Joseph Berkovitz

Absolutely! Returning to MA in July after which I would Love to.

Yes it’s a different author - I forgot. But the book incorporates so much of Ed’s logs and conversation that it feels as though he wrote a lot of it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/07/kayaker-rescued-california-hawaii-cyril-derreumaux This article is about the just-aborted trip by Cyril Derreumaux. Had he succeeded he would have been the first solo kayaker to make this trip since Ed Gillet did it in a stock Necky Tofino in 1987, a feat never repeated (and beautifully described in Ed’s book The Pacific Alone). I met Cyril briefly at a fundraising booth for his trip in Sausalito. I suspect he’ll figure this out eventually!

What a great idea! I will do it when I can get up there (probably in July).

I use a Google Forms based system for trip signups since it automates the creation of a float plan, and also provides more flexibility in managing registration than the calendar RSVP system (since you can have people answer or agree to trip-specific questions). From time to time people have asked me about how to do this. If anyone else wants to use the system, just drop me a line and I will send you a link to the instructions. Joe

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on 6/2/2021 launching from Lanes Cove in Gloucester where we will meet at 9:30 am. Route TBD based on conditions and group makeup. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and NH state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. Cold Water: Sea temps have dropped to the low 50s again and the weather has also become colder. It's not summer yet! Please be conservative and be prepared. Location & Parking: Park in the state-owned lot at the end of the road near 32 Andrews Street, 42°40'49.8"N 70°39'32.2"W https://goo.gl/maps/MohgwcDCPe3RwpeV7 Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/EtsDHoitz5x41pjg9 You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other participants. Registration may be limited to avoid impact on local parking. Predictions: As of Monday, predictions are for light winds W shifting to SE, sunny with air temps in 60s, small swell < 1 ft. https://www.windy.com/42.677/-70.678?42.619,-70.678,11,i:pressure When/what: Meet at 9:30, launch around 10:00. This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. If you're not sure you have a safe vessel, please get in touch with us and ask. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there! PS: I won't be able to attend this one, only Bob can make it. Have fun!

I second josko’s recommendation - Ivan Lawler’s videos have helped me improve my paddling a whole lot. He really does a great job of deconstructing every component of power transfer from paddle to boat. And this material is free. He has a 6-part series that he recorded at the beginning of the pandemic that contains many gems: https://youtube.com/channel/UC8KuVUSSDZraBFmTwkIyOKA

THANKS PRUDENCE ?

People: Karen Gladstone, David Mercer, Ben Rechel, Dana Sigall, Sandy Bouchard, Prudence Baxter, Sue Hriciga, Jane Cobb, Bob Levine, Joe Berkovitz Route: Cedar Point (Great Bay, NH) -> General Sherman Bridge -> Goat Island -> Adams Point -> Cedar Point Distance: 8+ nm Launch: 11:00; Land: 14:40 Weather: air 80-85 F, winds 5 kt SW, sunny with cumulus clouds Tides: HW around 14:00; max flood around 11:00 with currents 1-2 kt in most parts of the main channel but 5 kt near Dover Point This was a summertime estuary paddle on the upper reaches of the Piscataqua/Great Bay system. We started off from Cedar Point Parking Area which had more room to accommodate us than we expected. Right away we were greeted by the sight of a few breeding horseshoe crabs (see this post), excited by a spring full moon: There is both a trail and a set of stairs down to a gravelly launch area. At low tide this may expose some nasty mud but at midtide around 11:00 it was fine. We had some back and forth about whether to take the flood straight down into Great Bay, or to first work the eddies up-current (downriver) and go towards the bridge to observe some big current. I had my doubts about these eddies but I turned out to be wrong, it was an easy and current-assisted paddle up to the bridge. Once there, everyone had a chance to sit in the eddy and get right up to the swiftly moving water coming under the bridge. For some, it was an opportunity to experiment with getting out into current in a relatively safe environment. Boat traffic was near-nonexistent and the current slows down considerably as the water moves away from the bridge into a broader channel. From here we got out into the current and rode it swiftly back to Goat Island. The GPS track shows our course speed at about 7 knots at some points. The water did not appear rough, but the landscape was moving by abnormally fast! We stopped on Goat which makes for a serene and shady spot to take a nice break. Nearby are a couple of great spots for current practice which Bob and I hope to use for a future Skills Practice session. Then we continued riding the current down to Adams Point Wildlife Management Area, a spot that Bob and I had scouted earlier in the day before coming to the put-in. A more perfect shady lunch spot would be hard to imagine. Near Adams Point the breeding horseshoe crabs were especially numerous. There was one shady spot where you could just sit in your boat and watch the animals swim by in great numbers. After a great hangout session (during which a bee developed a friendly relationship with Jane that suddenly went bad) the tide turned and we rode the current back up to our put-in again. Thanks everyone for making this such a lovely afternoon. Please add more pix and words!

