Ken Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 A friend who is an exerpienced ocean swimmer, has done the Portland->Peaks Island swim many many times, did Alcatraz->SF last year, is thinking of doing the Nubble Light swim in York, ME. She might want me to paddle as a support kayak. I'm curious if anyone here had paddles in that area and can comment on the conditions, which of course would depend on the weather at the time. https://www.nubblelightchallenge.org/event-details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Snyder Posted March 14, 2022 Share Posted March 14, 2022 I've paddled around Cape Neddick many times. The shore is rocky pretty much all the way around with little or no opportunity to land, and then you have Long Sands beach to the south and Short Sands beach to the north. Like anywhere it can get sporty if there's any wave, probably less so through the gut where her route goes than on the outside of the lighthouse island. Unless of course the waves are big enough to wrap around in which case the swim might get postponed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 I see from the map that there is virtually infinite fetch to the South and East so depending on wind, I would think it could be bouncy with the wind from those directions. Magic Seadweed has forecasts for both those beeches which could be useful. https://magicseaweed.com/Short-Sands-Surf-Report/366/https://magicseaweed.com/Long-Sands-Surf-Report/367/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhabich Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Around a headland like this, refraction will focus wave energy compared to a straight coast. But…the event is in August. Might not be much energy then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhabich Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 This shows the concentration of energy on a headland: Refraction on shore.tiff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sylvester Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Conditions could be anything as we know. My concern is where do you park your vehicle? York is very strict about kayak launching and landing anywhere near the beaches. They don't even let you land on the beaches for a break in season. Will they make a landing exception for the race? York Harbor parking is okay but add up the miles and it will be a longer day at a slow pace. Cape Neddick harbor makes the most sense but I would arrange parking before hand to insure no issues. I could be interested in offering to help but if I can't land on the beach and break it's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Snyder Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 12 minutes ago, Paul Sylvester said: My concern is where do you park your vehicle? I wouldn't be concerned. I've done kayak support for swim races a couple of times and they were extremely well organized with a staging area for the kayaks and free food afterwards. The hardest thing about swim support is paddling at <1kt. If they need more kayaks post here, I would go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 12 hours ago, mhabich said: This shows the concentration of energy on a headland: Refraction on shore.tiff 172.5 kB · 8 downloads Thanks, there's also treatment of that effect in Tristan Gooley's book "How to Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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