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Already been
there? Share your thoughts with fellow
adventurers |
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Discover
the Hingham Bay
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| Rent your kayak at EMS
and discover sea kayaking in one of the best and most protected
spots around Boston. Would you like to have an island to yourselves
for a picnic? |
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Hingham Harbor is the best place to discover paddling
or explore some of the Boston Harbor Islands: this area is
protected from the ocean by the Hull Peninsula, making it
safe for beginners, and yet offers access to enough islands
to make you feel you are an eighteenth century explorer.
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The Hingham EMS store where you will rent your kayak is about
two miles from the Hingham harbor, so that kayaking there
is no hassle: just stop at the EMS store on your way down,
strap your kayak on the roof (EMS provides the gear), and
unload at the Hingham harbor: the beach will be yards away
from your car.
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Once in the water, you can paddle north to the islands you
see dotting the exit of the harbor. The one directly facing
you, Button Island, is too small to be worth stopping there.
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The first island where you can stop is Sarah: this is at
the extreme right of the group: there is a small, narrow beach
on its east side. You can also paddle an extra 100 yards north
and land at Langlee, which offers a crescent-shaped beach
directly facing you. From there, you can cross the Hingham
main channel (watch boat traffic) to land on the other side
of the harbor at World's End. To get there, paddle northeast
to a large rock near the shore. Follow the shore north to
reach a small cove. This is the narrowest point of World's
End, a landscaped park managed by the Trustees of Reservations:
if you land there, you have only a trail to cross to see the
Hull peninsula on the other side of the Reservation (since
a fee is normally charged for land access to World's End,
please land only briefly here).
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From this point, you can either continue north and paddle
around the tip of World's end, or paddle back to the islands
and Crow Point, the marina behind them. You can also try to
go to the two islands that appear even further back on the
western horizon, Slate and Grape. Note however that they are
much farther than they seem. Muscles may start to ache on
the way up or back, leaving you in the middle of Hingham Bay
with little or no energy left to come back.
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Allow about 3 hours for a leisure tour of Sarah, Langlee
and World's End, and some exploration on the shore.
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Please note that EMS rent kayak without their spray skirts:
You should therefore remain in protected waters and/or be
able to perform a wet exit. If this is your first time on
the water, you have two options:
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| 1. Rent a sit-on-top kayak
with open cockpit: rental available at Charles River Canoe &
Kayak in Newton: $56 per kayak per day with PFD and gear to
strap kayaks on your roof. They do not have many of them, so
call in advance to reserve for off-site rental at (617) 965-5110.
Open daily April 1–Oct. 31: weekdays 10 am–sunset,
weekends 7 holidays 9 am—sunset. See directions below.
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| 2. Learn the basics of sea
kayaking first at EMS Kayaking School, also located at Hingham.
Call for information at 800-310-4504 or check kayak-ems.com.
EMS operates various including a 3 hour-class introduction to
coastal kayak touring. |
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| Our suggestion is to rent your
canoe for two or three hours—long enough to fully enjoy
the experience, and short enough to avoid cramps and pain in
the hands and arms. |
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Gloves
