My husband, Jeremy Grant, has a heart for adventure.  He is driven to explore and meeting new people. He has his own film and media company that sends him on adventures all over the world. I always feel blessed when one of his adventures sends me exploring with him. I also have a heart for adventure and love to see the world through new experiences. But this time, I was out of my comfort zone.  Yet, I was with the one person I trusted to keep me safe.

Jeremy had the opportunity to film a remote island off the coast of Southern Maine called Goat Island. Now, the truth is that I love adventure, however, since having kids, it’s a little hard to chase down every chance for exploration. That day, we were going sea kayaking and I like to kayak. I have always loved the ocean. But, I hadn’t been kayaking for years, and I had never been sea kayaking. Jeremy assured me he knew I could do this trip out to the island.

After driving to Bickford Island on Cape Porpoise, to get as close as we could, we “scoped-out” the distance to Goat Island. As we observed the ocean waves and the wind that day, we could smell delicious food being prepared over at Pier 77 Restaurant and Cape Pier Chowder House. We saw others out kayaking and boating. The ocean seemed relatively calm.  In our view was a small active pier full of hard-working local fisherman while visitors came to check out the restaurants and beautiful lighthouse views.

We drove down to a small boat launch located just before Bickford Island bridge. We waited our turn to make our way through the tall sea grass. The closer and closer we got to launch both my excitement and nervousness grew.

I dipped my kayak into the water, awkwardly finding my seat. The feeling of floating gently on the water felt so nice and relaxing.  I love the feeling of being on the water.  The smell of the ocean took over my senses and the breeze was cooling us off on a hot day. I waited for Jeremy to join me. Then he instructed me on how to paddle correctly and we were off on our adventure.

After a quick stop at Redin Island to map out the rest of our desired path, Jeremy assured me that I could make it through the waves without tipping my kayak. So, we decided to go through the middle path, which would be a direct paddle to Goat Island. I had some trouble getting back in the kayak from the little island, but I made it and off we went into the waves.

I felt a slight fear of tipping the kayak and being eaten by a shark as the water under my kayak seemed deeper and deeper; I gradually lost sight of the bottom.  Jeremy reassured me that being eaten by a shark was not going to happen, or at least that it was not very likely (he likes to be honest). As the waves grew bigger, splashing over the front of my kayak, the excitement grew. I love the way it feels when the paddle cuts through the water and propels the kayak forward into the waves.

Our island destination grew closer and closer. Fortunately for me, that island was blocking us from the even bigger waves out on the open ocean. Even though I was nervous, this was an easy paddle. The interesting part was not letting the ocean tell me which way to go, but instead, pushing forward toward the beautiful island with a stunning lighthouse standing tall in front of me.

Our kayaks finally slid into the sand on Goat Island beach. I looked up to admire the lighthouse and then looked back over water we had just navigated. It was not that far from the pier, but it was far enough for me to feel accomplished. Jeremy congratulated me at a job well done. Then made shark jokes as he prepared the drone to get shots of the light house.

I am so in love with the ocean and the coast of Maine. To be out on that island with not another person, other than the love of my life, to interrupt the beauty around me was a wonderful thing. You could stand in one spot by the lighthouse and see the entire island. I looked all around me but did not see one goat.  “Goat Island,” I chuckled to myself, “not one goat to be seen here.”

The wind blew strong off the open ocean and the waves crashed into the jagged rocky side of the island. I explored, while he worked. Then as the sun began to set, we packed up and headed back to mainland. I did not want to be out in a kayak after dark.

The thing about the way back was that the tide had gone out so far that our kayaks were running aground in some parts of the cove. I felt foolish for being afraid on the way out to the island when the water was so shallow. The trip back was easier because the waves pushed us toward shore; we made good time.  After loading up the kayaks, we headed to Kennebunkport for dinner.

Kennebunkport is such a beautiful coastal town with a river running right through it. We went to Alisson’s Restaurant for dinner. The whole restaurant is beautiful and very welcoming. We dined upstairs. We enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food was delicious. It hit the spot after a long day of paddling. It was so nice to just sit and enjoy each other’s company in such a nice area with great food served to us.

After a relaxing dinner we walked the streets of Kennebunkport, chatting about the day and our life together. We explored the streets looking for an after-dinner treat. We found a little ice cream shop just down the road from the restaurant called Rococo Ice Cream. The service was so friendly. They had so many ice cream flavors. Some I hadn’t even heard of before. Ice cream is my favorite food. I really enjoyed their ice cream.  It was a beautiful evening together.

This adventure was the perfect little get away in the middle of our crazy lives. Since then, Jeremy has returned to Goal Island multiple times for filming.  At one point, he did end up flipping his kayak (at night and in freezing waters), but that is a story for another day.

We are blessed to be able to do these adventures and grateful for all of you who follow along. Go check out Goat Island someday! (But do not expect to see any goats.)

Things to explore from this article:

• The Timber Cross (filming by Jeremy T. Grant)
• Kennebunk | Maine Vacations
• Alisson's Restaurant, United States, Maine, Kennebunkport | Maine Vacations
• Rococo Ice Cream, United States, Maine, Kennebunkport | Maine Vacations
• Pier 77 Restaurant, United States, Maine, Kennebunkport | Maine Vacations
• CCape Pier Chowder House, United States, Maine, Kennebunkport | Maine Vacations

If you are thinking about lodging in the Kennebunkport area, we would encourage you to check out Four Acres Cottages (on Maine Vacations, or their homepage here).