PeterB

Shari, look what we just missed! This photo of the Aurora borealis was taken from the summit of Cadillac Mountain ( the lights of Bar Harbor just visible at tree line, lower right) a few nights ago .

The long awaited NSPN Downeast Retreat arrived, and went very well! Some 22 of us gathered in Bar Harbor, arriving in dribs and drabs starting Thursday afternoon, some of us staying through Tuesday. We had four great paddling days on Friday-Monday, hitting most of the area's best paddling locations and paddling in a variety of conditions ranging from pretty favorable to downright splendid. Many of us stayed at two spots (LLangolin Inn or Hadley Point Campground) near Hadley Point on the north side of Mount Desert Island ; a few others stayed at a nearby KOA campground and still others stayed at other places nearby. Special thanks to Ed Lawson and Rob Hazard who assisted in planning for this event and who, along with me, acted as initiators on paddles each day. This was a great group of paddlers and all of our paddles went very well. I arrived at Llangolan around 6:30 PM on Thursday and found a gathering of kindred souls at a picnic table in front of cottage #6, occupied by paddling doyennes Katherine, Shari and Janice, who had turned their area into Salon d'NSPN for the weekend, with various stews, casseroles, soups, breads, dips, crackers, cheeses, cakes and spirits regularly emerging from their bungalow for all to enjoy. (Id like to post photos but didnt have a camera with me: I used a few shots from other trips, and I'll refer to Warren and Shari's photos posted on another Downeast Retreat thread here in the trip reports forum) Friday: Day 1. We met at 9:00AM at the parking area and boat launch at Hadley Point, a short distance from the campground and Inn where most of us were staying. We then had a big conclave to review paddling trip options for the day. It was a pleasant day, warm and sunny, promising winds from the south to 10kts., and fairly mild sea conditions especially on the north end of the island, so it was agreed that focusing in this north end of Mount Desert Island, and especially the Porcupine Islands off of downtown Bar Harbor, was the order of the day. We divided into three groups : one group coalesced around Rob Hazard and launched right there from Hadley Point ,with the plan of traveling along MDIs north coast down to Bar Harbor and returning by the same route, a tide-friendly trip of about 13-14 miles. Warrens photos in the original Downeast retreat post on the trip report forum show the natural rock arch that was one of the highlights of this trip. Our other two groups caravan'd to downtown Bar Harbor and we staged our boats and gear at the gravel bar that runs to Bar Island, and parked our cars nearby in town for the day . Eds group was to tour the Porcupines, and my group was to do the same, but with the option of venturing out into the farther and more exposed reaches of Frenchmans Bay, which was just what we did. We shadowed Eds group along the Porcupines, then crossed from outermost Long Porcupine Island over to Ironbound Island while Ed and Co. rounded Long Porcupine en route to a sort-of circumnav.of the Porcupines . Along the way we stopped for a play at the "keyhole" a well-known slot in the sheer cliffs of Burnt Porcupine Arriving at Ironbound Island, we stopped for a snack (elevensies) on a cobble beach on its rocky west side , paddled down to its southern point and crossed, one mile to the south, into a 10 Kt. wind, to Egg Rock , a forlorn little ledge perched right in the middle of Frenchmans Bay , crowned with a stubby, ramshackle lighthouse building. The island has a "way out there" feel to it, with splendid views of MDI and Schoodic Peninsula. After the rest of lunch and a look -see around the island , we crossed back to Mount Desert Island, arriving at the Thrumcap ledge, and, now with a fair wind and tide, we flew back to Bar Harbor. As we approached the south end of town, we were all greeted at once with a blast of oven- like hot air from the mainland, quite a jolt after the cool breezy sea air of Frenchmans Bay. We arrived back as the others were car topping their boats out on the now -exposed gravel bar. Back at Llangolin, we had a group meeting at 6:30 to discuss paddling options for the next day. Afterwards, some went in to Bar Harbor for dinner, while some of us were enticed by more culinary delights erupting from cottage # 6, so we hung out at Salon d'NSPN until about 9, then filtered off to bed. Saturday Day 2 We again met at 9AM at Hadley Point , same as the day before, this time with worsening weather to contend with in planning the days paddle. Given winds to 20 kt , seas 4-7 feet and scattered thundershowers from the south , we decided to confine our paddling plans to a shorter trip in the protected waters on the north side of the island between Hadley Point and the Narrows. We paddled westward along the wooded shoreline, explored Thomas Bay and the lovely marshy area up and around Northeast Creek, then met up with Andy and Warren who had paddled over from their campground on the other side of the Narrows. We paddled en masse to the Narrows, where we dawdled and played in the current under the bridge, Warren and Andy departed for their home base,and we