Inverseyourself Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Just a brief report of such a mundane trip: Balancing work, tides, wind, weather, personal form and COVID-19-related ocean access restrictions, I chose today’s little afternoon window over playing hooky this coming Wednesday to squeeze in a Crane CW circumnav before winter’s official end. LT at 12:30 in Ipswich and a non-resident parking ban at Pavilion forced me to launch at the Ipswich town wharf relatively late in the day. The wharf was packed with small boat trailers/trucks which turned out to be clammers working at the edge of the river. Losing my front hatch cover on the way to Ipswich, noticing it while getting the boat off the rack and then finding it undamaged at the roadside after driving almost all the way back home added to the relatively late put in at 2:30 pm. I thought of losing it as a bad omen but finding it as a neutralizing event. Note to self: If you hear a loud plonk or pop - which I did - coming from above while transporting a kayak, stop and check. I was sluggish from the get-go from a long training session yesterday and had to force myself to keep going with having to work against an incoming tide until I reached the opening to Ipswich Bay adding its demotivating part. Nearing Little Head, I had a brief hallucination of a guy in only a cotton T-shirt in a proper sea kayak paddling out and trying to catch me (36 air, 8 kn wind, 39 water - what was I thinking wearing a drysuit and Kokatat-balaclava) but that just didn’t make sense. I ignored it and paddled on. A certain rhythm set in and I raced round Crane’s southern tip into Essex Bay at 8.5 mph (statute) per my GPS. 10 Minute break, change of gloves, up the bay behind Crane, through Fox Creek and up the Ipswich back to the put in. Something was off a mile into the river. It was getting narrower and narrower and I couldn’t see the gigantic mansion with a little boat house twice the size of my real house that I had admired on my way out. I had taken exit/entry Neck Creek in my crazed attempt at going under 3 hours. You fool! I looked south and in the distance found the Mega-Mansion to be extremely well-lit, almost beacon-like. Tonight trickle-down economics worked for me! By now it was dark and I couldn’t make out contours any longer. Houses on the river’s edge were my only guide. Landing at the wharf, the entire boat, my spare paddle, my hat and my GPS watch had a layer of ice. My wife claims that I sounded funny when I reported in via phone. I stumbled around ineffectively quite a bit while stowing away my gear and loading up the boat. In hindsight, I was probably cold and moderately exhausted and probably wouldn’t have had a ton of reserves had something gone wrong. Note to self: No late launches in winter for a forced trip, especially when the last stretch is windy and unfamiliar. I had a head torch but it was so weak that I’ll need to get a new, extra powerful one. I have mixed feelings about this trip and am looking forward to milder weather! https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvEj2LBNwO P.S.: For folks who haven’t paddled here and plan to this coming season, you need about 2 hours before/after HT to comfortably get through Fox Creek, add 1/2 an hour and it gets iffy, also contingent on neap/spring. Fox Creek floods from/ empties to the North, so you’ll have to work a little bit getting back into the Ipswich River if you paddle N before HT. Launching from the Ipswich town wharf is not ideal, you can’t avoid having to paddle against current twice. After Memorial Day, boat traffic will be very lively. Edited March 8, 2021 by Inverseyourself Incomplete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 I can imagine how disorienting the numerous estuaries would be @ twilight, especially with a lack of (presumed) in-water aids to navigation. Good work getting back to the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 I have to admit, Gary, that a brief glimpse at my phone’s Gaia app (localize button) was helpful. I highly recommend it for estuary paddlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyork Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 7 minutes ago, Inverseyourself said: ......a brief glimpse at my phone’s Gaia app (localize button) was helpful. I was hoping you had a mapping GPS on board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Berkovitz Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Glad everything went well. At high water it is a really confusing area, I went there this winter for the first time. I had noted the map bearing from The west side of Choate to fox creek in advance (310 M) and without that I would have gotten lost for sure, at high tide it’s just a bunch of open water with few landmarks (except the occasional Mega Mansion). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 Yes, Essex Bay turns into a maze at medium tide and tidal planning is essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.