Cape Cod

[irinashap]

Hello everyone,

I live in OH and planning a kayaking trip to Cape Cod in Mid August. I was looking for information on the area: camping and kayaking. In order to utilize my time there - about 5-6 days, I would like to paddle more open waters rather that inland, although some inland paddling is OK. Since I am an experienced paddler I do not want to join an organized trips that require fees. I am not familiar with tides and how to navigate them.

Also, I am planning to camp out on he island. Any suggestions? I would welcome anyone who would like to come and paddle with me while I am there.

I would appreciate any input and advise you might have.

U may contact me at my e-mail: Irinashap@hotmail.com

In advance, thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,

Irina

[bob budd]

"I live in OH and planning a kayaking trip to Cape Cod in Mid August. ... I am not familiar with tides and how to navigate them."

Among other things you need to appreciate that tides can leave your put-in dry upon return and that narrow passes can develop unnavigable currents/conditions. I would suggest you paddle with those with local knowledge. In good weather the inner coastline and the (one, several?) marshes would be reasonable choices. In bad weather it is a challenge for experienced paddlers. Summer weather tends to be the tamest, though the heat and sun present their own challenges. I'll quote Mary Schmich here, "Always wear sunscreen" and add that extra water doesn't weigh that much.

"camp out on the island. Any suggestions?"

If you mean Cape Cod, only an island because we dug the canal, then Nickerson State Park is a campground more or less centrally located with good facilities. If you plan to spend time at the campsite there are quieter places but you will get a good nights sleep there.

[bazzert]

I would appreciate any input and advise you might have.

U may contact me at my e-mail: Irinashap@hotmail.com

Hi Irina:

Two books you might find helpful include

- Sea Kayaking Coastal Mass

- Adventure Kayaing Cape Cod

For camping, if you can get a reservation, Washburn Island is supposed to be beautiful.

Barry.

[tyson]

I'd also recommend Sea Kayaking: Safety & Rescue by John Lull.

If you've not been on the Ocean, be sure that your not getting in over your head. I'd suggest staying in contact with this group as the dates get closer and seeing if you can join up with someone from the area for a trip or two. Though we live a good distance from the Cape, Emilie and I always enjoy a good excuse to go paddling there.

Cheers!

Ty

[djlewis]

Hi Irina:

Two books you might find helpful include

- Sea Kayaking Coastal Mass

- Adventure Kayaing Cape Cod

For camping, if you can get a reservation, Washburn Island is supposed to be beautiful.

Barry.

That's the advice I was going to give you. I especially recommend Waquoit Bay, with or without camping on Washburn Island -- very pretty, protected water. Sage Lot Pond off of Waquoit is lovely and has resident swans. You can also venture out into Vineyard Sound through two passages, but both can be clogged with power boats and fishing lines in summer, and the one directly from the Bay (Dead Neck as opposed to Eel Pond) has quite fast tidal current at times.

I'm assuming you paddle the Great Lakes, and are thus experienced with wind, storms, steep waves, cold water and even fog, all of which the ocean and even Vineyard Sound has in abundance. But tides, tidal currents and the general vicissitudes of the ocean add considerable challenge and risk, too much to delve into in a short post.

For example, there are some deadly currents off of the South Cape, especially toward Monomoy (two unequipped paddlers were killed there a few years back when they got lost in fog and were swept away from the beach). Tidal currents in Woods Hole can make what looks like a lovely paddling venue into a level-4+ adventure (lovely in its own way if you know what you are doing), even without boat wakes and wind. The eastern coastline is often exposed directly to full ocean swell, and while surfers love it, it's often a challenge for touring kayakers. Even Pleasant Bay, a beautiful place to paddle and mostly inland and protected, has extensive tidal shoals and sometimes fierce winds. Nauset Marsh is gorgeous, but if you don't go at high tide, you will find shallows and high mud walls to block the view.

The Cape Code Bay side of the Cape is more benign, but has its own issues, like extensive tidal flats at low tide.

Also, paddling solo, always a dicey proposition because it significantly reduces safety margins in case of trouble, is even more an issue if you don't have ocean experience and some knowledge of local conditions.

Fred Bull's Book (Paddling Cape Cod) has entirely paddles suitable for an open touring canoe, and so you can count on them to quite doable. It would take you months to exhaust all the possibilities. But if you go out into Vineyard/Nantucket Sound, Buzzard's Bay or Even Cape Cod Bay, I'd really urge you to go with someone experienced, either in an organized group or with a couple of people you know are well-trained paddlers equipped for such challenges.

So, be careful... and have fun!

--David

[JohnHuth]

There's limited camping, but Waquoit Bay is probably your best bet for a base camp on the water.

Nantucket sound is relatively tame, but can get wind blown waves on a SW wind in the afternoon, which can be fun or tough, depending on your skill level. Shoals tend to attract breaking waves near harbors.

If you want more challenges, as someone said, Woods Hole has 3 kt currents.

The southernmost point of Monomoy is even more challenging, where the wind/current combination can get positively hairy, but at the right conditions can be magnificent.

I have a house on Nantucket Sound and have done the Monomoy circuit in good conditions. Fog can blow up pretty fast - I've seen about one lost person per year in the fog. This year was no exception, where I helped out a power boater who was about 8 miles from where he thought he should've been. A good compass and chart are important.

One great excursion is to put in near the Chatham Coast Guard Station and paddle south toward North Monomoy and see the seals. That's relatively sheltered and isn't so hairy.

[djlewis]

If you want more challenges, as someone said, Woods Hole has 3 kt currents.

Up to 4+ kts, officially speaking, which, with wind and/or boat wakes, can get really hairy (or fun, depending on your attitude).

