Rob Hazard

This season's NSPN practice sessions at Chebacco Lake will begin officially on Thursday, June 12th at 5:00pm. As is our habit, we will pursue our insufferably tedious study of kayaking mayhem until darkness or bloodthirsty mosquitoes force us off the water. If you plan to join us, and we hope you do, please come equipped with boat, PFD, sprayskirt, paddle, and dress for immersion in cold water. This early in the season a drysuit is highly recommended. To find Chebacco Lake, take Rt 128 to exit 16, Pine St, in Manchester. Turn right off the exit ramp and follow the road north. The pavement will end, but after a mile or so it will begin again. Then look for the boat ramp 1/4 mile ahead on your right. Standing on the ramp you will see us in the cove to your left. We typically continue the Thursday sessions until the end of September. Hope to see you there!

I'm interested in joining in as well, especially in launching from Harpswell or Orr's Is. I'd like to explore the east end of the bay.

Ooh, looks like FUN! What is that pretty black boat? That Greenland stick looks wider than normal. Maybe a specialized surf stick?

Thanks, Liz. I called Joel this afternoon then decided to make my own rack to carry 4 boats. If I need to haul 6 the other 2 can still go on the car. That'll work... Cheers, Rob

I need a factory-made bolt-on rack that can carry at least 6 kayaks and/or rec-boats on a regular boat trailer. I already have the trailer, a Load-Rite with 800lb capacity. A quick google search brought up several pages of stuff, but I can't tell from their little photos what's good and what's junk. Anyone here have advice to offer? Thanks, Rob

Oh man, that looks like FUN!

In raccoon territory (Bangs Island!) do NOT store your food in your boat overnight if you value your hatch covers. (How does he know this, they all ask...)

We probably won't ever find out who did this. These things happen from time to time. It was vandalism, inexcusable, but not terribly uncommon. A friend of mine told me he had the same thing happen to him in Bremen back in '91, while he was on an overnight on Muscongus Bay. They did find the kids who did it that time, but there's no guarantee. More to the point, I think we handled it well. We talked it over around the fire and decided NOT to try paddling back in the dark but to pack up and go in the morning. Gary and Pru made calls to the police and to AAA so they'd be there when we landed. We hung together while our cars all got new tires and we didn't split up until we were all ready to head home in good shape. All in all, I still think of the trip as having been a success.

Mud flats at Sandy Point shouldn't be a problem. If I recall correctly, the beach is sandy right to the low tide line near the bridge abutment, and we'll be dealing with empty boats anyway. Our course is west under the bridge and hugging the shore before turning south toward Long Island.

Bump. So far we have 4 probables and 3 maybes. If you're interested in joining us, please send me your paddler info to go on the Float Plan. There is a move afoot to start a bit earlier (~9am) and take a scenic tour to the west and swing down by Great Diamond Island on our way out to the Scene of the Cleanup. This would add up to about a 12 mile paddle. Interested? Cheers, Rob

I've been asked about the cleanup schedule for the weekend. I figure we should head for Crow Island first and see how much work it needs. It's a small island and last time we visited we were done in no time at all. If we're done quick, we can either hang out or go for another paddle. Bangs, on the other hand, has always had more trash than we could collect. I'd like to get over there Saturday morning and do what we can before the MITA skiff shows up. After the skiff has visited, though, I guess we can get back to paddling and camping. I need to head home Sunday before lunch. Sid, I'm sorry you couldn't make it. Cheers, Rob

I plan to launch at 10:00 Friday morning. I hope that's late enough for anyone driving up from suburban Boston to join in. Gary has taken out a fire permit for us for both islands. (Thanks, Gary!) If you are planning to come along as part of the fleet, please send me your information (name, boat desc., emergency contact + phone# and car license plate # for parking on Cousins Is.). If you plan to meet up with us out there, we'll be happy to see you! Bangs and Crow Islands each have a landing cove at the north end with tent sites nearby. In the past we have left our filled trash bags there, tied down to rocks or heavy driftwood well above the high tide line. On Bangs we have also used the beach in the cove on the west side as a trash bag depot. Cheers, Rob

Ooh! Looks like 7 possible. Launch from Cousins. Where will we camp? I figure Crow or Bangs Island. Is there likely to be a crowd there in October? Am I being naive? I would be fine with continuing on to Jewell if folks want to, so long as we get some cleanup time before the MITA skiff shows up Saturday afternoon. I need to be home early afternoon on Sunday. Cheers, Rob

Good to hear there's interest! I just checked the tides for Friday the 11th. Tides at Gt Chebeague: Low 10:20am High 4:37pm Currents on Broad Sound west of Eagle Is: Max Ebb 0745 -1.4 Low Slack 1111 Max Flood 1334 +1.0 High Slack 1646 The easiest choices seem to me to be either launch mid-morning and ride the last of the ebb out, or to wait until mid-afternoon and catch the beginning of the afternoon ebb. I'd be open to either option.

I just received a note from the cleanup organizer at MITA, saying that they plan to pick up whatever trash is collected on Saturday afternoon between 2 and 3 c'clock. That being the case, I would like to paddle out Friday and stay overnight so as to have a few hours to clean up the shoreline before the big tin skiff arrives to haul away the season's gleanings. Of course anyone who wants to join us Saturday morning will be welcome! I'll have plenty of trash bags on hand. If you come, please bring sensible shoes for clambering along the rocks. Cheers, Rob

I just checked the tide and current predictions for October 12: Tides at Great Chebeague Is. HIgh 5:25am 9.1' Low 11:26am 0.75' High 5:44pm 9.97' Tidal Currents on Broad Sound west of Eagle Island: Max Ebb 8:41am -1.4kt Low Slack 12:12pm Max Flood 2:29pm +1.0kt High Slack 5:54pm This looks good for a morning paddle out on Saturday. The tides should also serve for a return trip the next day.

MITA's Casco Bay fall cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, October 12. Would anyone be interested in an overnight combined with some stewardship time on Bangs and Crow? We would launch from Cousins Island in Yarmouth. We can decide on launch and return time specifics depending on what people would prefer. Cheers, Rob

Yup! It was the 2012 Jewell Island trip. If you pan over to Eagle Island and zoom in on the north end you'll see the rest of the fleet pulled out on the beach. Rene (Brambor) discovered the shot when he was showing his dad where we had gone that weekend. He posted the image here on the bulletin board. When I saw the shot I wondered if the satellite had also caught Mary and me circumnavigating Jewell, and, sure enough, there we were!

Hey, Mary, I just checked, and that satellite photo of Jewell Island on Google Maps still has the two of us in it! I'll always be up for a flat water outing with you! Cheers, Rob

I'm planning to come along.

The Chebacco Lake session for Thursday, July 4th, will be cancelled because, well, it's the Fourth of July. See you on the 11th! Cheers, Rob

You guys are making me envious! I wanna paddle in the snow! Manatees are boring! Hey, Rob, is that an oval rear hatch I see on that Explorer?