Gcosloy

I'm going to try and make it!

All three dates are fine. I prefer Portsmouth, then Marblehead. Won't go to Boston!

Finally got the time to read and appreciate your trip report Pru. *1 hour perhaps". Wow where do you find the time. I don't know what your day job maybe but you probably have a whole new career awaiting you as a writer/photographer. Enjoyed this immensely and second many others who said that reading it almost felt like being there. No higher praise is required!

I like that quote Leon. I always say pretty much the same thing when talking to my sailing friends but never knew it had the imprimature of Yachting Magazine. Thanks, we should have T shirts made up with the quote, preferably in polyester.

Moi aussie!

Well, I'm glad they are safe. Yes, stupid planning, but ignorance regarding water sport has become legion. It's important that we who are not uninformed do not become the Taliban of the kayak world. What can we do to educate the rest and not merely criticize?

Andy a careful reading mentions the "children" as being teenagers. Half the captives and captors separated from Hannah's group and moved further away on Sugar Ball Island which was no more than two acres in area. Had any in Hannah's group been left alive they surely would tell the other Abenaki captors and a search party would be sent out to recapture them. This had to be uppermost in Hannah's mind as opposed to the motive of revenge. What I found so puzzling was that after one of the severely injured Squaws did  join the other captors and inform them of the escape and murders they elected to do nothing. Even years later with Dustin back in Haverhill and Indian attacks continuing on the English settlers, the Dustin residence was unharrassed. Perhaps the tribes value of strength and endurance trumping all other personal values had immunized Hannah Dustin in their eyes?

Jay Atkinson's Massacre on the Merrimack is a must read for history buffs and those that love a great adventure tale. This took place in 1697 when English settlers were constantly under the threat of Indian attacks from the Abenaki tribes that lived in what was then the Massachusetts Bay colony. What this has to do with boats and water is the chronicle of several settlers desperate escape from their captors somewhere above what is now Concord, NH and in a stolen birch bark canoe paddled back to their homestead in Haverhill, Ma. In the dead of winter, paddling frequently at night on the treacherous cold waters of the Merrimack. An incredible story of hardship and survival. Of the three who escaped their Abenaki captors two had never paddled a canoe before. After paddling almost the entire length of the Merrimack which is 117 mi in length, they were forced to learn. 

Gene,

Well, as the potential first “first gentleman” (Bubba Clinton) might say, it depends upon what the meaning of the word “condition” is. For example:

1. Given that conditions were manageable and weren’t changing for the worse then you were right. That is, StrongPaddler* had no reason to alternately sprint ahead and then wait for you to catch up.

2. Given that conditions were deteriorating (perhaps a thunderstorm was coming) and StrongPaddler thought that the sprinting demonstrations would convince you to paddle faster then he/she was right. That is, you should have sprinted like hell to get off the water.

-Leon

* Splitting hairs: Strong is the ability to withstand a great force and power is the rate at which work can be done. Given equal forward-stroke forms, a strong paddler isn’t necessarily faster than his less strong partner; however, a more powerful paddler is faster than his less powerful partner.

Biff,

You are correct, however the situation I described was 1. Not 2. I've been in conditions like 2. several times and each and every time paddled toward safety as if my life depended upon it. Biff, if you continue to insist on hair splitting, you'll give Sir Godfrey unneeded competition.

As a self professed "slower paddler" I find that there is an assumption among some faster paddlers that when conditions deteriorate, I.e. big waves, strong head winds or gusts, that reducing speed will put them at increased risk. Years of experiences paddling slowly in big conditions have convinced me that this is not necessarily true and may have more to do with personal preferences and is not an issue of safety. Sure slowing down when conditions get gnarly if you're capable of a faster response may feel less safe but it may have more to do with paddling outside of your normal response. Perhaps slow paddling in big conditions needs to be practiced more? Finally, those of us who refuse tows do so because we feel perfectly competent to paddle on in the conditions we are in and feel that accepting a tow to make others feel better may not be a reasonable tradeoff. Naturally I would agree that if a tow would increase the overall security and safety of the group, it should be accepted.

A personal anecdote: I was once in a situation with another stronger paddler when the weather changed: the winds came up and 5' rollers were at our beam. We both paddled hard for the lee of the harbor and since he was stronger soon put some serious distance between us. Then he stopped paddling and waited for me to catch up while he braced against the waves. This happened two or three more times and when we were safely in the harbor he complained that my paddling put him at more risk. I suggested that stopping put him at risk and that if he only paddled at my speed he would have felt as safe as I felt.

Sorry to miss the excellent company Dave but I'm not a happy paddler with strong wind. Have fun!

I'm tentative. Will watch the forecast in the hopes it improves the next couple of days and decide. The coast of Rye has too many rollers and breakers to safely do much hugging sometimes.

...and he grew up to be thankful you weren't reading ozymandias...percy would be a helluva thing to saddle a kid with...

Full disclosed: the other book I had with me that day was the poetry of Garcia Lorca. Perhaps if I'd chosen Garcia for him he could have grown up and ran for the Republican presidential nomination.

this site and this url has been our online home for...20 years? There are VOLUMES of information (some good, some bad), all or our squabbles and all our victories recorded here. The memories of the club and it's members. It as much as anything else, is NSPN.

