Get ready! The last Ladies Paddle of the season. Looking forward to seeing you.

I'll be there! Florrie

Great... I'm thinking about Lanes Cove to Rockport for ice cream (lunch stop beforehand) and then return. I am open to other ideas.

Count me in too! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Did you ever get your map back Florrie? Where do you buy nautical maps?

See you soon. Janice

Hi Janice,

Glad you will be able to join us!

Charts can be purchased in most kayak or boating places, online from MapTech or DeLorme or printed from the NOAA site.

Have fun shopping!

Thanks Katherine - I'll have fun shopping! See you on the 16th.

Janice

That's right, maps are land and charts are water!

Here's a good site for charts, http://www.richardso...s.com/index.php and I get some at West Marine Stores. Janice, I never found my chart case, bummer! I guess someone else is enjoying it now. That link keeps messing up - it should say richardsonscharts dot com

Katherine, I'll follow you anywhere, including Rockport, but for the sake of discussion how about a change to Pavillion Beach up into Plum Island Sound?

I was considering Essex River and a circumnavigation of Castle Neck... I need to check the tides. Pavillion also sounds good. Then there is launching from Long Beach in Rockport to Bearskin Neck for ice cream and then to Thatcher's Island for lunch...

Any other ideas?

Katherine, some things to consider about Long Beach Gloucester/Rockport: I haven’t used it for many years, but as I remember parking there was a problem on weekends. It’s a beautiful beach, but sometimes there are dumping waves there (it’s wide open to the ocean). You don’t have that problem launching from a harbor like Lanes Cove or Gloucester Harbor. Just my 2-cents.

CAM-able Leon

Hi Leon,

Thanks for looking out for us.

I did this trip on Monday ~ I wouldn't cal it a "dry" run...

The surf launchings and landings are certainly an important consideration.

And, I am wondering, how does one improve one's ability to land and launch in surf without landing and launching in surf?

I think that question could be applied to all skill development in kayaking...

Thanks again, Leon

Proposed Trip Details ~ Essex River to Hog Island

Level of Difficulty: Moderate, protected water

Round Trip: 8 miles, give or take...

Attractions: Thousands of acres of beautiful salt marsh, scenic island with hiking trails, sand beach for picnicking, extensive bird watching & ability for post-paddle ice-cream!

Tides are a major consideration with this trip. High tide is around noon. If we brief @ 9:00 and launch @ 9:30 that will give us ample time to explore the island. The trip will be about 3-4 hours depending on our lounging time.

For those who like antiques there is also the opportunity for shopping afterward.

Please consult NOAA charts 13282 or 13274. The area can be a little confusing....

Directions to launch site: Essex town boat ramp is the standard put-in for the Essex Bay (Essex is a small place and it's hard to miss.) Parking at the boat ramp is for residents only, parking is behind the fire station (going north, just up the road take the left fork, and the fire station is a couple hundred feet on the left). There is no parking for non-residents at the boat ramp EVEN IN WINTER. We learned the hard way. Take Rt. 95 to exit 54, Rt. 133 east through Ipswich. Follow until Essex center and Route 22 intersection bear left on Route 133 and the public launch is on your left. Alternatively, take Route 128 to exit 14, drive west on Route 133 about four miles to the public launch. Look for the ERBA sign on your right.

Florrie & Janice, I am most interested in your thoughts... sound good?

And, I am wondering, how does one improve one's ability to land and launch in surf without landing and launching in surf?

Practising getting in and out of ones boat quickly can be done without the surf. As for getting the timing using a point break can help you get the feel for riding up on the back of a wave instead of surfing it.

Looking at a beach that has dumping surf you will normally find a rip that knocks the surf down a bit and thus a better place to launch and land at. Spending a few minutes paddling up and down the beach watching the surf before picking your spot can be of value.

As for getting the timing using a point break can help you get the feel for riding up on the back of a wave instead of surfing it.

I had a vague recollection there was a surfing movie called Point Break. So I looked the term up. For those like me who didn't know:

A point break refers to the place where waves hit a point of land or rocks jutting out from the coastline.

Practising getting in and out of ones boat quickly can be done without the surf. As for getting the timing using a point break can help you get the feel for riding up on the back of a wave instead of surfing it.

Looking at a beach that has dumping surf you will normally find a rip that knocks the surf down a bit and thus a better place to launch and land at. Spending a few minutes paddling up and down the beach watching the surf before picking your spot can be of value.

Yes, Jason’s right. One more point from personal experience.

It was Feb 2004 and I was in a rented sit-on-top wave ski at Singer Island, FL (I launched from an eddy behind a jetty so there were no breaking waves on my way out.) Later, I wanted to do some surfing onto the beach and I found a nice clear spot on the beach with no visible rocks. So I surfed a big swell right into a slightly submerged reef … femoral neck of my left leg snapped like a twig.

Lesson to self: If you must, make sure that you’re surfing onto a nice soft beach.

Epilogue: Just completed a necessary second operation … I now have a bionic hip joint.

Hi Ladies.

I'm NOT new to NSPN I just haven’t had much of a chance to paddle this year. If you have room for one more person I would like to join you.

Sorry for the font size in my previous post:( This one should help.

Hi Ladies.

I'm NOT new to NSPN I just haven’t had much of a chance to paddle this year. If you have room for one more person I would like to join you.

Yes, please join us. I will ask for float plan details next week.

Katherine, I had a circumnavigation on the calendar for Sat. or Sunday, but was going to change it to Sunday from Pavilion. Put-in time was scheduled for 10:00 as I don't like to do the Fox Creek part at anything but high tide. Let me know if it makes sense to combine the trips. Check out my Calendar trip post, and consider Sunday moving put-in to about an hour later...

I think my above message isn't clear. New put-in time would be 10:00/10:30 latest to be on our way with a predicted high tide at 11:45ish. I was not planning on a ladies-only, but if you want to combine, I will. I am doing a trial run this evening and have explored the creek and Essex Bay pretty extensively this summer.

@ CAM-able Leon, ouch ouch ouch. So we can actually break limbs out there, besides hypothermia and drowning. Good to know...

@ CAM-able Leon, ouch ouch ouch. So we can actually break limbs out there, besides hypothermia and drowning. Good to know...

Yes, also dehydration, heat stroke, powerboat collisions and shark attacks too. On the other hand, the drive to the put-in is usually a bigger risk.

Hi Nancy,

You are most welcome to join our paddle.

I would like to keep this trip a " Ladies Only". Your idea was good.

See you at the Board Meeting.

Since I already had several takers for my trip that are of the wrong gender, not sure what to do... I do need to let people know it is planned for Sunday, not Sat., though.

Sounds like we should keep the two trips separate ~ call or PM id you want to talk about it some more.