PeterB

This is  a bump up/ update for the NSPN Downeast Retreat, now less than 2 months away. 
We now have 18 RSVP’s, and have started a group PM for attendees  to communicate in advance of   the event. 

1) If you RSVP’d and plans have changed and you will not be going, please go to the calendar posting   RSVP  area, change your status to  “ declined "
If you will be going but haven’t RSVP’d on the calendar posting, please do so asap. 
2) If you are going, make sure you have  accommodations reserved somewhere! Bar Harbor has been getting much busier later into the season: the weekend after Labor day is no  longer the off season, and accommodations have been getting busier  and more expensive. 
3) if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me by PM (PeterB) or by email or text if you have my contact info.

Cheers, Peter 
        

I  agree that is a valuable addition.  

Regarding ferry route accuracy: on a recent paddle trip to Swans Island, we noticed during our long approach to our take out near  the ferry dock that the incoming ferry ahead of us went inside rather than outside (as expected) green can 3 on its approach to the ferry dock; this was close to high tide so presumably the ferry operators may cut corners or otherwise slightly alter routes  as experience and prudence dictate.   This in turn  suggests that here and there might be some deviation in  ferry routes  we  see on maps and  charts.

Chart 1 shows the actual approach of the ferry as we witnessed it. You can see the turn inside green can 3
Chart 2 shows how this route could be shown on your charts: a  wider swath ( translucent  so that  none of the chart is blotted out)  might suggest some reasonable  expected deviation in a ferry  route.
Chart 3  (Grand Manan Ferry route) shows how this might  look in  the context of a large scale chart.  

Your chart work is fantastic!    

What an excellent trip report.  Captures both  the paddling essence  and the ...  "look and feel" of of the island as I remember it. . I was there for about a week , and would add a few things :

* A circumnav. should be doable, since you can really fly with the current  up and down each side of the island, but it would be a long day.  We did the entire east coast in one day, and the entire west side on an another day, paddling almost effortlessly at 5-6  knots  for big stretches. 
* I was there in extremely  fair and calm conditions after a big hurricane. But  it wouldn't take much at  all to ramp up the conditions  (currents with  standing waves) there.   I hear that Tom Bergh did a foray there as it was being considered one of the few places in N America with conditions  suitable for a BCU 5 star assessment. He reported eddies several boat lengths wide that were extremely difficult to  cross and generally manage. The area of ledges and islets south of the island feature an area that says on the chart '; " very heavy on the ebb" . 
* Dark Harbor is truly a unique place. There were a couple of cabins with Canadian and Confederate flags flying; which tells you... something, but I'm not sure quite  what.  On long holiday weekends people gather there , and the police just set up roadblocks to keep everyone from leaving until the weekend is over and the alcohol wears off. That would be an interesting place to get stuck on one of those weekends. 

Millbridge public boat launch  is close to Dyer Bay: launch there,  paddle out the Narragaugus River into Narragaugus Bay and explore the wonderful islands of the area:  Shipstern, Jordan's Delight, Bois Bubert, Pond islands.  Paddle out on the ebb, return on the flood.  Mind the tides, currents, shallows, ledges, mudflats; they're all more pronounced and more splendid and  ... well, just more there  :  the water moves up there  , and not a good place to paddle against the current or be surprised by anything. 

Glad you mentioned navigation challenges!  At some point I realized that Squam is a deceptively challenging place to navigate: it looks simple because distances  between points are not long , and consequences of errors  are relatively mild, but islands and mainland blend into one another, everything looks the same:  trees , rocks and water in all directions, with few discernible landmarks (lighthouses, cliffs, headlands etc) so its easy to goof if you're not on your toes. Its a great place for chart and compass work, and to have a   navigation workshop within-a-workshop, as evidently  you did. .  

Yes, I think it was recorded. A notification popped up on my screen at the beginning of the session. 

interested in attending 

 In the past United Divers in Somerville (Washington Street, near Union Square)  did drysuit gasket repair and install  work, and supplied gaskets. Not sure of their status now,   but it might  be worth giving them  a call. 

I'm very surprised that the video shows only one tiedown strap around the boat.  The bow and stern lines don't entirely prevent yaw while underway, which is the biggest hazard, and two straps securing the boat to the car would be much safer. Best if the forward strap  is as far forward as possible.  

Saddleback. Not my photos, but somehow ended up in my files and they fit the bill... 

full moon paddle, Vinalhaven. The three little blips of  light on the water are paddlers. 

I can now imagine  an amphibious assault version of Burnham Wood coming to Dunsinane. 

The Bold Coast trail coast system within the Cutler Coast public land  comes to mind as a potential coasteering venue. Also Cross Island nearby, which has a network of trails throughout the island, along with campsites. 
 A Cross Island nautical circumnavigation plus  land bound circumnavigation on island trails  would be possible in one day, which would slake the thirst of the ambitious coasteer! 



