christopherG Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I believe we should be supporting the Maine Island Trail Association, of which, apparently, a third of all members live in southern New England. Many of us love to kayak in Maine and that means camping on islands, as far as possible, doesn't it? Who wants to join me? Read on...This Sunday, there will be a social event (with slide show and small presentation) at the Mass. Audubon Joppa Flats Visitor Centre at 1300. This is in the vicinity of Newbury and is easy to get to.Executive Director Karen Stimpson will be hosting this, with local MITA members, including our own Scott Camlin, whom you may not know is on their Board of Directors. You need to RSVP to him as soon as possible, however, so write to him quickly! scamlin at restructassoc dot com Directions: From I-95, take EXIT 57 to ROUTE 113 (West Newbury/Newburyport). Follow 113 EAST (it's also route 1A) for 3.8 miles through Newburyport until you cross the town line into Newbury.At the traffic lights, turn LEFT into ROLFE'S LANE. Proceed 0.6 to the end and turn RIGHT, where you'll find the Visitor Centre (and the Visitor Center) 0.1 on the LHS.See you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 Anybody interested in a pre-MITA paddle on Sunday? High is at high noon, and it's a quite a high spring tide (10.3'), so perhaps we could launch from Joppa Flats at 9:30 or so. We could mess around in and around the mouth of the Merrimack until 12:00-12:30 and make the meeting at 1:00. Bet it's nice this time of year with few recreational powerboats.Anybody with more local local knowledge than me is especially welcome ;-)) So are other suggestions.This would be an unofficial, leaderless trip. Post interest here.--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eneumeier Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 You beat me to it. Casey Carey - too long absent - and I were talking about this earlier today. Where exactly do you want to put in?Liz N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I was thinking of Joppa Flats itself. As the name implies, it's a big (really big) mud flat at low. But at 9:30, 2.5 hours before a very high tide, it might be OK. Anyone know? How bad would it be? Is the mud walkable, etc.? I launched there once many years ago.The alternative I had in mind, if the group doesn't get too big, was under the bridge on the west bank of the PI River, just off the south side of the PI Turnpike. I haven't launched there in a couple of years. It was OK above mid-tide, though you have to launch boats one or two at a time from a narrow rocky shore. I recall dimly that there's parking for maybe 5-8 cars, but I'm not really sure.Any other suggestions? I'm open. These two are near the MITA event at the Joppa Flats Center, and so would minimize travel and maximize paddling.Hope Casey makes it!--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I just realized there's another issue -- current. If we want to go out the Merrimack mouth, which we may well, we'll be fighting significant current. It'll be flood the entire morning, with these speeds according to MapTech:08:00 -- 1.9 kts flood09:00 -- 2.910:00 -- 2.911:00 -- 2.312:00 -- 1.313:00 -- 0.3 ebbSo, not insurmountable, but something to consider. Alternatively, we can have a leisurely paddle down the PI River to whereever and back. Should be plenty of water for that, with high at noon. Or, up the Merrimack with the tide, then back. If we time it to return at 12:30, I think we'll be paddling against about 1 kt.Again, I'm not intimately familiar with these spots, so it would be nice if anyone with local knowledge could help out.--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB L Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 Joppa flats mud is very unwalkable. I speak from first hand knowledge and a long wait for the water to come back and free me. The current on the river is almost always running fast but the directions luckly do change. You can have a lesiurly trip from Cashman park boat ramp, I think you could at high tide launch about 100 boats at once if you wanted to. Then run across the river and paddle around the islands the main current on the river there is on the Newburyport side of the islands behind the island there will be current but much slower than out in the main part of the river. Parking should not be a problem this time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopherG Posted November 9, 2004 Author Share Posted November 9, 2004 does this mean that all the above writers are going to be going to the MITA get-together? i hope so -- the original purpose of this thread seems to have been diverted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Christopher...Do you think we'd drive to Newburyport, paddle the Merrimack for three hours, take out by 12:30 and NOT go to the MITA gathering at 1:00? ;-)))So, the other question is, will you be joining the pre-MITA paddle?--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hazard Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I'm planning to go to the MITA lecture, and I'll come along on the paddle, too. I would venture to guess that at half-tide the water would just be covering the flats so we could paddle/wade out to the channel. You'd get a little mud in the boat, but it shouldn't be too bad.Should we RSVP to the Joppa Audubon?Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Respond, if you please, to Scott Camlin... SCamlin at RestructAssoc dot com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Chris, I think the idea of paddling before the event is likely to increase attendance at the event itself. One way to get the shy members of the club to attend, those who might otherwise avoid a social event, it to make is a paddle. What a great idea!Others have posted providing safety, etc. information for the paddlers as requested by David and should feel free to do so. I hope all who paddle enjoy both the morning and afternoon, I'll be stomping around somewhere with my son.Promises to be very cold. If the paddlers choose to play at the mouth of the Merrimack I remember it being quite exciting at times when we sailed in and out in years past. Thankfully and as mentioned earlier, the pleasure boats and their drunken pilots and passengers will probably not be blocking the channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scamlin Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Folks:The MITA event in Newburyport is primarily directed at MITA members as well as friends who love and paddle in the Maine islands and support MITA's mission of stewardship. This is not really a public event if only because of space limitations. So if you are thinking of coming, you really need to RSVP as we are close to the limit.Of course, MITA welcomes the interest of NSPN members and we're glad to give you more information. Let me know if you'd like to join us this Sunday.Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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