Lanes Cove is fine (at least on weekdays) as long as you use the spaces right up against the sea wall in the state-owned lot at the end of Andrews St. There are residents-only sign nearby but they do not apply to the MA state boat access lot, only to the residential area around it. on weekends I stay away as there’s just too much competition for spaces.

I was unable to make the presentation - will a recording be available?

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on May 26, 2021 launching from Cedar Point in Durham NH where we will meet at 10:00 am. This will be an inland estuary paddle with some fun (and not scary) current that we will ride into Great Bay and then back out again. The late starting time for this trip is a function of the tides, since the currents in the area will be reversing around 2 pm. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and NH state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. Location & Parking: Unload your boat and gear in the Cedar Point Parking Area Westbound at 253 Piscataqua Rd #241, Durham, NH 03824 https://goo.gl/maps/8Ru9pVVQU9MkXzKYA. This is on the north side of Piscataqua Road and has better low-tide access. However the Eastbound lot (directly across the road) is much larger, so after unloading your boat please move your car there. There is no fee as far as I can tell. Live Free or Die! Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/SahhPUTHYrbqswFK8 You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other participants. Registration may be limited to avoid impact on local parking. Predictions: As of Sunday, predictions are for SW wind 10-12 kt, sunny becoming partly cloudy, air temps in the mid 80s by afternoon, possible late afternoon showers. Water likely chilly but don't have solid information. Chart: GreatandLittleBays.pdf which also shows current info for max flood at 11 am. When/what: Meet at 10:00, launch around 10:30. We may start with some preliminary playing in the flood current near Goat Island, then explore southwards as we ride the current onwards to Adams Point Wildlife Refuge which could be a good lunch stop, and maybe an opportunity to see breeding horseshoe crabs. We could also stop at Wagon Hill Farm for a break (a Paul Sylvester recommendation). This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. If you're not sure you have a safe vessel, please get in touch with us and ask. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there! Joe & Bob

People: Sue Hriciga, Joyce Carpenter, Mike Habich, Dana Sigall, Joe Berkovitz, Robert Levine, Jim Snyder We had a great 2-part session with surf zone practice-n-play from 9-10:30, and a lunch expedition to East Point from 10:30-2:00. For the first chapter, conditions were near-ideal with mostly long-period 1-2 footers and some bigger outliers. However the tide was dropping (LT around 11:00) and after 10:00 the ridable zone began to become very short except for the largest waves. Quite a few boarders were out and the group mostly stayed near the Little Nahant side to keep out of everyone's way. Not everyone was surfing, there was a mixture of just hanging out in the environment and riding waves. Wind was minimal at this point though picking up from the E. The water was a (relatively) pleasant 55. Chapter 2 saw most of us paddle out to East Point and its secluded pocket beach. With the offshore breeze the chop steadily increased. Landing on the beach was a bit tricky with the exposed rocks at low tide and the swell coming straight into the cove; launching too. Then we went around the corner to the big cliffs on the outside. Here the combination of chop and swell was very dynamic, as it often is at this spot! The water was too low and conditions too big for most of the slots and passages, so it was more of an "environmental tourism" visit, enjoying some very active water. Then back to the beach with a few nice final surf rides, as the water had come back up. Here's to Wednesdays!

@Dan Foster posted a terrific idea in a different members-only thread which I hope he will recap here. His summary was: He went on to say much, much more and hopefully he will chime in here and reproduce. It included trips, socializing, skills practice, gear swaps and building bridges with other organizations that support paddling. While this shouldn't be just a board project, I think the board has an important role in getting it off the ground and designating one or two folks to make it actually happen.

I wouldn’t trust the website completely. The COVID rules have been changing fast. I suggest calling

Bob talked to the attendant and they said it was $10 for Ma residents. Maybe he can chime in here.

