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Gerry
and Ted begin to see Seguin Island through the fog. |
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Paul,
Gerry and I met at Popham Beach State Park at 2pm, set our GPS to
mark the start/return point and keyed in coordinates for Seguin
Light 2.5 miles out, somewhere in the fog. Our kayaks are hybrids
that we built, with wooden strip decks and plywood stitch &
glue hulls. Gerry and I have West River 180 multichine hulls by
Chesapeake Light Craft. Paul's is the Sasanoa, a hard chine designed
by a Maine boat builder. |
We
decided to paddle out beyond Fox Island to get a feel for the 2-4' swells
before we made the go or no-go call. With the nun buoy (right-side channel
marker) visible and the Seguin foghorn audible, we paddled onward. Before
we reached the buoy, the shape of Seguin appeared and then the light.
It
took 55 minutes to reach the northern tip. We then paddled around
the eastern side to the small harbor and boathouse. The landing
is a small sandy/rocky beach; we came ashore and followed the path
up to the lighthouse. There is also a tram, but signs prohibited
its use. The couple staying for the summer was in town for the day,
so we walked around the grounds and took some pictures. The mainland
was still hidden by the fog, the wind was building and there were
a few claps of thunder. |
Paul
approaching Seguin's Harbor |
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Back down at
the beach, we were listening to the weather radio warnings as a boat approached
that delivered Jack and Tobey. They are this year’s caretakers for
Friends of Seguin and we’d arrived on their day off. They invited
us back up to the lighthouse and Jack gave us the grand tour while Tobey
put on the tea.
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Seguin Light is the highest lighthouse on the east coast (186 feet
above sea level) because the island is so tall. The island itself
rises up out of the ocean like the Scottish Highlands and Cape Breton
Island in Nova Scotia. The view was improving, by now we could see
the beach and beyond, but the wind was still building. Jack said
Monhegan Island was visible on a clear day.
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Lighthouse
caretaker's quarters and the museum |
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Tobey
served tea and cookies while we chatted and monitored the weather.
Thunderstorms had dumped 3-5" of rain south of us in the Portland
area with the next warnings up the coast for Waldo County around
Belfast. We decided to wait until 6pm to let the storm get further
up the coast, hoping the winds would lessen. Realizing the tide
was coming in, we needed to pull our kayaks up the beach. Jack advised
Gerry to set his radio to channel 78 so we could let them know of
our return progress. |
We
decided to leave at 5:30, and once around the northern point we determined
the west winds were manageable. Moderate, warm rain developed on the way
back and with the 3-5' swells, we had our hands full. The wind and tide
were pushing us toward Wood Island and the mouth of the river; we had
to aim toward Morse Mountain to maintain our course. As we approached
Fox Island, the western sky was getting lighter and the rain was letting
up. Gerry called Seguin Light to let them know we crossed safely. It was
a good feeling to have someone monitoring us.
It
was now high tide, with breakers near the beach. With plenty
of light left we practiced surf zone maneuvers, riding the
waves and letting them push us around. Then we unloaded
our gear for some roll practice. We went outside the breakers
to deeper water and I successfully rolled up several times.
A couple rolls took 2 or 3 attempts. Using the extended
paddle technique, I was down long enough to feel the cold
around my forehead like I had eaten ice cream too fast.
Gerry hit several rolls as well and Paul was content to
spot for us. The mosquitoes were vicious as we loaded our
kayaks back on our vehicles and cleaned the sand off our
gear and clothing. |
The
tram, no longer in service |
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Pizza and Pemaquid
Ale at the Cabin Restaurant in Bath was a great way to top off
the outing!
Ted Leavitt
Wiscasset, Maine
Author & Photographer
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