prudenceb

Hey Rob, When are you going to let that Aries taste the ocean 🌊🌊? Prudence

Not to be annoying...although I acknowledge I probably am - but again... please everyone bring your filled out and signed liability wavers. Print out a bunch. Put them in your car so you'll have them for future escapades. Bill or Dan or I will collect. Thanks.

Nancy, if you'll be there at 3:30, so will I! Remember, everyone: liability waivers now need to be signed for all nspn events including Walden. Because we all tend to launch at different times, EVERYONE SHOULD BRING HER/HIS OWN WAIVER FORM, fill out and sign, and Bill or I will collect at end of session. My recommendation: print out a bunch of them and just have them in your car. Oh yes, and Comelia's in Concord Center after for a quick supper. Hopefully all ponders will be able to join us! Prudence

I walked around Walden this morning. Sure looked appealing! I chatted with one of the swimmers about water temp. She guessed low 60’s. Except for Bill, who always wears drysuit (!), looks as though wetsuit with appropriate top will suffice. I'm planning on being there this Wednesday the 23rd, likely around 4ish - or earlier if others want to gather mid afternoon. No, Jonathan and Kelsey, I'm not up for 6 am yet. Let's let things warm up first! And could,it be a day other than Wednesday? Like...Tuesday maybe? Prudence

Look forward to paddling with you, Bob. Learning and enjoyment. Perfect! Prudence

Very sad, Katherine! Have horses just completely taken over your heart? We'll all miss you out on the water 🙁.

That may work for me, altho I,m also planning ocean paddle for Thurs - wanna come on that?

Gerry, I assume you mean sneaking under the wire of Memorial Day not Labor Day as your post says...

I have these, too, in the men's size. However, I've found they don't keep my feet warm enough in winter. I took advice from Michael Daugherty's blog and bought 7 mm neoprene surfer boots. Soles aren't sturdiest, but my feet are finally really toasty and no problem fitting them in a tight kayak. If anyone interested, I can dig up the link.

Something wrong with wherever you,re looking. I can see photos on ipad and pc.

