Jim Snyder

Earth Day paddle! We were David Mercer, Bill Doucet, Mike Habich, Barb Ryan, Ricardo Caivano, Fred Goodman, Sue Hriciga, and myself. If you were looking for a lot of crazy water excitement you would have been disappointed. But if you were looking for a relaxed early spring venue in a beautiful stretch of coastline with a great group this checked all the boxes. We left West Beach headed for the Rams with a strong tail wind. We knew the wind was predicted to drop in the afternoon and since it was offshore we could get some relief on the return. There were occasional places to play in the waves with the small long period swell. I think Ricardo got the best trip of the day, or at least the only one I got pictures of. Our lunch and turnaround was at White Beach. On the way back we played a little at NSPN Rock (not sure how it got that nickname) but there wasn't much action. This is a great place to paddle. We should petition Beverly to let us launch there year round.

Monday is my annual trip to buy fertilizer for my hayfields at Neptune's Harvest in Gloucester. For years I have been combining this trip with a paddle in the area, although in the past I think I've always done a non-club trip. Conditions are predicted to be pretty tame, leaving options to paddle up the coast or out to islands. I can arrive in time for a 10:30am launch after fish buying. If you'd like to join me, let me know and I'll start a group message. Sea temperature has warmed up to 45 degrees! Drysuits still required.

I was thinking Rye Harbor might be the best choice. Bass Beach is nice, with decent off season parking. It's near Rye Ledge, which can be fun. Magic Seaweed referred to it as Rye Rocks".

I'm withdrawing from this plan. You guys should go ahead without me if you are happy with the forecast.

Aw shucks. Let me invite you to become a member, it's cheap! Also show us a picture of your new explorer.

The whole assembly slides down and out if there's enough slack in the rope. It may take some force if it hasn't been removed in a while. If you can pull it down about 1 1/2" you will see the forward hole. If it doesn't pivot freely on its axle you'll need to pull the whole thing out to work on it.

The rear two holes are for the pull up rope. You go through one then the other, which has a countersink recess to accommodate the knot. The bungee is looped through the forward hole and both ends are trapped under the center deck fitting.

I have a meeting at Seacoast Science Center on Friday at 9:30 and would like to paddle afterwards but it would require flexible paddling friends. I probably wouldn't be able to launch until around 11 and Odiorne might not be the best option with a low tide at 3:17pm. Maybe Bass Beach. Let me know if interested.

John Brosnihan, harbormaster, sent me this picture from his boat: Not sure if the buoy was transmitting info or if he got it another way.

I've talked to the Kittery harbormaster about the buoy, waiting to hear back about what it's marking.

A brief report as sadly I have no pictures. We were Sandy Blanchard, Dana Sigall, David Mercer and myself. We headed out from the boat ramp into a light breeze and current and made for Jaffrey Point. With 2' predicted swell and onshore breeze the rocky shoals between Jaffrey and Fort Stark were fun to look at. We did find a little safer rock play farther up the coast. As we approached the lighthouse at Fort Constitution we paused to discuss the anticipated strong currents expected on the spring tide on the river. Sandy and I noticed a yellow buoy a little offshore and wondered about it. I remembered seeing one of these in Boston Harbor years ago but couldn't remember the purpose. I found this on the internet: IALA Special Purpose Buoys & Marks A buoy or mark used to indicate something notable in the area it is located in. It has no lateral significance or directional meaning. The yellow color of the buoy is a reminder that caution should be exercised until you have determined the reason that any “Special Purpose Buoy or Mark” has been placed in a particular location. If you cannot determine the reason the mark is placed in its location, it should be given a wide berth where possible or the area should be transited with caution. https://www.offshoreblue.com/nav/special-marks.php The currents in the river were strong as predicted but not difficult. We made a swift passage up to Pierce Island where we stopped for lunch. We had to fight a little current getting back to the Shapleigh Island bridge to complete our circumnavigation of New Castle with a leisurely paddle through the islands north of Little Harbor.

Dan, I appreciate the creative thinking but I think this apparently small company have devised some really innovative safety devices and deserve to not have their work copied. I will be ordering from them.

I'll start a pm for those who have shown interest. If you want to be added pm me.

I'm willing to organise an order.

I'm going to respond to Deb in pm so as not to clog up the forum with a conversation between the two of us. That being said if others are interested in a group order they should respond here I guess and we can start a group message.

Predicted conditions look good for a counter clockwise trip around New Castle, riding a strong spring tide current up the river. Sea temperature seems to have bottomed out and started its rise but drysuits are required. Indicate your interest by any of the methods (I even answer the phone) and I'll start a group message.

