Row Row Row My Boat

I am really sad that summer is over, this past weekend was definitely the last weekend I had of the so called summer. So, I went with a few friends to make the best of the weekend, and we went out to Rockport to Kayak out to Thacher Island. We woke up really early on Sunday morning but by the time we all got together we were on the road by 10. We arrived in Rockport around 11 and found the kayak place, although finding a restroom was a bit more difficult.

We were out on the Kayak by 11:30, it was a great kayaking day, it was warm and partly sunny. We took a nice leisurely pace out past the straights and into the Atlantic, the ocean was nice and calm, we pointed our boats towards the two lighthouses on the island and enjoyed the day. It is very peaceful when you are out in the middle of the ocean, especially out off of Rockport, we are the only six people within sight. The last time I had gone kayaking off of the cape, it was packed, and the island you kayaked too was packed because there was a ferry that brought fat people with their coolers to the island. When we got to Thacher Island there were two people leaving and we were the only kayaks on the dock.

We pulled our boats up the dock and and walk around the island, there are two lighthouses on the island, and one of them is open for you to go in and go up to the top. It is abandoned but still in very good condition. We walked up the stairs to the top where you get amazing 360 degree views on the Atlantic, the island, and Cape Ann. It is as beautiful as nature can be. We also went out on the deck surrounding the lighthouse and took some pictures. It was a great sight and a great late summer adventure. We wander around the island a bit more and see the sights, we were on Thacher Island for over an hour and we only run across two other people (the caretaker and a friend).

Now the only problem with kayaking to an island is that you need to kayak back to where you came from. The current and wind was with us on the way back but the water was a bit choppier and there were a few more motor boats on the water so we had the fun of paddling through the wakes. We decided about one mile from the straights to race all the way into the bay and see who could win. We paddled our asses off and me and my kayak buddy A won but by the time we got there we were exhausted. The two of us have the worst form and the least experienced so we were exhausted. But the important thing is we won the race!

I just started kayaking this year with Dill when we were on the Cape and I am glad that I did because it is tons of fun. I can't wait until the spring and summer next year when I will hopefully have more time to kayak and enjoy. This will be another one of my favorite spring/summer activities.