jwhipple

Me too ... thanks for posting! Judy

Me, too (unless I oversleep horribly)! Judy

Please put me on your "very interested" list! Judy

Thanks anyway for trying, Al!

Hi Al - Thanks for posting this! I'm interested, but uncertain about fitting it into the day's schedule ... what time were you planning on getting off the water at the end? Thanks, Judy

Thanks for letting us know, Deb. Guess I'll use the time to finish up that home repair project I've been procrastinating over. And thanks for trying, Christopher ... here's hoping you get a quorum next time! Judy

I agree. Will monitor this thread until 5:00 just in case Deb decides she's in, but after that it's a no-go for me. Thanks, Christopher.

Yes please, I'd like to join the group. Judy

I'm also interested in joining you, if you go ahead with the paddle. Thanks for posting! Judy

This in Sunday's Globe takes a different look at GPS, and includes a quote from John near the end: http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/08/17/our-brains-pay-price-for-gps/d2Tnvo4hiWjuybid5UhQVO/story.html

Am also hoping to join you. (Just back from the Berkshires, so sorry for late notice. Will send float plan info via IM. Presuming, of course, there's still room. I'll doublecheck here in the AM.) Judy

Thanks, Liz ... I'm in!

I'd like to join in! What time would put-in be? (I was thinking of taking in the 4pm Gloucester Stage Co. show beforehand.)

TRIP REPORT -- POD B Katherine and others carefully laid plans for this trip, which was very much appreciated by us paddlers. But Mother Nature's lack of sympathy for these plans led to anxious forecast-watching and considering of options as Saturday approached. With the forecast persistently including possible thunderstorms throughout the weekend, three of us decided we'd be more comfortable forgoing Warren and staying instead at Camden Hills State Park on the mainland, which would offer a variety of day paddles (or alternative entertainments) according to the conditions we found. So Liz, Florrie and I headed up to Maine late Saturday morning, set up camp (including Liz's amazing featherweight tarp) at Camden Hills, then did some exploring on foot down in Lincolnville before returning for dinner. Yum! Salmon for appetizer, then tortellini, salad and fresh veggies, washed down by Lincolnville's finest sirah, followed by strawberry shortcake with whipped cream! We also discovered a new way of getting damp wood to burn in a campfire. Sunday, after fortifying ourselves with breakfast (including leftover shortcake), we settled on the Friendship/lower St. George River area for the day's paddle, putting in between the two; there's a ramp at the end of Bradford Point Road off Route 97, just before Friendship Harbor, which was recommended to us by a local guide, and gave us a variety of options depending on conditions. Conditions turned out to be foggy but relatively calm, so we set out around Garrison, then around the north tip of Friendship Long Island. Fog flirted with us all day, moving in and out, so we kept land in our sights and there was much consulting of charts, compasses and buoys to stay on course. And this being Sunday, the Friendship lobster fleet was quiet, so we had very little company on the water. We elected to paddle down the west coast of Friendship Long Island, where we encountered an increase in wind and waves, with the long southwest fetch, but not enough to be challenging. We briefly considered following the chain of islands down as far as Black for lunch, but decided against it after encountering increasing fog and conditions as we reached the south end of Friendship Long Island, so we cut across between it and Cranberry, stopping for lunch on Cranberry's northern end. Then we paddled back up the eastern side of Friendship Long Island and back to Friendship Harbor. Passing by our put-in (which had meantime transformed from a clam flat to a tiny beach), we explored up in the lower St. George River a ways before returning to our starting point. Another good dinner, featuring local crab cakes, clams and haddock, with salad and veggies, and seasoned with some amazing balsamic vinegars from Fiore's in Rockland. Late Sunday night Florrie headed back home, taking advantage of light traffic at that hour. On Monday, with the forecast now calling for possible thunderstorms later in the day, Liz and I opted for a half-day paddle out of Tenants Harbor. Again the conditions were relatively calm but fog flirted with us; the outer sides of the several islands outside Tenants Harbor were invisible, so we stayed on the inside, exploring these islands and stopping for lunch on Clark. After which we paddled up Long Cove as far as low tide would allow (which was pretty far), finding mudflats, blue herons, and an entirely different environment from out in the harbor. Finally we retraced our steps, returning to the put-in ramp at Tenants Harbor. As we loaded boats, it began to sprinkle, and it rained much of the way home. Except for a few drops on Saturday, this was the only precipitation we experienced all weekend, and not a single thunderstorm. We may owe it to Liz's magic umbrella, which has a reputation for preventing the wet stuff during paddles. In sum, Pod B also had an excellent weekend. It just goes to show, once again, that forecasts need to be respected, but can't be trusted. Our two pods of paddlers both made prudent choices, and a good time was had by all. Just not all together!

Thanks for posting this, Christopher! If you end up going on Sunday night, I'd like to join the group. Judy

Thanks for posting this, Al! Am thinking about joining you. What time do you anticipate getting off the water in the PM?

‘‘Lobsters have the potential to be a sort of poster child for climate change impact and the impacts of human activity,’’ according to the cochair of the conference this week, sponsored by the University of Maine's Maine Sea Grant program. The Globe had a preview of the conference this morning: http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/11/27/lobster-scientists-gather-formaine-symposium/UV8QnuOx48HYPRWp6nx5MK/story.html Conference agenda and other info available online: http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/lobster-symposium/agenda

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2012/SciSpot/SS1209/

Thanks for the evocative trip report and photos, complete with Excalibur! Our weekend home, on Stevens Island, proved to be a great staging point for Great Wass, and we were indeed (classic Peter-ism) very "not underfed". I think the greatest beneficiaries of trip reports are those who participated, as it allows us to relive the weekend ... sigh.

Amazing! That's definitely us ... and we were only there for an hour. And wasn't there someone who didn't paddle with us on Saturday? Scanning on Google a little farther south to Jewell, it looks like a kayak pulled up on the grass near the Cocktail Cove takeout ...

Am also looking to join you, if there's room. Will send you the specs by PM. Judy

I went and saw the kayak today, and the conservators working on it were full of information. Well worth your time to check it out! The only drawback is that it's roped off, you have to stand a couple of feet away from it, but they move a big mirror around to show you whatever spots aren't visible from where you're standing. They've also started a Facebook page about the conservation project, which will accumulate more info and images over time: http://www.facebook.com/PeabodyKayak

Just noticed this post! (Haven't been visiting this website much over the winter.) Looks as if you're pretty full; my tough luck. Please add me to the waiting list ... and thanks for posting this great trip again this year, Gary! Judy

The original hardcopy Globe article had a second photo, of the bow end; apparently they left it out of the online version. But if you follow the link at the very end of the article, it takes you to a Peabody Museum webpage with another photo: http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/747. And, if you want to see more, the article closes by saying "Museum conservators will be working in the kayak conservation room and available to chat with visitors on Mondays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays and Wednesdays 2-5 p.m. for months to come. For more information, call 617-496-1027 or visit www.peabody.harvard.edu." A visit to the Peabody Museum is now on my To Do list.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/cambridge/articles/2012/03/10/kayak_at_harvard_museum_offers_gateway_to_vanishing_culture/