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on May 19, 2021 at Nahant Beach. This special edition offers a combination Surf Session and Lunch Paddle! You can do one, or the other, or both! How much fun is that? The surfing portion of the menu will meet at 8:30 to get OTW at 9:00, and will run through about 10:30. If you just want to play in the surf zone and get comfortable with your bracing and side surfing, that's totally cool! The lunch paddle portion of the menu will be served at 10:30 at which point we plan to paddle out to East Point and have lunch there. COLD WATER PADDLE: Water temperatures are still low. Come prepared for immersion. If you are not sure about what this means, please contact the organizers and we can figure out if it works. HELMET REQUIRED: We will be launching and landing in a surf zone. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. Location: Nahant Beach State Reservation https://goo.gl/maps/fRQjQEyWK3k5veKi9 we will meet on the beach near the Tides Restaurant end (far end of the causeway) so park asap when you enter the lot. Parking: the lot is $10 for MA residents. There is a free lot just off the rotary where the causeway begins so you could get lucky with a spot there, but you'd need to be able to make your own way down to the other end of the beach. Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/zFBrS5anUKqh1Su4A You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other participants. Predictions: Light E breezes 5-8 kt, air temps upper 50s / low 60s, water temp 55 F, swell 2 ft @ 10 sec, breakers at beach 2-3 ft per Magic Seaweed Tides: LT at 11:45 am When/what: Surf zone people meet at 8:30 am and launch at 9 am. Non-surf folks, meet at 10 am and launch at 10:30 am (surfers may still be in the water but we'll come to the beach to say hello). This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. Bring a helmet since this trip launches and lands in surf. If you're not sure you have a safe vessel, please get in touch with us and ask. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there! Joe & Bob

Here is a link to a rapidly-growing album of photos contributed by paddlers in the group: https://photos.app.goo.gl/thM4rXGPgiBbKJ2p7

One quick note - Gary had to step away (for entirely positive reasons, don't worry) and asked me to step into his trip-organizing shoes. I hesitated, knowing how large a shoe size that truly is and that there was no way I could fill it. Jewell was not the same without you, Gary!

This long weekend saw a glorious time on and off the water at Jewell Island. It felt like a reunion of sorts, even with the people I had never met or didn't know well. Perhaps it was a combination of the summer-like weather (finally!) and the partial relaxation of Covid worries. 16 paddlers were in attendance: Dan Foster, John Harkey, Phil Gassin, Beth Sangree, Marcy Leger, Christian Leger, Doug Cooke, Ben Rechel, Ken Warner, Jordan Engel, Joe Berkovitz, Yong Shin, Catherine Kimball, Liz Neumeier, Nancy Hill, Jane Cobb. Thursday Like the other days, this one began at a lowish tide—high was at 1:19pm this day. We had bright and windy conditions with a strong S breeze whipping up steep chop by the afternoon. Two pods made their way from Bug Light: an early group with Nancy and Jane set out at 8:30 meeting up with Yong at East End Beach; a later group left around 10:15 with myself, Dan, John, Beth, Doug, Ben, Ken and Liz. From the Baileys/Orr cribstone bridge came a group with Marcy, Cath, Jordan and Phil. Our pod made its way through the Whitehead Channel to the outside of Peaks Island, then across the flood current in Hussey Sound to the small cobbly Vaill Island off of Long Island, where we enjoyed lunch. (Doug and Ken opted to forego lunch and head straight to Jewell at this point, staying in touch by VHF.) Up to this point things were fairly calm. After lunch though, as we began the outer crossings to Cliff and Jewell, the steady wind picked up and the chop got steeper and bigger; nothing hazardous but it required attention and constant corrections. Arriving at Jewell we seemed to divide naturally into 3 groups. From north to south: the Cove Group (occupied by the north-arriving Cribstone pod), the Pier Group (Nancy, Jane and Beth), and the Cliff Group (an all-male pirate enclave on the heights to the south of the large beach). I stayed by myself in the Cocktail Cove area which unlike previous trips stayed unoccupied; we were to have the island to ourselves the entire time except for a few hikers on Sunday. Christian had been slated to come on Friday AM, but his schedule changed and he elected to come this afternoon leaving Cribstone Bridge mid-afternoon. His ride was much wilder since the wind was in full swing by then and he had to cross Broad Sound during max ebb in what sounded like bigger conditions than any of us had run into. We were all glad to see him when he arrived around 6 pm! Friday On this day, 14 folks went to Junk of Pork and Outer Green Island for a day trip while Doug and Beth elected to do some beach cleanup. (We had committed to cleaning up beaches and leaving bagged trash for MITA, an activity which continued over the course of the trip. It was nice to pay the island back for all the great times!) Weather on this day was sunny and calm in the morning, with increasing clouds and spotty showers at the end of the day and wind increasing to 10-12 from the S but not as choppy as Thursday. The outer islands and ledges were stunning (I had never been there) and we played around in the slots and around the cliffs for a while before returning ahead of the weather picking up. We landed on the southern tip of Jewell for lunch, then some of us peeled off to enjoy the outside slots and ledges at high water which were lots of fun. The afternoon featured some amazing trail clearing work by Dan and Ben and others — sorry, I don't know exactly who helped! — in which really substantial blowdowns were cut up by a "hand-operated chainsaw" and moved out of the trail. Up to this point the Pier and Cove campsites were not directly connected due to the blocked trails. Saturday There were three different trips this day: Junk Of Pork II (or "Junk II Pork" if you prefer) with Doug/Nancy/Jane/Beth, Brown Cow Ledge/Eagle Island/Bates Island with myself/Dan/Ken/John, and Long Island Bakehouse with (I think) everyone else. Hopefully others will post some description of the Junk and Bakehouse trips. I can say the Eagle trip was really paradise-like. The weather was similar to Friday's but a bit calmer. We played in the Brown Cow ledges a long time in low-consequence pourovers and small swell, then lunched on the deserted lawn of Eagle before heading to the narrow beach-fringed channel between Bates and Ministerial Islands, then a run along the cliffs of Cliff (yes the name makes sense) and back to Jewell. Sunday Another calm morning, this one especially summery and culminating in late-afternoon squalls which everyone thankfully avoided. The pods mostly ran in reverse. Mine stopped for a visit to Fort Gorges where we took in a stunning view of the harbor and the ominous clouds building up to the northwest of the city. Thanks to everyone for making this such a perfect weekend!