stopped for lunch at a picnic area by the narrows until rousted by Mr. Hazard to avoid the ignominy of being stuck in the boot- sucking ooze of the rapidly emerging mudflats in the falling tide. We paddled back to Hadley Point , arriving around 2:30PM. A few paddlers prolonged their day (bad weather, as it turned out was a bit stalled and the day remained fair until late evening showers ) and continued on eastward a bit before returning to Hadley Point. Back at Llangolan , we had our 6:30 meeting to sort out the next days plan, then some of us went into town for dinner while others continued the festivities at Salon d'NSPN. Sunday Day 3 Weather had turned fair once again, and, with north winds pushing the last of the bad weather southward, the south end of the island was now fair game, so we caravan'd en masse down to Seal Harbor, with a plan to tour the Cranberry Islands. We were 18 in number, so we divided into three groups, one group with me to head eastward and explore MDIs southeast coast and then back to the Cranberries later in the day: the other two groups with Ed and Rob to tour the Cranberries. As it turned out, Ed and Rob's groups stayed as one, and headed a bit west along the shore, rounded the west end of Bear Island . then crossed to Rice Point, at the west end of Sutton Island , then headed east along the south shore of Sutton Island, turned southeast and made for Hadlock Cove on Little Cranberry, and stopped in the cute little village of Islesford for lunch and a tour of the museum . After lunch they paddled out the mouth of Cranberry Harbor (The Gut) and made a beeline for the south end of Baker I, South of Baker they continued around to the bar that extends out from Little Cranberry . then rock-hopped their way back along the north side of Little Cranberry to Bunker Neck, and crossed back toward the east end of Sutton I. and then headed back into Seal Harbor. My group headed eastward and we rock -gardened our way along the spectacular rock cliff shoreline of MDIs southeast coast until we reached Otter Point at the extreme SE corner of the island . We rounded the point and paddled along Otter Cliffs to Thunder Hole, where we turned around, not before putting on a show for the tourists there. Thunder Hole is a popular tourist spot where, on many days, ocean swell floods into a narrow slot in the cliffs , finishing in a small cave creating a big whoosh and a reverberating boom. Thunder Hole was not thundering on this milder day, near low tide, so several of us took turns slithering into the narrow slot in the rocks , right into the hole., to the amusement of the onlookers on the boardwalk overhead. We paddled back around Otter Point, stopped for lunch on a cobble beach inside Otter Cove, near Ingraham Point we then crossed over to the Cranberries , via Bunker Ledge, and paused to enjoy the splendid views back to the mountains of Mount Desert. The emerging bar between Little Cranberry and Baker island required us to pull our boats a short way before heading on to Cranberry Harbor and our return to Seal Harbor. Back again at Llangolan, I fed like a waif on the remaining morsels at Salon d'NSPN, and , with clear skies and a full moon, a bunch of us drove to the National Park and strolled around Sand Beach in the moonlight . The islands celestial offerings inspired Shari to get up early the next morning to view the sunrise from Cadillac Moiuntain. Monday Day 4 Six of us were remaining on Monday, still game for more paddling, and conditions were right for an exploration of the west side of the island , So we caravan'd to Seal Cove on MDIs southwestern side, and set off to tour Bartlett Sound and Pretty Marsh. Conditions were fair again : warm, sunny , and ... idyllic , so we ambled out of Seal Cove, paddled up to Bartlett Sound, and into the head of Pretty Marsh, stopped for lunch , after which Yong, Beth, who had to hit the road that afternoon , headed back with Mike to Seal Cove. Glenn, Sherry and I continued on up to near the top of Bartlett Narrows , ferried across to Bartlett Island and turned around for a fast return ride back with the tide , stopping at John Island along the way. Afternoon winds picked up as we were exiting Bartlett sound and so our ride was slower and bumper from there; we elected to carry our boats across the narrow bar between MDI and Moose Island rather than face more wind on the outside , and we ambled back into Seal Cove at about 4PM, closing out the paddling festivities for the weekend. . SO: I had a great time this weekend. This event offered a wide variety of trip options, almost all of which could bear repeating from year to year (I don't think I'd tire of any of them) MDI's geography and hydrography offer a wide range of paddling options geared to weather, tides and conditions, ( as evidenced by day two,when we paddled on the north side of the island, while the south side of island was crappy) and I think each days trips/venues accommodated paddlers of all levels . It's also a good place to bring a non-kayaking spouse or partner, as there is much to do if weather prevents paddling altogether . Any one paddler can come for one, two, three,or four days, so I'm thinking we'll do this event next year , most likely the same weekend after Labor Day, which would be Sept 11-14.

