Inverseyourself

Stumbled upon this on YouTube. Very enjoyable, probably even more so for the many among you who know coastal Maine much better than I. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zj22eNzjcI

There is this little Shark bistro with a limited but delicate seal-menue in the greater Newburyport-Salisbury area. It's a yet well kept secret but this guy is apparently in-the-know! I'm always a little uncomfortable paddling out to Halfway Rock from Manchester as there is a little shark drive(swim)-through joint there as well.

Pretty sure I heard slowly accelerating dissonant cello-music in the background.

We all know this but seeing it hits home the message that a shark incident is becoming more likely for North Shore paddlers. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2020/07/15/great-white-shark-plum-island-north-shore

Below is an excerpt from the NEJM article. Isopropyl alcohol (possibly more prevalent in people’s cars now during the pandemic), olive oil or sugar (nearby restaurant?) and urine (someone always has to pee in a group but I would understand if people felt that this should be reserved as a second or third line option, unless it’s your own) are mentioned as alternatives to vinegar. Of note, the affected area has to be continuously flushed/immersed for 30 minutes or until pain subsides, which has a bearing on how much of the remedy you (can) carry with you. An Ice pack -intuitive - is recommended in the article. Some folks may just carry their run-of-the-mill unseasoned meat tenderizer or papaya latex with them as a matter of principle, just in case. COELENTERATE STINGS When someone is stung by a coelenterate (hydroid, fire coral, jellyfish, or sea anemone), the wound should be soaked in 5 percent acetic acid (vinegar). This is the decontaminant of choice, and it should be applied liberally, particularly for stings of the box-jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) and other Indo-Pacific species. The leading alternative is isopropyl alcohol (40 to 70 percent), although some argue that this causes discharge of cnidae venom in vitro. The detoxicant should be applied continuously for at least 30 minutes or until the pain disappears. Other detoxicants reported to be effective include dilute ammonium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, olive oil, sugar, urine, and papain (unseasoned meat tenderizer or papaya latex). None of these are reliable or superior to vinegar or alcohol. Solvents such as ether, formalin, and gasoline are toxic to tissues and are contraindicated. For coelenterate stings acquired in North America or Caribbean coastal waters, fresh water should not be applied directly to the wound as the primary decontaminant. The wound should not be abraded with a cloth or bandage. These will worsen the envenomation. Ice packs may be applied to the skin, but they should be free of leaks or surface condensation.24Next, the physician should remove any visible large tentacles with forceps or a doubly gloved hand. After the primary decontamination, the physician should remove any remaining nematocysts by applying a layer of shaving foam and shaving the area gently.

Speaking of treading water after the GWS test-bumps you with the intent to disable your maneuverability.......

Text sent to 4810, unless I misunderstood.

I know Goat. When would you like to bib?

I’m in, Paul. Am I allowed to launch with a MA license plate?

Interested, pending resolution of neck issue (it’s always something). What’s with Dover Point (ignorant)? Current? Not much going on 6/20. For distance? I like the idea of Circumnav + distance.

At some point they’ll figure out that they have to breach and take a bite out of us directly.

Thanks Gary! Yeah, quite the remarkable little white spot that makes locating it on a chart easy once you know the general area. Would love to see a photo of this spot when it’s ripping. 3 foot gradient from W to E side of bridge is impressive. The N and S ends of the bridge probably make for nice eddies for current play. Unloading the boats from the roadside and finding parking close by should be possible.

Any pics of said spot you passed almost 8 years ago on your way around, Gary? Your pic-url from that trip has expired. Rob, you can obviously also chime in. I love and miss current play and would be game for this circumnav or just park-and-play if latter is an option. P.S.: Hope I didn’t give as strong a hint at location as Pintail ?

Haha! Pru, I went right to commenting after reading the report, then I saw your comment just now. Great minds think alike :-).

Can't fool me, Joe, you plagiarized that from one of Bob's actual solo trip reports!

Ken, I echo David M, Mike and myself. The Aries 155 won’t disappoint ! Andy

Regarding Aries speed: Aries and Delphin are different boats. Any reasonably fit person won’t have any trouble with an Aries 155 keeping up with Explorer, Romany Surf, Cetus, etc. Taran as FSK is of course a different story, as is a surfski, but Ken wants a playboat for non-downwind surf and really likes rock play.

Romany Surf and Aries 155, had and have them, respectively. Love(d) both but would prefer the Aries in surf and around rocks. Aries is unbeatable in maneuverability. It’s also reasonably fast because of the specific waterline it has despite being just under 16’ long. I find the Aries also more comfortable due to the different architecture of the foredeck. Don’t be shy and put a little skeg out for tracking straight, although that’s not what the skeg is for. I tried the Sirona. Very nice boat, feels lower volume than the other two. Very maneuverable. Volume was too low for my height and weight, unfortunately (6’5”, 215). Try them all as they are very different boats.

Definite interest here!

Tough scenario and it can happen quickly. Stampedes towards the water are always dangerous. That said, I am guilty of stampeding towards inviting surf. Couple of points I take home are: In certain situations, specifically in the situation described in the article, putting someone back in the boat may just press the repeat button for the same sequence of events that led to that person exiting the boat. If the coach was repeatedly caught, broached and flipped and had to pull himself together to patiently wait for his roll, it is likely that it would have happened to the intermediate paddler immediately after being “ready” again after being put back in her boat. It sounds like going outside the surf zone to regroup was not an option, as the ebb flow was apparently taking folks West and the risk of getting carried out to sea was too high and beyond the surf zone would have been too far out anyway. I wonder if going South to escape the river’s ebb current would have been an option but by the time this turned into a cluster the instinct was probably just to go towards the closest land. Then there is the issue of swimmer transport. I can totally see how the swimmer didn’t like the prospect of being surfed down a wave while on the back deck of a boat that she had repeatedly witnessed broaching and flipping. Not sure what I would have done. Maybe asked her to climb on the back deck and scramble off as the next wave approached. In cold water, I guess the climb on the back deck would have been somewhat mandatory to preserve heat. I was surprised at the way they were making way with the swimmer in tow but good to know, especially as you have the waves pushing everything/one in. Scary forces that propelled the boat while the swimmer was left with the torn off toggle in her hand. I assume the rope was old and brittle to rip without a finger-hand-arm injury. Thanks for the link, Mike. I had heard “something” happened with a group under Sean Morley but never found out what. Maybe I missed his own summary in the comments section but I’m interested to hear how the guy who rounded Great Britain (I think including Outer Hebrides or even St. Kilda) solo in record time several years ago ended up in the water without his boat! When did things start going wrong ? From the initial decision making process. Not all the coaches were involved in the initial plan in the first place. A hint of critique at the start of the drive to the put in was not sufficiently discussed or even brushed off. Until the incident happened many opportunities to stop the runaway train were missed by just “assuming”. Andy

I didn't know that humpbacks fight back and Fin- and blue whales run! Interesting. I guess it's all about having long, powerful pectoral fins!

Sorry to miss it, hope it gets repeated next year!

They should also mandate protective goggles when traveling in pods of 2 or more so we don’t poke our eyes out during rescues. Or better the total face and neck masks the air soft gun crowd uses when they play war. BCU could create a new teaching segment specifically for masks. Pisspots.....right on, Paul!

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