Rob Hazard

Brian Marcaurelle informs me that we should be fine for the night of the 4th. The campsite at the north end of the island should hold us all fine. Capacity of 8. He says the central campsite is frequently wet this time of year.

So who all is coming along?

Rob

Lats & Lons for my reference points on Plum Island Sound:

Plum Island NWR Parking Lot 1 Lat 42deg 47' 24" N Lon 70deg 48' 36" W

Wardens' Sheds Lat 42deg 45' 23" N Lon 70deg 48' 22" W

Island Park Rd STOP sign Lat 42deg 41' 57" N Lon 70deg 49' 07" W Windmill bearing: 329 mag

Eagle Hill Rd launch ramp Lat 42deg 42' 20" N Lon 70deg 49' 03" W windmill bearing: 314 mag

As I say, next time I head out to Plum Island I'll re-shoot the bearings from Lot1 and the Wardens' sheds and take a photo.

The bearing using my kayak deck compass was taken from a few yards outside the mouth of Lane's Cove, close enough for a bearing of that range.

I happened to be on Jeffrey's Neck, Ipswich, this week and took bearings on the windmill again with 2 other compasses. From the STOP sign at Island Park Road the bearing is 329 mag, and from the boat ramp on Eagle Hill Road the bearing is 314 mag.

Yesterday I paddled with Christopher out of Lane's Cove and noticed I could see the windmill while sitting in my boat at the mouth of the Cove. Using my boat's compass it bore 300 mag.

Next time I get out to Plum Island I will try to remember to bring a camera and take a shot or two. AND I'll re-shoot the bearings I took with the suspect compass last week!

I will also post lat/lon coordinates for my reference points.

I was thinking of a noon launch to avoid the foul current, but I could be persuaded to launch earlier. It's not like we're fighting the Merrimack River!

Spider, thanks for the heads-up. I just rechecked the tidal current numbers. Seems that either they have changed or I goofed (impossible!).

NOAA Tides and Currents for Casco Bay, Broad Sound west of Eagle Island, June 4, 2011:

Slack Water 0833

Max Flood 1049 +1.0

Slack Water 1406

Max Ebb 1705 -1.4

June 5:

Slack Water 0917

Max Flood 1135 +1.0

Slack Water 1449

Max Ebb 1754 -1.4

Now I have to figure out where I got those other current times from! I tend to think more about current times than High and Low tide, since they have more effect on paddling speed. We should be able to cross inside Little Chebeague without portaging, thus saving more energy for cleanup!

I chose the Eagle Island prediction because it's close to our destination, but I don't know exactly how the currents affect our course which wraps the contours of Great Chebeague.

It still looks like a noonish launch from Cousins would get us out to Bangs with plenty of daylight for cleanup. And a morning launch from Bangs will let us ride the tide back.

The tidal current prediction for June 5th (Sunday) on Hussey sound, west of Eagle Island are as follows:

Low Slack 0557

Max Flood 0815 +1.0

High Slack 1148

Max Ebb 1459 -1.4

Low Slack 1843

I listed the times for the 4th in an earlier post. The distance each way is ~6 miles, all in pretty protected water. If we were to launch from Cousins Island Saturday around noon, we'd get to Bangs around 2pm and have the rest of the afternoon to do our civic duty, MITA-wise. The guide book says there is room for a total of 20 persons among the 3 campsites. Brian said he saw no problem with our staying over the night of the 4th-5th. So on Sunday we could get up and even do more cleanup if we so desired before heading out late morning for a leisurely paddle back to Cousins.

So who is still up for the daring and arduous adventure?

Cheers,

Rob

I have just emailed Brian M at MITA to let him know of our plans for an overnight on Bangs. Overnight would allow us a leisurely paddle each way, plus lots of time to scour the island to pristine perfection. I got my old backpacking tent out and set it up just to make sure it's all still there.

I count a possible party of 5 so far.

Let's look at times and tides again.

Some quick chart work raised some suspicions about my compass. Now I find it does not agree with another one I have on hand. I will re-shoot the bearings next time I'm out there and report back.

Here I was all set to run right out to REI and buy a bivy and you guys have talked me out of it! A cheap tarp, some parachute cord, a few pebbles, and I'm set for the night!

