Think back to the last night you spent camping on an island in the rain. Water is dripping through a tent seam and onto your head. You sleep fitfully, and observe that your self-inflating mattress seems to be deflating. The next morning, you give up on coffee when your cook stove acts up again, and settle for some cold cereal with warm long-life milk. As you dress for the day's paddle, you wish you had a fresh set of polypro to go under your damp wetsuit, and as far as your chilly wet footwear...well, best not to think about that. You spend the next 45 minutes wondering how you got all your gear into your kayak the day before, because it doesn't seem to fit this morning.

When kayakers consider going on overnight paddling trips here in Maine, they often think of camping on islands that have been designated as appropriate for recreational use. While that can be a wonderful way to explore our coast, more and more paddlers are discovering the pleasures and convenience of overnighting on the mainland. Besides having someone else cooking for you and making sure you have a lovely spot to lay your head at night, there are many other advantages to staying in a waterfront bed and breakfast or inn.

Particularly if you only have two or three days available, you can spend more time paddling and less dealing with your food and shelter. If you're staying in waterfront accommodations, you've just licked the eternal question of where to leave your car while you're on the water. If the weather is less than optimal, you can go for a hike, a lobster lunch, or a little sightseeing, rather than hole up in your tent to wait for the fog to lift or winds to abate. And you'll reduce your impact on the wild islands you visit, since you'll be there as a day visitor rather than as a camper.

As I discovered when I did the research for my book, "Hot Showers! Maine Coast Lodgings for Kayakers and Sailors," there are some delightful B&B's and inns right on the shores of some of Maine's best sea kayaking regions. You can stay in a house that once belonged to a wealthy 19th-century sea captain, in a grand old summer "cottage," in a former Coast Guard station, or even in a room previously occupied by lighthouse keepers. You can launch your kayak directly from the property, or quite close by.

The coastline of Maine starts off rather straight heading north from the New Hampshire border to Portland. Then things turn into a sea kayaker's dream. The coast suddenly becomes irregular, with peninsulas and all manner of beautiful islands coming into view. Some islands look like the Maine classic: an almost perfectly round island with pink granite shores and dense evergreen forests. Others are long and narrow, running parallel to one another with a southwest-northeast orientation. They might have stands of birches and other hardwoods, or be covered with wild roses and raspberries.

Maine's shoreline snakes in and out so much that it is estimated to be at least 3500 miles long. Outstanding paddling opportunities continue in a generally northeast (or "down east") direction along the coast to Machias, just 20 miles from the Canadian border. After Machias there is a bold, rockbound coast.

Just about any kind of paddling experience you'd like to have, you can find in Maine. You can spend your time nosing around clusters of wild islands, heading to inhabited islands far off shore, exploring narrow rivers, or seeking out quiet bays.

Some coastal lodgings provide easy access to sheltered waters, while others are near open waters requiring strong skills. Refer to nautical charts and boating guides, then select your lodgings accordingly. Keep in mind that tides range from 9 to 14 feet along the Maine coast. Consider engaging the services of one of the many excellent kayak guides in the area if your paddling or navigation skills warrant.