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on May 12, 2021. COLD WATER PADDLE: Water temperatures are only in the high 40s. Come prepared for immersion in that cold, cold water. If you are not sure about what this means, please contact the organizers and we can figure out if it works. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. Location: Riverhead Beach, Marblehead https://goo.gl/maps/aCaW72buQ6UPjBPE6 Parking: avoid blocking any of the floating docks which are being actively moved into the harbor by a marine work crew. Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/g3w5HWvJnzRmTB2x8 You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other participants. Predictions: Diminishing NW Winds < 10 kt, partly sunny, air temps mid 50s, calm seas Tides (Salem): 2021/05/12 Wed 06:31 AM 0.46 L 2021/05/12 Wed 12:46 PM 8.20 H 2021/05/12 Wed 6:34 PM 1.44 L When/what: We will meet at 10.00 am and launch at 10:30 sharp. We'll have a beach briefing in some safe manner, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing. This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. If you're not sure you have a safe vessel, please get in touch with us and ask. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there! Joe & Bob

This year's inaugural Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on May 5, 2021. We should probably call it a "brunch paddle" since the weather looks to be unsettled and we are going to try to do this on the early side to avoid rain and wind. COLD WATER PADDLE: It will essentially be winter on the water on Wednesday with both air and water in the mid-40s and overcast/precipitation. Come prepared for conditions. If you are not sure about this, please contact me and we can figure out if it works. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. Location: Lanes Cove, in the state ramp parking lot near 32 Andrews St. 42°40'49.8"N 70°39'32.2"W https://goo.gl/maps/MohgwcDCPe3RwpeV7 Parking: park against the stone wall in the lot. Trip Capacity: Due to limited parking this trip will be limited to 6 people. Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/HZGzKjFpByhSSYxe7 You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other participants. Predictions: Unsettled weather, air 45 F, wind E 5-12 kt, swell < 1 ft, rain likely possibly heavy at times. Tides (Annisquam): 2021/05/05 Wed 07:13 AM 8.96 H 2021/05/05 Wed 1:32 PM 0.50 L When/what: We will meet at 9.00 am and launch at 9:30 sharp. We'll have a beach briefing in some safe manner, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing. From Lanes we can go either way depending on inclinations, towards Rockport or towards Annisquam. This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. If you're not sure you have a safe vessel, please get in touch with us and ask. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there! Joe

Here is something fun and constructive to look forward to in September! Together with our friends at Salem Sound Coastwatch, let's pay it forward to the planet...