Kayaking to Jeremy Point
Friday, November 6th, 2009 by Dan F
This summer I took a kayaking trip to Jeremy Point in Wellfleet, MA from a beach in Wellfleet Harbor, which is part of Cape Cod Bay. My starting point was near Powers Landing, which is a good place to launch a boat into the water. I used a kayak from the vacation rental I was staying in, but kayaks can be rented from Jack’s.
My friend and I carried the 2-person kayak from the house to the beach. Since it was low tide, we had to carry it a little further than we would have had to at high tide. We climbed into the boat and set off, wearing life jackets of course.
As we approached Jeremy Point, I could see that part of the sand mass was above water and part of it was below, so the water depth got much shallower as we neared. We stopped paddling and drifted peacefully up to the shore of Great Island, leaving our kayaks there for a short rest. The sandy area near Jeremy Point that we stopped at was pleasurably quiet and seemed like the perfect place to escape to. There was roughly a football field of sand exposed while we were there, but the size is always changing depending on the tides. We stopped for long enough to watch the creatures that live around Jeremy Point (birds and crabs) and to enjoy the sun and tranquility. Resting at this spot was a satisfying reward for our paddling.
Standing on the beach of Great Island near Jeremy Point, we could see high sand dunes in the distance. When we were done with our break, we started kayaking towards them, but the tides and wind seemed to keep us away, so we decided to give up and head home. Since the wind was at our backs on this leg of the journey, the return trip took less time.
We were both beginning kayakers, but quickly got the hang of it. It probably took us at least an hour to get out near Jeremy Point, but it was hard to tell– the time flew by. Paddling the open water is very relaxing. The trip is suitable for a wide range of ages, so a family could have fun doing it. Kayaking is a great workout. I could tell that I’d exerted muscles that I normally don’t use. The next day my upper back was sore, which actually felt good.