rylevine

I'm in.  - Bob

Thanks for the report and pictures. These Wed paddles are working out well! Thanks to Joe for starting them (inspired by a similar BASK program around San Francisco). I'm attaching my addendum for the side trip to Manchester Harbor. Joe and I have been accumulating trip reports to eventually enter into a catalog of rock gardens for kayakers, hence the discussion of the Ram ledges. People are welcome to send us their experiences on New England gardens and ledges for the manual.

One thing we've noticed is the magnification of swell on the south east side of Great Misery and then into the Gut. This direction points outward to the open ocean and there is a possible concentration from wrapping around Whaleback. There could also be a sharp 30 foot ledge, but that condition exists elsewhere. Another area of anomalous swell enhancement is between Marblehead Rock and Neck. Anyway, looking forward to this week's Wed mid-day paddle! - Bob

Trip Report 5_15_2019 Riverhead to Manchester Harbor.pdf

I'm in. Bob

I'm in! - Bob

Jim,

I find my hands are colder when I put gloves inside the pogies. I think it is a combination of less circulation and blocking the hand-heated environment of the inside of the pogies. After a while, if the pogies get wet and/or my hands become otherwise chilled (eg by taking them out of the pogies), I change out to gloves at lunch. I find that the cloth-lined NRS gloves are easiest to put on over cold and wet hands.

Bob

I'm in.

Likely.  - Bob

Same as David M.

14 hours ago, Inverseyourself said:

I’m sure they’ll put a marker there. It’s quite the hazard now!

They'll have to put a marker up but, as mentioned in the news article, hopefully more than an iron pole. The obelisk was wonderful. With sufficient visibility you could cross Salem Sound from Marblehead against wind and current by keeping it on transit in the Misery Gut. I guess in the age of GPS there is little need for a stone obelisk. The next to go will be Nixes Mate in Boston Harbor. However, according to Wikipedia, Nixes Mate was restored in the 2000s due to public pressure.

Bob

ODE to BOWDITCH LEDGE: William the elder, sea captain, and Nathaniel the younger, mathematician and actuary

Here elder Bowditch ditched his bow.

Instead school children learn how

younger Bowditch gilded his purse,

inventing a uniquely human curse,

where people bet against future fate,

before it is too late!

Now they are gone from Salem Sound,

But ironies abound,

victims of a climate changed,

of a government deranged,

but Bowditch-inspired rise above the mud,

by selling insurance against the flood!

But young Bowditch was also great

for teaching mariners to navigate,

using advanced math

to calculate the path.

Practical Navigator was his tome

by which many returned home!

If Elder had an out-look,

or nav already in a book,

the ledge of lore

would be a forgotten door

to a city known for hanging witches,

rather than producing Bowditches!

Joe,  thanks for the picture. It was an interesting navigation exercise to stab the now-invisible awash "marker" from Eagle Island. We first saw R"12" and paddled towards it until G"11"came in view (always more difficult for me to see the green). When G"11" moved against the western protrusion of Great Misery Island, approximately indicated by a rocky coastline, we paddled on a straight line towards G"11" ( used it in a transit against the island) and basically tripped over the marker. Cross bearings to R"12" and G"11" verified the location. - Bob

Lest we forget: Monday is International Day of the Seafarer:

http://www.imo.org/en/About/Events/dayoftheseafarer/Pages/Day-of-the-Seafarer-2018.aspx

Bob

Evening surf session in Nahant starting at 5pm near the Tides Restaurant. Trip waivers are required, and will be left on my car as we have been doing for the NSPN Chebacco and Walden sessions. Please PM me if you are planning to attend for details on location and parking. We may need to move to the Lynn Shore Drive put-ins, and I would call you if that were the case. If you are a novice paddler, please include that in the PM and we can arrange for a (free) lesson during the session. Helmets strongly suggested. Magic Seaweed forecast:

https://magicseaweed.com/Nahant-Surf-Report/1091/

I also posted some log book entries on recent Nahant surf sessions. Thanks to Alex for the pictures.

