myself.

[eneumeier]

Read Dave Lapenson's trip report, posted 8/19/03, topic #89, here:

http://www.nspn.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboar...orum=DCForumID5

Liz N.

[Adam Bolonsky]

Hi Ed,

I spent a week up there about four years ago. I thought it was a terrific place. Lots of fog, remote atmosphere, no boats other than lobsterers and the occassional packet cruiser in from New York or Boston.

I remember you can get badly messed up there, as some of the islands in the outer ring have shallow ledges off and near them. The surf jacks high as it comes in from offshore and can catch you off guard.

Erica Bernstein and Karen Gladstone highly recommend a trip to to the Brothers. Same issue with offshore ledges, but worth the trip. Tough landing. The tide runs hard.

Jonesport hasn't got much in the way of services. Bring all you need.

For what it's worth, there's a Coast Guard station in Jonesport with plenty of rescue resources. I was glad to have my VHF, yet was disconcerted when the only responder to my radio check was silence.

The fog mutes everything.

When in doubt or lost, paddle north. You're sure to hit land.

East of Halifax Island, toward Corea, the waters struck me as go all the way downeast or go home, because the headlands don't leave much wiggle room to land on without getting hammered.

[jonsprag1]

Here is a link to an article by Ray Wirth who did a circumnavigation of Great Wass December 28th, 2003. [http://www.kayakshops.com/waterwalker_articles/great_wass.htm This article gives good details of the entire trip and has a map and photos-- assuming that you haven't located it already

[EEL]

Had not seen this. Alone, December, wrong map, 40s, go for it, adventure, priceless. Neat stuff and based on Adam's description sounds like a great place to go. Paddling in fog with boomers about must be equal measures of fear, spooky, and excitment. Nice to dream about, but think I would prefer a clear day.

Ed Lawson

[Suz]

Ed,

Went up there a few years ago on a NSPN trip led by Rick Stoehrer. It was the same trip that David Lapensen wrote up that Liz referenced. I thought that Rick wrote up the trip too. (here is Rick's trip report: http://www.nspn.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboar...pic&archive=yes )

What I remember about it was that the area is rugged and beautiful, remote and isolated. I think it was late in the summer when I was there and the fog was an issue so we elected to stay in the only campground around located on the water. It was in Jonesport but I don't remember the name. There were no facilities, just an outhouse and a hose for water. There were many trailers and it was located on a little spit of land surrounded by lobster pots. Morning was very early as these pots were worked first thing.

My most vivid memory was of a blood red moon that was bigger than a house. It rose out of the water and colored it red.

We had hoped to do a circumnav of Great Wass but we traveled too slow as a group and were unable to do it.

The weather changed and one day we had to stay off the water due to predicted winds and thunderstorms. Instead we drove up to Machias for some sort of outdoor fair and then headed over the border and went to some weird place for dinner in Canada. The restaurant was unremarkable but one dish served was "poutaine" (sure I am remembering this wrong. It was french fries with some sort of clotted cheese "gravy". OK, maybe you didn't really need to know that but i am reminiscing.

Last year I had hoped to get back up to Jonesport and paddle but never did find the time. It is just such a long way and so many other places to paddle along the way.

I think I will put this trip on my calendar for this year!

Suz

[PeterB]

I paddled Great Wass two years ago, in October, and it is a great destination .

One of the first things one notices about this area is that the ratio of working boats to pleasure craft is inverse to that of Mount Desert Island and points south.

One can launch from Jonesport, or , to avoid the boat traffic in Moosabec reach, cross a bridge from Jonesport to Beals Is. and thence to Great Wass, where theres a launch site on the NE corner of the island. I launched from there, paddled out through Pig Gut, and over to Head Harbor Island, (about a 1 mil crossing with shoals, islets & ledges on the way,) poked around between Head Harbor Is. and Steel Harbor Is. (beautiful) and returned the way I came. I caught good weather and calm conditions, otherwise wouldn't have ventured as far (or gone out at all) My route was about as conservative as one could manage there, and I left feeling that I had only scratched the surface of this great area. The skilled & enterprising paddler can explore the outer reaches of Great Wass , where boomers, big seas etc are commonplace. Venturing out to Red Head at the southern tip of Great Wass is not for the squeamish or unprepared. Some day, under the right

conditions ...

I was in that general area (Lubec, Machias etc) for several days, and the general pattern I experienced was dense early morning fog burning off by late morning or mid day. I was lucky & caught mild conditions, but the area is is (in)famous for fog, big seas, more fog, and general rough stuff.

[Nick Schade]

I paddle the area fairly frequently. That whole stretch of the Maine coast from Mt Desert to Machias is well worth a visit. The Great Wass is the home of fog and razor billed auks. It is a beautiful place to paddle. If you are in the area it is also well worth heading east to Roque Island and its neighbors. There are several MITA islands in the area, although some are nicer than others. Halifax down near Roque is a great place to camp. Several of us did a

trip in 2004 from Jonesport to Frenchman Bay via Roque, Bois Bubert, and Petit Manan. Any of these places is well worth a trip.

[jonsprag1]

What??--No radar?

[Nick Schade]

>East of Halifax Island, toward Corea, the waters struck me

>as go all the way downeast or go home, because the

>headlands don't leave much wiggle room to land on without

>getting hammered.

I think you mean Cutler. Corea is west of Halifax. Cutler is the home of the Navy's VLF submarine communications antenna which is visible as a ring of tall towers popularly known as the dinosaur cage.

There are relatively few good camping places between Cutler and Lubec.

[kayakher]

I spent a week there last summer with some friends and the paddling there is incredible. We had our share of fog the beginning of the week, but we made up for it with some wonderful paddling trips. This was my second time at Great Wass...The first time we camped a few days in Jonesport, the second time we rented a cottage on the water. There are plenty of trips from the area, circumnavigating the island around Red Head, out to Stevens Is, Fishermen's Is, Mistake Is, and more. Don't miss the Cow Yard. Definitely a must do.

[PeterB]

The Cow Yard is that area between Head Harbor and Steel Harbor Islands that I had toled around in before turning back, and it is very beautiful.

On a gastronomic note, the fogbound paddler can always drive to Machias and get pies at Helen's. They make stawberry, blueberry, rasberry cream pies, depending on what's in season. Long-time devotees of Helens claim that the pies aren't like they used to be, but I don't know about that. Such is their allure that once when 5 of us were driving back to Boston from a camping trip at Mt. Desert, we got to reminiscing about Helen's pies, so when we reached Ellsworth and the turnoff for Rte 1 , we were so worked up that we actually considered driving the other way to Machias to grab a pie or two. (Machias is 60 miles the wrong way, or a 120 mile detour for pies, on the drive home at the end of a three day weekend)

The Aquarium makes a yearly collecting trip to Eastport in the fall , and it is a tradition for the group to bring back pies from Helens to those who put in their orders. I had dutifully given them my $$ with an order for a strawberry pie , but they couldn't resist and ate my pie in the van on the way back . I don't think I ever got my money back, either.