(Pre) Easter Plunge Saturday April 20th

[rfolster]

Over the years, a hardy group of NSPN members have gotten together for what first started out as a cold water practice session on Easter morning. While it was short, they had great fun and promised to get together the following years and make it an annual event. Thus began the Annual Easter Plunge.  This will be a combination discussion/paddle/cold water practice event tailored to the wants and needs of the group. You’ll have the opportunity to review tips and techniques for dealing with cold weather and water, test out your gear while we do some cold water rescues, or just have a paddle! LOTS of hypo kits and chocolate will be on hand and careful attention will be paid to all paddlers’ condition and well-being. Come join us for this CAM (Chocolate Adventure Model) event.

You must have the following:
- Food and a hot beverage
- Drysuit with proper footwear and appropriate under layers (if you don't have a drysuit, inquire about borrowing or renting)
- Neoprene cap or hood
- Neoprene gloves or poggies
- Wool or fleece hat
- Wool or fleece gloves or mittens
- Down or synthetic insulated jacket that fits over your PFD
If you have the following, you should also bring them:
- Storm cag
- Warm outer pant layer (worn at launch to unload and pack boat)
- Spare under-layers (in case your primary set gets wet)
- Padding to sit on (camp chair, carpet square, piece of foam, etc)
- Hypo kit (various items to help deal with hypothermia for yourself and/or others)
- Group shelter

We recommend that everyone put together some form of hypothermia kit – see this post if you want more information on what to include: http://www.nspn.org/forum/topic/9825-hypo-kit/. Don’t feel overwhelmed by all the gear. The start of a good hypo kit is a thermos of hot tea/chocolate/soup/water and a warm jacket/blanket/tarp. Do you have any hand or feet warmers from skiing? An old yoga mat is a great ground pad. A tent fly would work as a wind shelter. Don’t worry about packability if it’s just a day paddle – you have plenty of room in your boat. Put together what you can and we will compare different ideas.

If you would like to attend but don’t have a particular piece of kit, just let us know. We should have plenty of extra stuff on hand to care for everyone. So bring your bunny ears (really!) and join us for some cold water fun! We will even have extra ears on hand for those who don't have them. Location and details to be determined, but will most likely be in MA north of Boston.  For questions or to sign up, please post here or send me a Private Message.

[prudenceb]

Yup, looking forward!  And Easter is so late this year it could be 80 degrees!  Or not...  But water will still be chilly

Edited February 13, 2019 by prudenceb

[JaneC]

Can’t wait. I’ll be there

[Joseph Berkovitz]

I'm on!

[rylevine]

I'm in.

[Sue H.]

Oh yeah! Sue

[JanetL]

See y'all there! 

[John]

I'm in! Looking forward to it.

[David M]

I'm in

[Neil McCabe]

I will like to attend this paddle. Where will it take place. 

[rfolster]

Generally, north shore area. I haven’t looked at tides yet to see if that makes any difference. Weather is the big factor, and will have a large impact on the specific location. 

[Dave M.]

I'm game if the drysuit is back in time

[eburgess]

Sounds good - I’m in.

[Ken]

I haven't paddled with NSPN yet and haven't done coldwater paddling yet.  I was hoping to ask if this event would be appropriate.  I started paddling last summer and paddled one-day most weekends.  I reached the point where I could do a trip such as Hull to Peddocks and back. I just purchased a dry suit but not used it yet so I'm hoping to find a practice session with others to try it.  I still need booties and a cap but those can be as easily purchased. As far as cold-weather clothing, I'm a skier and have clothing to ski in down to well below zero in wind, a whole bureau full of base and mid layers in synthetic and wool.   

Do you think this event would be suitable as a first event with a dry suit?  Would this be more of a practice session in a sheltered area or a trip to somewhere?  I'd be nervous about going to a destination and not knowing if I've got the gear working properly.  If I find it's not working, I'd need a safety bail out.  And since I'm a novice, I wouldn't want to get in very difficult conditions when never having paddled in cold water.  

[Joseph Berkovitz]

Ken,

I think you would find this event a great way to get acquainted with your new cold-water gear. It is not destination-oriented, it is usually a short-haul practice paddle in sheltered waters. It has an educational component -- there's usually some discussion of winter gear and what works best for whom under what conditions. Some people practice rescues and rolls, others don't. It's very relaxed.

