Barking Crab Trip-Variations - Questions

[alcoons]

For those who have not participated, a Barking Crab trip usually launches at Magazine Beach on the Charles River in Cambridge, paddles through the locks into the Boston Harbor, and lands on the dock of the Barking Crab near the Federal Court house. We are warmly welcomed as we have lunch. Then we paddle back.

Questions?

1) Is anyone planning the traditional club paddle to the Barking Crab trip for the fall?

2) I thought it would be great to combine this event with a complete Mystic River trip from Mystic Lakes to the Crab (one way). This would involve a car shuttle and it would be worth considering the tides. Given our relationship with the Mystic Lakes and the ongoing improvement of the Mystic River it would be fun and appropriate. What do you think?

3) I have heard there is construction at Magazine Beach. Does anyone know if it limits launching in any way?

Al

Eddyline Nighthawk

red/white

[eneumeier]

>3) I have heard there is construction at Magazine Beach.

>Does anyone know if it limits launching in any way?

For some reason "they" have redesigned the river front at the Magazine Beach parking lot in a way that makes it impossible to launch there. I looked at it a couple of months ago and wondered at the idiocy.

Does anyone know who is charge of this stuff, now that the MDC is no more?

It would be possible to launch, over the grass/shrubs and sporatic granite rocks a few hundred yards upstream, but it is more dangerous than the old site was before they messed with it.

Liz N.

[alcoons]

Thanks Liz for the info on Magazine Beach. I will try to stop by and take a look myself. Anyone aware of alternative anywhere near the same part of the river? I know we can launch about 1/2 mile NW of Harvard Stadium, but that adds a good deal of extra paddling.

Al

[SeanK]

Al-

I also heard that Magazine Beach is a little tough to launch from nowadays. However, per the DCR website there are (2) other alternatives to launch in Cambridge, although I do not know what parking is like.

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/recreate/boatramp.htm

Good luck

-Sean

[bethany]

there is a public launch at the Mystic in Charlestown under the Tobin Bridge, like where the workers ride the elevator up with a big parking lot which I have ridden my bike by a couple of times now and never seen a single car in the lot. I wonder if that would work.

I also remember thinking that one of the gangways down to the river behind the Sonesta was public - there is often parking along that road on Sundays when metered parking wouldn't be a concern. I dunno if this is public, or how hard it would be to carry boats down one of those. Next time I walk down there I'll look. There is talk of a kayak rental place being part of the construction in that area -- it sounded like it would involve the canal that goes in next to the gas company (smokestacks) near the Longfellow Bridge.

--b

[bob budd]

Maybe one could park at the Galleria mall and launch from the fountains.

[djlewis]

I once landed at the Schrafts Building on a Sunday. I walked through the mostly empty parking lot and found the gates to the road unlocked. It's here...

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=529+main+st,...,0.053571&hl=en

I also found this message on a bulleting board that is down at the moment (thesportinglife.com) [blockquote] As far as I know, the Schrafts building ramp is still available. You have to get a key from the security gurard. There is also a ramp behind the Wellington T-station up the Mystic just beyond the locks that is open all the time. I found a ramp in Charlestown behind the high school football field on Medford street. It is locked but there is a phone number posted for where to get the keys.

[/blockquote]

--David

[johnlevy]

AS OF TODAY MAGAZINE BEACH IS A GREAT LAUNCH POINT AGAIN.THE NEW BRIDGE OVER A MOAT LEADS TO ROCK FREE LAUNCH POINT .YOU WILL BE FORCED TO WALK A KAYAK ABOUT 45 FEET FROM THE PARKING LOT. I LIV 2 BLOCKS FROM THE BEACH AND WONDERED ABOUT THE DESIGN BUT IT SEEMS PRETTY GOOD.

[CLapite]

I used to do that with canoes every 4th of July for the fireworks. I have not done it in a few years. I could always find a spot to park within a few blocks.

>Maybe one could park at the Galleria mall and launch from

>the fountains.

Constance

[eneumeier]

Sounds great. I take it all back.

For night paddles: parking used to be banned after dark. I don't know if that is still true, but I got permits to park from the old MDC when I lead night trips from there years ago.

Liz N.

[alcoons]

>Sounds great. I take it all back.

>

>For night paddles: parking used to be banned after dark. I

>don't know if that is still true, but I got permits to park

>from the old MDC when I lead night trips from there years

>ago.

>

>Liz N.

Led a trip from the Magazine Beach parking lot last year and had noticed it was posted for 2 hour parking when I check the lot out before hand. I called the MDC who referred me to the State Police. They said just put a note on your dashboards saying we had permission from them to park longer. We did that and we did not get towed...but who knows what was really going on.

Al

[bethany]

it's the same process, they just have a different name, Dept of Conservation and Recreation, I think. The master plan for all the changes they're doing along the charles is online at:

http://www.mass.gov/mdc/CRBasinHomepage.htm