Some Days You Gotta Believe

[EEL]

So it was 8 AM and the marine forecast was interesting with the promise of milder conditions by the afternoon, but the small craft advisory punctuated the talk of 30Kt gusts and 3-5' seas. York buoy was showing 19Kts and 4' every 4.5 sec. Obviously a day for going and looking from the beach at Ordiorne Point before launching. Yeah, short wind waves and whitecaps and some wind. So Gerry calmly said, well, lets see how it is. So we did agreeing that as long as this timid paddler felt OK we would keep going. Out past a bobbing can and foamy water, but still thinking this is can be dealt with. So we kept going, rounded Jeffrey Point, almost to the CG station, and elected to cross the harbor. We ended up about half way up Gerrish when the wind started to clock East and mellow out. To make schedule we turned around and sailed back to Whaleboat Ledge on small swells, Then over to Little Harbor jetty and some rock play. Having arrived too soon and the sea being kinder with lower wind and modest swells, there was nothing to do but head out along the coast by Ordiorne for more rock play and surf timid paddler style. The appointed hour came too soon and we returned having had a great day filled with a wonderous variety of sea conditions allowing us to learn more about our boats, coming away feeling better about them, and our ability to paddle them in textured water.

Ed Lawson