bazzert

It's called Poutine and it's awesome!

Hi Al, We ended up going down to fan pier to watch the Volvo Ocean in-port racing. The wind was really wild with whitecaps on the harbor so it would probably have been pretty hairy for a shake out paddle! However, I did checkout the Blessing of the Bay boathouse at 32 Shore Drive, Somerville. This is a public DCR ramp with parking for about 30 cars. It is a concrete ramp (consider yourself warned!). It would be a good launch spot if you were interested in exploring upper Boston harbor. You will have to negotiate the Amelia Earhardt dam which is probably a portage (never done it, so would be interested in the experience of others). Barry.

Understood. I'll let you know what I find out about the boat house and we can plan a future trip from there. Barry.

Where have you been ? Seriously, I am interested but it's pending some delicate negotiations (it's Mothers day after all!). Another option might be to launch from the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse at 32 Shore Drive, Somerville, Massachusetts. A 10 mile paddle from there would put us under the Tobin into the upper reaches of Boston harbor, allowing a spin past the USS Cassin Young and USS Constitution. I'll try and stop by the boathouse today or tomorrow to make sure we can in fact launch from there. Barry.

David, Are you planning on doing the Minot light trip again ? That looks like a great trip. I like the MapSource software for planning, what is probably most useful is the ability to create a route and then send it to the gps as a set of waypoints. In general creating and managing a set of way points on the computer is much more convenient than on the device. I dont find the map display on the gps to be much use on the water as the display is too small (and although it is supposedly water resistant I keep it in a clear dry bag); instead I like to know speed, distance covered and distance and bearing to next waypoint. Barry.

I am going to take my four year old to go see "the racing sailboats" so we'll be watching from Winthrop. The event facebook page has a lot of information for on water spectators. There is also a chart showing the course (Broad Sound so a launch from the north side of Deer Island would work). http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=47877862526 Barry.

Actually too tired to post a full trip report, but wanted to get the track and numbers up there as some people expressed an interest in them. More importantly I wanted to thank everyone (David, Phil, Lori, Leslie, Kevin, Alex, Bill, Glen, Christopher, Bob & Leon) for making this a great day, and particularly Leslie for great planning (+1 knot north bound, +>1 in the river) and running a tight ship. ~ 21 miles, pavillion beach to pavillion beach (thanks Alex for giving me the courage to run our version of deception pass). ~ 50% @ 4mph, ~ 31% @ 5mph (these are my numbers, add 25% for Leon!). Barry

Looking at the buoy data it looks like you made the right call. Gusts were +20 knots after 1pm.

I'd be interested in David's second option (partial circumnavigation). I estimate Pavilion to Lanes as being ~ 15 miles. Barry.

This map from the Mass Coastal Zone management shows both the put-in at GHS (Dunfudgin landing) and Pavilion beach.

Good point! Sadly the Cape Ann Transportation Authority doesnt run on sundays which would have provided a useful bail out option.

Hi Les, I'd be interested. What time were you planning to launch ? Barry.

The Volvo Ocean Race competitors are nearly in Boston, their only North American stop in this race. The first in port race starts Sat 5/9 at 1pm. I am going to try and find out more about the course but was thinking it might make an interesting kayak trip (launching from Deer Island) to watch either from shore, island or boat. Let me know if you're interested. The Boston schedule will be updated here (the video alone is worth checking out). Barry.