You should have (or arrange to borrow) the items in Rob's "required" list though.

Personal note: My very first trip with NSPN was this event. Only, it was an accident that I happened to be on the beach at the same time that the paddle was starting. Anyway, I joined the club that same day because I was so impressed with the people -- both their knowledge and their good vibes.

...Joe

[rfolster]

Ken, we would love to have you among, and you will be in good hands.  We always have extra gear and emergency kit on hand!

[BethS]

I'm planning on it! And yes, Ken please join us! It's a great opportunity to test out new gear and learn what works, and what doesn't. Also to learn some new skills.

[Ken]

Okay, assuming nothing comes up, I'll give it a go.  I think I all the gear I need and this looks like a good opportunity to learn how to use it safely.

 

-Ken

[Sue H.]

Hi Folks,

Sorry to say I have to pull out, family duties prevail.  I had planned to paddle & then leave for NY the following morn before sunrise.  I just became aware of an MD appt. my mom has next Thursday that I want to attend, so I'll be leaving a handful of days sooner than expected.  I hope to see you all on the water soon.

Enjoy!  Sue

[Ken]

Is the location and time set yet?  

 

-Ken

 

[Dan Foster]

Since this is an early-season paddle, we pay special attention to the wind speed and direction to try to find a sheltered location to paddle. We probably won't pick a destination until we get a few days closer to the event, so we've got a forecast we can trust. You can start monitoring the NOAA marine forecast for the Marblehead/Salem Sound area to get a sense of what might be going on this weekend:

https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-70.84938811836764&lat=42.54080539623243

As of this morning, the long range forecast is:

Saturday

Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 63. South wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

 

The forecast discussion is also good information to be reading:

https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&issuedby=BOX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off

 

.LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Highlights... * Strong northwest wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph Monday night * Dry/seasonable Tue but still rather windy * A few showers possible later Wed/Thu but a washout is not expected * Heavy rain potential sometime Fri and/or Sat and turning milder

Details:

Friday and Saturday... Anomalous deep closed upper level low across the Great Lakes will setup meridional flow into southern New England. While there is still quite a bit of uncertainty given the time frame...GEFS ensembles support a pwat plume/low level jet that is 2 to 3 standard deviations above normal. That is a pretty good signal in this time range for the potential for some heavy rain sometime Friday and/or Saturday. Given the setup, there certainly will be at least the low risk for some flooding depending on how things evolve. It does look it will become rather mild too with above normal temperatures returning.

[mharrison]

My husband and I are in. Will be our first test of our cold-weather gear, even though we've worn/brought it for early mid-May in Maine paddles.

[rfolster]

Saturday is looking like a good day for testing cold weather gear!  Strong southerly winds, rain, and 4'-6' short period wind chop waves will make for a miserable day for attempting any sort of journey.  My thoughts are that I would prefer to do any paddling against the wind to start, and end with the wind to my back, so some place like Marblehead Beach is not ideal (that slog can be interminable).  I also worry that if things go bad at a place like that, the wind is carrying boats or people into more exposed waters.

I am thinking about West Beach in Beverly with Misery Island just 3/4 nautical mile away as an option.  The the beach is really exposed, but at least we don't have to worry about anyone or anything getting blown out to sea.  Paddling out to Misery could be a challenge, but we might find shelter from the wind out there.

Might be a really good day for a shorter water session and a warm PPPO somewhere local?  Open to suggestions.......

 

[Dan Foster]

Since there are a few newer paddlers interested who may not be familiar with NSPN traditions: PPPO means "post-paddle pig-out", a.k.a. "going to a restaurant". "slog" and "Misery" pretty much mean what they sound like.

[Joseph Berkovitz]

Independently, I had been watching the weather and thinking Misery might be a good option. The cove of the little beach that faces Beverly is somewhat sheltered by the trees and landscape to the south. West Beach could have a swell or two that breaks, but even in nasty S winds the short leg out to Misery has always seemed relatively calm.

A&B Burgers in Beverly has been a good PPPO option in the past.