In an effort to connect paddlers and boaters on the ocean, the Maine Island Trail Association recently launched a group through the website Meetup.com, a social media platform. Through the group, people can plan group outings to Maine islands.
Located at www.meetup.com/MITAmeetup, the group went live in June and already has nearly 100 members.
“We’re all about the islands and using them in a sustainable manner,” said Maine Island Trail Association Executive Director Doug Welch. “So if this helps people to get comfortable with finding other people and going to visit the islands, whether they go ashore or paddle or sail around them, that supports our mission.”
You don’t need to be a Maine Island Trail Association member to join the Maine Island Trail Association group on Meetup.com, though you are required to sign a waiver and pay $5, a fee that is meant to discourage spammers and other Internet users who aren’t interested in small boating in Maine. The membership fees collected will go to the Maine Island Trail Association Island Stewardship Fund to support volunteers who take care of more than 200 islands and mainland sites that make up the Maine Island Trail.
“We’re working on getting people who join to organize trips,” Welch said. “In fact, we’re waiving the fee for anyone who organizes an outing.”
The waiver makes clear that all of the trips listed on Meetup.com are free and peer-organized.
“It’s just as though a friend of yours has proposed a trip,” Welch said. “It’s really important for people to understand that distinction. There’s a whole guiding industry in Maine, and not only do we not want to compete with them, we don’t want the paddler or boater to perceive this as an alternative, because it’s not.”
The person organizing the outing may be an experienced paddler or boater, even a Maine registered guide, or the person may have little experience on the water. Each member of the Maine Island Trail Association group is responsible for his or her own safety.
Ten group outings are posted on the Maine Island Trail Association group on Meetup.com, from learning to row off Portland’s East End Beach to a six-night camping trip exploring islands in Muscongus Bay by motor boat.
“The idea is that we want it to grow organically in all directions,” said Erin Quigley, Maine Island Trail Association membership manager. “The Maine Island Trail stretches for 375 miles along the coast, from the New Hampshire border to the Canadian border, and there are a lot of places that events could happen.”
Through the group, Quigley organized a sunset paddle for Tuesday evening in Casco Bay.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, so only a few people showed up. But they decided to paddle in the rain anyway.
“It was pretty fun,” Quigley said. “The idea of it was just to be pretty loose anyway, just an after-work paddle to go and watch the sunset. … There was no sunset to speak of, but that’s OK.”
The idea for such a group grew from a recent survey issued to Maine Island Trail Association members about ways the association can improve and grow. Of about 4,000 Maine Island Trail Association members, more than 600 returned the survey, and many of those members expressed the desire to have more organized group outings and opportunities to meet fellow paddlers, sailors and boaters.
“[Maine Island Trail Association] members had been mentioning for many years they wanted more ways to meet other members so they could have new buddies to get out on the water with,” Quigley said.
Aside from simply being fun, peer-organized saltwater outings also tend to be safer than solo outings. Groups are more visible on the water, Welch said. And groups often have a greater ability to deal with any issues that may arise during an outing.
“The difference between one person on the water and two is really significant when it comes to safety,” Welch said.
Anyone interested in small boating in Maine can join the Maine Island Trail Association group, Welch said, regardless of their experience or whether they’re a Maine Island Trail Association member or not.
For more information, visit www.meetup.com/MITAmeetup/ and www.mita.org.