Kevin and I launched from Forest River park in salem shortly after 2pm. Air temp was in the low seventies, water still brass monkeys, winds light. We crossed the inlet to the west side of Marblehead and rounded the point for a brief pit stop on Crowninshield island (thats Brown island for you Marblehead'ers). From here we decided to head back to Forest river by way of several islands in Salem Sound. Boat traffic was very light; although you could see signs of the recreational boat business beginning to stir, anticipating a warm weekend. We spotted a couple of kayakers and some sailboats. We made the one mile crossing to Childrens island, then Eagle and finally Coney where we landed to make a quick phone call. The bird life was impressive, from the egrets roosting in the trees on Eagle to the loons, oyster catchers, cormorants etc. Leaving Coney, the breeze picked up noticeably and we changed our original plan to cross to the willows and follow the Salem coast back to the put in, to getting into the lee of Marblehead. From there it was a slog back to forest river with the wind on our beam. Despite his claims of not yet having found his sea legs Kevin set a brisk pace and we were back about 5pm. By the numbers, just shy of 10 statute miles; 56% at 4-5 mph, 30% at 5-6mph. Barry.

Hi Kevin, I'll be there. Thanks, Barry.

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Apr 20 2009, 05:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>John, Sorry I missed you today...I gave rather short notice. I will be going out Friday afternoon most likely if you are interested, probably putting in around 2:30pm in Salem. Hi Kevin, Looks like I may be free Friday afternoon, mind if I tag along ? Barry.

Thanks everyone for the great info. I'll try the sawhorse and hose test to confirm the source. I'll let you know what I find out. Barry.

After the last couple of trips I have noticed a small amount of water in the forward and aft hatches of my NDK Explorer. The covers are good so I suspect that water is migrating from the main compartment or day hatch (the cover of which is cracked). Looking at the bulkhead there is a small gap at the bottom which is filled with something (glass/resin?) that seems to have deteriorated. Is there anything I can reseal this with ? And if so how should I prep the surface. thanks, Barry.

Sorry to hear that Ernie, let me know if you want to get out on the lakes some evening this week. Barry.

Lorrie, Phil, Bob and I launched on the harbor side from Deer Island. The forecast called for 5 to 10 knots of wind, seas less than 1 foot and temps in low 60's. It was overcast, creating a grey mirror like surface on the entirely flat sea. There was virtually no boat traffic so it was a serene paddle out to Calf Island, crossing the channel at Red "10" to the mid channel marker and then Green "13". After lunch, we poked north, threading through the rocks at Little Calf Island before contemplating the open crossing to the Graves. By now the breeze had freshened and there was a light chop; but nothing too daunting and we plowed on, making the 1.8 mile crossing in less than 30 minutes. At the Graves we went around the outside (except Phil who rode some surf through a cut) and spotted numerous seals, some hauled out on the rocks, others eying us suspiciously from the water. Bob and Phil made future plans to camp on the platform, as wild and inhospitable a place you could find this close to Boston. Tearing Lorrie away from the seals, we headed SSW towards Boston light for a little over a mile, taking the somewhat confused seas on the beam before heading almost due west, putting the seas and the light wind directly astearn affording a nice downhill run with some small surf for the 5 miles back to Deer Island. By now the sun had made an appearance, creating some magic light on the water and giving me a mild sun burn (who thinks of sunscreen in april?). By the numbers, 13.5 statute miles, over half the time at 4-5 mph and 27% at 5-6 mph. All in all a great paddle with great company and a great start to the season. Barry

I'm in!

Hey Bob, No. I have a wetsuit and drytop, gloves etc. Works pretty well, tested it out last weekend but I respect your concerns. Barry.

Anybody interested in paddling tomorrow ? Forecast looks good. I am flexible on time and location. Some ideas include ... - Castle island circumnavigation from Pavillion beach, Ipswich - Salem Sound from Riverhead beach, Marblehead - Boston Harbor Islands from Winthrop Barry.

If you havent already seen it there are a nice collection of online marine charts that can be accessed here. For example, here's our beloved Salem Sound Unfortunately there are no tools for checking bearings, distances etc. but still an easy way to view and plan trips online. Barry.

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Mar 23 2009, 11:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Barry, Are you just referring to a dry top? Actually I wasnt, but maybe that is what I should be looking at. Forgive my ignorance, but will a drytop help if immersed, or is it primarily for protection while in the boat ? If I go the dry top route, any recommendations on particular ones ? thanks again, Barry.