SeaKayakNE Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Anyone know if is okay to laugh launch from the beach at Nantasket this time of year? Looking at surf on Saturday. Nahant looks like fun but Nantasket is slightly larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Jonathan: you can laugh from any beach...especially at kayakers launching themselves into large conditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaKayakNE Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Oh damn! Stupid iPhone! launch!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spuglisi Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Both Mark and I have done so. AFAIK, during off-season it's fine. Good luck with the mega-surf! Nahant has a nice gentle slope into the beach which makes for long rollers, vs Nantasket's steeper shoreline which tends toward dumping surf. But who knows how it's shaped now? Go try it out.... Here's an image of Mark headed out on a beater day. Note the location of the photographer (me) after one too many dumping waves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 From the State Website information about the beach: Restrictions No dogs allowed from April to mid-September More info Lifeguards on duty from late June to early September. I have found no other information limiting usage, and based on weather, I would think it would be fine. If you want to be super-sure, you might try calling the Department of Conservation and Recreation at (617) 626-1250. Normally I would include calling Hull Police, but doubt they would welcome such a call during storm operations. There are a couple of webcams along the beach and the surf looks ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Debski Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Let me know where you make it to surf Saturday. I plan to surf Nahant on Friday and possibly saturday as well but I wouldn't mind surfing at a new venue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Allen Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Never had any issues launching from nantasket after Labor Day through Memorial Day. Does tend to dump more than nahant. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martinsen Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 (edited) So let's get the important stuff out of the way. Best place for a post paddle taco and beer. https://m.facebook.com/californiaundergroundatnantasketbeach/ Now the other stuff. As others have said, you can park and launch anywhere this time of year. In the warmer months, when and where lifeguards are on the beach, you're not allowed to launch a kayak from the public beach. You have to go north past the lifeguard stations to launch, but again that's only during the summer. For the long boats, I think the best spot would be across from the Dunkin Donuts, closer to the large white bath house and carousel. You could play right out front of that spot, and also transition a little further south towards the rocks, where you might find more deep water rides. Afterwards you could just walk across the street for tacos without having to shuffle cars. I'd avoid paddling where the surfers mainly congregate, which is a little further north where the concrete seawall ends, and it transitions to large boulders. There's a pretty good break right there, surfers usually grab the parking spaces right next to the water, and most of them won't travel any further than there. If you're surfing a dedicated surf boat, and have the skills, you could jump in that lineup. For the long boats, surfers don't really want you anywhere near them. I can't really blame them as they're pretty vulnerable, especially when there's a 16 foot object traveling sideways through the soup zone. So I'd give the boardies some distance if you encounter them in larger groups. Might not matter so much with the 6pm high tide Saturday, but might come into play for future visits. At high tide the water will come up against the seawall, from the south side near the abandoned restaurant, all the way north to where the seawall ends. So it can be more challenging to launch or land from those spots, and you'll get a lot of waves bouncing off the seawall. Edited March 8, 2018 by John Martinsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 I think the more relevant question might be: is there any beach <left> after these two storms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Debski Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 4 hours ago, Pintail said: I think the more relevant question might be: is there any beach <left> after these two storms? I noticed that although Salisbury-to-Hampton area are eroded about 6 feet, the beach that is left is much flatter than previous!! The surfing landscapes are changing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sing_Moy Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 On 3/8/2018 at 2:55 PM, John Martinsen said: So let's get the important stuff out of the way. Best place for a post paddle taco and beer. https://m.facebook.com/californiaundergroundatnantasketbeach/ Now the other stuff. As others have said, you can park and launch anywhere this time of year. In the warmer months, when and where lifeguards are on the beach, you're not allowed to launch a kayak from the public beach. You have to go north past the lifeguard stations to launch, but again that's only during the summer. For the long boats, I think the best spot would be across from the Dunkin Donuts, closer to the large white bath house and carousel. You could play right out front of that spot, and also transition a little further south towards the rocks, where you might find more deep water rides. Afterwards you could just walk across the street for tacos without having to shuffle cars. Interesting. FYI. I regularly surf out of Nantasket (it's closer to me than Nahant), mostly with a waveski but also occaisonally with a long boat. Never had a problem until yesterday. As I got ready to launch from the parking area, next to the bath house, a DCR ranger came along and shooed me away, saying that kayak launching from the public beach is prohibited. Not another another surfer or boater out there. Several pedestrians, mostly locals, came up and said, "What!?" Anyway, I headed north, just past the public beach area and launched. I googled DCR regulations and saw nothing(except this thread) regarding prohibited kayak launching from Nantasket. You would think if Nantasket is prohibited, so would Nahant which many of us have a launched from for years and years. Could be my (bad) luck to run into an overzealous DCR ranger. sing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Berkovitz Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 It’s happened at Nahant too, but only a few times. Depends on the ranger… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sing_Moy Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 32 minutes ago, Joseph Berkovitz said: It’s happened at Nahant too, but only a few times. Depends on the ranger… Well... That would certainly ruin a planned surf session. Many a good NSPN surf sessions right by the Tides Restaurant. Nothing like the leisurely surf sessions there.. usually completed with a good debriefing (and good nature) ribbing over food and liquid refreshments. Guess the alternative would be to head towards the King Beach area (and deal with the red algae). sing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Berkovitz Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 If it’s not a busy weekend day One can always put in at fisherman’s beach in Swampscott and paddle down the edge of Nahant bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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