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Practice venues


Gcosloy

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While Walden Pond is my favorite for many reasons there is the weekend drawback of parking closings due to increased summer traffic. The boat ramp at Lake Cochituate is an alternative. Put in at the end of the concrete ramp at the left side. (small scrap of kayak friendly earth) From there paddle about a 1/4 mi south and look for the first cove you spot on the left with a small sandy beach. Unlike a lot of Cochituate which is infested with algae and plant growth, this area seems clear and clean. It was pointed out to me by a member of CRC&K which uses that spot to teach rolling.

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>While Walden Pond is my favorite for many reasons there is

>the weekend drawback of parking closings due to increased

>summer traffic. The boat ramp at Lake Cochituate is an

>alternative. Put in at the end of the concrete ramp at the

>left side. (small scrap of kayak friendly earth) From there

>paddle about a 1/4 mi south and look for the first cove you

>spot on the left with a small sandy beach. Unlike a lot of

>Cochituate which is infested with algae and plant growth,

>this area seems clear and clean. It was pointed out to me by

>a member of CRC&K which uses that spot to teach rolling.

Walden Pond is also my favorate place. I have yet to go after work and not run into a good group of people. (Not that I have made it out enough this year).

As for Cochituate I would recomend the car top launch location which is on the other side of RT 30 from the boat trailer ramp. This will also put you in the North Pond. http://www.nanosft.com/cochituate/mdmap.html

If you paddle to the point of land sticking out on the right on the North pond you will find that it's nice and sandy. I did a lot of my roll practice in this location. I found out about the sand from the Bob Foote Karen Knight rolling class last year.

-Jason

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One piece of advice I've been given at Cochituate is to practice your rolls/rescues out of sight of either Route 9 (Middle Pond) or Route 30 (Middle and North Ponds). Apparently concerned motorists have called 911 upon seeing upside down kayaks from the road. Explaining that your fine to a concerned fireman in a boat must not be fun.

Phil

wish I was there

---

deep blue over white

impex kevlar currituck

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Thanks for the warning. Both spots recommended either by me or Jason are not really visible from Rt 30 Then again there is always the homeowner with water views or even hikers with cell phones. But I take your point, someone on rt 9 or 30 is much less likely to stop the car and witness what in fact is going on and just conclude someone's in trouble by getting a glimpse of that overturned white hull.

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If you really want to avoid false alarms, you could also contact the relevant fire/police departments as to your rolling intentions. I'm sure they'd appreciate the notice since you'll never be out of sight of everyone and they're bound to get a call.

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The Hopkinton Resevoir is a pretty nice place to practice. I live in Newton, and it's a bit of a drive to get there, but I've gone there many times, and it's my favorite local venue. (no traffic on route 9 or 30 to alarm, and they seem used to people rolling there).

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