Bob

Trip Report 6_3-6_5-6_6_2018 Nahant Surf Sessions_posted.pdf

Rob,

I think you mean Figures C1 and C2. The first case is a three knot paddler taking T=6 minutes to cross Hull Gap. The second is a two knot paddler taking T=8.23 minutes. The different lengths of the tidal drift vectors are due to the different transit times T. In calculating a ferry angle, we need to assume a paddle duration T, and then correct it afterwards by looking at the intersection of the paddler_water vector with the paddler ground track. The paddler ground track was assumed to be the same for both the three and two knot paddlers. The assumed T-value is somewhat arbitrary, and I just used the duration of the paddle speed on the crossing distance in each case (knowing that the ebb current was assisting in the crossing). The charts in Appendix C are not very well explained as they were just from notes presented at the in-house session. T-values can be insufficient, as seen in the 5_19 ferry angle calculation in Figure B2. Here the paddler is going against the flood current, and the initial assumed crossing duration is too short. Increasing the time of the crossing also increases the tidal drift (blue vector in Figure B2) but there is more time for the paddler velocity to overcome the effect.

By the way, as I look at these charts again, I'm a little embarrassed by the number of digits written down. It is a personal OCD thing, but heck - it's a   glorious feature, so might was well enjoy the power of a hand calculator!

Bob

A follow-on to the 4/14 (ebb) paddle occurred on 5/19 (flood). Both trip reports are attached, although there is some overlap. Previous to the paddles, during in-house sessions we reviewed vector constructions to predict drop down, ferry, and transit crossings in current. These are provided in the appendices. The 4/14 trip report is re-posted with some minor revisions and corrections. Thanks to all participants!

Bob

Trip_report_4_14_2018_Quincy_Houghs_Neck_Nav_Paddle_ebb_posted.pdf

Trip_report_5_19_2018_Quincy_Houghs_Neck_Nav_Paddle_flood_posted.pdf

Attached is the trip report for the Boston Harbor Navigation Session and Paddle. We decided to switch the paddle to April 14th and the in-house session to April 15th due to weather. Thanks to all the participants!

Bob

Trip_report_4_14_2018_Quincy_Hough's_Neck_Nav_Paddle_posted.pdf

Attached is the syllabus for the in-house navigation session on Saturday, April 14th at 1:00pm. The syllabus is tentative depending on how quickly we get things going. We may jump to the Boston Harbor planning stage sooner. Contact me via PM or email rylevine@comcast.net for more information. Thanks!

Bob

Syllabus for In-House Session.pdf

Boston Harbor navigation session and paddle is on again for this year. The level is for advanced novice paddlers. Pre-trip session is Saturday April 14th, and the paddle is Sunday, April 15 from Hough's Neck in Quincy. The pre-trip session is in Salem and should run for a few hours in the afternoon. Not required for the Sunday paddle. The material is the same as last year; but the theme this year is avoidance of chart and compass, not to mention calculators - everything with fingers and toes! Suggestions welcome.

Some references: I've got to mention my now favorite book  - Nature is your Guide: How to find your way on Land and Sea, by Harold Gatty. This guy was the real-deal; the navigator for Wiley Post on the first air circumnavigation of, well, the world...Forget finding direction by chart and compass, or even swell and wind - how about anthills on the beach! OK, it is an exaggeration, but Gatty used towering termite nests to determine his direction from the air over Northern Australia. Another reference, more pertinent to coastal navigation from the deck, is Leonard Eyges, The Practical Pilot, Coastal Navigation by Eye, Intuition, and Common Sense. We will also use Sea Kayak Navigation by Franco Ferrero, and other common references. I'll be posting a syllabus for both in-house and on-the-water sessions.

PM me if interested, and I'll reply with details. We have about a dozen tentative people so far so we are getting close to a maximum. Trip waivers will be part of the float plan.

Bob 

I'm in.

Probably white wine.

Wine, as well.

Probably also dessert.

Leadership practice paddles in Salem Sound. Friday, Nov 10 - Saturday, Nov 11. Rotating leadership roles. Group and personal assessment and feedback. Participants (candidates and teabags) in the recent 4* assessment in Boothbay are particularly welcome; although not necessary. Novice paddlers welcome. PM me if interested, and I'll respond with details as they emerge. - Bob

Prudence and Cathy, Well done. Congratulations! - Bob

Sorry, date was dropped off from the tag. It is Wednesday, June 14th. - Bob