Linda

But be mindful of the new waves and currents from the break in North Beach. http://capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../NEWS/707280344

Welcome to the world, Lyra! And many hugs and congrats to Bethany and Glenn!

See the latest aerial views of Monomoy http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/abridge6.htm

If you can't find a Legend he can use my Rumour.

Nice pics, Brian. It was a glorious day! I find the GPS track interesting, superimposed on the satellite photo. Isn't the track at the end of South Beach from you walking around the point? What appears to be over water is now on a sand dune! [

Keith and John, We have all been waiting for your detailed report and it is superb. You really helped me to understand what it was like out there and how the power of the ocean can overwhelm us no matter how prepared we think we are. Thank you for the detail and thoughtful consideration of all the events of that day. We all have a lot to learn from your experience. I am so grateful that you both are here to share the experience with us. Linda

I plan to be there

I'd be interested in helping out with the Cape Cod portion.

Try Google Maps or Google Earth.

Hi Mark, Pease count me in! Thanks, Linda

Suz, I would love to see Nigel in my Rumour if he can't get the Legend from CRCK. I hope to be able to do one of the classes, and will use the Rumour if he doesn't. I have enough other choices of boats to paddle, however,and would be happy to see him make it dance! Linda

Nine of us met at Harding Beach, including four folks from RICKA. This was a leisurely informal paddle out the Southway to the tip of South Beach. Several pods of gray seals followed along beside us and sometimes would pop up behind one group of paddlers to check them out as they went by, only to be surprised by the delighted paddlers behind them. There was a large herd of seals hauled out on the inside of South Beach and an even larger (200+?) group hauled out on a sand flat on the outside beach. The sands of Monomoy continue to shift, making the gap between South Beach and South Monomoy nearly impassable at low tide. We saw several groups of seals kicking up "rooster tails" as they made their way through the shallow waters. We had a lovely lunch and beach rest while we waited for the tide to come back up so we could pass between North and South Monomoy. Some of us were happy to wait at the end of a channel for the water to slowly fill in over the sandbar, while others tried various techniques to get themselves over before the water came up. There was a lot of rocking, "kayak walking", knuckle-paddling, and finally assisted shoving to get us all on our way. The return on the west side of North Monomoy required a long paddle to the west to clear the bars and then a fun down-wind run with 2-3 foot waves from the freshening southerly winds. The day was capped off by the traditional PPPO with lots of brainstorming of ideas to change the world...if only someone had taken notes. Thanks to all!

Wow! Ryan has come a long way from that first assisted rescue on the Cape a couple of years ago. Good job, Dad and Dee!

I find that it is indeed much easier to flip the boat upright and slide it up over my cockpit and flip it again to drain the water. It takes much less muscle strength as you are working with the shape of the hull of the boat that you are emptying, rather than lifting the bow from under water. Best thing to do is to practice both methods in varying conditions to see what works best for you.

It was a great day. Nigel's clear instruction, gentle guidance and focused awarenes of each student made this a very valuable learning day. And many thanks to Rick Crangle for assisting and guiding us in to his favorite rock-play places where we could practice our skills we had just learned on flat water. It felt like a safe environment in which to push ourselves just to the edge of our comfort level. A totally fun day!