The Town of Ipswich has put up a wind generator on Town Farm Road. It's visible from all over Plum Island Sound. On a recent birding trip I took some compass bearings on it.

From the west side of the road at the north end of Parking Lot #1, just south of the entrance gate to the Refuge, the bearing is 217 mag.

From the SW corner of the south building of the Wardens' maintenance sheds the bearing is 223 mag.

From the observation tower at the Bill Forward Pool the bearing is 247 mag.

This afternoon I took a couple bearings from the main road out to Great Neck in Ipswich.

From the stop sign at the corner of Island Park Rd the bearing is 331 mag.

And from the Eagle Hill Public Landing (Ipswich residents only!) the bearing is 304 mag.

Mark your charts! Maybe we can do some nav practice this summer.

I keep wondering whether the others in your group held back from approaching the "hypothermic" Paul because of a combination of Rick's being his usual entertaining self and Paul's being "one of the Leaders" and, thus, above being approached as a victim. It might be that under less of a classroom atmosphere they would react as we would like them to. I would hope so!

Last year during one of these exercises I found myself feeling woozy, so I announced that I was seasick and turned it into an exercise. The group rafted me up and towed me to a pocket beach on Marblehead Neck. Afterwards one of them confided to me that she didn't know if I was really sick or just faking it. I don't know what would have happened if I had silently toughed it out.

Looks like I've gotta pass on today too.

Have fun out there!

Rob

I'm thinking of coming along, especially if the planned route includes playing among the rocks.

Please note we have changed the date of the second on-the-water session to JUNE 5th.

We had several requests from people who couldn't make it on Memorial Day weekend.

David, a google search will reveal an embarrassment of riches on this. I found a very quick tutorial on Youtube called Map and Compass basics: Plotting a course. It's about a minute and a half long and will give you a good start.

This Thursday will mark the beginning of the club's lake sessions on Chebacco Lake in Manchester, our 12th summer! The water is still quite cold, so drysuits are a necessity, but the usual crew will be in attendance, including, of course, the indefatigable Rick Crangle. We'll start about 5 pm and keep going until dusk, with the same assortment of fun, games, and serious exercises that have kept this session popular for so long! Come join us!

Ed, this Sunday's session will launch from Riverhead Beach, Marblehead at 0900.

Correct, Kevin. May 15th at 0900.

This Sunday's session will launch from Riverhead Beach in Marblehead at 0900.

Gee, Ed, I hadn't considered that. I'd be open to it if there's a ground swell of enthusiasm. Let's see what people have to say. Anyone?

The route will be the usual 'round Great Chebeague circuit launching from Cousins Island. The tidal currents are contrary, though:

Casco Bay, Hussey Sound, west of Eagle Island June 4th

Low Slack 0833

Max Flood 1049 +1.0

High Slack 1406

Max Ebb 1705 -1.4

This means we'll be paddling harder and longer than usual, and we won't have the usual soft & sloppy seaweed landing zone. But, we'll have oodles of daylight to burn if we launch by 1000.

The length of the circuit is about 12 nm.

This is a CAM trip, and I'd estimate it at the high end of Level 3. Due to water temp, drysuits are a must. If weather forecast bumps it to Level 4, I'll postpone the trip.

Since the purpose of the trip is island cleanup, please come prepared not only to paddle, but to pick up trash, trim trails, etc.

MITA is holding their spring cleanup of Casco Bay islands on June 4th. I would like to join in by paddling out to Bangs Island, which we had to skip last fall due to short daylight. Anyone interested in coming along?

Just to be clear, the two dates posted are to make the workshop available to more people. We'll be covering the same material, more or less, conditions permitting. It is NOT a case of one session for beginners and another for advanced paddlers. Of course anyone who wishes to attend both is welcome to. "Two bites of the apple", as Rick put it.

It's worth mentioning here that the club still has plenty of NSPN brochures and "Paddle Smart" flyers for you to hand out. If you want any just get in touch with me and I'll get them to you. They don't save lives sitting in my barn!

No, Ed,

There was no mention of laser flares. There were only 5 of us there, one being a young boy, and there was more fireworks than conversation.

The smokes, especially the larger ones, put out quite an impressive display, even in a breeze, but you need to hold them aloft or set them adrift, or the smoke will choke you. Handheld flares are also highly visible in daylight, but need to be held aloft and downwind, which may not be easy from a kayak in distress.