Cape Small, Sunday Nov.4th

[PeterB]

Cape Small can be seen from most anywhere in Casco Bay as that easternmost landmass, more or less defining the boundary to that end of Casco Bay, and from Popham Beach, it looms as a headland several miles to the west. I've seen Cape Small from these two common paddling destinations, but had never been to the place itself, SO :

With that in mind, two of us paddled out in the direction of Cape Small from a remote little boat ramp at Hen Cove, a few miles from Cundy’s Harbor. It was one day after the big storm, yet the sun was shining, it was a clear, warm and dry, with a mild wind that built to maybe 12 knots by mid-afternoon and subsided thereafter. Water temperature seemed mild for November , maybe 50 degrees. The main feature, of course, was the big swell, which built to 6+ feet as we made our way to more open water.

After a 2 mile crossing along the bay at mouth of the New Meadows River ,we ducked into Carrying Place Cove, about a mile north of Hermit Island . Here is a charming, ungentrified little fishing outport, with clustered shacks on tall pilings, protected by a small island just offshore forming the cove. It was close to low tide and the cove was running out of water, so we portaged a hundred feet or so over the mudflats to continue out through the south end of the cove. Just off of Hermit Island we threaded between some boomers, which were earning their name on this day: big pillars of white water flying upwards. This was no day for rock gardening, as the entire rocky coastline was being buffeted by large powerful waves. As the day progressed , we generally left the rocky shoreline alone, and paddled out in open water, less bothered by the rebounding swell.

Continuing on, we passed Hermit Island and its familiar campground, which was fun to see from the seaward side for the first time , and before we knew it our roller coaster ride across incoming 6+ foot swell was depositing us at Cape Small, where a little pocket beach on the west corner of Bald Point(Head Cove on the chart) beckoned , a good place to stop for lunch.

The wind and swell had evidently not been a hindrance, as we had covered the seven nautical miles to Cape Small at roughly a 4 knot pace.

Bald Point is aptly named , a barren, wind swept place covered with grasses and heather, with rocky outcroppings, the same metamorphic (I think) rock with southwest to northeast striations so familiar throughout Casco Bay (evident to the naked eye and to the reader of charts), but here the rock is deeply pitted, volcanic in appearance, perhaps from the battering this exposed headland takes from the ocean.

We had a commanding view of the whole area on this clear day : Seguin Island and its lighthouse to the east, the whole of Casco Bay to the west, numerous ledges and small islands, all of them fringed with faintly rumbling surf. Even as far away as Jewell Island , some ten miles distant, one could just barely see tall white plumes of surf pounding its shoreline. The wind from the west was picking up, and Casco Bay was now carpeted with small whitecaps, cutting across the swell, which was from the south and east. The ledge extending southward off of Cape Small bordered on the spectacular: big waves were now and again pounding into each other to form massive haystacks.

On our return trip , after nosing through Gooseberry Island just off of Hermit, and passed between Little Wood and Wood islands, but otherwise elected to stay more out in the middle of the bay, as it was a simpler ride than dealing with the clapotis closer to shore. Along the way, Roger was goosed by a surprise wave, eliciting a quick yelp and low brace.

Loons, White- winged scoters , and oldsquaw checked in on us now and again.

As we approached the cove from where we started , the wind died down to nothing and the sun was setting, so the last two miles back to the ramp we paddled slowly, savoring this golden hour(“roaming in the gloaming”, I guess we were... )

I had been looking forward to reporting that we had the ocean all to ourselves on this fine day, but late in the afternoon two working boats passed in the distance. All in all, it was a grand late autumn day on the water.

[Rob Hazard]

Darn it! I knew it was a good excursion I was missing! I've been babying a sore muscle in my upper back.

Great report! Your vivid imagery inspired me to dig out a chart so I could follow your route. Thanks for posting the commentary.

Rob

[Roger Turgeon]

The paddle was every bit as scenic, and perhaps slightly more challenging paddling conditions, as Peter's report makes it out to be.

The 6+ foot swells were no big deal on their own, though they were mostly steeper than the word "swells" usually implies, but they were coming more or less from the southwest, and the one foot or so wind-driven waves were coming more from the northwest, criss-crossing over and on top of the swells; add to that the rebounding swells from not far away--this is all steep rock cliff for the waves to bounce off of, not sandy beaches--and the refracting stuff going every which direction from the countless invisible ledges, and you got some interesting "lumpy mashed potatoes" in places. Interesting and fun.

Perhaps most amazing was that the start and finish were so nearly dead flat calm, and the stuff in the middle was such a contrast, that this paddle served up about as much variety as one could expect.

Here is the course map on satelite image.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1436810

I have a home in that area, and would be happy to join anyone who cares to come up to paddle anywhere in the area. I will of course post fro "private Trips" in the area from time to time.

Roger Turgeon

Night Heron, cedar-strip

[glil]

Nicely written trip reports!

Speaking of the campground on Hermit Island, by the time I discovered it a number of years ago, it was supposedly the last year that dogs would be allowed (there were signs posted all over). I loved the campground and area, but haven't been back since (because the dogs couldn't go). Does anyone familiar with the campground know if the "no dog" policy is currently in effect?

Gay

[Bill Gwynn]

Nicely written trip reports!

Speaking of the campground on Hermit Island, by the time I discovered it a number of years ago, it was supposedly the last year that dogs would be allowed (there were signs posted all over). I loved the campground and area, but haven't been back since (because the dogs couldn't go). Does anyone familiar with the campground know if the "no dog" policy is currently in effect?

Gay

They do still have a no dog policy, but apparently they do not enforce it. I was there on Columbus day weekend and there were as many dogs as there were people.

[glil]

They do still have a no dog policy, but apparently they do not enforce it. I was there on Columbus day weekend and there were as many dogs as there were people.

Thanks for the info, Bill. That's good to know.

Gay

[Bill Gwynn]

Thanks for the info, Bill. That's good to know.

Gay

No Problem Gay. One thing to keep in mind, Columbus day weekend is the last weekend they are open and generally not very crowded, so, they may enforce their rules more during peak season. Just thinking out loud here.

[Paul Sylvester]

The flyer this year said they were going to have a "dog weekend" in the fall. I believe they enforce the rule at other times.

[glil]

The flyer this year said they were going to have a "dog weekend" in the fall. I believe they enforce the rule at other times.

It's all making sense now. Columbus Day weekend must have been "dog weekend". Will keep that in mind for the future.

Thanks, Gay