Great Bay/Adams Point ...revisited 9/16/06

[spider]

I knew the tides and my work schedule Sat meant that I wouldn't be able to join any of the trips earlier in the day. So I set my sights once again to Great Bay.

Low tide was around 2:30 ish so I decided to put in up at Adams Point, about 4pm and ride with the incoming tide as it started to fill the bay again.

It is said that the bay empties 60% of it's water so in many ways I prefer the incomming tide for more of an assurance that I won't get stranded out in the bay or mudflats.

Temps were good with no wind and calm water. A couple of fellows put in while I was getting ready...I noticed the main difference... I was getting my light ready as I would be comming back in the dark.

Heading off through Furber Strait I stayed opposite of the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge staying on the UNH side of things till I passed through then swung around behind the Footman Islands then clockwise over to the refuge. I wanted to avoid crossing the strait latter in the day... particulary 2 strong eddies that can be a problem if the wind/ current pick up later in the day.

I then headed East over towards Greenland and Herods Cove etc. It's often to shallow to get in there but the water was good so I went poking along over there then Pierce Point ..over to Sandy Point where there is a flat bottom Gundlow like the Old days, moored there. I stopped to stretch my legs etc.

With the promise of a beautiful sunset I headed west over to Moody Point, which I had often been to while doing Bald Eagle surveys a few years back.

One of the things I love about the Bay is the almost total absence of power boats...very few boats scatter the bay and those that do are pretty restricted to the marked channels for safe water.

Sunset was gorgeous! Absolutely crystal clear as could be, Though with no moon to chase it away till later.

I get out my "stick on the hull" light turn it on and start working my way along this side of the bay heading up toards Crommet Creek.

"Not Fair"!! That's what I mutter to myself as some long forgotten mosquito gets me right on the knuckels as I paddle...how do they do that? Bite right where we can't reach..not fair at all.

Now for the full effect a few bats come around to help even the odds in my favor and I wish them all the mosquitos they can handle.

I like this stretch of shoreline as I used to memorise many of the evening roost trees that the Eagles would retire to for the evening. (..their season on the Bay from approx Dec-May.) It's great to see the areas with a new perspective!

The Footman Islands are easy to see and I head for them and into the strait beyond. Though darkness had fallen I could still see around me fairly well...but it was still an erie feeling as my boat gets caught in one of the smaller eddies on this side and starts to swing away from me..there always seems to be a "weightless" feeling and a different grab to the paddle as you cross through various eddies in general so as yet I'm pretty cautious with them.

Okay, maybe a little extra cautious, paddling alone at night...in the dark....

Altogether It took me about 3 1/2hrs to make the circumference of the bay which could lengthed or shorted depending on conditions and desires.

I took out and loaded up in the dark..it felt very nice... very remote and still one of NH hidded gems.