June 13, 1991 - Circling Shelter Island by CanoeC6 The Suffolk Times • June 13, 1991
Circling Shelter Island by Canoe
By Paul Stoutenburuh
Last week I took you around Robins
Island. This week, travel with Barbara
and me as we circle Shelter Island, again
in our canoe. A bit of caution is always
advised on these trips as conditions,
particularly the wind and tide, can play
havoc with a light craft such as ours.
Working with the tide in mind, I de-
cided to approach the island from the
north and take advantage of the
outgoing tide and the wind from the
north. We carry the standard paddles
plus our sail and my little two HP
outboard that once again proved a
lifesaver when the winds dropped off.
We were all ready to shove off by
nine on a beautiful, clear day. The only
thing that could have added to the splen-
dor would have been a bit more wind.
We put in at the Port of Egypt, between
Greenport and Southold on the bay. Just
outside this famous landmark is a low
sand island that's off - limits to man but
makes a great place for both the least
and common terns to nest. Of course,
my binoculars had to check out the area.
Seems the birds were nesting but I'm
afraid nothing in the quantity of years
back.
As we headed out toward Shelter
Island, we passed a commercial fishing
boat coming in and the usual flock of
gulls were following. Evidently they'd
just come from tending their traps
somewhere in the bay. On the way in
they were sorting out the "trash" fish to
the delight of the gulls.
Famous Kissing Rock
We kept about 100 feet offshore for
there were rocks showing up all along.
One famous one, called the "kissing
rock," at the end of the town road I'm
sure could tell some wonderful tales,
but Barbara only gave me a smile as we
headed southward.
On the green banks we could see
clumps of daisies brightening the bank -
sides along with the flowering rosa ru-
gosa that does so well in a salty atmo-
sphere. Barbara's sharp eyes picked up
the bobbing tail of a small shorebird
that proved to be a spotted sandpiper.
No doubt it had its ground nest some-
where above the high -tide line. It's one
of the few shorebirds that nest on our
East End.
We had to admire how well done
most of the homes were along the
waterfront. Most seemed as if they'd
always been there as they nestled
amongst the trees and greenery of this
Focus on
Nature
west shore. It's a rocky shore with its
glacial boulders extending at least a
third of the way up bay. Once we passed
the huge green lawns of those hallmark
homes that characterize this part of the
island we felt we were well on our way.
Soon Crab Creek came along with its
beaches of sand and gravel. A lone
cormorant bobbed up and was surprised
to see us. He immediately returned to
his underwater world far from man and
more to his liking.
I was encouraged to see a martin
house. (They are apartmentlike bird
houses on tall poles.) Martins are our
largest member of the swallow family
and were once common throughout our
island but today they are hard to find.
Along the beach were string lines and
signs marking a fragile tern nesting area
and high on a platform out in an open
area was an osprey nest. How fortunate
wildlife is to have concerned people in
this important area.
Shell Beach Nesting Area
The shore then turned eastward and we
sailed along Shell Beach with its won-
derful West Neck Creek Harbor lying
behind. We knew the area well for we
often stayed overnight when cruising in
the SeaWind. More string lines and
posters told the public about terns and
plovers nesting. The Nature Con-
servancy's wardens are doing a good job
of educating the public about the plight
of these endangered birds.
On we went past the South Ferry that
shuttled back and forth to the south
side. Once past the ferry we headed for
Split Rock on the east side of Smith's
Cove. We now would be traveling
along the shores of the Nature
Conservancy's great Mashomack
Preserve that occupies almost one -third
of Shelter Island's land mass. All along
this edge were small creeks and salt
ponds where snowy and common egrets
and occasionally a great blue heron
stalked for minnows. Ospreys were
nesting in the trees and on platforms all
along our route. Soon Major's Cove
was behind us, another favorite stopover
for boaters. It was along here we
encountered our first fish trap, those
nets that go into shore and guide the
moving fish into the netted trap. I
believe Mashomack's shores are
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SNOWY EGRET —This handsome white egret with its yellow feet is
often called the yellow slipper bird. It can be seen stalking minnows
along our shallow creek edges.
probably the best representation of
"how it looked" when the first settlers
arrived back in the 1600s for little has
changed.
Under us in the shallow, clear waters
we could see the great beds of eel grass
combed by the tide that helped us along.
It was good to see it and I only wish it
would return up bay where it once
thrived back in the '30s.
Rumbling stomachs told it was near-
ing lunch time and so we headed for the
rocky shore of Nicolls Point opposite
Cedar Point Light. We sat in the
wonder of all outdoors with rocks for
tables and chairs. Could any cafe be
more delightful under a clear, blue sky
and puffy white clouds? After lounging
at lunch we headed north along the
sandy but still rocky shore. We flushed
a red - breasted merganser that was
feeding in the shallows. This duck
should not be here. Could it be nesting
in the wilds of this great preserve? It
usually breeds much further north.
Canoe Hits Rock
Soon the buoys of Coecles Harbor
came into view, which meant we had
left Mashomack's shores and would be
paralleling Ram Island. It was along
these shores that I hit a rock but no
damage was done, thank goodness. I
guess I never realized just how treacher-
ous these hidden rocks of Shelter
Island's shallow waters can be. It seems
rocks were always present — some
barely showing above the surface of the
low tide we were now in. They would
be all the more treacherous when the
tide had covered them later on.
We had to stop and take a picture of
an osprey nest atop a platform on the
causeway going to Ram. It was built up
so high it almost looked as if it would
topple over. Ospreys use their nests
year after year and so accumulate huge
piles of sticks and debris.
Off to our right I could see the new
Bug Light erected to replace the one
burned down years ago. How well it
looked and how fortunate we had people
dedicated to its restoration.
Greenport was ahead by now and
Dering Harbor that acted as a mecca for
boats of all sizes and sorts was soon
passed by. The North Ferry was busy
shuttling its passengers back and forth
and Camp Quinipet loomed ahead with
its landmark pagoda perched atop a huge
boulder. Our trip was over. We'd circled
one more of our island chain. We are
fortunate indeed to have these island
jewels that add so much to the character
of our East End.
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