Stonington Stories: Fog!

Webb Cove fog
 On my recent trip to paddle the Atlantic Ocean from Stonington, Maine's Deer Isle Archipelago, I came back with a large volume of photographs that made me see the trip in a series of stories:
  • Fog
  • Lobster Boats
  • Guls
  • ThingFinders
  • Paddle Bloggers and Buddies
  • Granite
  • The Stonington Cat (This one was published while I was in Stonington and is one of my favorites.)
Here's Fog. It's a big one! 
I mean fog is a big and important topic, especially on the ocean and even more so when you are paddling around Maine with the large lobster industry out there.

The Maine Lobster Council has an excellent website for more information on just how big the lobster industry is, how it operates, when the harvest season is, and much more.

And guess what. You can wait for hours for the fog to clear and when it does, you think it's gone.
Turn your back for 30 minutes, and it has suddenly reappeared. "Say what?! I thought it was gone for the day!"
Maine fog is impressive! And it is no stranger around here. Conditions are ripe for it often enough. It may take you by surprise if you aren't used to paddling in areas known for it.

Fog forecasting is tricky. Fog is a pain. Fog can be beautiful, depending on your perspective. I prefer being on the mainland when it rolls in.
It suddenly made me understand why the dewpoint is important, besides a heavy dewpoint making your tent drip as if it had rained, it can also make fog more likely.

I don't usually pay attention to the dewpoint. I normally look up the air and water temperature of places I paddle and wonder why I should care about the dewpoint.

Fog is likely when the surface air temperature and dewpoint are equal or within a degree and the air becomes saturated. There are other factors too. OK. Now I get it. Now I care, and I'll pay more attention to it.

Here's one of my favorite Web resources

Rod n Reel: Tides, Currents, and Weather Reports for the United States. This site takes NOAA spreadsheet data and illustrates it with easy to read and scan graphics all on one page. I like that! It also includes the air temperature, water temperature (It's in the 60's in Maine in August! That's cold.), and the dewpoint.

But here's the NOAA Tide Predictions for Deer Isle-Stonington if you'd like to compare and see how much harder you'll have to work to gather all the data you need to make decisions on paddling conditions for your day paddle or longer trip!

Maine lobster boats head out in all kinds of weather - good, bad, and windy!
While camping and paddling the Deer Isle-Stonington archipelago in August 2011, we awoke to thick fog one morning.
Correction, we were roused by the usual 4:30 a.m. wake up call of the first lobster boat heading out for work in Webb Cove. The lobster boats always head out at this hour. Trust me. You can count on it, and you can count how many boats head out each day from the comfort of your waterfront tent.

On this particular morning, we only heard four, instead of the usual 19 or more. So we poked our heads out of the overly-damp-with-morning-ocean-dew Eureka Bon Echo Air tent to see what was up. "Uh, oh!"

Other kayakers were waiting for the fog to clear before heading out . . . or see if it would clear.

I decided to sit it out in the Webb Cove outdoor Internet Cafe at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures up on the exposed second floor, unwisely . . . thinking I was enjoying the beautiful misty views.
You'll find out why it was unwise when I publish the Stonington Stories: Gul post. But I'm guessing you've already figured out what's to come on that score!
Old Quarry Ocean Adventures has an awesome boat! The Nigh Duck.

I found it one of the most beautiful boats on the water while there, both in clear and foggy conditions. And it was comforting to know it was nearby. It has state of the art navigation equipment.
Old Quarry Nigh Duck
I hope you file a float plan with them if you paddle out from their well-run and very kayak-friendly facility and make sure to have their contact info handy or a VHF radio to call for help if you need it. Hopefully you know where you are for pick up! Another good reason to learn navigation, carry a map, and I'm thinking - GPS!
Old Quarry Nigh Duck
I did see them bring back a few paddlers and their boats when conditions were too difficult for them to make it home. 

Enjoy fog!
I hope you don't get caught in it.
The BaffinPaddler
Here's what you look like in good weather. Can you find three kayaks . . . easily?

Comments

  1. PenobscotPaddlesSeptember 15, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    That's a wonderful interview with Worldreviewer.com; you're love of the sport really comes through. Is that you in your blue Cape Horn though? If so I can see how why you look stressed; the Cape Horn is so slow. Mark had one once; which became mine when he bought the Sirocco. He was always looking behind to find me; until one day we switched boats. Soon after we had two Siroccos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The BaffinPaddlerSeptember 15, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    Hi,

    Thanks.

    Yes, that is definitely me in the blue Cape Horn 150 in the Worldreviewer.com interview. It was my first sea kayak.

