Joseph Berkovitz Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (NOTE: Each week, the Wednesday Lunch Paddle is designed to fit the interest and skill level of all participants. This trip, by design, was more adventurous than others, but given a different group we could – and would – have taken a different and less ambitious route. Bob and I encourage properly equipped club members at all levels of the sport to come along on these paddles; we will always do our best to make it work!) Route: Pavilion Beach, Gloucester -> Normans Woe -> Magnolia Point -> Kettle Island -> return Distance: 9 nm Conditions: Overcast/showers -> partial sun, air 45 F, water 50 F, winds N 15 kt -> E 8 kt, seas 3-5 ft @ 6s Tides: HT - 8.08a (8.2'), LT - 2.14p (1.4') People: me, Bob Levine, Sue Hriciga, Christopher Godfrey, Jim Snyder This was a day of big lumpy water on one of the most dramatic pieces of Massachusetts coastline: the rocky cliff-bound stretch of Cape Ann from Gloucester Harbor to Magnolia Point. 10.20a: Launch from Pavilion Beach. Plenty of parking on this windy, chilly day. We had a nice tailwind and ebb tide at our backs, as we headed over to the big rocks at Stage Fort Park. Our plan was (and remained) to work our way down the rocks on the west side of the harbor, then head around Normans Woe towards an eventual lunch stop on Kettle Island. 10.50a: I capsized on a sloppy wave in a small slot near the rocks but was quickly rescued by Bob. My boat remained full during the rescue to effect the quickest possible retreat from the slot, then we emptied it on the water. 11.30a: We played around the south side of Normans Woe Rock in the beginning of a long stretch where large swells were standing up on the ledges and shoals just offshore of the cliffs. The largest of these were rearing up 5 feet or more. We kept a careful eye both in front of us (to spot actual or potential wave breaks) and towards the outside (to spot larger incoming waves). Here's Chris enjoying a representative piece of the action: 12.20p: Lunch stop on Kettle Island. NOTE: After a while one of us turned over a sign that had been blown down, and was lying upside down on the beach, stating that Kettle is actually closed until August to protect nesting seabirds. We couldn't see the sign when we landed, obviously, but we know now that we shouldn't have been there. The Mass Audubon site (https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/kettle-island) in fact says that the island is closed, period, which conflicts with the sign we saw... so, don't emulate our mistake, and always check in advance! 1.10p: Trip around the outside (eastern) side of Kettle. Big breaking waves here in front of a sloping ledge, one of which capsized Bob who quickly rolled up again and made his way carefully back out of the soup. You can read Bob's detailed report on this event here: Trip report 5_29_2019_Note on rock gardening.pdf 1.30p: The return trip past Magnolia, Rafe's Chasm and Normans Woe was more, um, interesting, as the water level had dropped. A big surprise wave almost caught a few of us; we powered straight into it as fast as possible to get to it before it could break. 2.00p: Around the corner and into the relative calm of the harbor, the rest of the trip was a relaxing, conversational paddle back to the beach. Gloucester Harbor is pretty long, especially when the tide is against you! Our speed on this leg returning was 2 kt, as opposed to 3.8 kt going out. But then again, we were also slowing down :-) 3.10p: Landing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Snyder Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) This was a spectacular paddle! This file will open our track in Google Earth: track-52919-102412am.kml I tasked myself with finding the history of "Norman's Woe" Here's what I found: There is no clear record of how Norman’s Woe got its name. Tradition tells that a man named Norman was shipwrecked and lost there, and it is for him the rock and reef are named. John J. Babson’s history of Gloucester notes that Goodman Norman and his son settled the headland near the islet. You can read more here: http://myweb.northshore.edu/users/ccarlsen/poetry/gloucester/normanswoehistory.htm Incidentally I tried to observe Joe for signs of a note taking system to determine how he is producing such a detailed timeline for these paddles. It remains a mystery. track-52919-102412am.kml Edited May 30, 2019 by Jim Snyder removing double entry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Photos are beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Two Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 It looks like a wonderful trip! I am enjoying your descriptions and hope to go on the Wenesday trips soon. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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