Tenants Harbor is a beautiful place, and kayaking around the majestic islands that surround it is something else entirely.
There’s Northern, Southern, Mosquito, Seavey, High, and Clark Islands. There are small little anchorages like the Brothers, Spectacles, and Long Cove. There are magnificent houses down the shoreline of Harts Neck, and small little cabins tucked away on the backside of Mosquito Head. There are rocky shores and small coves and inlets.
All of this scenery is best explored by kayak, where one can slide through, around, and past all of these Maine coastal treats. I prefer to launch near my house in Mosquito Harbor. I slide across to Mosquito Head, where I turn left toward Southern Island and Tenants Harbor. Jamie Wyeth owns the island now and it is always fun to pass by it and glimpse his studio, which sits perched above the water. I then paddle across to Northern Island, where I like to drift through the craggy little inlets at low tide.
Right next to Northern are High Island and Spectacles, two tiny islands that sit right across from Long Cove. I love to visit the sandy beach on Seavey Island, which at low tide almost connects to Clark Island. Seavey is a beautiful island and serves as a great place to pull in and stretch my legs. The last time I was there, it was dead low tide and I almost had to push myself along the shore with my paddle in certain low-water spots.
The paddle back to Martinsville is always a long one, but it’s always worth it. On a clear day I can peek back through the Muscle Ridge Channel and watch the windmills crank on Vinalhaven.
My final turn cuts right through the small gap between Mosquito Island and Mosquito Head. I pass Crescent Beach on my right and glide on into Mosquito Harbor and return to the the waters I have known since I could walk. A good kayak never fails to satisfy, and the outer Islands of Tenants Harbor are a fantastic place to explore!
Photos of Kayaking Maine’s Outer Islands Off Tenants Harbor
