Wed. Lunch Paddle 9/8/2021, 9:30 am @ Lanes Cove, Gloucester MA

[Joseph Berkovitz]

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on Wed, Sept. 8 will meet no later than 9:30 am and launch promptly at 10:00 am at Lanes Cove in Gloucester MA. Please plan on arriving earlier if you need more time to prepare or allow for traffic — school holidays are over.

We'll be limiting this trip to 8 because of the small amount of parking available. Please park in the state lot at Lanes Cove at the very end of Andrews St.: https://goo.gl/maps/TJqCvwJKc7S5WfDD6

Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/8qBZkSk4Peg4ubNx5

You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other members on the trip.

Predictions and Plan:  The forecast is for partial sun, temps around 70 F,  with south winds 10-15 kt much of the day. On the outside of Cape Ann and in some of Ipswich Bay we will also see 2-3 foot swells from Hurricane Larry, spinning way way out in the Atlantic. These very long-period (15 second) waves are usually gentle to paddle in, except when they are breaking on shore or rocks (which we'll obviously avoid).

We can dodge much of the wind and chop by paddling along the north side of Cape Ann. Bob and I are thinking we'll head east as far as the tip of the cape at Halibut Point and nose past it just to see what conditions are like north of Andrews Point. This is always a fun area and often it is a transition point between very different sea states. If it is too windy and choppy we will double back and lunch at the Annisquam Lighthouse. If we like what we find and the group wants to continue, we can continue to Rockport for lunch on Bearskin Neck.

Rockport Harbor tides:

2021/09/08    Wed    06:38 AM    -0.34    L
2021/09/08    Wed    12:48 PM    9.47    H
2021/09/08    Wed    6:54 PM    -0.24    L

Covid-19 paddling: this trip requires paddlers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 per request of the trip organizers, as rescues or first aid may require close physical contact.

Trip level: Most WLPs do not have a specific level, but note that this trip incorporates an open-water crossing of about 0.5 nautical miles. Conditions are expected to be mild except on the outside of Thacher and Straitsmouth Islands. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion.

NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. 

We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before.

Hope to see you there!