Wed. Lunch Paddle #17: 8/28/19 @ Lanes Cove

[Joseph Berkovitz]

WLP #17
Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/d528aa98868b7fb79a56cc73154e0de6/?layer=gaianoaarnc
People: Joe Berkovitz, Bob Levine, Jeff Charrette, Phil Morrow, Sue Hriciga, David Mercer, Jim Snyder, Mike Habich
Route: Lanes Cove -> Andrews Point -> Rockport/Back Beach -> Straitsmouth I. -> Andrews Point -> Lanes Cove
Distance: 11.4 nm
Conditions: Sunny becoming cloudy/light showers, winds 5 -> 13 -> 5 kt SE, seas 3 ft @ 8 sec
HT: 9:56a (8.7); LT: 3:54p (0.4)

10.35a: We launched from Lanes in sunny, calm conditions with the plan of heading right and making our way to Andrews Point, then deciding where to head from there. The uncertain timing of the arrival of a cold front and torrential rains was a factor. Some NOAA warnings had this time at 1 pm, although the radar showed this to be not at all a sure thing.

11.00a: Rounding Halibut Point, there were some dramatic breakers and stand-up swells (as per usual) and the SE wind really picked up. Some of this was merely losing our lee from the sure, but looking at the buoys later it seems the wind actually did increase a lot around this time. After making our way to Andrews, the idea of crossing straight to Straitsmouth or the Dry Salvages against the wind and chop didn't seem universally appealing. We decided to head to Granite Pier for lunch instead and then reassess the weather. There was a good hour of hugging the rocky coast and enjoying the rough swell/chop combination hitting the boulders and cliffs next to us.

12.00p: Granite Pier had a very slippery ramp so we headed for nearby Back Beach in Rockport. This is a nice fine-sand beach with bathrooms that are open during the season, and no swimmers were there (not much parking in that area of town), so it was kind of a perfect lunch spot. Upon landing we had some shelter from the wind and the sun was still out. Checking the weather, it seemed that any precipitation was 2-3 hours away, and there was no particular wind warning, so 6 of us decided to round Straitsmouth next while Jim and Jeff peeled off to head back more directly to Lanes Cove.

1.00p: We crossed Sandy Bay to Straitsmouth. 

1.25p: The next 35 minutes were a stretch of rough and tumble water (but no capsizes) since we had exposure to the ocean, with occasional long swell plus a good solid fetch of wind chop from the SE. Lots of wave-breaking ledges to avoid and reflections flying back at us off the island. Plenty to absorb one's attention!

2.00p: A brief break on the new boat ramp at Straitsmouth for some of us -- they are building some sort of wooden shed at the top of the rock steps there. Then a direct crossing of Sandy Bay all the way to Andrews Point. We covered this 2 nm stretch in a little under half an hour. With the wind, chop and occasional swell helping us out we were doing around 4.1 knots at times.

2.30p: Andrews Point and the home stretch back to Lanes. Conditions had moderated hugely, with much less wind and chop. The swell seemed to be diminishing quite a lot too.

3.15p: We landed in the light rain that was just beginning and a little bit of gentle wind. The weather was right on time!

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful end (or maybe not?) to this season's WLP series!
 

[Sue H.]

Thank you Joe & Bob for conceiving and thoughtfully executing these Wednesday  lunch paddles...a grand success I’d say !  I look forward to any further Wednesday paddles that may be organized in the spirit of what has gone before.

On a personal note, yesterday was my birthday, & what a great gift it was to paddle with friends. When I got home I found a surprise invitation from landlubber friends to come over for a birthday dinner !  What a wonderful day...feeling thankful.  Cheers, Sue

[Jim Snyder]

Jeff and I were determined to have a quiet relaxed trip back, avoiding trouble because there were only two of us. Sadly I cut a little too close to what looked like a quiet Halibut Point when two big swells came in and broke over me. I wasn't positioned to try to surf my way out so I braced hard and let them crash over me. No rescue required! My cockpit got a nice freshwater rinse on the terrifying ride home.

[Jeff Charette]

Nice brace Jim. I was only about 30 feet away, but outside the ledge where the wave broke over Jim. All I could do was watch Jim disappear into a wall of breaking surf. After the first wave broke I saw Jim was still upright, only to have the second wave bury him again. Another nice brace and still upright. While this was happening I had a few thoughts run through my head. "I'm glad I practice rescue skills", " This is not a good place to be doing a rescue", "Is there ever really a good place for a rescue?", after all, if conditions were not challenging then there would never be a need to do a rescue in the first place. In the end no rescue was necessary, Jim paddled out with a smile on his face. I'm also confident that had a rescue been necessary we both would have handled it routinely.

I also want to say "Thank You" to Bob and Joe for organizing these Wednesday paddles. We had a number of great trips this summer and I would say all of them were a huge success.

[JanetL]

Sounds like a good day

Can I hijack your trip report?

I had the opportunity to explore Straitsmouth island recently on a paddle with my friend Hannah. You can go up to the top of the lighthouse for the views, and the keeper's house is beautifully renovated. There's a little museum space in the back with photobooks, exhibits, and info about the renovation. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. 

They are building an outhouse and a visitor's kiosk at the top of the ramp, but they aren't done yet.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by JanetL