Wed. Lunch Paddle #15: 8/14/2019 @ Nahant Beach

[Joseph Berkovitz]

August 14, 2019
Wednesday Lunch Paddle #15
People: Joe Berkovitz, Bob Levine, Dave Merriman, David Mercer, Jim Snyder, Jeff Charrette
Route: Nahant Beach -> Egg Rock -> Saunders Ledge -> East Point -> Nahant Beach
HT: 11.45a (8.72'); LT: 5.29p (1.02')
Conditions: partly sunny, air 65 F, water 64 F, wind 10-12 kt N -> NNE, seas 1-2 ft @ 5 sec 
Distance: 8 nm

Despite the locale this was not a surf day, with short wind waves sheltered by the bay, so we decided to make it into a rock gardening day and head for Egg, then Saunders, then East Point. Once we got out near Egg Rock the wind and conditions really picked up and the water became quite lively.

Egg and Saunders were a fun warmup but East Point was certainly the star today. We thought it might be calmer out there given the wind direction but, no, it was the most active place on the menu today. We ran a number of passages, including the "Twins" (a large ledge with anywhere from 2 to 4 runnable slots depending on tide) and the "Subterranean" (maybe Bob can explain why he calls it that) which is a longish passage behind a big ledge with a tight turn, where a wiggly sheltered slot connects to a larger slot that funnels in the eastern swell energy.

Notable was a team-effort rescue coordinated by Jeff after Jim capsized in the aforementioned passage and came out of his boat (no room to roll). Jeff asked Jim to flip his boat and shoot it out of the slot towards us, and then paddle-swim out to meet us. Jeff passed his boat to me and I took on the task of emptying Jim's boat, while Jeff stayed close to Jim as he swam. David Mercer bulldozed me as a temporary measure to keep me from being blown onto the rocks. After Jim swam out to me, Dave Merriman applied an anchor tow while I got Jim back in his boat. This all happened pretty smoothly and with a minimum of discussion. Then, back to playing in the rocks again.

After this excitement, we were ready for a nice lunch and rest on the pocket beach just west of East Point.

Finally, back to Nahant Beach. Sadly, still no surfing (although there were mini-rides available to make the paddling faster!) But we did manage to avoid being slimed by the algae for the most part -- unlike our launch, which was fairly slimy.

Thanks to all for making this YET ANOTHER INCREDIBLE WLP!
 

[Jim Snyder]

Thanks for the efficient rescue!

track-81419-101408am.kml

[rylevine]

Joe,

Thanks for excellent report! Agreed: Egg, Saunders, Castle, and East Point ledges were great but the Quads and Subterranean were the stars. The Twins (lowermost pair of the Quads) were wide and inviting, but with a surprising push. The third and fourth of the Quads require even higher water - week after the Autumnal Equinox; Wed, 10/2 has 11.5 feet at 2:28pm?...The Subterranean is so named because at lower water the overhang on entry from the NE end feels like a cave. Also, the geology of East Point is so unique and beautiful - reminiscent of the Bold Coast -  that a earth-focused name for the slot is appropriate. 

Jim, Thanks for the pictures.

Thanks to all the participants on the Wednesday Lunch Paddle #15!

Bob

Edited August 15, 2019 by rylevine