Castle Neck Circumnavigation

[Gcosloy]

Six of us: Keven, Gillian, Ernie, Phil and Lorrie, and I launched into grey skies and cool wind and mild seas at Pavillion Beach went briefly into the Essex River and followed Fox Creek out to the Castle River. The creek and river were denuded of holiday boats (sign of the times) and we had the lovely views all to ourselves. Soon we picked up a little current and went behind Hog and rode into the spit at the end of Castle Neck on the ever increasing ebb. After a quite lunch on the sand bar, several donned helmets for the ride back to Little Neck. I hadn't come prepared for surfing but gentle rollers were breaking all over on the lowered depths of sand. I rode one tentative wave on the Nordlow and thought, not bad. Screwing up my courage I positioned myself in front of a stronger set and gently paddled toward the shore line. Before I knew it I was at 45 degrees from the horizontal and rocketing towards the shore. I was about 20 degrees off the wave and attempted turning but no gentle stern rudder would deter the intended trajectory of the Nordlow. Surviving and with a mixture of delight and awe turned back into the sea and reached a group sitting off the entrance to the mouth of Plum Island sound and the Essex. Waves and some breakers were moving under us and then it happened: Boom-I was over- a mouth full of water, disorientated and attempting a sad half hearted roll was forced to wet -exit. (with my neo gloves and the surprise of not having taken an anticipatory breath I couldn't feel the ridge on my paddle shaft and index or set up properly. Gillian quickly grabbed my boat and took control. Directing me into a delightfully surprising in it's ease- heel hook rescue. She had already upended my boat so much of the water was out. Still we were being rollicked and rolled by the continuing surge and breakers that got me here in the first place. Thank goodness for my helmet-it would have been very easy to have been knocked hard on the head by one or more of the boats during this period. I don't think I was in the water for more than two minuites tops. The ride in on diminishing water was uneventful. Kevin led us to the eddy that was formed by the water leaving the Essex near the rocky shore and we (some of us for the first time) experienced the thrill off pealing into an eddy line. Finally with the mud flats of Pavillion in sight Gillian asked Kevin for a tow to which he happily obliged. What he didn't know was her plan to have the other four of us to raft up all together and hitch the same tow. I wished I had a video- you needed to be there to appreciate the humor of this cruel form of spousal abuse.

[Gillian]

What a great trip! The weather was great and the company was wonderful as well . . . it was one of my first longer paddles of the season and I felt comfy in my boat - the waves on the outside of Cranes were a blast and I got knocked over once and rolled up and was able to recover my hat . . . Gene thanks for the rescue opportunity in the surf zone! yee ha! Gene, you did awesome learning a new re-entry method in a few seconds, and thank you to Kevin for keeping an eye on the waves and swell and reporting back to us so I could concentrate on the rescue . . . Ernie also kept a watchful eye about 10 ft. back . . . it was definitely an eventful end to the day. Thanks to Kevin for organizing a wonderful trip!

[Scott Lundquist]

Gene, you did awesome learning a new re-entry method in a few seconds...

Wow, that's starting off the summer season with a bang! I'm interested to hear you used the heel-hook reentry -- I was introduced to that a few weeks ago on a CRCK trip and thought it much faster/effective than the usual method in calm water, but wasn't sure it'd work so well in rougher water; but sounds like did. (I thought maybe the steeper lean of the boat being re-entered could mean water would slosh back in -- that didn't happen?)

[Gcosloy]

Wow, that's starting off the summer season with a bang! I'm interested to hear you used the heel-hook reentry -- I was introduced to that a few weeks ago on a CRCK trip and thought it much faster/effective than the usual method in calm water, but wasn't sure it'd work so well in rougher water; but sounds like did. (I thought maybe the steeper lean of the boat being re-entered could mean water would slosh back in -- that didn't happen?)

You know Scott with both boats being in the surf zone and kind of bobbing around I couldn't say for sure whether anymore water sloshed in. One thing for sure though, the torque generated by the swimmer probably requires a stronger grip by the rescuer.