#2: [05-Nov-06]

31-Jul-2003 -- We left at 4:45 AM for the 30-mile drive from Belfast to Owls Head, Maine. At Owls Head, we put our sea kayaks in at Ash Point and paddled through dense fog out to Ash Island and then took a compass bearing south across the Muscle Ridge Channel (dodging lobster boats in the low visibility soup) toward Otter Island. We continued past High Island and Andrews Island, and then followed a GPS bearing another 1.9 nautical miles to the confluence spot.

As we left the Muscle Ridge archipelago, we paddled out of the fog and into brilliant sunlight and gentle swells. Harbor porpoises played beside our kayaks as we stopped at the Confluence to take photos. Two Bush lighthouse, Andrews Island, Green Island, and Matinicus Island were all visible from the Confluence. The mainland about 4 miles away was still shrouded in fog.

On our return trip - with the fog lifting - we saw harbor seals, blue heron, loons, and guillemots. We returned to our launch site by 9:30 AM feeling we had seen a lot in a few short hours.

In the Gulf of Maine, but with a view of land.