Wed. Lunch Paddle #16: 8/21/19 @ Riverhead Beach

[Joseph Berkovitz]

Wednesday Lunch Paddle #16: Marblehead rock play and Devereux surfing

People: Joe Berkovitz, Sue Hriciga, Jeff Charrette
Route: Riverhead Beach -> Marblehead Light -> Neck (outside) -> Devereux Beach -> return via Fort Sewall
Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/0765f1334a28e9444365a3e019f52f56/?layer=gaianoaarnc
Conditions: partly sunny / cloudy, air 70 F, water 67 F, winds light/var -> SSE 10 kt, seas 1.5 ft @ 10 s
LT: 9.41a (1.0); HT: 3.53p (8.6)
Launch: 10.30a; Land: 2.00p
Distance: 7 nm

The trip this morning had looked a bit iffy, with severe thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon as part of a frontal system coming through. But the three of us decided to do it since the radar suggested we might have a substantial break before any storms arrived -- and indeed, they never really did (as of press time, which is 7 pm, a mere sprinkle of rain has occurred here in Marblehead).

We launched from dead low tide at Riverhead; at least, one can safely drive almost to the water in this situation. We made a rough plan to keep the trip on the short and sweet side, going around the Neck and then investigating the mysterious Devereux surf break (with lunch on Devereux to follow).

Conditions looked small to nonexistent until we got outside the Neck, at which point the 10-second swell made for some really good exploration of the many rock slots and fun spots -- large enough to provide real interest, but small enough that very few things felt off limits.  From 11 to 11.30 we ran down the Neck.

Then we found the Devereux surf spot. And it is a hidden beauty. How did we ever miss it all this time? Probably because it can be active while almost nothing else is happening anywhere on the beach (which was the case today).

You can see it on the chart: about 1/3 of the way along the causeway from east to west, a shallow underwater spit sticks out from the beach, perpendicular to the incoming waves. It focuses all the wave energy into a narrow strip above the spit -- maybe 30 feet wide -- where the waves stand up and then spill beautifully all the way to the shore. The effect was a bit like Nahant on a perfect day (if Nahant were only 30 feet wide).  The rides began several hundred feet offshore.  I was able to ride the entire length to the beach over and over: perfectly formed, symmetrical spilling waves.  Because the strip is so narrow, when you want to get off the wave, just move a few dozen feet to the left or right, and the wave is gone. The whole effect is incredibly focused, and it must have collected and added up energy from a wide swath of water since there were no swells visible elsewhere.

Note for the future: despite the low swell, the surfing was great from (at least) 11.45 to 12.00. Being about 2 hours after low, this would give us a depth of 1 + ((8.6 - 1)* (3/12)), or 2.9 feet above MLLW. Directly over the break, I could see the bottom about 3 feet down.  I am sure the long period was helping out a lot.  We should come here when the waves are bigger and the water's a bit deeper.

Lunch was eaten. Then an enjoyable but somewhat quicker return to Riverhead, to avoid any bad weather. We kept seeing clouds that look nasty in the distance, but thankfully they never made it to us!