prudenceb Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 2nd Annual NSPN New Years Day Paddle (Postponed This Year Until January 2, 2017) What a difference a day makes. The original plan, to ring in the New Year in a proper fashion - on the water of course - was thwarted at the last minute by the Weather Gods, who’d been painting the NOAA marine charts in various shades of small craft advisory/gale purple for the days preceding, but had promised diminishing winds for January 1. Nope. SCA was still posted, with winds gusting from the west at 30 kts. Our numbers of committed (committable?!) paddlers had dwindled to five over the preceding 24 hours anyway – colds, family obligations, queasy stomachs… So at 7:00 am we had a good CAM discussion on phone and PM, and came to the sensible conclusion that we should postpone until the next day, Monday the 2nd, which was still a holiday for most (of the poor souls who still have to go to work…), when the forecast was for winds of 5 kts and seas of less than a foot. Changing the day actually gained us a few people, so on Monday morning, nine of us – Rob, Cathy, Andy, Nick, Ali, Beth, Joe, Mike and I – met at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. For once, the weather forecast was accurate, and while it was cold – in the mid thirties – there was no wind at all, and as far as we could see (at low tide you just about needed binoculars to see out to the ocean) the water was calm. The silver lining in the long carry of boats and gear over the rippled sand was that by the time we were ready to launch, all of us had worked up a sweat and most were complaining about being overdressed. We launched through one to two foot surf (with only one minor mishap involving two who shall remain nameless). Cathy was on the water first, setting a position out beyond where the waves were forming. While we waited for the others, I proposed that it might be warm enough to do some rescue practice to help us cool down. Maybe at the end of the day… Our original plan: to head south along the coast, cross Gloucester Harbor, then head east to Stage Fort Park for lunch, then head back to the launch. This plan changed almost as soon as we were underway. Cathy proposed heading past the Harbor to Rafes Chasm, a narrow slit in the rocky coastline accessible by boat under the right conditions. Flat calm seemed as though it might fit the bill. And so we were off on the still water under strange skies. We didn’t exactly hug the coastline, but we were close enough. Here’s Ali. and Nick and Rob, and a little further out, Joe. It was a weird day out there. To the west, skies were blue with milky clouds, as you can see as we passed the lighthouse at the end of Eastern Point. But looking eastward, sky and water fused into a palette of gently swirled greys and blues. Indeed the changing sky – and the way it interacted with the sea below – was the ongoing and mesmerizing highlight of the day of the day for me. Without it, the long flat crossing of Gloucester Harbor would have been a bore, but as it was, the play between sky and sea was at times magical. Without boats to mark what was above and what below, sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. This obviously happens on a foggy day, but this was not such a day... Two-thirds of the way across, Rob powered toward green can number 3, whose bell was silent. Indeed, we all stopped at one point to listen to the call of loons farther offshore, their distinctive voices easily heard on this still day. The crossing over, we headed close to the higher rocks of Norman’s Woe. We found Rafes Chasm, but the tide wasn’t high enough to allow access to its depths. Andy did back in, with Rob preparing to take pictures and Mike keeping an eye out. But even on the calmest of days, the sea will throw a wave at you, which it did while Andy was in the slot. Rob never did get a picture, focused as he was on holding his position and not getting slammed into the rocks. (Yes, you can note he is helmetless, which is why he was on the outside and not waiting to back in!) We turned around and decided not to go all the way to Stage Fort Park, which is some way into the big harbor, but to look instead for a spot where we could haul out and have some lunch. Andy and then Ali passed Hammond Castle. Not far beyond, we saw a (no doubt private) little beach, lined with pink and green seaweed, and littered with trash thrown there by the tide. We figured at this time of year, it was unlikely that we’d be shooed off – and in any event, there were no No Trespassing signs, as one sees not infrequently on this very wealthy stretch of real estate. And so we landed. It was a perfect spot, with places to sit and eat. I can tell you that by now, all thoughts of practicing rescues at any point in the day had vanished. It was definitely chilly (hey, it’s January, right!), and hands and feet were feeling it. We didn’t dawdle long. I wanted to be tucked back into my boat, and was first off the beach. Others soon followed. We immediately noticed the first – and at this point, subtle – change, with a bit of a breeze coming at us from the north and the water losing the morning’s strange glassy calm for a bit of texture as Cathy approached the end of the Dog Bar. Wind and water both picked up as we finished the crossing. Heading again past Eastern Point, we were more exposed to the changing conditions, and started enjoying a bit of a bumpy ride as we went north. It got more and more amusing although many of us had eschewed helmets for the day, which turned out to be a mistake as there were many enticing spots, as helmeted Mike shows here. Some of us stayed sensibly out beyond these areas, while others (well, one other) found himself caught between a rock and a hard place when a Very Large Wave roared up out of nowhere and caught him (helmetless, by the way) in a slot. I watched this potential train wreck happening, as I managed to scoot eastward, up and over the advancing wave, before it broke. Another wave followed. I didn’t have time to pull out my camera, but if I had, I would have wanted to capture the image of this individual atop and among a wash of fast moving froth and foam. Most of the group was a bit ahead at this point, and only two of us watched and waited to see the intrepid paddler emerging unscathed from beyond the danger area. We were treated to a tale of how he stayed upright amidst multiple waves from the side, a strong force of moving water against him, side surfing, forward surfing until he was out of trouble. We all agreed that lesson learned from this side excursion was: bring your helmet along, for heaven’s sake! And then, with the wind increasing, and the temperature dropping (or so it seemed), we were almost back. The beach lay ahead and the tide was still just enough (three inches enough!) on the high side that we were able to paddle almost to our cars on the little river at the south end of the beach. Rob and Cathy caught up on some of the day’s events as some waited our turns to debark. Hauling boats and gear was only difficult because of the stone wall that had to be traversed, but the distance was short and we were all soon packed away and in dry clothes. As we prepared to leave, it was nice to see groups of people, families and dog walkers, still arriving at the end of this first holiday of the New Year. We were so sensible to have waited for this day. Had we gone out on The First, it would have been a miserable cold slog. As it was, we took advantage of the Monday holiday that allowed several people who would not otherwise have been able to join us to do so. Many thanks to all who came - and a special thanks to Rob, who posted - and to the Weather Gods, who blessed us with flat seas and interesting skies in the morning, and who gave us a fun bumpy ride while only very gently blowing the wind in our faces on the way back. Happy New Year and may everyone’s 2017 be healthy and filled with wonderful trips with friends old and new on water near and far. pru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Excellent report as usual, Pru. BTW, it’s State Stage Fort Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 14 minutes ago, leong said: Excellent report as usual, Pru. BTW, it’s State Stage Fort Park. I'll correct. Thanks, Leon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcotton Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Great photos! Looks like a wonderful paddle. Happy New Year Janice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethS Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Beautiful photos, of a beautiful day; the light and changing scenery, you really captured it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfolster Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 Thank you everyone for a great trip. I was looking for any excuse not to go because it is cold and I'm tired and it's a lot of work, and, and, and. But I forced myself because I've always been glad once I'm on the water, and this time was no exception. Trips are made better by great paddling buddies -and this was a fun group-thanks for being on the water! The mesmerizing sky and sea, and the calls of the loons along with it being the day after New Years made it a very contemplative paddle-at least on the outbound leg. The return was just enough water movement to make you have to mostly pay attention. it was great to launch from this normally inaccessible beach -sorry about the length of carry! Looking forward to next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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