I've sent out a contact list for this Retreat by email to all participants :people who have rsvp'd or posted their interest or con acted me directly) If you you plan on attending and I don't have your contact information and you have not received an email from me., please contact me by PM. Peter

Pru, Nice trip report. I like your chartwork. i will convene a meeting at the highest levels of NSPN management , where you will be appointed as NSPN's official cartographer.

That's great Beth, I think we;ll see if either the grounds of the Llangolan Inn (cottages are set in a vast open grassy area) or the adjacent Hadley Point Campground, is a suitable meeting area. we'll want to meet as a group at least once time a day for sorting out trips ,either early morning or, better yet, , a little bit before dinner, 5-6-ish. After Labor Day, accommodations are much easier to find , even at shorter notice,but it still is a busy time of year on Mt. Desert Island, lots of tourist activity still, so it would still be prudent to reserve accommodations in advance. Peter

If a packet you like (sauce, Indian food whatever) is too much for a one- person serving, can you divide into a few one- serving portions and then vacuum bag each portion for travel? If one does that (presumes that you own a vacuum bagger ), how long should a once-opened (e.g. Tasty Bites Indian food) packet that's then vacuum- bagged last on a multi- day trip?

Regarding accommodations: they're are on your own, and there are many options on Mount Desert Island, from simple campgrounds and motels to very upscale inns and hotels. A handful of us have gotten cabins/rooms at the Llangolin Inn/Cottage resort for this weekend , in the Hadley Point area of Mt. Desert Island. So its likely that the Hadley Point area will be our center of operations. There is a Hadley Point campground almost next door to Llangolin. Also the Rose Eden cottages across the road. Not far away is the Robbins (?) motel, which is probably the cheapest on the island, something like $45 /night : Rooms are clean but bare-bones.I stayed there a few times and found it suitable for someone like me, out- and -about all day and looking only for a comfortable and clean-enough place to sleep at night. There's a Bar Harbor motel near the ferry terminal (not far from Hadley Point, maybe 1.5 miles) thats just fine and in the middle -of -the- road motel price range for that area. There are also very nice campgrounds a bit further away. Mt. Desert Campground at the head of Somes Sound is very nice , as is Blackwoods Campground in the Natl. Park. Blackwoods , I think, is first come first served, Mt. Desert is by reservation and very popular due to how nice it is. Possibly cheaper accomodations off the island, in Ellsworth or Trenton, but then its a bit of a longer drive each day to where the paddling is.