Deb Walsh found this about the mysteryship: https://www.facebook.com/100072443168835/posts/436302222127880/?mibextid=xfxF2i&rdid=aQwMb46jaTgbfW9z For those of you that don't facebook here's the text: A temporary lifting device was transported on a specialty barge from Cianbro Corporation's Modular Manufacturing Facility in Brewer, Maine and has arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY). The steel structure is 110 feet tall and 111 feet wide and has a lifting capacity of 4000 metric tons. Its bright red finish made it quite visible as it travelled down the Penobscot River to the Atlantic, then along the Maine coast to the mouth of the Piscataqua River. The device is temporarily stationed at Henderson's Point on the west side of Seavey Island. The temporary lifting device is at the shipyard to support the Multi-Mission Dry Dock #1 MILCON--a seven-year project already in progress. The work on the project is being completed by the 381 Constructors in a joint venture of The Industrial Company (a Kiewit Corporation subsidiary), Maine-based Cianbro Corporation, and The Middlesex Corporation. Over the coming weeks, the device will be assembled and erected in Dry Dock #1, a process set to conclude in early May. Once operational, it will undertake the vital task of lifting twenty-seven 4,000-ton concrete monoliths currently being constructed by Cianbro Corporation at their Brewer facility. The project will modernize the historic dry dock, originally constructed during WWII. By increasing its capacity, the shipyard will be able to accommodate three Los Angeles or Virginia-class attack submarines for repair, maintenance, and modernization, enabling PNSY to meet the Navy's requirements for years to come. The dry dock project is overseen by the Officer in Charge of Construction PNSY, and the work is being completed as part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). SIOP is a holistic recapitalization of the Navy's four public shipyards through a combination of new and reused facilities. It integrates facilities, utilities, and industrial plant equipment investments to meet nuclear fleet maintenance requirements. The Program delivers a reduction in availability duration and improves efficiency by expanding shipyard capacity, optimizing configuration, and creating resilient infrastructure. SIOP's multi-decade effort currently has over $6 billion of construction under contract and $577 million of equipment in procurement, marking a significant investment in the Navy's infrastructure. For more information about the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, please visit: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/PEO-Industrial.../PMO-555-SIOP/

We started out with synchronized rolling practice, followed by standing on one foot in the cockpits! It was a great April Fool's Day Paddle! We were me. Bill Voss, Barb Ryan, Jody Harris, Sandy Blanchard, Deb Walsh and Dan Carr. We headed out of Little Harbor and found the usual low tide activity on the shoals outside Jaffrey Point, then on to Wood Island for lunch. The devastation from recent storms was awful on Wood but repairs were underway. We had been watching this strange looking vessel approaching from far out and it kept looking stranger. SeaIq identified the tugs escorting it and said they were only making 1.4 knots so we decided to run it down and try to board. Google tells me "MAMMOET" makes al kinds of heavy specialty equipment but I didn't see anything like this on their website. I now think this was a barge delivering something to Portsmouth, probably to the shipyard. The crew managed to fend us off and we began a rambling tour of nearby islands, enjoying being out and watching seals. Thanks to all for making it a great trip. Photos by Barb used without permission.

Having seen this work yesterday I plan to add one to my sprayskirts, not because I have trouble releasing in the normal way but because I could do this so easily if I was injured or for any other reason compromised. Thanks Mike and Barb!

I just talked to the Rye police department. They said it should be open but if not they would be happy to come unlock the gate for us.

Anyone used the Odiorne boat ramp lately? I'm getting conflicting information on whether the gate's open during the week. Alternate launch for this trip is Goat Island.

Hope you're not just foolin'!

April Fools Day shenanigans encouraged! Plan for a 10am launch from Odiorne. If you check the tide chart your thinking it might be a little mud issue on launch and there might, but it's neaps tide and we will be able to get out. There will be plenty of water for landing, which is way better than the other way around in my opinion. A partly sunny day approaching 50 is predicted with not much wind. I anticipate heading out to islands in 2' predicted swell but we can tailor the route to the participants. Water temperature is still around 40 so drysuits are required. Let me know your interest by any method and I will start a group message.

If you were suffering in the heat inland on a March day in the 60s you should have joined us off the southern Maine coast where the air temperature struggled to reach 45 and the water stayed around 40. A light onshore breeze kept us from ever getting too warm while paddling. We were Deb Walsh, Jody Harris, Bill Doucet, Bill Voss, Ricardo Caivano, Sue Hriciga, Fred Goodman, and myself. The tide was nice to leave York Harbor while slack and return on the flood. Cold hands made it a little tough to get pictures today. The predicted small swell combined with the light breeze made for slightly bouncy conditions all day, with the occasional bigger set providing a little excitement. I like this stretch of coast pretty well but it seems the rocks are generally more fun to look at than play in. Brave Boat, as always, was a nice lunch spot. For some of us this was a good shortish trip to get back to paddling after a several months break. Please chime in with any pictures you have from the trip.

I'm glad to see all the interest! I'll start a group message tomorrow. If you've looked at a tide chart you've seen a pretty big range on Thursday. Low at 9:05am is -1.25'. The harbor is slack at 10:18am. My plan is to launch at 10:30am giving the walk to the water a chance to shorten up a little and Bill a chance to eat breakfast. Maximum flood is at 12:54pm but we should still have a nice push on our return and a short walk to the road.