During my recent Cape Cod trip, I got up around sunrise one morning to paddle Stage Harbor, which is in Chatham, in the “elbow” of Cape Cod. My reference for this paddle was AMC’s Discover Cape Cod book. I noticed one little error in the book: the paddle put-in for this trip is on the west side of the bridge which crosses the Mitchell River, not the east side. To park on the east side, you need a permit. To park on the west side, you just need to arrive early in the day. Very early! The put-in is on the north side of the bridge, and there is parking for about ten cars or so.
From the put-in, I paddled south under the bridge, past into Stage Harbor. As you pass the marina and come around the bend, the Stage Harbor lighthouse is pretty soon visible. This lighthouse was my destination.
As I rounded the bend, I was against the wind but the sea was pretty calm. Lots of boats in the water. I passed the Stage Harbor Yacht Club and I paddled out across the harbor toward a narrow spit of sand, aiming directly for the Lighthouse. When I reached land, I pulled out; I was still inside the harbor, situated northeast of the lighthouse, which was still some distance away. I took some photos, then put in again and headed southeast to the harbor mouth, hugging the shore closely. The water was pretty calm, as I rounded the bend and hauled out again in the channel where Stage Harbor meets Nantucket Sound.
Stage Harbor Light is no longer a working lighthouse, and is in fact currently missing its lantern; it has been converted to a private residence. It’s a really pleasant spot to visit; there’s lots of boat traffic coming in and out of Stage Harbor (the harbor entrance is a narrow channel about 100 feet across). There are a few people walking around, and I had a chat with a woman and her 10-year-old daughter. She explained to me that this is her favorite spot on earth. I asked her how she got there, and she explained that there is a short hike from a parking lot for Hardings Beach.
Without bothering the residents, I took some photos of the lighthouse, including some self-portraits with the light. I had brought my 5D and tripod in a dry bag. I did not round the bend and go into Nantucket Sound; rather, I turned around and paddled back northeast through Stage Harbor and back under the bridge and up the Mitchell River a little bit; paddling this direction was quite easy because I was with the wind. I turned around and headed southwest again, into the wind, to head back to the bridge and my car.
Later during my trip I took a seal watching tour which took me in a powerboat around the Monomoy and Nantucket Sound area. There are lots of really interesting sandbars and wildlife to the southeast of Chatham. We saw a family with a canoe exploring there, and it looked safe to me. However, our captain said the winds can be really strong, and it’s easy to get tired. A few days later I read in the newspaper that two kayakers had reported seeing a shark attack a seal in the vicinity.
