catumb rock, sugar reef, napatree point.....

[rick stoehrer]

all lie off of stongington connecticut (well, actually, the tri state area i guess, as new york, connecticut and rhode island all share a corner right off shore there) and are home to some fast moving currents and big water.

so we arose packed and carpooled down for a leisurely launch at 11:30 or so to catch the max ebb around 1:30...no reason to go all that way and not hit the best it had to offer, right?

so we launched from stonington pt and paddled south/southwest with a strong breeze (force 5+) and wind waves to our backs....the paddle out took very little time and as we paddled out past bartelett reef and the breakwater there...we entered into the ebbing current and were quickly shuttled down to catumb rocks.

catumb rocks are a series of rocks and relatively shallow water running southeast...and by golly, doesn't all of fishers sound just have to ebb just that way, over those very rocks?

we entered into the race here and the big standing waves created as the sound ebbed east up the coast....a few of us just let the swift current bring us back into rough water.....just float stern to with your back to the big waves and then just float into the $&^%$...yup, that's exciting...

anyway you got there, you're in big standing waves, falling back farther and farther into a field of waves now stretching out before you....there is not an eddy nearby and the water's moving too fast to paddle against....what to do? oh yeah, catch them swells baby, ride onto that wave up ahead...and again and again until you are once again at the front of the race....fun! we played here a bit and ferried over towards catumb rock itself...it was revealed in the bottom of those big swells....making so many of them break and rear up just prior to washing over and around the big chunk of rock....

we made our way east towards sugar reef...much like catumb rock a long, wide reef creating a race over the reef and did much the same here, frollicking and playing in the big water....

after a while we ended up taking a bit of tea or hot tang over towards the west end of napatree beach....

and the launch from the beach? lovely....all 7 boats got off shore into the dumping surf beautifully and without incident....

we played off of napatree point for a while...swells were heading down and wrapping around napatree...there was a bit going on in these waves....there are rocks and pilings off the tip there and the water would reflect back into the oncoming swells aided by the very gusty wind....as the swells came in and rose, rose rose and finally broke, the white tops were whipped off and thrown back out to sea....you'd try to catch one of these big, fast moving waves only to be slowed by the preceeding waves that were now reflected back towards you from the reef combined with the wind blowing straight into your kisser....you'd catch one, blinded by the mares tale and if you did manage to fall onto the face, your hull bounces like a little whaler boat in chop as you'd head down the wave face but still encounter those reflecting waves bouncing into you...it was a hoot to say the least.

eventually we headed back up to stonington point straight into the wind...it took a bit longer to get back than it did to get out!

it was a great day! big, fast water on a windy day surrounded by folks doing things well in little boats! there's something sublime about seeing folks hanging effortlessly onto waves, wheeling and laughing using the water and wind, paddle and blade to just dance along where large boats fear to tread!

once again i was impressed with the bit of water the folks in connecticut enjoy!

stonginton is straight down 95. take exit 91 or so and follow it into stonington...get a chart, figure the current and tides. gather your friends and time your paddle. it's worth the drive.