Gary, if you 've already fixed on food packet types you like ( i agree that Indian food packets are yummy) but the main problem is that its too much, can you just repackage in zip lock bags in just the portions that work for you, then freeze the rest at home for later use?

I don't know about other brands, but IPhone marine apps do the job for me. Some worth noting are Aye Tides (tides and currents) , Windfinder Pro, Google Maps, Magic Seaweed, NOAA Buoy Data Reader, and Marine Weather Weather by Accuweather. Aye Tides was $9.99 , the rest were free or cheaper than that. I'm pretty sure that all things Apple are more expensive than their non-Apple counterparts, but if you can deal with that, I would recommend Apple all the way. Regarding waterproof and deck mounted Iphone-like devices : am I the only person who kayaks (partly) to get away from all of that? With Cell phone tucked away in a waterproof case for land use , as Gary describes, , and with VHF, charts, deck mounted compass, and the computer residing between your ears, is there really the need to even dream about Iphone- like devices while paddling?

Does anyone know about silk as a fabric to wear on the water? I usually wear a long- sleeved thin merino wool layer under my short sleeved semi- drytop (mostly for skin covering/sun protection, but also comfortable for me) , but most of my merino wool uppers are black or some other dark color, and I would like this layer to be white fabric for summer, and I have seen some silk underlayer garments that look appealing . Is silk in the category of merino wool (natural fiber but fast- drying, insulates when wet, and good to wear on the water) or more in the category of cottons: (" cotton is rotten", bad to wear on the water) ?

Well... Boston Fireworks were moved from Friday July 4th to tonight, ; July 3rd, due to weather conditions. I could not make it this evening. Nobody had RSVP'd for this paddle anyway, but there was some word of various people viewing the fireworks on their own , by inflatable, kayak, canoe, whatever. If any of you have set off this evening for the fireworks, Have a good time! Maybe we'll watch the fireworks by kayak next year. Peter

Robin. That is a good point. If the lot is closed all the way out to Memorial Drive, stopping and unloading boats would be a problem. I will look into unloading by Trader Joe's like a few years ago. I know that can be done, Im pretty sure I remember kayaks and canoes filtering onto the river from Magazine Beach, so the restrictions you cited are mainly targeted at power boaters and larger craft, but to be safe, no harm done launching from Trader Joes: unloading at e river , then looking for parking on the Cambridge streets behind Trader Joe's.

Brenda, okay. We've had a few very nice Friday evenings and had discussed making it a regular friday night outing, so we'll keep you posted.

Robin, No, Magazine Beach has a not-large parking lot, which would definititely be a no parking zone on every 4th of July . The Trader Joe's Parking lot is a ways up River. (maybe 1/2 a mile), and there is a place to put in boats there too. The Trader Joe's lot across the street is sort of a gray area as far as I can see. Its a commercial parking lot so it may be the businesses there that set their parking policy, not sure. In any event I don't think I'll risk it this year. Cambridge streets have resident permit parking but permits are not needed on Sundays and Holidays, I've been told, so you can park on Cambridge city streets. The point is that you have to wrap your head around taking a chunk of time to get your car squared away. we plan to arrive well in advance so that I have the time to park the car once boats are unloaded at Magazine Beach . That means finding a spot in Cambridge port, I cant say how much or little time that'll take, I think I will give myself an hour, so in the worst case I could park all the way up near Central Square and walk back to Magazine beach, which would take about 20 minutes to half an hour.

Parking is the challenge. A few years ago we parked at the Trader Joe's parking lot on Memorial Drive across the street from the Charles with no problems, but there were a few signs that made it appear that that was technically not allowed . The best strategy is to arrive well in advance , unload boats, one person mind the boats while you find a parking space on the blocks in the Magazine Street area (Cambridgeport) of Cambridge.

Phil, thats fine. I'll be at the parking lot at Magazine Beach @ 5PM .