6th Annual NSPN Easter Bunny PlungeS! - March 31 and April 1, 2018 To any fellow (or gal) NSPN member who has never participated in an Easter Bunny Plunge, mark your calendar for next year. I mean, really... good company, bunny ears, lots of chocolate and other Easter goodies....AND a chance to check out your chilly weather gear with a plunge or a roll in the Atlantic Ocean when the water is still winter temperature even though the calendar says spring. What could be better? I know, I know, some will think the plunging part is less than lots of fun, but the rest of it, hard to beat. If you don't believe me, ask any of the SEVENTEEN people who made Saturday's event the most popular EBP yet. Or ask any of the five of us who kept the fun going the next day, Easter itself. On Saturday, we gathered at West Beach, happy that high tide was at noon, meaning that it wouldn't be a long carry to the water either coming or going. Also, we were glad that the infamous West Beach red seaweed yucky stuff was pretty minimal. Of the 17 who gathered for a 10:00 ish launch - four were new to NSPN paddles. While we all milled around, loading boats and adjusting our ears, I took some portraits of some of the crew: Dan and Rob and Andy and newcomer Janet, whose colorful buff and crazy shades made up for the lack of rabbit ears.. I asked someone to get a shot of Cathy and me. Then we all posed for a group portrait and had a beach briefing before splitting into two pods. One pod got named the Faster Pod. The other, yes, you guessed it, the Slower one. As it turned out, the "Slower" pod ended up arriving everywhere first. Because I was in the Faster but really Slower pod all day, most of what follows will be about our day. I hope anyone who took pictures of the Slower but Faster pod will post them. Oh - and I almost forget to mention, I fastened Mr. Blue Peeps to one of my bungies so I'd have a companion and navigator throughout the day. Although he was facing in the wrong direction so his navigational input was pretty minimal. He did give me good tips on my forward stroke, though. NOAA had predicted a breezy and gusty day, but when we launched and headed out to the Miseries, it was pretty mellow conditions... Jonathan was all smiles all day. My group was eager to find some action in the rocks, and so went searching. Here's Joe looking. Nothing yet. Andy waited for something to develop. Note that he was smiling as well. In fact, it was mostly smiles all around, all day. Joe kept searching. He had a special chart of the area for the day, which included Easter Island! The Miseries weren't offering much action, so we crossed over toward Baker, past Green Can #9. Things were livelier around Baker. Here's half of David. And finally a bit of action... Kelsey almost lost the water under her going through this slot but she kept her composure and stayed upright. Mike and Dan powered through a fun area. By now it was approaching noon. Time to meet up with the Slower but Faster pod at the Gooseberries for lunch. We all landed on the cobbly beach without incident and sat in the warm sun to eat lunch and enjoy the Easter part of the day... Cathy went for a roam around the little beach, and made quite the find to bring home as a souvenier! It was weird. We were all sitting enjoying the treats and the day and the company and etc, when without any buildup, it got windy and chilly. Time to get back in our warm boats and back out on the water. Andy, however, ignored the drop in temperature and decided to go for a swim. Kelsey was good enough to go and rescue him (although I think he would have been fine without any help...) Speaking of Kelsey, she kept a smile going all day despite experiencing the pain of having lost part of a tooth the day before... I hope you were able to get that dental appointment you were going to try and get first thing Monday morning! Before the groups split up again, I took a look at one of my two boats out on the water that day. Jane was giving my original polar bear boat a try. Karen looked on to her left. As I said, it got breezy all of a sudden. The water reacted... and we had a much livelier trip back. Rear quartering seas. I know the other group went back around the back side of Baker, which my group had done on the way out. We ended up playing in some rocks not far from the launch area, waiting for the others to appear. It turned out they'd snuck by us and when we finally decided to head back to West Beach, they had already landed. We had NO idea how that happened! Anyway, I was glad that David's Mr. Blue Peeps survived the sporty trip back. He also managed to hang on even as David did several rolls over the course of the day. Tenacious peep! And so the day ended as it had begun. With smiles. We also gathered for a debrief after everyone had loaded up boats and changed. All agreed it had been a most splendid day, the best Easter Bunny Plunge yet. The weather - bright blue sky (and sunburns for the unprepared!), warm(ish) temperatures, benign conditions for the first half of the day. Thanks to everyone who came, but especially our newcomers: Karen (from NY state!), Ellen (from Northern VT!), Janet and John. Welcome and hope to see you all as the season spreads out before us. And of course thanks to Rob, our Easter Bunge Plunge Organizer Par Excellence! Easter Sunday, April 1 Some of us weren't done even though the official event was over. On Sunday - Easter proper, Passover and April Fool's Day all rolled into one - five of us gathered for another paddle. Jonathan and Kelsey