Two Schoodics differ greatly in their paddling opportunities

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This is a tale of two Schoodics, an Owls Head, and a man in distress – three beauties, one beast.

First, the beauties.

To experience the beauty of the Schoodics, you have to be in two places: one salty, one fresh.

Last Saturday the seas were up and the tide was on its way in when I got a call from paddling buddy Robert Causey, who had some time and gas to burn and wanted to know if I wanted to join him in a quick trip to Winter Harbor and Schoodic Point.

Sounded good to me. I’m always up for an outing, particularly when it involves the ocean. There’d be no kayaks involved in this trip. We were simply going to play tourist and take in the sights of what we hoped would be an angry ocean.

And angry it was. The farther out the Schoodic Loop road we drove, the more riled the ocean became until at the tip of Schoodic Point, the 10 foot-plus waves and 20 mph winds gave us a great show of the wrath and power of the ocean. We marveled as wave after wave bulldozed its way to shore, smashing against the granite and exploding in a white froth sometimes reaching 20 or more feet into the air.

It wasn’t a place to imagine paddling. Even the sea gulls were staying pretty close to the ground (except when chasing tourists for bits of bread).

Sunday dawned sunny. We packed our kayaks and paddling gear in my Jeep and headed north to visit another Schoodic. We’d opted for the Schoodic Lake in Lakeview Plantation next to Brownville (not the one in Washington County near Cherryfield) because Causey had heard there was some property for sale near the lake. Besides, neither of us had ever been there.

From Schoodic Lake we would see Schoodic Mountain just to the north (not the Schoodic Mountain near East Franklin).

We headed up through Lagrange and Milo, stopping in the latter to get something to fix for lunch. Then at Brownville Junction, we took Church Street to Schoodic Lake Road to Knight’s Landing.

Causey’s phantom property was allegedly on the southern end of the lake, so we chose to launch at Knight’s Landing on the western shore about halfway up the lake. From there we could paddle south and get a feel for the neighborhood. And there’s a lot of neighborhood on that side of the lake, by the way. The shore is lined with camps and what appeared to be some year-round houses.

Schoodic’s waters are crystal clear. We checked out the shoreline south to Berry Cove, crossed to Norway Point, and continued on to Lake View, a small community at the southern end of the lake with a commanding view north toward Mount Katahdin.

At a small beach in Lake View, we stopped to make lunch and stroll across the railroad tracks up to the main road. It’s a small, quiet community. In the 10 or so minutes we were on the main drag, not a car passed through. (Three ATVs showed up later as we ate lunch next to our kayaks.)

We plotted a course to the eastern shore where we’d paddle with the wind to a spot almost opposite Knight’s Landing, then cross back. The wind was blowing around 20 mph and it quickly pushed us up the lake for the first of our return legs. The eastern shoreline, by the way, is all rocks and there are no cushy landing spots, so I opted to stay at sea while Causey did a little shore exploration. (I was paddling my composite boat, he had his polyethylene.)

By the way, the view of nearby mountains is fantastic – there’s Saddleback, Little Wilkie, Big Wilkie, Schoodic, and Jo Mary as well as Mount Katahdin. Save for Katahdin, the mountains are the same ones we normally see looking northward from Pushaw Lake on our paddles there.

And here’s a bit of trivia I found on the Web: Schoodic Lake derives its name from the Indian word “sko-tum” or trout. Moses Greenleaf’s early map of the area names it Scootum Lake or Trout Lake. (I haven’t a clue why Schoodic Point is so named.)

Our two-mile final leg with abeam seas turned out to be a little wet but otherwise uneventful. It was helpful to have had the GPS on board because we were not 100 percent certain we could see our departure point – everything was all of a size looking from the eastern side. I used it to get a bearing, then followed my deck compass. It turned out I’d guessed pretty close in picking out a landmark. The fun part of the GPS when heading toward a waypoint is watching the distance and arrival time count down.

Tuesday evening I booked a trip to Rockland to attend the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors meeting at Atlantic Challenge’s offices. Because it was going to be a long day, I begged out of the office early to get in a little paddling time in the Owls Head area. Many years ago I explored Rockland Harbor, but Owls Head and the Muscle Ridge area have been beckoning. So it didn’t take much arm twisting by fellow paddler Karen Francoeur (who was headed to the same meeting) to hit the waters of Owls Head Bay for a couple of hours.

We left the public boat launch and headed south past Holiday and Crescent Beaches to Emery Island where a flock of whistled to flight on our approach surf scoters. We headed out to sea toward Fisherman Island before making a turn northward to Sheep Island, then Monroe Island. Monroe’s shore is guarded by sandy-colored ledges and “Keep Off” signs. After circumnavigating it, I found a place where I could get close enough to read one sign that said it is a wildlife sanctuary (and a repository for washed-up lobster buoys). It’s part of the Maine Island Trail, and just the northern tip is open to MITA members in human-powered boats. The rest is off limits. If you’re a MITA member, consult your guidebook for other restrictions.

The short introduction to the area was enough to whet my appetite for a return trip to explore the Muscle Ridge Islands. I’ve been told there is some pretty scenery out there.

If you paddle out of Owls Head Bay, keep in mind there is a large resident lobster fishing fleet here. Keep an eye out for the boats moving in and out of the harbor. Also there is a pretty good tidal current running south on the outgoing tide between Monroe Island and Owls Head. Plan your trip to take advantage of the current.

We managed to drag ourselves off the water in time to pack up and get to the MASKGI meeting.

Here’s where we talk about the human in distress.

Al Johnson, the U.S. Coast Guard’s First District recreational boating specialist, told those of us attending the MASKGI meeting of an incident involving a kayaker in trouble. Essentially what happened, he said, was a kayaker overturned and was in the water “near Spruce Island.” That’s the only information the kayaker broadcast in his distress call. The VHF radio call resulted in a scramble and search involving Coast Guard vessels from Eastport, Southwest Harbor, and Rockland as well as an aircraft and 15 hours of search time for naught.

Meanwhile shortly after capsizing, the kayaker was rescued by a lobsterman. No one told the Coast Guard, however, and they continued searching in the area of several different Spruce Islands.

The confusion and waste of time and money spent looking for a person already rescued could have been avoided with a simple radio or telephone call to the Coast Guard after the rescue.

As for the person who made the distress call, he could have helped by broadcasting his location. There are islands of the same name all over the coast often within the same area. There are three or four Sheep Islands, for example, in the Stonington archipelago. Knowing that you are at Sheep Island near the eastern entrance of the Deer Isle Thorofare and close to Coles Point at Oceanville as opposed to the Sheep Island off Sunshine at Stinson Neck would be helpful to searchers. Being able to provide latitude and longitude would be super because it would pinpoint your location, allowing searchers to speed to your assistance.

And the sooner searchers are able to locate you, the better your chances of survival, particularly if you are immersed in the cold ocean waters.

Should you broadcast a distress signal, the Coast Guard will respond and continue searching until it deems you likely are dead. Do them a favor. If you are picked up by another boat, get back to them by phone or radio and tell them you are safe.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.