| Legend | ix |
| Locator Maps | x |
| Trip Highlights | xii |
| Acknowledgments | xvi |
| Introduction | xviii |
| I. | Your Kayak and Essential Gear | 1 |
| Selecting a Kayak | 1 |
| The Different Types of Sea Kayaks | 2 |
| Kayak Design 101 | 6 |
| The Importance of Materials | 8 |
| Kayak Features | 9 |
| Test Paddling | 11 |
| Essential Gear | 12 |
| II. | Kayak Safety: Trip Preparation and Ocean Hazards | 25 |
| Instruction and Practice | 25 |
| Paddling in Wind | 27 |
| Paddling in Waves | 31 |
| Understanding Tides | 32 |
| Using Marine Charts | 37 |
| Ocean Traffic Hazards | 40 |
| Hypothermia | 41 |
| Cold Shock | 46 |
| III. | Coastal Access in Massachusetts | 47 |
| Understanding Your Rights | 47 |
| Finding Access to the Coast | 48 |
| Working for Greater Access | 50 |
| IV. | Environmentally Sound Kayaking | 53 |
| The Massachusetts Coastal Environment | 53 |
| Kayakers as Environmental Stewards | 57 |
| V. | Kayaking Trips: Newburyport to Ipswich | |
| 1. | Pavilion Beach to Plum Island Sound, Ipswich | 60 |
| 2. | Rowley River and Salt Marsh, Rowley | 69 |
| 3. | Pavilion Beach to Essex Bay, Ipswich/Essex (Circumnavigation of Castle Neck) | 75 |
| 4. | Essex River to Hog (Choate) Island, Essex | 81 |
| 5. | Lower Ipswich River, Ipswich | 88 |
| Cape Ann and the North Shore | |
| 6. | Annisquam River Exploration, Gloucester | 92 |
| 7. | Annisquam River to Lanes Cove and Crane Beach, Gloucester | 99 |
| 8. | Rockport to Thatcher and Milk Islands | 104 |
| 9. | Gloucester Harbor | 111 |
| 10. | Manchester Harbor to Great Misery Island | 122 |
| 11. | Salem Sound (Salem and Beverly Harbors) | 128 |
| 12. | Marblehead Harbor, Brown's Island, and Marblehead Neck | 135 |
| 13. | Great Misery Island from Marblehead Harbor | 141 |
| Boston Harbor | |
| 14. | Winthrop Harbor and Belle Isle Marsh | 145 |
| 15. | Charles River and Boston Waterfront, Cambridge/Boston | 150 |
| 16. | Boston Harbor--Outer Islands | 160 |
| 17. | Boston Harbor--Inner Islands | 168 |
| 18. | Boston Harbor from City Point | 177 |
| 19. | Hingham Harbor and Bumpkin and Grape Islands | 184 |
| The South Shore | |
| 20. | North River--Hanover to Scituate Harbor | 190 |
| 21. | North River to Cove Brook, Marshfield | 197 |
| 22. | South River, Marshfield | 199 |
| 23. | Cohasset Harbor | 204 |
| 24. | Duxbury Bay and Back River | 209 |
| 25. | Plymouth Harbor | 214 |
| Cape Cod Bay | |
| 26. | Barnstable Harbor and Great Marsh of West Barnstable | 221 |
| 27. | Pamet Harbor and West Pamet River, Truro | 226 |
| 28. | East Pamet River, Truro | 230 |
| 29. | Wellfleet Harbor and Lieutenant Island | 233 |
| 30. | Wellfleet Harbor and Great Island | 237 |
| 31. | Provincetown Harbor | 242 |
| Nantucket Sound and Environs | |
| 32. | Nauset Marsh, Eastham | 248 |
| 33. | Pleasant Bay and Little Pleasant Bay, Orleans | 255 |
| 34. | Monomoy Islands, Chatham | 260 |
| 35. | Herring River, West Harwich | 270 |
| 36. | Grand Island Circumnavigation, Osterville/Cotuit | 274 |
| 37. | Washburn Island and Waquoit Bay, Falmouth | 279 |
| Buzzards Bay | |
| 38. | Marion Harbor and Bird Island, Marion | 286 |
| 39. | West Island and Little Bay, Fairhaven | 291 |
| 40. | Slocums River, Dartmouth | 296 |
| 41. | East Branch of the Westport River, Westport | 303 |
| 42. | West Branch of the Westport River, Westport | 310 |
| Appendices | |
| A. | Resources for Sea Kayakers | 314 |
| B. | Using Marine Charts | 322 |
| C. | Checklist of Essentials | 326 |
| Glossary of Sea-Kayaking Terms | 327 |
| Bibliography | 330 |
| Index | 331 |
Format: Paperback, 338 pages