The forums we have work plenty well enough.

Yeah, I sound like the last guy selling buggies as roads are getting paved for them newfangled automobiles, but that's my 2 cents.

...for her quirks and scars and as many things she can't do as can, she's beautiful and our home.

"All things counter, original, spare and strange:

Whatever is fickle,, freckled (who knows how?):

With swift, sweet, sour, adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change..."

Who knew Rick was a fan of Gerard Manley Hopkins? My son is named Gerard; I was reading Hopkins in the waiting room while my wife was giving birth and when the nurse came out and told me a son was born and what was his name I blurted out Gerard.

As Ed already pointed out Meetup does provide the functionality for online discussion. Most of the Meetup groups that I'm familiar with do not exercise that function much. However if NSPN went to their own Meetup, I think the membership uniquely would take advantage of the discussion function. If this were the case then the current NSPN site would only need to be preserved for the historical archives, perhaps read only. Meetup does seem to be inherently more friendly, perhaps the medium truly is the message?

Sorry we missed you . Peter, Dave and I circumnavigated NewCastle.

Since I received no takers for Odiorne tomorrow I was going to join this group at Lanes, however checking the NOAA forecast I saw fog at 10AM and not clearing perhaps till 1PM. I'll be solo out of Odiorne tomorrow but not till noon. Anyone is welcome. I know that fog is welcomed by some who wish to practice their Nav skills. However with hidden reefs and rocks in this area Nav alone won't help you.

Dry suit is preferred this time of year-the water temperature is about 50. A quick capsize and roll or assisted rescue and wet suit is OK. However any significant time in this water with a wet suit is not recommended.

Rocks or straight ahead paddle this weekend. If the tides are right getting out and returning to York Harbor we could paddle out to Nubble Light in Cape Neddick. RSVP with interest and we'll decide based on consensus. Regardless of venue or day mellow paddle of moderate distance.

Diehards can still access the water by portaging boats down the stairs and ramp! But with pool sessions available I hardly think anyone will want to do it. Living in Maine I miss Walden-it was only 6 miles from our previous residence. The only substitute up here for me is Lil Harbor at Odiorne. But the water stays colder longer than Walden and it may be late June before one can practice sans dry suit.

This last Saturday three of us (Peter B, Dave L, and moi) met at Odiorne for a mellow paddle. My two companions suited up and donned helmets and so I followed suit. The plan was to paddle no further than Wallis Sands and sample Rye rocks along the way. Tide was low and as we noodled along the challenges were mild, even though I managed to leave more gel coat behind. After a pleasant lunch on the beach at Wallis Sands the tide changed and some of us were able to catch a wave or so and surf back in before returning the way we came. Now the same rocks were a bit more challenging with more water rolling and breaking on them. I did as much as, in the words of our former president, was prudent and observed Peter and Dave who were more skilled than I on some of the bigger challenges. I did learn that timing is everything in rock gardeneing and given that mine is not great, confident that I avoided the the ones I might not handle well. When we returned to the enrance of Lil Harbor Peter suggest going out to Whaleback which was glisteneing still in the low sun's light. Crossing the Piscataqua mouth and then stopping briefly at Wood Island (which Kittery private donations and government grants are scheduled to help refurbish) we headed back to Lil Harbor paddling directly into the falling sun and a black sea carefully avoiding the same black ridges and reefs that were so visable earlier in the day. Even with rising water about 3:30PM we all hit the sand bar before making the turn into Witch Creek. An extremely enjoyable day spent with wonderful companions. If this is December paddling, I hope for more.

Hi,

I'm in

I'll pm float plan tonight

-Dave

Dave-PM me your float plan please!

Saturday paddle is on-we are now three-more are welcome!

My personal rule is for Winter paddling, group needs minimum of three. I'll wait till late today and if we can't get one more the trip will be cancelled. Dave M. appears to be posting for Sunday, so perhaps better luck for those of us that can do Sunday.

Boon Island less than 10 miles off the coast of York, Maine was the shipwreck on December 11, 1710, of the British merchant ship, Nottingham Galley. All fourteen crewmen aboard survived the initial wreck, however two died from their injuries and another two drowned attempting to reach the mainland on an improvised raft. The remaining ten crewmen managed to stay alive despite winter conditions with no food and no fire for twenty-four days, until finally rescued. They resorted to cannibalism which gave the incident a notoriety that it retains even today. The story also features a conflict between the captain and members of his crew, who had mutinied off the coast of Ireland prior to wrecking on Boon Island. A vigorous public relations battle ensued in London the following summer between the Captain and members of his unhappy crew, which also helped make the story famous in its day. The only non-fiction history of the event, "Boon Island: A True Story of Mutiny, Shipwreck and Cannibalism," by Andrew Vietze and Stephen Erickson, appeared in 2012. It is said that after the Nottingham Galley disaster, local fishermen began leaving barrels of provisions on Boon Island in case of future wrecks.

This was a great read!