  

Eighth Annual NSPN Downeast Retreat, Bar Harbor, ME September 9-12, 2022
 Initiator: Peter Brady

   This now-traditional  4 day event will be from Friday Sept. 9th to Monday Sept.12^th , with group paddles each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Monday is a travel day, with options for  a shorter trip winding down midday or early afternoon.  Since this retreat has been a success for seven years years running  it will be run on a roughly similar schedule as in past years.  
Most people travel & arrive on Thursday afternoon or evening and depart on Monday afternoon. Some arrive sooner and leave later, 
There will likely be some options for biking the Acadia National  Park  carriage  trails and day hikes in the area. 

   Each day there will be  organized paddles (likely two or three) around Mount Desert Island, based on weather and conditions that day. We have a menu of trips suited to this area, and experienced participants familiar with the area to lead trips . We can meet at Rose Eden  every morning and around dinner time to create and confirm paddling plans for the next  day. 
    Some favorite destinations are: the Porcupine Islands off of Bar Harbor in Frenchmans Bay, the Cranberry Islands on the south side of MDI, Bartlett Island and Sound, and Blue Hill Bay  on the West Side, and the dramatic eastern shore of the island between Bar Harbor and Seal Harbor.  In the last couple of years our variety of trips expanded further into the Gott Islands and Somes Sound, and  new trip ideas are always welcome.  There is a full moon on Saturday this year, so we will try to organize a full moon paddle if weather and conditions allow.  
 

Our base of operations will be at Rose Eden Cottages Rte 3, Bar Harbor,
Rose Eden is a cottage resort  with some 12 cabins. We can gather there for car caravans to launch sites, and in the evening to plan next days trips.   We have moved our base of operations for 2022  to Rose Eden, across the road  from LLangolan Inn,  to ensure reservations for more people earlier for the coming year. A number  of yearly attendees will have already reserved at Rose Eden.  
Accommodations are on your own. Make your own arrangements  (including reservations, cancellation deposits whatever) for your entire stay during this event. You are encouraged to make reservations (at Rose Eden or elsewhere)  as far in advance as possible, as Bar Harbor is becoming  more popular as a travel destination.    

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP (" I’m going") in the calendar posting on  Sept. 9th. 2022.   
A Group PM  with all of participants will get going in the  months before the event , for information sharing,  planning and communication .
Some recommended lodging: 

Rose Eden: our vase of operations. 12 modest cabins, a gathering area in the rear , laundry facilities.   
Llangolan Inn & Cottages :   across the street from Rose Eden; similar to Rose Eden with 8 bungalows and a few rooms in the main  inn  
Hadley Point Campground:  this campground  close by,  on Hadley Point Road. With a laundry room and hot showers. 
Robbins Motel: not far from Llangolan on Rte 3 for those looking for the most economical no-frills lodging on the island.
Eden Village: A cottage resort similar to Llangolan, a short ways away on Rte 3.
Trenton  (off the Island): Just across the bridge to Mount Desert Island, between Ellsworth and Bar Harbor there are cottages and motels that are  probably less pricey than on Mt. Desert Island. 

There are many other options for lodging in the area, including fine (but less conveniently located) campgrounds .  

This is a rain or shine event! This event has been a success because there is fine paddling to be had somewhere around the island in all but very harsh conditions, and if the weather is too crummy to paddle anywhere on the ocean we can paddle the inland ponds and lakes like Long Pond or Eagle Lake, or explore & hike Acadia National Park, or play tourist around Bar Harbor. People  have often  taken a day off from paddling to explore Mount Desert Island and there might well be an organized hike , bike safari or two  mixed into the festivities.

If you have any questions: contact  Peter Brady    (PeterB on the message board )  by PM   

This is an awesome thread! I've got a variety of ill- performing zippers, ( the bane of my existence : sleeping bags, gadget bags, rain parkas,  zip- up  beverage storage bags etc.)  so I will be trying any and  all of the zipper remedies mentioned here on my various poor performing zippers ! 

All I have to add is: I've aways used a disc of bees wax  (Amesbury Industrial supply @ $2,00 :  outstanding !) to maintain theperformance  my Kokatat  drysuit zippers , with good results. I also  rub my hiking boot shoestrings  with  the same bees wax, as one of my major  pet peeves is how hiking shoe laces tend to be  round, and can easily loosen  and  untie, at the most maddenly inopportune moments....

