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Boon Island


brambor

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I just heard a short story on Boon island ...reachable from York Maine http://www.sunjournal.com/boon-island/story/952915

It appears to have the tallest lighthouse in Maine. It seems to be a trip equal to the Isle Of Shoals complexity. Has anyone paddled there or ever considered to do so?

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<..I'd think I'd rather attempt the 6 mile swim than eat my crew mates>

It is most likely that none of them could swim, Barry: it is a new-ish phenomenon that we all learn to swim -- most mariners could not, in days of yore! (Japanese pearl divers and some similar examples excepted...) :th_bf-bootjesmiley002:

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With the right forecast it might make for an interesting trip.

Nine and a half miles offshore? Interesting? I don't think so, Barry: sounds like a <slog> to me -- and for what? Just so you can say you've been there, done that, etc -- I don't think I could be bothered! However, you might...erm...well, you know...?

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The distance looks simillar to Isle Of Shoals and many go there every year. I am unsure if I am interested but I just find it interesting that these two are so close to each other yet no one seems to go there.

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A few of us paddled out there several years ago and I would like to go again sometime. Nothing there but rocks and birds. Growing up in the seacoast this was known as the place where small boaters got in trouble ie:(died)....Newcasts always seemed to reference Boon to the location where an accident happened..Plus the whole shipwreck thing made this a must do.....

Leave from York, it is 8 miles I think which puts it further than the shoals.

Be careful.

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Nine and a half miles offshore? Interesting? I don't think so, Barry: sounds like a <slog> to me -- and for what? Just so you can say you've been there, done that, etc -- I don't think I could be bothered! However, you might...erm...well, you know...?

Christopher,

you're probably right ... it would be completely daft ... like paddling around Cape Ann at night ... oh wait !

Barry.

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There is a grain of compassion in me for this inanimate object. Here we have the tallest lighthouse in Maine and nobody goes there. ;-)

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I went to the 1pm talk about boon sat. 12/11/2010. It was the 300 year commemoration of the wreck of the Nottingham galley. Quite a story of spying, smuggling, cannibalism, etc. It was held at cape Neddick lighthouse. I checked the distance from the parking lot there and it is 6.5mi from the light. 6.7 from the parking lot. Its a reasonable sized parking lot and there is a walk over ledge down to the water on the north side. I would definitely like to do it sometime. I did the isle of shoals from Wallis sands with flat seas and it only took 1.5 hours. That was a trip of 7 mi. each way.

I went out to the boon a number of years ago in a motor boat. It is indeed barren. I remember about 100 seals on the east side. I think thats where the boat landing/launch/ramp is. It didnt look to inviting for a motor boat at the time so we didnt land.

It was very hard staffing the lighthouse in the day because every few years they get storms that wash over the island. A number of times the keepers have had to hang out in the tower because of the huge seas. The island is only 14ft above sea level. The keepers house is gone.

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There's a good little book, Boon Island by Kenneth Roberts, a favorite author of mine from adolescent boy days, i still return to his books now and again.

His books are a little bit corny, but well researched, classic historical novels. Reading Boon Island would, I'm sure, give some feeling for what a journey there would be like.

I must go back to his first book, Arundel , in which the protagonist accompanies Benedict Arnold on his epic wilderness march from Newburyport to Quebec City in the autumn/winter of 1775, the first year of the American Revolution. They traveled by sea from Newburyport to the mouth of the Kennebec River, and Merrymeeting Bay, where they transferred to bateaux. to travel up the Kennebec. I would like to re-read his section on that leg of the journey (Popham Beach, Casco Bay Cape Small ) now that I am more attuned to that area as a kayaker than I was as a teenager.

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I agree with Sir Christopher, but we are all a bit daft and if it floats your boat.

That said I too enjoy visiting lighthouses. There are very few on the coast of Maine which are intact in terms of all the buildings when they were manned. One that is nice to visit is Sequin since they have a caretaker in season and you get to see the light and lenses from close up. Same for the light at Cape Porpoise, but not as spectacular as Seguin.

http://www.seguinisland.org/index.htm

Might be fun to have a set of trips for the purpose for visiting lighthouses.

Ed Lawson

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I agree with Sir Christopher, but we are all a bit daft and if it floats your boat.

That said I too enjoy visiting lighthouses. There are very few on the coast of Maine which are intact in terms of all the buildings when they were manned. One that is nice to visit is Sequin since they have a caretaker in season and you get to see the light and lenses from close up. Same for the light at Cape Porpoise, but not as spectacular as Seguin.

http://www.seguinisland.org/index.htm

Might be fun to have a set of trips for the purpose for visiting lighthouses.

Ed Lawson

Seguin is also my favorite light house. If you pick a good day it's really nice place to have lunch with a view.

-Jason

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As for lighthouses, Seguin is my favorite also. I love the island for the ruggedness and the way it sits out their guarding the mouth of the mighty Kennebec. It has the best outhouse of any island lighthouse.

It would please me immensely to camp on that island someday.

Suz

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The distance looks simillar to Isle Of Shoals and many go there every year. I am unsure if I am interested but I just find it interesting that these two are so close to each other yet no one seems to go there.

If weather and schedules worked, I'd be up for that. ...think of it as a warm-up for Mount Desert Rock. :D
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