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Sue H.

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Everything posted by Sue H.

  1. Hi Folks, Do you have a large party size coffee maker or an 8-10 cup electric tea pot that could be borrowed for 10/21/23 club party? If you don't, maybe there is one at your workplace or church that could be borrowed ? Respond here if you have one, or have confirmed one to borrow from others. Thanks, Sue
  2. Hi Folks, At the bottom of this post find a map of Winter Island Park. Folks will gather in the central parking lot and will all likely launch from Pebble Beach just off the lot. You will see the Function Hall clearly labeled on the map. I asked Ricardo, one of our members and a Salem resident, for his advice regarding traffic patterns in Salem. He finds the routes below to be the best approaches into Salem. "Downtown Salem can be difficult in October, in particular during the last two weeks. We get a lot of visitors. An email from the Salem Police says in part: " Visitors to Salem in October should not plan to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends...there is a high likelihood that some closures will be made on Saturday October 28 and/or Sunday October 29...For real-time traffic and road closure notices, visit www.twitter.com/SalemMAPolice (@SalemMAPolice on Twitter), and www.twitter.com/CityofSalemMA (@CityofSalemMA on Twitter)." Well, that was the warning. The good news is that you don't need to drive through downtown Salem to get to Winter Island Park. An easy way to get to Winter Island from all points north is via Beverly, taking the beautiful Beverly-Salem Bridge, continuing on Bridge Street, left on Web St., continuing on Fort Ave, left on Winter Island Road and on to the park. If coming from the south, perhaps it is better to avoid taking Route 114E (or the prior Lowell Street exit). Instead follow I-95 N and MA-128 N to MA-62 E/Elliott St in Danvers. Take exit 43 from MA-128 N, head towards Salem via the Beverly-Salem bridge and follow the directions above to Winter Island. If coming from Marblehead, Swampscott, Lynn, etc. you could just paddle over ?, but if you insist on driving, take 114W, Lafayette Street, turn right on Leavitt St, left on Congress St, right on Derby St. and continue to Winter Island via Fort Ave. The corner of Congress and Derby will be busy. " Sue wi-map_y18m04d26.pdf
  3. We will be launching from Tucks in Manchester Harbor promptly by 10 am, arriving no later than 9:30 am, or earlier if you need more time to be prepared to paddle. After exiting harbor we will head northeast along the coast. We will be returning to our launch location no later than 2:30 pm, approximately 10 NM trip depending on pace and zigzag course. Forecast is for sunny skies with a high of 71, WNW winds 6-9 kts, seas approximately 2 feet with primary swell 11-10 seconds and secondary swell at 11 seconds. Participants need to have sea kayaks with bulkheads and deck lines, spray skirts, PFDs, hats or helmet if you plan to get near rocks, sunscreen, hydration, food and appropriate dress for paddling environment. Please sign up below; https://forms.gle/RiMNXndwEhydLWuH7
  4. Hi Tom, Yes, will be posting tomorrow. We will launch from West Beach in Beverly Farms area. I don't see us getting so many respondents that I will have to limit the sign-ups. The plan is a journey to the islands with customized learning along the way. Watch for the post. Cheers, Sue
  5. NSPN Welcome Letter View File Hello New Member, I enthusiastically welcome you to our community ! As you may be aware, NSPN is a non-profit volunteer club, dedicated to skilled and safe sea kayaking, and sea kayak education. Our overarching philosophy is paying-it-forward, learning together to advance the capacity of club members and the club itself. We organize workshops, conduct community outreach, plan and facilitate day and multi-day trips, and skill sessions. We embrace the following components to guide us in our sea kayaking activities: - interdependence through cooperation and teamwork (ie common decision-making and consensus building) - personal responsibility coupled with all members watching out for each other - being respectful of the environment. To get started with us, I suggest going to our website’s home page. Please read through the items under “Paddling with NSPN” and note one of these items is a Participation Agreement. To protect the interests of individual club members and the interests of the club from liability, members annually sign this agreement. I also recommend reading through the items under the “Water Safety” heading. The information contained under both of these two major headings reflect our dedication to informed and safe paddling. At your leisure, wander through our Message Board Forums and you will find interesting current and archived dialogue, and tangible information to enhance your sea kayaking journey. You will also find valuable support on the General Message Board and during the many in-person NSPN activities. I am confident that I speak for the membership when I say, “Welcome and I hope to meet you soon!” Cheers, Sue Hriciga, NSPN Board President Contact at Sue H. via PM (Personal Message) Submitter Sue H. Submitted 09/13/2023 Category Misc.  
