Wed Lunch Paddle: 6/23/2021@ Cohasset

[rylevine]

6/23/2021: WLP, Cohasset Current Session. 9:30am – 2:30pm. HT 10:35am 9.2ft, LT 4:31pm 0ft. Tidal range 9.2ft, 7/8 moon toward full, perigee. Bob L white Explorer with Prudence B. NW wind >10kts in morning decreasing to light and variable in the pm, 60F-70F, 1 foot 15 sec swell and sunny. The ground track is shown in Figure 1. This WLP was a practice session in current. The Cohasset put-in near the marina was as usual very welcoming. There was a lot of activity at the marine institute, rowing club, and for general boating; but no congestion. It had quick drop of the boats and gear near the ramp, and open parking at a five-minute walk down the street. It was cool and breezy as we launched and headed to Little Harbor. As seen in the ground track in Figure 1, we found wind shadows by tucking close to the shore on the way over. The flood was still running as we arrived, so we paddled up the entry to Little Harbor and under the bridge into the wide basin. There were the usual standing waves to the left on entry and no fish lines (that can be a problem here). I did some riding on one of the standing waves, and we practiced crossing eddy lines and ferrying. We also reviewed and practiced using the stern draw to straighten the boat after punching into the current. My initial attempt to round the bridge abutment to get upstream failed; but I did make it a second time by hugging the wash next to the abutment right up to the eddy line, punching out, and then quickly crossing to the large eddy on the right. The left side did not really have an eddy as the stream followed the beach straight to the abutment. The right-side abutment had rocks that formed the standing waves, and so could not be used as the punch out site. After this exercise, we decided to regroup downstream and explore Little Harbor – a lovely expanse of still water and rock islands. On the return to the bridge, we noted that the current started to ebb at 11:35am; an hour after ocean HT.  The turn-around was almost instantaneous without a significant slack-time, and started quickly started to build.

 

 

Figure 1: Ground track for 6_23_2021 Paddle

We had lunch on the rocks at the mouth of the Little Harbor entry watching the ebb build on our next location for current practice. I performed my famed thumbnail estimate of the distance to Minot Light, which glistened over the water to the east. With an 80cm arm extension, I estimated half a 1cm thumbnail height. Without the chart, I assumed Minot Light was 100ft high, so the distance would be d=2x80x100 ft = 16000 ft divided by 6000ft/nm = 2.7nm. I declared about 2.5nm. Well, Minot is actually 85ft and there is 6076 ft/nm so the correct thumbnail estimate is 2.2nm.  This is still off, as the actual distance is 2.36nm. (Not bad. Note to myself, remeasure my 80cm eye-to-thumb distance…). After this fun exercise and discussion, we finished lunch and crossed the falls to the eddies below. There were nice standing waves and a long turbulent wave train extending to the Brush Islands. It was an hour after the ebb, so by the 50/90 rule we expected it to build over the next hour. It did increase somewhat but not at all by nearly a factor of two. The flow rate was definitely front-loaded into the first 90 minutes or so; and we decided that there was too much peculiarity in the Little Harbor drainage system to expect an open ocean rule-of-thumb to apply. In my many trips here, I had definitely seen larger standing waves. While we were at perigee, the tidal range of 9.2ft (corrected to Cohasset Harbor) was not particularly high. This worked to our advantage as the smaller standing waves were perfect for beginning of the season current practice. As it was, the waves were challenging but not absurdly thumping! After an hour or so of riding waves, during which time Prudence tested her new Volan in the conditions, I did some rolls and a cowboy in the turbulent wash, and then we decided to check out Brush Island. Despite many trips to Little Harbor, I had never managed to explore these rocks; which are beautiful and just packed with birds! It was also an opportunity to warm up in the sun after the rescue practice.

As we were starting back, we noticed a large irregular structure across the bay. It seemed so curious – a typical mansion with a nearby boxy building that reminded me of a commercial egg farm(!). We decided to paddle over and check it out. On approach, it became clear that the “egg farm” was attached to the mansion. Also, a connecting central building came into view. We stopped at the beach under the buildings and was greeted by a nice woman who explained that the old building was divided into four separate units and was now privately owned. I did some internet searching of this Strawberry Point area, and found it was called The Glades:

The Glades Association was a Massachusetts corporation formed initially of John C. Sharp, Leverett Saltonstall, and Frederick L. Ames and incorporated in Massachusetts in March 1876. By May 1876, the Association was composed of Robert Codman as president, John C. Sharp as treasurer, Leverett Saltonstall, William C. Lovering, Frederick L. Ames, F. E. Oliver, A. E. Swasey, and John H. Sturgis. It was established to hold land and buildings at the Great Glades in North Scituate, Massachusetts, in an area historically called Glades Point, Minot, or Minot's Village (opposite Minot's Ledge Light). The original building on the property had been the Glades House Hotel in the 19th century. Over time, shares were transferred to new shareholders, including various Adams, Saltonstall, Sturgis, and Hunnewell family members.

The Glades Club was initially an organized club with officers and annual meetings, but after 1886 it seems to have devolved into an informal group of individuals who owned as tenants-in-common the land and buildings for summer residential purposes. The old hotel on the property was adapted for use by the Club members, and additional cottages and outbuildings were included in the Club holdings. The shareholders of the Glades Association paid the financial assessments of the Association, and the Club members paid for the general upkeep, maintenance, improvements, and so forth, of the buildings and lands.

Thanking the woman for the information, we then returned to Cohasset Harbor for a final check of the back harbor ebb. The drain from “The Gulf” waterway into the harbor was still significant. We edged up pretty close, but there were too many exposed rocks to proceed to the big falls. Getting toppled and pinned in there would probably dampen an otherwise exhilarating WLP, not to mention being less-than-appreciated by the Harbormaster. We decided to call it and returned to the put-in. Overall a great WLP in a perfect area for relatively safe current practice. Total distance of 6.2nm.  

Edited June 24, 2021 by rylevine

[prudenceb]

It was a really wonderful day, and all who missed it (which is to say everyone but Bob and me) missed a perfect day for messing about in current-y water. 

Here is Bob surfing the front wave on the ebb.

Here is Bob at the building that he took for a chicken coop.

And this picture is for Joe Berkovitz, who I am sure would have been with us had he not been out west.  Bob said that Joe likes quirky signs.  We think this one is new(ish).  Neither of us recalled seeing it on the bridge before.  I mean, really....how many power boaters check their calendars before they roar under the bridge... 

I hope there will be another WLP at Cohasset...and that others will be motivated to make the trek.  It's such a cool area!

Prudence