organized another trip, this time to go from from Devereaux Beach in Marblehead down to Dread Ledge off of Swampscott. The plan was to meet in the parking lot at Devereaux, unload boats and then park over by Riverhead. As I drove up to Marblehead, part of me was wishing I were still snuggled in bed as it was gloomy, overcast, windy and chilly - a complete contrast to the day before. Also, the marine forecast was predicting winds of 20 kits from the south, gusting to...well...it was all too much. The wish to be back in bed was reinforced the minute I got to the Marblehead causeway and saw that the Devereaux "parking lot" was no longer that; instead, it was a desert of piles of beach sand. Those pesky nor'easters! The wind and waves had carried tons of sand over the causeway, and most of that had been bulldozed into the Devereaux parking area. Not only would it be very difficult to lug boats over these man-made sand dunes, but the minute we got out of our cars, we felt the full force of the cold winds. We all agreed that a slog south toward Swampscott, even assuming we could reach the beach to start the paddle, would be pretty ghastly heading into the strong wind. So after a meeting in Jonathan and Kelsey's (warm!) truck, we decided just to launch from Riverhead, mosey up to Doliber Cove, and organize the entire paddle around trying to hide from the wind. Several of us admitted how ambivalent we were about paddling. But we kinda knew if we could just get kitted up, and out on the water, it would be better. And so we did...and so it was! This gloomy Easter Sunday Hide from the Wind paddle turned out to be a blast! Rob started out without his boat... Marblehead Harbor looks so strange without boats or docks. Bare and empty. Perfect for paddling. Rob...get your boat! And so he did. I took a group shot; there was no one on the beach to get all of us, so I stayed behind the camera, per usual. We passed by the empty yacht clubs. Kelsey was ready to be lifted up and out of the water if need be. We hugged the shoreline, surveying damage from the nor'easter... And then we made the left turn out of the harbor toward the rocks leading to Dolliber Cove. The conditions were a bit sporty. We knew we weren't going to go far, and took our time poking around by and against the rocks. Here's Jonathan... joined by Rob... Kelsey, who was designated leader for the day, gave Ellen some pointers on playing in the rocks, and Ellen didn't hesitate to put them to use. We continued on, sticking together and staying safe. But....wait....wait! Mr. Blue Peeps ended up in the water! Oh nooooo, Mr. Peeps! Fortunately, Kelsey is all over rescue skills as she approaches her Sea Kayak Leader assessment, and she saved the day. Here's Mr. Fading Blue Peeps and his almost white companion, safe and sound back on Kelsey's deck. As if it were enough to rescue the little guy, Jonathan somehow (!) ended up in the water, and Kelsey had to rescue him, too. A busy morning for Kelsey... Time to paddle into Doliber Cove, survey more damaged property and then stop for lunch. Hard to get some people off of social media... Bringing out the chocolate leftovers helped. After lunch, Rob channeled Cathy for a bit... And then it was time to think about heading back. A bit more play... rescue practice for Ellen... and then there was nothing left but to paddle slowly back, hugging the shore, and soaking up the admiring and envious glances of families dressed in their Easter finery strolling through the parks and streets of Marblehead. We've all had days when we haven't really wanted to paddle, but we made ourselves do it anyway. And at least in my experience, those days often turn out to be the best. Remember those days so the next time you have one, you won't hesitate to go ahead and JUST PADDLE! You'll be glad you did. Thanks to Kelsey and Jonathan for organizing. And to Rob and Ellen for being intrepid companions on a day when it would have been awfully easy to just bail! So now I can't wait for next Easter! But the good news is, between now and then, there is the spring paddling season, the summer paddling season, the fall paddling season...and the winter (pool or ocean) one as well. The fun just never stops! Prudence

"Proper" trip report in the works. Hoping to post today!

Yes!

Remember, folks, this is the EASTER BUNNY plunge. In the past, the EB has been able to handle all the candy needs of the group on his own because the group was much smaller. This year, he's asking for helper bunnies - among all of us! So, if you can, please bring Easter appropriate treats to share with others. Remember, the trip is run using CAM - Chocolate Adventure Model! Prudence (aka one of the original bunnies!) ps...if you have bunny ears, bring em. We usually have some extras but maybe not enough to deck out the whole gang for the obligatory group photo!

I'm voting we try to stay together-ish for the paddle. Clearly 18 people won't be one tight pod, but we could elect that those who might go faster to go a bit faster - and maybe stop and play while others catch up. We could have podlets whose members would make a commitment to look after each other, particularly if we have folks who are less familar or comfortable with the area. But I'd hope that we would still flow together throughout the day as a group. Maybe this is an unrealistic plan, but hope springs eternal... I agree with David about West Beach. And shuttles are never any fun, but they're REALLY NOT FUN when it's chilly/cold, which it will likely be on Saturday. Prudence