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.

I basically took the route that Oldmixon suggests, but I added a side jaunt to the Jamestown Bridge and a circumnavigation of Dutch Island. I can see why the author did not suggest these side trips; the water is significantly more exposed, choppy, and windy. However, I made it without any problem, and got some great photos, to boot. See my photoset on Flickr.

More information: the before lunch part was about 11am to 1:30 pm. After lunch part was about 2:30pm to 4 pm. Parking at Beaver Head was expensive, $25.

This trip appealed to me for several reasons, not least because there are three lighthouses along the route: the two on Thacher Island, plus one on Straitsmouth Island.

Here are instructions to do this trip

Put in your kayak at the Rockport town dock at the end of T-Wharf. Arrive early enough in the day and you can park right on T-Wharf. At other times, you might have to drop off your kayak and park far away from the dock; perhaps very far away. At the end of T-Wharf, there’s a stairway to a floating platform; carry your kayak down those stairs and launch from the platform.

Coming out of Rockport Harbor, you can see Straitsmouth Island immediately to the right. Head for the lighthouse (there are better views on the far side). As you approach Straitsmouth Island, you’ll see the twin lighthouses of Thacher Island through Gap Head. Go through Gap Head toward Thacher Island. (I didn’t see any seals, but apparently there are sometimes seals at Gap Head). I took a little detour along the south end of Straitsmouth Island to see a better view of the lighthouse and keeper’s house. Then I headed due south.

At this point, you’re about halfway to Thacher Island. Aim for the north tower; the boathouse is a few hundred yards to the right of the north tower. Pull your kayak up the boat ramp, to the concrete resting area. From here you can tour the island.

Officially, the island is closed outside of June through October. The towers are not open and there is nobody on the island. However, the kayak tours do stop there, and the official web site does not say that you’re not allowed to visit the island during the off-season. The trails were well-mowed when I visited, so somebody is keeping up the place. I wore sandals, but I would have preferred sneakers or hiking shoes for climbing rocks and walking through the occasional brambles and bushes.

I arrived on Memorial Day (May 25), when it was seagull nesting season, so I was bombarded by territorial gulls along most of the coastal area. There are picnic tables near the south tower, and also in the camping area near the boathouse. I ate lunch on the bench at the boathouse, where it was shady and the seagulls did not bother me. There is no running water or bathrooms on the island. No pets are allowed on the island.

There are maps of Thacher Island here and here, but you don’t really need a map. The towers are powerful landmarks that help keep you oriented. Even if you can’t go inside the towers, they are fun to see up close and photograph. I’d like to go back when the towers are open, though.

Alternate starting points: It occurs to me that if you were to begin your kayak trip from Long Beach, you could stop at Thacher Island and then head to Rockport. Dock at Rockport for lunch (and/or ice cream), and avoid the hassle of parking in town. If you stayed overnight at the Cape Ann Motor Inn, you’d be right on the beach. Alternatively, the Old Granite Pier looks like a good starting point, just north of Rockport Harbor. It’s about 3.5 miles from Old Granite to Thacher Island. I have not been there, but it looks like a good put-in spot; it’s easier to park than the harbor, and you can still stop by the harbor for lunch or ice cream.

Thacher island route; click to see bigger

On Governor’s island there was a big festival with food, artwork and music. JB and I pedaled all around the island and toured the beautiful little historic town where military personnel and their families had lived, back when the island was a navy outpost. We peeked at the old, abandoned high-rises behind the closed-off portion of the Island. Paddlers got free t-shirts, watermelon, sandwiches, and Izze fizzy soft drinks.

After a slight delay, during which we waited for a coast guard escort, we departed along with a larger group and headed back to Red Hook. This time, the water was choppier, and we were paddling against the wind. It was tough paddling, but it didn’t last long. An approaching water taxi was an added incentive to get across the river.

For a bit of extra fun, JB and I did not actually exit with the main group at Red Hook. We kept going with some Brooklyn paddlers (the “gowanus dredgers”) and headed to the Gowanus Canal via the Erie Basin. We passed by several enormous barges and container ships and passed by the new IKEA store. The Erie Basin was a sheltered shortcut, and we sneaked under a pier to continue past the New York Police impounding area (a pier loaded with hundreds of cars) toward the Gowanus Canal.

We paddled up the Gowanus, past an industrial urban waterfront landscape and under the BQE, the F-train, 9th Street, and Carroll Street. It was a surreal and fascinating experience. At one point we passed a huge barge which had a big tractor unloading gravel from it. We saw a junkyard with a tower of cast-iron bathtubs.

See photos in my City of Water Day Flickr set.