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Duxbury
Bay
is a paddling destination suitable for beginners, intermediate, and
those wishing to transition to ocean kayaking. And regardless of
your level of expertise, it's a very scenic and diverse area to
paddle.
The primary launch spot is at the inland end of the
Powder
Point
Bridge. North of the
bridge, the waters tend to be fairly calm, except on especially
windy days. Several estuary streams wander through some pretty
marshland and make for some beautiful flatwater paddling. But like
all tidal estuaries, your trips should be on the high tide end of
the schedule.
View from lunch area of the beach area and the
Back River
South of the bridge, the bay is protected by a peninsula that
incorporates Duxbury Beach,
Saquish, and The Gurnet. However, this area is fairly open, and on
breezy days, two-foot chop isn't unusual.
If
you head south and across the bay for about 2.5 miles, you'll run
into Clarke Island,
fabled retreat of Truman Capote. As you pass the quaint villagers
weairing their traditional Armani and Gucci tribal costumes, their
warm smiles say "Don't even think of landing on my
multi-million-dollar property!" Best to paddle across to Saquish.
Try not to land right in front of a cottage, because Mass laws state
that they own the beach down to the high tide water mark. However,
there is a lot of open area where you shouldn't be bothering anyone.
Once you reach the southwestern tip of Saquish, you will be facing
the primary channel into Plymouth Harbor. Cross this area with caution.
There are many boats traveling through here, and at this point, many
of them start to open it up as they are approaching open ocean. The
chop here is unpredictable and can be substantial.
From the launch area at the Powder Point bridge, you can also head
south along the inland coast and up the
Bluefish
River
and under the
Washington Street
bridge.
Continuing south,
you'll ultimately enter a bay) - Eagles Nest
Bay. You can paddle under
a bridge and up a short tidal creek. Or you can continue around
Eagles Nest Point and then Goose Neck Point. At this point (do we
have enough points yet?), you'll be entering
Kingston
Bay.
Soon on the right will be another launch site - Howland's Landing.
If you're up for shuttling cars and boats, this could make for a
nice little one-way trip.
As with many of the bay areas, you're better off paddling closer to
high tide. Although pulling your kayak through shallow mud flats
makes for a funny story later on, I guarantee that it will be
the worst part of your day.
Launch Spot
Powder
Point
Bridge:
Rt 3 to exit 11 - take Rt 14 east - at one point, it will fork to
the right, so don't go straight onto Rt 139. About 2 miles after
exiting the highway, Rt 14 ends at Rt 3A. Go straight through the
lights there and continue on that road (St. George Street) about a mile until it
ends at Washington
Street. Take a left and then a right onto
Powder Point Ave. Follow this until you get to Powder Point Bridge
(long wooden bridge - see photo above). There is parking on the
right hand side.
http://www.wtpaddlers.org/spots-06.html#directions
http://blog.gurnetroad.com/duxbury/page/4/ Information
provided by Fiona
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