  6. WLP 9/6/23 Launching from West Beach in Beverly. The weather forecast; high temperature over the water projected to be 74 degrees, whereas the land temp expected to be over 90. Light winds 5-10, beginning north and becoming southeast. The sea state was forecast as 2-3 feet, primary swell at 9-10 seconds and secondary swell at 0 seconds. This forecast held largely true throughout the day with the swell height diminishing in the afternoon. The variable wind was so minimal it was hardly noticed when it swung from north to south. We were 7 travelers, Doug Stetson, Mike Habich, Fred Goodman, Bill Voss, Shari Gallant, Bob Levine and Sue Hriciga, launching a few minutes after 10 am and returned later at approximately 3:30 pm, for a total of 9 nautical miles. Launching from West Beach we crossed to the western shore of Great Misery and took a collective look at the gap between Great and Little Misery. Since it was approaching low tide and with the long period swells, the ebbing water was significantly jacked up in the passage. After assessing this sea state, three paddlers choose to turn away and paddled around the south edge of Little Misery and four choose to run the gap. We all met up on the eastern side of the islands. With our pod of seven reunited, we made the crossing to Eagle Island and onto the northern shore of Children’s Island where we took a short onshore break. We proceeded to the south shore of Children’s and landed on a pocket beach after abandoning a more dumping spot along the way. Lunch and conversation was enjoyed under the warm sun above and on top of warm, marble sized stones with smooth polished surfaces. After lunch we traveled around the outside of Commorant Rock and made another crossing to North Gooseberry and made another crossing to the outside of Bakers Island, traveling up the eastern shore. We passed the large bell near Powers Rock and continued to the eastern end of the gap between the Misery Islands. With deeper water on the flood, this gap was looking friendlier than earlier in the day, all 7 paddlers cleared the passage and traveled down the western shore of Great Misery, returning to West Beach. Note to self, remember to provide space and timing when traveling through a location where one might get surfed ! This band of brothers and sisters shared decision making along the way, enjoyed a convivial lunch and travelled parallel paths on our journey, some playing in the rocks and others enjoying the rolling long period swells and soaking in all the environment had to offer.
  7. This weeks WLP will launch from West Beach in Beverly Farms (121 West St, Beverly, MA). Please arrive no later than 9:30 am for a 10 am launch. Sea kayaks with bulk heads and deck lines , a PFD, sunscreen, hydration and food, hat, and helmet if planning to get near rocks. The present forecast is variable winds, likely south then becoming easterly at 5-10 kts. Mostly sunny with swells around 3 feet and diminishing to 2 feet in the afternoon, all around 9 seconds. LT 11:09 am, HT 5:17 pm. Register for this WLP at the link below. https://forms.gle/b4nPk81mk7FDEKJJ9
  8. Hi Folks, Save this date for a Fall Club Paddle and Post Paddle Party ! We will launch from Winter Island Park (50 Island Road, Salem, MA 01970), accommodating all paddler levels. There will be no parking fee at the time of this event. Paddling pods will be organized by paddling experience and interests. Arrival time set for 10:30 am, with a launch by 11:00 am. If the weather is too inclement for one's taste, or if you don't have a cold weather/cold water kit (for example a dry suit), please come by for the party portion of the event! It's always fun to talk about paddling, share stories about our adventures and generate ideas for future trips, both local and afar ! The Board of Directors have rented the Function Hall for the after-paddle party, which will likely start around 4-4:30 and end by 7:30 pm. Food provided by the club as follows: lasagna, eggplant parmesan (these 2 main dishes are meatless to include the sauce), salad, artisan rolls, tea and sparkling water. Participants are requested to bring one of the following: a bag of chips, 6 ounce container of either blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, a small batch of grapes (all fruits pre-washed at home) or cookies and the like, (no cakes please). Participants are allowed to bring adult beverages of choice into the Function Hall. Remember to have your settings indicate you are "following" this event in order to get automatic updates directly to your email. You must register by Thursday evening 10/12/23, as I need to place the food order the following morning. Registration link here: https://forms.gle/e7Fx2GYbT1ssRSKh7 I hope to see you there! Cheers, Sue Traffic considerations provided by Ricardo Caivano, Salem resident: Downtown Salem can be difficult in October, in particular during the last two weeks. We get a lot of visitors. An email from the Salem Police says in part: " Visitors to Salem in October should not plan to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends...there is a high likelihood that some closures will be made on Saturday October 28 and/or Sunday October 29...For real-time traffic and road closure notices, visit www.twitter.com/SalemMAPolice (@SalemMAPolice on Twitter), and www.twitter.com/CityofSalemMA (@CityofSalemMA on Twitter)." Well, that was the warning. The good news is that you don't need to drive through downtown Salem to get to Winter Island Park. An easy way to get to Winter Island from all points north is via Beverly, taking the beautiful Beverly-Salem Bridge, continuing on Bridge Street, left on Web St., continuing on Fort Ave, left on Winter Island Road and on to the park. If coming from the south, perhaps it is better to avoid taking Route 114E (or the prior Lowell Street exit). Instead follow I-95 N and MA-128 N to MA-62 E/Elliott St in Danvers. Take exit 43 from MA-128 N, head towards Salem via the Beverly-Salem bridge and follow the directions above to Winter Island. If coming from Marblehead, Swampscott, Lynn, etc. you could just paddle over ?, but if you insist on driving, take 114W, Lafayette Street, turn right on Leavitt St, left on Congress St, right on Derby St. and continue to Winter Island via Fort Ave. The corner of Congress and Derby will be busy. "On October 21, the Devil’s Chase road race starts at 8 a.m. at the Salem Willows soccer field on Fort Avenue. No road closures are planned, however, expect traffic impacts until 10:30 a.m. along the route." Attached is an2022+Devils+Chase+Athlete+Guide.pdf additional wrinkle just learned about, add this info to your approach plan for our Winter Island Event.
