Ms. Dew Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 (edited) Would anyone else be interested in kayaking out to Thacher Island off Rockport, MA to spend a night? Would need to be a Friday to Saturday or Saturday to Sunday for me in August or September. The camping is primitive with no water sources and a composting toilet. A reservation would need to be made in advance. You have to land on the island before 5 pm in order to check in with the lighthouse keeper. Cost is $5 per person to land. Would park and launch from Granite Pier which costs $6. Need help with picking dates and how to decide on if weather is favorable. Edited September 17 by Ms. Dew edit to title not made by posting author Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPearson Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 (edited) Interested. Depends when, obviously. Thanks Nick Edited May 27 by NPearson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Stetson Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 I'd be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Rechel Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Raising my hand for camping trips that don't involve a Saturday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah Walsh Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 I'm interested in kayak camping, especially after bug season (yay!). Happy to help plan! Deg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 Ok. I have the keeper's number when it comes time to give a heads up about our overnight. Also need to add that we can't have open flames. So, need to make plans for how much water we should each bring, what kind of creative meals we could prepare given the constraints, and which August/September Friday to pick. I'm thinking either Aug 9 or 23 look good since they have afternoon high tides; the 9th looking more favorable given the smaller overall height change from high to low. Obviously will need to be seeing what the winds and waves are looking like closer to August. Was noticing on some past trips that we'd need to pay not only a camping fee but also a landing fee. Will make sure that is indeed the case. Also, parking fee at Granite seems to be $12 but I'll also follow-up on that. Very excited to do my first camping trip via kayak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Granite Pier is indeed $12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah Walsh Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 There is a group conflict for Aug 9 as that is the weekend for the joint NSPN-SMSKN Annual Lobster Buoy car camping weekend. That's where I will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah Walsh Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Can we lock down the date? I can do 8/23, but need to lock it in as I have a request to fit in another weekend trip in August, and that is my only free weekend. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 I can do either date. What about others? Will set date for the one where most are free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 On 6/12/2024 at 9:05 PM, Deborah Walsh said: Can we lock down the date? I can do 8/23, but need to lock it in as I have a request to fit in another weekend trip in August, and that is my only free weekend. Thanks! Hi Deb, With no responses from anyone else, I'm going to set 8/23 as the date. Will add to the activity calendar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Cooke Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Sounds like fun to me. I can do Aug. 9 or a September date. I may be a party of two and might do an alternate put-in in Gloucester to add some adventure. I am not sure about public parking I Gloucester unless you put-in at the boat ramp and park at the high school, which is what a lot of boaters do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPearson Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 I can't do the 23rd / 24th Aug now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makoto Ohira Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 Hi all, new member here, new to ocean kayaking (old former whitewater boater)... friend and I are planning to paddle to Thacher Island and camp overnight so this thread seemed perfect - but dates are different. I am hoping to go this weekend, and to tag along with more experienced folks. My plan was to keep the paddling as short and easy as possible and spend more time enjoying the island and camping rough... So putting in at the Rockland Granite Pier, and paddling just a couple miles to the island, and perhaps do a lap or two around the island before landing and setting up camp. Are any of you planning to go that we can tag along, or are available to accompany the two of us? I recently bought a used Impex Force Cat 3 (like putting a teenager with a learners permit in a Ferrari), and my friend has an Oru fold boat, so we won't be setting speed records. Thanks! Makoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 (edited) Yvonne and I are up for this if this if the date is a certainty. We'd probably launch from Lanes Cove or Pavillion Beach Last time I camped on Thachers the red ants were a menace. Someone came up with a solution having to do with sprinking some sort of organic powder around the tent. The red ant bites hurt and leave welts, as I remember. Edited August 10 by Bolonsky Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 On 7/23/2024 at 1:33 PM, Makoto Ohira said: Hi all, new member here, new to ocean kayaking (old former whitewater boater)... friend and I are planning to paddle to Thacher Island and camp overnight so this thread seemed perfect - but dates are different. I am hoping to go this weekend, and to tag along with more experienced folks. My plan was to keep the paddling as short and easy as possible and spend more time enjoying the island and camping rough... So putting in at the Rockland Granite Pier, and paddling just a couple miles to the island, and perhaps do a lap or two around the island before landing and setting up camp. Are any of you planning to go that we can tag along, or are available to accompany the two of us? I recently bought a used Impex Force Cat 3 (like putting a teenager with a learners permit in a Ferrari), and my friend has an Oru fold boat, so we won't be setting speed records. Thanks! Makoto Hi Makoto - Yvonne and I would be glad to paddle out there with you. We've been there many times and would glad to match our pace with yours. There are free parking areas other than Granite Pier in Rockport with paddling distances to Thachers the same as that from Granite Pier. I can provide offline detals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 Hi all, Weather is looking absolutely fab on Friday. I just called and talked with the lighthouse keeper and was told that there are a group of Boy Scouts that are planning to camp on the island then. She said she would check in with the scout masters to see if they were ok with a small group of adults also sharing the camping space. Including a friend of mine that was interested in coming and who's responded here and on the calendar post, I'm counting that there are 6 of us. More specifically: me + 1 Adam + 1 Deb Ben Please let me know if I've miscounted. If it does turn out that the scouts would prefer not to have us, I would be looking to Sept. 20 as the new date. If the scouts are open to share the space, I'll send along the event survey to gather contact info and share more details about parking. Fingers crossed, Devon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah Walsh Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Hi Devon, I had bilaterally and trigger finger surgery in July and was really hoping my hands would be healed enough to paddle this weekend, but they are not. I. Addition, my left shoulder is still painful. I'm not sure when I'm getting back on the water. I hope you all have a fun and safe trip! Deb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Hi Devon; 9/20 works fine for us. Yvonne and I are backing out of this weekend given that the scouts wouldn't want us there and that I'm waiting to hear on how many paddlers will be joining us this Saturday at City Point in South Boston. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted August 22 Author Share Posted August 22 So, as I had suspected, we can't share the camping space with a group of scouts. Apologies all. I've made arrangements this time with the keeper. I'll need to know if anyone else plans on launching from Granite Pier in order to get permission to park overnight. So far, Adam and Yvonne are on my list of paddlers for a Sept. 20 overnight. Please respond to the thread if you want to come along. I'll update the calendar post once I've heard from Ben and some of the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolonsky Adam Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 Thanks for keeping this on the books. We're looking forward to it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Dew Posted September 17 Author Share Posted September 17 I’ve had no response from the island volunteers. Guess you can only reserve to camp through August Better luck next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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