Sea Kayaking at Mt. Desert Island Maine Day 3

Somes Sound

Somes Sound

Leaving Manset

Today was predicted to be our weather day; mostly cloudy with  possibility of rain and thunderstorms.   So we figure this is a good day to paddle the Somes Sound, a narrow inlet running north - south in the center of Mt. Desert Island and very protected from weather.   The put-in is again Manset town pier, and weather is looking much as was predicted, foggy and very humid almost precipitation but not quite.  As we head northwards towards the entrance of the sound the fog appears to be slowly dissipating.   It is low tide again and I notice some startling differences from the last time I paddled here two years ago.   There is a water fall called Man O' War Brook at the base of Acadia Mountain  which has been reduced to a mere trickle from a very picturesque cascade in the fall of two years ago.

Saint Sauveur Mountain

2 years ago

Falls now

By the time we are half way up the sound the weather has cleared up and once again it is a brilliant day, albeit rather muggy.   Having made good time we check out the picnic area on the east shore but decide to wait till we reach the top before stopping for lunch.  Also being low tide the picnic area is not the most accessible due to all the exposed rocks.  As we turn in to the northwest channel (really) I get my first sighting of a seal, almost missed it lying stretched out on an exposed rock, it dove as soon as I spotted it but I caught all but it's head on the image.  The pier at Babson, the northern most point of the Sound is private, as are a great many all around Mt. Desert Island.

Diving seal

Babson town pier

We land on the gravel beach behind the dock, and below the high water mark but take advantage of a bench supplied for residents use, as well as their port-a-potty!     Lunch over it is back to the water for a couple of hours paddling back to Manset under sunny skies.

Somes Sound

U.S. Coast Guard

Along the way we have a Coast Guard vessel give us a look over as it slowly passed, then gave us a wave and was gone.    Off Greening island we paddle through a flotilla of sailing dinghies practicing maneuvers, and then we are back at Manset pondering the big question, will it be fish or scallops tonight?

Sail boats

Below is a scene of the kind that you encounter almost anywhere along the coast roads of Mt. Desert Island, one of the prettiest spots in Maine.

Scenic view from highway

Continue with Day 4

Sea Kayaking at Mt. Desert Island Maine Day 2

The Quietside: Seal Cove

Today we plan to put-in at Pretty Marsh which is about the mid-point north - south of the western shore of the island.   From there we will travel south to Seal Cove, stopping for lunch before returning to Pretty Marsh or rather Bartlett Landing, which is where the ramp is located.

Pretty Marsh to Seal Cove

As we head SW, Bartlett Island is to starboard passing between it and Folly Island in seas that have just a little chop, the weather is once again beautiful.

There is no traffic and indeed in that respect it is the quieter side of the island as Frenchman Bay has ferries, fishing boats and cruise vessels of all types and sizes.  Here there is evidence of lobster fishing, buoyed trap lines but no one out tending them at this time.   There was a little delay in launching as we had to wait while a group of kayakers from one of the several Bar Harbor tour companies got their ducks in a row and cleared the ramp.  As we get close to Seal Cove I can just make out a tall ship on the horizon to the south, a two masted ketch I believe.  Then we are turning to port and the dock at Seal Cove.

2 masted ketch

Approach to Seal Cove

At Seal Cove we land on a sheltered gravel beach beside the ramp, carrying the kayaks about 20' above the water line; the tide is coming in so by the time we finish lunch they will be almost in the water.   Finding a picnic table with a lovely view of the cove we can settle in and have a relaxing lunch before heading back to Bartlett Landing.

Lunch stop

The view of Seal Cove

On our return paddle the weather is changing, becoming overcast and a little blustery.  The next day is supposed to be cloudy with the possibility of some rain so perhaps it is starting to move in now.   This has been another great paddle and tonight I will be cooking my own food back at the camp for a change, although I suspect it may be a one off!

Return to Bartlett Landing

Bartlett Landing

Continue with Day 3

Kayaking Somes Sound & Frenchman Bay Maine

    Somes Sound

Somes Sound

When I first heard in 2012, that Maine had it's very own fjord Somes Sound;  I got out the map to see where it was.  I determined there and then this was an area I wanted to paddle, unfortunately it was going to have to wait another year as the few days remaining in our Maine vacation were fully scheduled.    Technically speaking Somes is not a true fjord as found in Norway as it lacks the steep sides and is more correctly referred to as a fjard.   But heck who cares, fjord fjard it is still a long narrow sheltered arm of the briny surrounded by great scenery and ideal for kayaking, so September of 2013 a friend and I did just that.