  9. Hi Folks, Save this date for a Fall Club Paddle and Post Paddle Party ! We will launch from Winter Island Park (50 Island Road, Salem, MA 01970), accommodating all paddler levels. There will be no parking fee at the time of this event. Paddling pods will be organized by paddling experience and interests. Arrival time set for 10:30 am, with a launch by 11:00 am. If the weather is too inclement for one's taste, or if you don't have a cold weather/cold water kit (for example a dry suit), please come by for the party portion of the event! It's always fun to talk about paddling, share stories about our adventures and generate ideas for future trips, both local and afar ! The Board of Directors have rented the Function Hall for the after-paddle party, which will likely start around 4-4:30 and end by 7:30 pm. Food provided by the club as follows: lasagna, eggplant parmesan (these 2 main dishes are meatless to include the sauce), salad, artisan rolls, tea and sparkling water. Participants are requested to bring one of the following: a bag of chips, 6 ounce container of either blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, a small batch of grapes (all fruits pre-washed at home) or cookies and the like, (no cakes please). Participants are allowed to bring adult beverages of choice into the Function Hall. Remember to have your settings indicate you are "following" this event in order to get automatic updates directly to your email. You must register by Thursday evening 10/12/23, as I need to place the food order the following morning. Registration link here: https://forms.gle/e7Fx2GYbT1ssRSKh7 I hope to see you there! Cheers, Sue Traffic considerations provided by Ricardo Caivano, Salem resident: Downtown Salem can be difficult in October, in particular during the last two weeks. We get a lot of visitors. An email from the Salem Police says in part: " Visitors to Salem in October should not plan to drive into downtown Salem, especially on weekends...there is a high likelihood that some closures will be made on Saturday October 28 and/or Sunday October 29...For real-time traffic and road closure notices, visit www.twitter.com/SalemMAPolice (@SalemMAPolice on Twitter), and www.twitter.com/CityofSalemMA (@CityofSalemMA on Twitter)." Well, that was the warning. The good news is that you don't need to drive through downtown Salem to get to Winter Island Park. An easy way to get to Winter Island from all points north is via Beverly, taking the beautiful Beverly-Salem Bridge, continuing on Bridge Street, left on Web St., continuing on Fort Ave, left on Winter Island Road and on to the park. If coming from the south, perhaps it is better to avoid taking Route 114E (or the prior Lowell Street exit). Instead follow I-95 N and MA-128 N to MA-62 E/Elliott St in Danvers. Take exit 43 from MA-128 N, head towards Salem via the Beverly-Salem bridge and follow the directions above to Winter Island. If coming from Marblehead, Swampscott, Lynn, etc. you could just paddle over ?, but if you insist on driving, take 114W, Lafayette Street, turn right on Leavitt St, left on Congress St, right on Derby St. and continue to Winter Island via Fort Ave. The corner of Congress and Derby will be busy. "On October 21, the Devil’s Chase road race starts at 8 a.m. at the Salem Willows soccer field on Fort Avenue. No road closures are planned, however, expect traffic impacts until 10:30 a.m. along the route." Attached is an2022+Devils+Chase+Athlete+Guide.pdf additional wrinkle just learned about, add this info to your approach plan for our Winter Island Event.