Helmets  are a personal thing since head shapes vary so much. ; you need to try on before you buy.  This is not  an item to be bought online, at least  not without  a good return policy .You might discover that a helmet feels  uncomfortable after wearing for a full day or longer as ill- fitting ares or pressure  points become apparent.  
Popular high quality  (more pricey)  brands are Gath and Sweet Protection. Newbury Kayak and Canoe has Gath, and Zoar Outdoor (western Mass. )  has Sweet Protection, at least the last I checked. . Otherwise, NRS and Pro Tec Helmets are popular and  a bit less pricey . I found the Sweet Protection helmets very comfortable, with a very good but  simple padded interior, fewer straps, bands etc to create pressure points.    

 I believe it was in the channel that runs around the southern perimeter near Two Penny Loaf of Wingaersheek.  Are there any current tables for that area?
Karen, The only nearby  current station I could find is near Annisquam light,  way too far away to be useful in this discussion. There might not be a current station at the  Essex Bay entry for the reason Joe pointed out : the area is perhaps too much  " subject to continual changes" (shifting sands etc)  to provide  consistent & reliable data. Otherwise one might expect a current station there (like for Plum Island Sound and mouth of the Merrimack, though those two move a whole  lot more water &  would feature more significant  currents  than Essex Bay)  as  it is an  area of commercial navigation interest, with lots of  boats entering and leaving Essex Bay. 

 If the  " huge rip" area  you mean  is indeed the channel on the inside of Twopenny Loaf (around its southern perimeter) : it would be surprising to see a " huge ebb"  there , through some standing wave action would not be impossible. As a general guideline for that  little channel  area, I would just avoid it on the ebb as it's diminishing in volume   and  becoming mostly  mudflats (why paddle there?)  anyway. But not sure if you actually mean this area.  It would  help if the area in question were more precisely pinpointed as the description (e.g.  Wingaersheek is nowhere nearby, I suspect you mean Coffins)  is confusing. 

what Brian Nystrom  said:


it's  stupid and sensationalistic to create  headlines about kayakers being "almost swallowed " by whales.
It is plausible that a kayaker (or some other large object or animal) could end up inside the mouth of a whale in the course of its feeding, which involves taking in large amounts of water into the mouth .  It is not plausable (and journalistically irresponsible)  to state or imply  that a kayaker could be in any danger of being swallowed (i.e  ingested) by a whale.  

Beth and others,
Sorry for late reply. Yes:  this is a Pinniped Kayak class, not an NSPN event,  so all sign-ups, payments etc. are  with Pinniped. 

Sullivan Falls Tidal Currents workshop Sept 9th is on the Pinniped calendar. 
http://www.pinnipedkayak.com/sea-kayaking-classes-calendar/2015/9/10/tidal-currents-with-nspn-sullivan-falls-7wlhn-yj4xf-j3sjn

These oceanic crossings mystify me; I read an account of a Gulf of Mexico  kayak crossing  from the tip of the Yucatan to Louisiana. It sounded arduous, dangerous, not especially educational or informative,  and not a lot of fun.  Seems like the kayak is essentially a craft designed  for coastal travel, hunting ,  and exploration and not designed for multi- day crossings out on the ocean,  so using a kayak in that capacity becomes an exercise in ego and extremism.  

There has traditionally been a Sullivan Falls workshop run by Nate Hanson  & Pinniped Kayak on  the Thursday before  the  Friday-Monday  NSPN  Bar Harbor  retreat : this year that would be Thursday Sept. 9th.  This has worked out really well as participants can finish off the tidal falls event in mid afternoon  and end up in Bar Harbor that evening primed for the NSPN event starting the next day. 
It's not on Pinniped's calendar yet : I have reached out to  Nate Hanson  notifying him of interest in having this event as in past years. Unless he's busy with other things at that time (dont see anything  on his calendar) I would expect him to post a workshop there on Sept 9th soon.

So, keep Sept. 9th in mind if you are interested in a Sullivan Falls session. 

Peter 

That  was a great presentation;  very well prepared and delivered. : thanks for organizing this.
I especially valued the focus on the  role &  influence of group dynamics and personal issues   (" expert halo" etc) when risk management goes wrong. That is perhaps covered a bit  less in watersports, where theres so much to manage in the area of practical  skills and methods  ( assessing weather,  conditions,  gear, planning,  etc) 

 P&H Cetus LV or  NDK Explorer LV might work for you. Both @ 17'6", pretty fast,  pretty stable, with skegs . 

If Rose Eden is already booked that underscores the point that this may be a busy year in Bar Harbor, people vacationing with a vengeance after being shutdown this past year, so securing accommodations soon would be a good idea! 
Hadley Point Campground is right next door to LLangolan, so if camping works for you, you'd be about as close as you could get to Llangolan.
The Eden Village cottages are nearby , and you could look into cottages just off the island , in Trenton, towards Ellsworth.