To enjoy the coast from the cockpit of a kayak, check out H2Outfitters on Orr's Island in Harpswell, offering multi-day, guided trips by reservation and the occasional half-day excursion ($50 per person). Expect expert instruction, all equipment, and a close-up view of the Bailey Island Bridge — an engineering marvel, it is a honeycomb of granite boulders to allow tidal flows — before you even wet your toes. Then enjoy lobster or a gin and tonic on the deck at the nearby Cook's Lobster House.
H2Outfitters, 7 Cooper Lane (Route 24), Harpswell, 207-833-5257, h2outfitters.com; Cook's Lobster House, 68 Garrison Cove Road, Bailey Island, 207-833-2818, cookslobster.com.