I have a house on Nantucket Sound and have done the Monomoy circuit in good conditions. Fog can blow up pretty fast - I've seen about one lost person per year in the fog. This year was no exception, where I helped out a power boater who was about 8 miles from where he thought he should've been. A good compass and chart are important.

Because of the new land bridge, the Monomoy circuit is now either much longer or involves a 1000 yard portage over soft sand. Also, even if you do that, it is important to time the tidal current properly. If there were no current, it would be a 17 nm paddle (plus portage). With the current, the effective distance is more like 14-15 nm, so if you get it wrong, it's over 20 nm equivalent. Big difference and some serious slogging against 2 kts of current!

One great excursion is to put in near the Chatham Coast Guard Station and paddle south toward North Monomoy and see the seals. That's relatively sheltered and isn't so hairy.

I believe the seals now generally hang out on the outside of the new land bridge, around the tip of S. Monomoy. Also, isn't the CG station on the eastern-facing shore, at the south end of Chatham Harbor (not Stage Harbor)? If so, then it's exposed to the ocean side conditions, which could get dicey.

By the way -- one should always take a chart when paddling the ocean. The complication here is that all charts of the Monomoy area are badly out of date. There are also serious shoals between N and S Monomoy, enough to really wreck a paddling schedule. You need precise local knowledge to thread through them.

Bottom line -- most trips near Monomoy are problematic, requiring careful planning, local knowledge and some luck. One that does work and isn't too bad is from Morris Island Causeway out to the land bridge that now connects South Beach and South Monomoy. But with the land bridge and the departure of the seals, it loses much of its former charm.

[Pintail]

So, Professor David, is there an up-to-date satellite map one can pull up online? All the charts I have seen are seriously (apathetically?) ancient, aren't they? (Like me...)

[bazzert]

So, Professor David, is there an up-to-date satellite map one can pull up online? All the charts I have seen are seriously (apathetically?) ancient, aren't they? (Like me...)

Hi Chris:

The google maps satellite imagery claims to be "2009". What is interesting is the imagery is different at different levels of zoom eg...

Nauset Beach

Before the breach

After the breach

Barry

[djlewis]

Hi Chris:

The google maps satellite imagery claims to be "2009". What is interesting is the imagery is different at different levels of zoom eg...

Nauset Beach

Before the breach

After the breach

Barry

The two contrasting images are wonderful. (I don't think you mean "breach", however, rather "land bridge"). They also clearly show the circuitous paths through the shoals. To this untrained eye, those paths look similar pre- and post-bridge, except that post- they seem to have filled in somewhat, probably making the passage even tougher at lower tide levels.

Now, you can do what I did -- laboriously make waypoints to follow the best channel, load them into your mapping GPS, and, at low tide, lead a bunch of baffled but appreciative paddlers on a zig-zag, seemingly random, Keystone Kops-like paddle though the gap and into deep water without once hitting bottom! Or, you can be like Adam, and just "smell" the channel.

--and that's Herr Doktor Professor David, if you please!

[bazzert]

The two contrasting images are wonderful. (I don't think you mean "breach", however, rather "land bridge"). They also clearly show the circuitous paths through the shoals. To this untrained eye, those paths look similar pre- and post-bridge, except that post- they seem to have filled in somewhat, probably making the passage even tougher at lower tide levels.

Now, you can do what I did -- laboriously make waypoints to follow the best channel, load them into your mapping GPS, and, at low tide, lead a bunch of baffled but appreciative paddlers on a zig-zag, seemingly random, Keystone Kops-like paddle though the gap and into deep water without once hitting bottom! Or, you can be like Adam, and just "smell" the channel.

--and that's Herr Doktor Professor David, if you please!

Hi David,

If you look further north on the zoomed image (you'll need to close the "You are here" dialog) to Nauset beach you can see the breach that formed; apparently at the same time the land bridge formed at Monomoy.

Barry.

[djlewis]

Hi David,

If you look further north on the zoomed image (you'll need to close the "You are here" dialog) to Nauset beach you can see the breach that formed; apparently at the same time the land bridge formed at Monomoy.

Barry.

I thought the Nauset breach happened earlier -- could be wrong though.

One more thought upon looking at both images. Seems like the process under way there is basically filling in the area between North Beach, North Monomoy and Morris Island / Harding Beach Point. The end of that might be a full connection of all these to the mainland, or at least to Morris Island.

In fact, I vaguely recall that it has been that way in recorded history, and what we see now was created by storms making the large breach between Morris Island and North Monomoy that we see now. Anybody know?

[Hal]

For the record I was at the Cape last week and was able to find in most of the marine supply stores an "updated" chart for Monomoy and Pleasant Bay. The map shows the location of the new cut in Nauset beach that has made some changes in Pleasant Bay and it also shows the new configuration of the Monomoy area.

I would also recommend paddling in the protected upper reaches of Pleasant Bay and using Lisa Evans' book as a reliable guide to several trips.

There is also a state park camp ground at Exit 1 (Shawme Cromwell State Park). Almost always an available camping spot but not centrally loctated.

[FrankR]

Hi Chris:

The google maps satellite imagery claims to be "2009". What is interesting is the imagery is different at different levels of zoom eg...

Nauset Beach

Before the breach

After the breach

Barry

Based on my recent visit to Chappy on Martha's Vineyard, both images are quite old. The high level one doesn't show the Katama pond breach at all, so its at least 2 years old. The close-up looks more like last year. When I was there a few weeks ago, the Chappy side of the breach had a very distinctive hook - it's barely visisble in these shots.

Frank