Tomorrow (Friday 6/27) I'll be putting my boat in at Magazine Beach (Memorial Drive Cambridge, across fro BU) at 5PM and paddling on the Charles River 'till about dusk, if anyone would like to join me. For the past few weeks Les and I have been paddling the Charles on Friday late afternoons into the early evening. Les is gone to a Greenland event on the Hudson (boo hoo) so this week I'll be alone. Last week we paddled down through the locks by the Museum of Science , out into Boston Harbor, then over to the Aquarium and back and it was just grand. Route tomorrow is flexible but that gives an idea of what is possible. Reply here , or PM me or just show up if you are interested. Peter

I have the Northwater Seatec tow belt. Its chief attributes are the "burrito" bag design and the big mouth on the bag that the line stows in . A big part of towing is dealing with / stowing the tow line when you're finished using it. Bring able to get the line back in the bag quickly while underway is important to me , and this tow belt works very well for that.

For the Solstice Paddle, our L2+ our group assembled on Riverhead Beach in Marblehead, at @10AM , just as the two L3 groups were finishing their beach briefings and setting off for their adventures. The beach thinned out considerably once these two flotillas departed, revealing that we were a group of twelve. At our beach briefing , we confirmed that we were all very much on the same page; each person reported that they were game for a mild and pleasant summer paddle on this mild and pleasant summer day, and that the traditional L2+ Solstice trip from Riverhead over to Salem Willows and back, about 8 miles, would fit the bill nicely. So we set off and made our way through busy Marblehead harbor, ambled along the coast , where we gathered at Fluen Point for our crossing over to Salem Neck. Mr. Hazard took over the proceedings at this point, and we crossed first to the day marker at Knapp Rock and then another tight hop to Winter Island , and rounded Juniper Point to the Willows for a lunch stop. After about 45 minutes we filtered back on the water and snaked down to Winter Island and its white lighthouse, and , with Mr Hazard again at the helm, crossed back to Marblelhead and continued on our way back to Marblehead Harbor. We clustered again at Peachs Point's and agreed to extend our trip by crossing to Marblehead Lighthouse on the other side of Marblehead Harbor. From there we filtered through the harbor's maze of moored boats back to Riverhead beach , arriving about 3:15PM, and migrated over to the pavilion on Devereaux beach for the traditional potluck . While at the Willows there had been a bit of talk about the legendary Chop Suey sandwich available at the concessions there , but the group had the good judgment to eschew this dubious local offering , a course of action which stood us in good stead at the end of the day when we returned for the potluck with our stomachs in fine working order, fully prepared to enjoy the delicacies that presented themselves: among the potluck's many highlights were Cathy's Oriental slaw, Pablo's Spanish potato fritatta, Janice's asparagus and goat cheese masterpiece, and Glen' s massive fresh prepared salmon. I enjoyed this Solstice paddle very much. In our group, Leslie, Blaine, Rob, Sal and Dee contributed ther experience and good cheer, and the nautical and fraternal success of our L2+ paddle was also reported by the other two groups upon their return. Thanks, all, for making this a fine day.

Wellllll,.... marine weather weather forecasts for Saturday are favorable, Solstice paddling plans are a- buzz, so : its time to discuss food! After the paddle, we, of course, filter over to the pavilion on Devereux Beach for our potluck , where relax , chat, and engage in the time- honored tradition of maintaining NSPNs high culinary standards. Who's bringing what? I'll bring my usual tray of home made sushi. I'm looking forward to paddling and eating with friends.

I think Tiderace kayaks are currently without a US dealer, so the only Tiderace boats in the country would be from the previous dealer, so they'd mostly be available trough classifieds or whatever dealers still have Tiderace boats in stock from their last orders. Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Newton Mass had Tiderace boats for a year or two , not sure if they still do.

I fixed the dates in both the posting and in the calendar. Thanks for noticing! to clarify: dates are: Friday Sept. 5 Saturday Sept 6 Sunday Sept. 7 Monday Sept 8 Go to Sept. 5th in the calendar for the Calendar posting.

I have little plastic pill holders; 99 cents (and others like it ) at the Container Store