  10. 9/23/23 Skills Session 9:15 am - 4:00 pm We will launch from West Beach in Beverly Farms at 121 West St., Beverly, MA. There is free public parking at this site during the off season, otherwise restricted to locals during the summer months. Please arrive at 9:15 am. During the beach briefing we will hear from you regarding your paddling experience and interests, followed by a discussion of the specific plans for the day. Our general intention is to provide an instructive journey to the islands off West Beach. During this approximate 9-10 nautical mile trip there will be opportunities to practice on-the-go navigation, hone strokes and obtain related feedback if you choose. We will practice landing and launching, assisted rescues and provide support to expand your paddling understanding and experience. What You Need to Bring: A kayak with bulk heads, a spray skirt, PFD, paddles, hat or helmet (if want to get near rocks), tow belt (if you have one, not required), a hand held compass, appropriate dress for immersion, sunscreen, lunch, snacks, water and a chart of the area if you have one. Arrive: 9:15 am, Beach Briefing at 9:45 am (personal gear on, boat unloaded and packed with kit for the day) and followed by a launch at 10:30 am. Return: by 4:00 pm We use ACA insurance for skills sessions. You need to either be an ACA member (join here for $40/year) or pay a $10 event fee here. The annual membership is a better deal, as it covers all our skills sessions and pool sessions for a year. You also need to sign the ACA waiver at our special NSPN link here, once a year if you're an ACA member, or for each session if you're paying the event fee. Registration: To register for this event please clink this link https://forms.gle/M6auuhEUruTmGUwYA and follow the instructions. Edited just now by Sue H. update Manage Event
  11. Regrettably, I have to withdraw form this WLP.
  12. Hello Club Members, We still have a few slots for paddlers who are looking for a modest introduction to moving water and a few slots for those looking to sharpen their skills in fast moving water. So if you have time in your schedule and want to broaden your paddling horizons, register ! Don't be shy, your facilitators are here to help you! We are David, Prudence, Michael, Don and me. We hope to see you there! Sue
  13. There is space for one more person, please PM (personal message) me if you are interested. Thanks, Sue
  14. David M, Prudence B and I are planning to paddle around some of the Casco Bay islands off Portland Maine. We will be launching from East End Beach, arriving at 8:45 am and launching by 9:30 am and off the water by 3:30. This trip is anticipated to be 12-14 nautical miles. A sea kayak with bulk heads, spray skirt, pfd, other kit as appropriate, hat or helmet, water, food and sunscreen needed. This trip will be limited to 3 additional participants. Come join us! To sign up, click on this link https://forms.gle/2fdn1LKGzJYTVB1v5 and follow the instructions
  15. Hello Fellow Paddlers! We have been having fun and learning a few things during our first 3 Skills Sessions, especially last weekend while spending the afternoon in various rescue scenarios...learning accomplished along with a good deal of laughter. I encourage you to sign up for this Moving Water Skills Session as it will be just as informative and fun! I hope to see you there ! Your Prez, Sue
  16. It’s on the calendar. Arriving at 10:00 Odiorne Boat Ramp. If you plan to attend go to the post, read particulars & register ! Likely off water around 3, no later than 4. Hope to see you there!
  17. Skills Practice Session #4 will take place Saturday 8/5/23 on inner waters of the Piscataqua River. We will launch from the (West Bound) Cedar Point Parking Area (https://goo.gl/maps/yNj3YYBwNqPjsqqz5) and for some reason the site indicates it is permanently closed, but this is incorrect (in-person verification conducted). Please arrive at 10:00 am (or sooner if you need more time to be ready), with a launch by 10:30 am. We will be off the water by 4:00. This session will focus on skills for paddling in tidal current, in a location which is perfect for a gentle introduction to this topic and can serve up challenges if desired! There will be a range of conditions available at different times and in varying locations on the upper reaches of the Piscataqua. We will also land on Goat Island, a small public island that is a great place to take a break and have lunch. The flood current will slowly build over the course of the afternoon. Some of the things we may practice include: understanding currents, eddies and eddy lines reading the water surface to recognize what is happening entering and leaving bodies of water that are moving relative to each other (crossing eddy lines) maintaining a ferry angle when crossing current maintaining position and/or doing rescues in current advanced: playing in faster current under the SR 16 bridge Parking: There are twin parking lots in this location, directly across from each other on US Route 4. We will be launching from the lot accessed from the westbound side of the highway (i.e. on your right if you are coming from I-95 and SR 16). If this lot starts to fill up we will ask you to drop your boat & gear in this lot and park across the street on the eastbound side. There is no fee for parking in either lot. What You Need to Bring: Kayak with bulk heads and a spray skirt, PFD, paddles, helmet (if you don't have one pls PM me), dress for immersion, sunscreen, lunch, snacks, and water. Arrive: 10:00 am, Beach Briefing at 10:20 am (personal gear on, boat unloaded and packed with kit for the day) and launch at 10:30 am. Return: by 4:00 pm We use ACA insurance for skills sessions. You need to either be an ACA member (join here for $40/year) or pay a $10 event fee here. The annual membership is a better deal, as it covers all our skills sessions and pool sessions for a year. You also need to sign the ACA waiver at our special NSPN link here, once a year if you're an ACA member, or for each session if you're paying the event fee. Registration: To register for this event please clink this link and follow the instructions. https://forms.gle/QdzQ81ZSzNax6Usa6
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