Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Great Day for Great Bay

Following Sunday's paddle to Newichawannock, repairing to overnight lodging in Portsmouth allowed me to access New Hampshire's Great Bay early on this past Monday morning.  With a 7:30 am high tide I launched at 6:30 am from Chapmans Landing on the Squamscott River in the town of Stratham. 

With me was nautical chart 13285 and a copy of Phil Blampied's Two Dozen Great Places to Float Your Small Boat (around Seacoast New Hampshire) both of which I'd purchased years ago in anticipation of this day.  Also fresh in my mind was this passage found in Russell M. Lawson's The Piscataqua Valley in the Age of Sail: A Brief History: "At high tide, according to one nineteenth-century observer "when this large basin is filled by the sea, the prospect over its pellucid surface, framed all around with green meadows and waving grain and noble woods, is truly enchanting.  but when the tide is out, a vast bed of black ooze is exposed to view, bearing the scanty waters of several small streams which empty into the great lagune." 
Launching from the "all tides" Chapman Landing would hopefully keep me out of that "black ooze".

After paddling about a mile I reached and passed under the railroad trestle where the Great Bay opened up before me...

Great Bay is said to be one of the largest estuaries on the Atlantic coast and also one of the furthest from the sea at about 10 miles distant.   The bay is a good 3 miles across and I headed NE towards the tidal outlet at Furber Strait.  This common tern watched my passage...

Approaching one of the Footman Islands...
...before reaching Furber Strait near Adams Point...

This strait leads to Little Bay and past the mouths of the Oyster and Bellamy rivers before reaching the Piscataqua River's main stem at Dover Point.  A considerable amount of water passes through here during each tide cycle.  At the time I reached this spot, the tide was just beginning to ebb.  Fishermen in several boats were trolling across on the Great Bay side of the strait.

This loon kept an eye on me...


Staying in the Great Bay I headed SE towards Thomas and Woodman points before arriving at little Nannie Island...


On Nannie were found both an Oyster shell and evidence of related crackers...

The day was developing into a beauty with Mr. Wind apparently sleeping-in as this view across the bay shows...



On my way back to the Squamscott River, I made a brief foray into the Lamprey River where this sign warned me to slow things down...

This beached canoe may pay testament to need for the sign...

The Lamprey narrows a short distance from its mouth...

Here I turned about and headed back to the Chapmans Landing passing under the railroad trestle...
...and by this occupied osprey nest...

By the time I arrived at the boat landing it was busy with both boat launchers and shore fishermen.

I found Great Bay to be truly a beautiful place to paddle, especially having done so with high water and light winds!

Before leaving Chapmans Landing for home, I checked out this swing bridge mechanism on display there...
It was once used in allowing the passage of sailing vessels transporting freight to and from Exeter at the head of tidewater.

This adjacent plaque explained just how important maintaining such navigation once was...

 

Very little trash was encountered in Great Bay which was great!...

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