Wed. Lunch Paddle 6/24/2020

[Joseph Berkovitz]

This was the Wednesday of the Thunderstorms That Were Predicted But Were Not To Be. As such, it was rather abbreviated but nonetheless a most pleasant affair, and our first WLP of the year to launch somewhere besides Marblehead. 

Joseph Berkovitz, Janet Lorang, Jane Cobb, Sue Hriciga, Prudence Baxter, Robert Levine, Elizabeth Neumeier and Michael Hazeltine launched from Granite Pier in Rockport at 10:20. Our intention was to head south to Bearskin Neck and then East to Straitsmouth, and reassess conditions once we got to the strait. We were also primed to keep an eye on the sky and on the radar updates as a cold front was expected in the afternoon bringing T-storms with it  

when we got to Straitsmouth we headed south again about 100 yards - far enough to get a sense of the wind and chop into whose teeth we would be paddling if we continued on to Thacher. It was not really rough but it would be a slog. We observed that the newish ramp and stairs were undergoing repair and access from the ramp to the island might be tricky today. The sense was, let’s go around Straitsmouth (windward—south—side first) and then decide what to do. 

Off we went around Straitsmouth and it was impressive as usual. Despite the prevailing small swell the big shoal outside the island was causing big waves to build up and break on the rocks facing outside. When we arrived on the lee side—north—it began to feel like lunchtime so we organized an impromptu landing on a relatively well behaved stretch of rocky shoreline. A pleasant lunch was had while we regarded the granite grandeur of our locale and the ocean stretching out towards Europe. The tide was rising and T storms were predicted to be imminent so we got back on the water in a launch that was an increment dicier than the landing had been as the swells were now swooshing in with a bit more momentum. 

Back to Granite Pier we went, looking up at the somewhat ominous sky. We did have a little time to play around the rocks and pourovers in front of the pier though. 

As we finished packing up the sky began looking clearer. It seemed we might have cut our trip short for naught but we couldnt be sure. On peoples way home several reported truly nasty looking clouds but it never seemed to really hit Cape Ann at all. oh well. better safe than fried. 

 

[Joseph Berkovitz]

Link to the GPS track

[prudenceb]

Wish it could have gone longer!

 

 

 

[Dan Foster]

Glad you dodged the weather. The front rolled through here a little after noon, and while there wasn't much (any?) lightning, the amount of water coming down within the first minute of the storm's arrival far exceeded the usual cats/dogs/buckets metaphors.

What's the status of the landing ramp in the crook of Straitsmouth?

[Joseph Berkovitz]

the wooden ramp looked complete but they seemed to be working on the stairs above it. it was hard to see just what they were doing.