When we vacation in Maine we usually stay at an inn on the east side of Frenchman Bay near South Goldsboro where it is very peaceful and our kayaks are safely stored on the property well off road.   This is also very convenient to a couple of good put-ins for paddling Frenchman Bay.  But as Somes Sound is on the west side of Mount Desert Island which is also on the other side of Frenchman Bay it is not so convenient to get to, requiring a little over an hour's drive to reach Southwest Harbor where we will find a suitable spot to launch from.  I had heard that Beals wharf on Clark Point Rd was good, but on arrival we find parking is limited to two hours and as  we are looking to make a day of it we drive around to Southwest Harbor only to find that it is private which leaves us with our other alternative, Manset town pier on the south side of the bay.  Here we find what we require, a section for all day or overnight parking and it is free.  Yeah!    Manset pier is reached by Seawall Rd to Ocean House Rd then east about 100-200 m.

George ready to launch at Manset

It is September 4 and the weather is perfect for our paddle as we set off across the bay threading our way through the many boats at anchor, mostly sailboats and small power boats.   As we clear the bay and round Clark point near Beals the Sound looms ahead, sandwiched between Norumbegan Mt on Mt Desert Island and Acadia Mt on the west shore.

towards Somes Sound

We do not encounter any traffic and wind is light so wave action is minimal as we pass Norwood Cove a natural harbour on our port side, continuing towards the narrows marking the entrance to the sound.   The west shore is more rugged rising quite steeply, the east more gently sloped with many expensive waterfront properties.   It is worth noting that most of the shoreline appears to be private so one can't just stop anywhere for a pit stop but  hope we  will find somewhere where we can go ashore to eat our lunch. 

East shore

West shore (courtesy George)

As we progress north up the west shore we notice a small tour boat head in towards shore where it lingers for awhile, intrigued we come about and head for their position to see what we are missing.    Worth the effort as here are a couple of very pretty waterfalls, obviously a tourist attraction.   I now know from my map that the larger is known as Man O' War Brook Falls and we stop to capture a few images of this picturesque scene before continuing; with an eye to finding a suitable stop for lunch.

Man O' War Brook Falls

A little further on I spot two kayakers in the shadow of Acadia Mt taking a break on some rocks that are almost awash, not a great place to take out if you value your gel coat but theirs are plastic.   I ask if they know the area and can suggest a decent place to get ashore for lunch.  I'm informed there is a small park with picnic tables on the east shore about 1 !/2 km distance so we thank them and head off.    The park was probably not designed for water access the shore being very rocky but we manage to land on some gravel with little problem.  I think this park is part of Acadia National Park and is ideal for our purpose with a nice picnic table in the shade and a toilet further up the slope.

Landing

Picnic site

Looking south
from picnic site

We don't tarry too long at the picnic site as the tide is going out and we would have to chase the water.    We set off heading NW towards Somes Pond at the top of the Sound where we will turn around and return to Manset.   This could be an alternate put-in for someone paddling the Sound, particularly if weather was such that the seas around Southwest Harbor got too choppy.   There appears to be a wharf off the highway (Main St) near Somes Pond Outlet.This area is great to paddle and the scenery is lovely but as it is almost landlocked it doesn't quite feel like being on the sea, more like the inland waters we are used to at home in contrast to paddling on Frenchman Bay.

Channel to Somes Pond

On reaching Somes Pond we turn around following the west shore southward to begin with until reaching Acadia Mt and we see a two masted schooner come in our direction.  As there is little wind she is barely making headway and I veer towards her to get some close ups of this old gal of the sea.   It is the Stephen Taber and chatting with her skipper I learn they are out of Rockport on a six day cruise.  This beauty was built in 1874 and accommodates  about 20 passengers, a great way to experience the Maine coast.

Schooner Stephen Taber built 1874

Wishing our seafaring friends Bon voyage we continue our paddle southward passing the occasional tour boat and just enjoying the scenery and beautiful fall weather as we make our way back to Manset town pier and bring to an end another spectacular paddle.

Our track