    It was a slow boat to China, but was very reliable.

    I wasn't stressed though. The pic you reference was me paddling Maine for the first time. I was happy, and determined I guess to return and paddle more.

    My paddle partner and I love Maine!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Poison Ivy and Your Pet!

Image
So, you've taken the doggie ashore on the mainland or an island for a little exercise. "Hey, you look so cute in the bush." The final flowers of fall are still standing. You've got to get a shot of the beautiful field of six-foot tall yellow wildflowers before they're gone. Suddenly, your early warning system clicks on and you remember to look down instead of up to see what you're tromping through on that barely there trail to the flowers. Poison ivy starting to turn red in the fall along the Ottawa River, Quebec, Canada.  Ah, ha! Of course. There are a few strands of poison ivy creeping out under the tall stuff! And you manage to avoid it. But where's the doggie? She's romping right through all that poison ivy you've just avoided and now her fur, paws and collar may be full of the oil, called urushiol , from the poison ivy plants - the oil that can cause a nasty rash if it gets on your skin, especially if you're one
Read more

One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water

Image
Oddly enough, the first time I saw this type of sign was on a super busy beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this winter. I wonder why I haven't seen more signs like this when I travel to waterways:  One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water. In Spanish, una colilla de de cigarro contamina hasta 50 litros de agua . The sign was posted by a local restaurant.  I wonder why cigarettes are still allowed anywhere anymore. They are banned from more and more public places world wide. Bravo! I wonder why cigarettes are even produced when you can wear a toxic patch or chew toxic gum and not bother anyone or anything with this disgusting, toxic habit. But I do know one thing, now when I make travel plans, the first thing I will look for are completely smoke-free resorts. The resort we stayed at in Mexico did not allow smoking in rooms nor in the dining areas, lobbies, gym, etc. Even though there were open areas where people could smoke, this type of all-inclusive re
Read more

The magic of camping and kayaking at Bon Echo Provincial Park, Mazinaw Rock, Ontario, Canada! Get your bug suit on!

Image
This is one of my favourite "easy to paddle" little magic spots! Bon Echo Provincial Park is in the south central part of Ontario, Canada. It's a pretty nice place to camp! You have amenites here. Even on the back country sites - where you'll have more bugs - but more privacy. Take your pick. More people or more bugs? It's hard to choose sometimes! Mazinaw Rock is on picturesque and easy to paddle Mazinaw Lake . Mazinaw Rock is 100 metres high. If you call out, it echos three times - hence the name, "Bon Echo". In French it means, "good echo". I'll agree! I tried it - three times. It's true! Mazinaw Lake is the second deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. It averages 135 feet deep, and its deepest parts are 476 feet deep. Wow! Suddenly, I feel so small. You might want to think about a float for your camera here! If it goes overboard, you'll never find it again. I'll admit - I love rocks. Doesn't everyone?
Read more

Cycling one of America's most beautiful beaches: Fort De Soto Park, Florida

Image
Yes. I felt it. I felt like I was on one of the most beautiful beaches at Fort De Soto. Wow! The big beach cruisers float and roll over the hard sand at low tide so easily. It's a funky feeling. Perched on a wide, overly soft, bouncy seat, holding on to high handlebars with all your stuff packed into a big wicker basket, you feel goofy as you pedal in bare feet or sandals. You know you look goofy, and don't care. It sets you free. Great. It was the first week of January 2014 and we picked the coldest week of the year to visit southern Florida from Canada's deep freeze. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius) when we woke up and looked out the patio door of a beach front rental on St. Pete's beach on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. By noon the temperature climbed to 58F (14 C) according to the thermostat in the rental car. The stiff blowing nor’easter made us think differently. Let's go to Fort De Soto beach . . . in our ski jackets!  Why not. We're
Read more

Does my Ironman Tremblant T-shirt make me look fat?

Image
Yes it does. Let's blame it on a bulky belt on the jean shorts. What the hell. This is no time for vanity. I couldn't help striking a yoga pose in from of the big red M in the Tremblant Ironman village today. I call it the Ironman village, because the massive white tents and stages for the event are already set up at the base of the Tremblant resort village. You can already feel the Ironman mania and high energy building in town. Parking further and further away, and taking longer and longer to find a parking lot with space is your first clue! August is a busy month up here! The full Ironman Triathlon in Tremblant, Quebec, Canada on August 17  is fast approaching. It's what I call the totally insane Ironman. The full Ironman - not the half. How this is humanly possible in one day is beyond comprehension. Yet some 2600 athletes from over 50 countries, including Quebec's elite racers, will give it a go. Preparing for a full Ironman takes several years of hard traini
Read more