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Marblehead -> Halfway Rock -> The Graves (Did Not Actually Happen)


Joseph Berkovitz

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Date: March 23, 2020
Imaginary Route: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/route/b1b3c0b3-15b9-46f3-81fe-ef5003cbbfd3/?layer=gaianoaarnc  
Tides(Marblehead Harbor):
    HT: 12.26pm (24.1'); LT: 6.30pm (-3.2')
Distance: 30 nm
Conditions: wind 25 kt NE -> 5 kt SSW, air 35 F -> 80 F, water 40 F, seas 15' @ 18 seconds

Before setting off yesterday afternoon on a solo jaunt, I took a brief scouting trip on foot over to Marblehead Harbor to make sure that conditions would be doable. Things did seem a bit hairy over by the fort (see pic below), but I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal as long as I was careful.

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As soon as I left the harbor, conditions got noticeably worse. Fortunately my PFD was securely tucked into the bungees behind me, where I could grab it and put it on if things got rough. To be extra safe, I had a helmet stowed in the rear hatch.

Right away a huge wave -- maybe a 10-footer -- slammed into me and I capsized, but I rolled up right away. Boom! Another one hit. I rolled up again and paddled straight into the rest of the set with a killer forward stroke. As I punched through each wave my boat belly-flopped onto the water from an enormous height. After I got through the whole set, it looked like maybe the hull had cracked open right next to my seat mount from the impacts. Thank goodness I had a length of duct tape behind the seat for a quick temporary repair. Then, on to Halfway Rock. The tough don't quit!

Due to the tidal range being almost twice normal due to an unusually close approach by the planet Jupiter, I rode a 5-knot ebb current out of Salem Sound past several ferocious whirlpools. Things calmed down a bit after Children's Island, until I got out to the Rock. It was a little lonely out there, and visibility was maybe only 100' in the blinding spray and foam blowing everywhere, but I figured there was no reason not to go for a rock landing in the huge seas. We all should be practicing these techniques constantly in case we're in a tight spot.  Fortunately I saw a nice swell coming and positioned myself perfectly. It lifted my boat and dropped it directly on top of Halfway Rock, which is maybe 50 feet high. This unfortunately blew out my temporary hull repair, but it was no big deal to get out the repair kit and throw some fiberglass and quick-setting epoxy on there. In the meantime, I watched a tourist boat out of Boston tussle with a huge freak wave:

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After a quick sip of nice hot tea from my thermos, it was time to get on with the paddle and head to The Graves. I thought some big waves might be hitting the lighthouse, and I've always liked long crossings in big conditions. Today did not fail to check that box. When I got there, not only had the lighthouse been redecorated in a striking fashion (good work, whoever did that), but conditions were really going off out there. Perfect rock gardening conditions! I had great fun timing the swells and crossing in front of the lighthouse.

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All good things have to come to an end, though. It was time to head back north for a surf landing on Devereux Beach. As I paddled, I had no trouble maintaining my 6-knot pace even in the stiff headwind and oncoming chop. To my great surprise, the wind died and then reversed, and temperatures climbed into the 70s. By the time I got to the beach, it seemed as though climate change was in full effect. I backpaddled into a small wave and then rode it in for a perfectly calm landing next to an empty deck chair that someone had left out. All I needed was a drink. Thank goodness I'd had the foresight to fill my hydration pack with Mai Tai Mix...

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I think the Virgo would have been just fine although it does maybe broach a little more readily in 15’ following seas.

I say this because I attempted a transatlantic crossing in the Virgo the previous week, which was going pretty well until I had to turn back because I had forgotten to bring any Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif bars. Those are a good nutrition bar flavor and I did not think I would make it across the ocean with the inferior bar choices I had made. A serious adventurer knows when the risk is so great that it just doesn’t make sense to proceed. Less serious — OK, I’ll just say it —  lightweight adventurers would have just kept going, out of some kind of insane machismo or something. 

Edited by Joseph Berkovitz
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