Joseph Berkovitz

Is it for a friend who’s been an avid sea kayaker for the last 400 years... but only at night?

the wooden ramp looked complete but they seemed to be working on the stairs above it. it was hard to see just what they were doing.

Link to the GPS track

This was the Wednesday of the Thunderstorms That Were Predicted But Were Not To Be. As such, it was rather abbreviated but nonetheless a most pleasant affair, and our first WLP of the year to launch somewhere besides Marblehead. Joseph Berkovitz, Janet Lorang, Jane Cobb, Sue Hriciga, Prudence Baxter, Robert Levine, Elizabeth Neumeier and Michael Hazeltine launched from Granite Pier in Rockport at 10:20. Our intention was to head south to Bearskin Neck and then East to Straitsmouth, and reassess conditions once we got to the strait. We were also primed to keep an eye on the sky and on the radar updates as a cold front was expected in the afternoon bringing T-storms with it when we got to Straitsmouth we headed south again about 100 yards - far enough to get a sense of the wind and chop into whose teeth we would be paddling if we continued on to Thacher. It was not really rough but it would be a slog. We observed that the newish ramp and stairs were undergoing repair and access from the ramp to the island might be tricky today. The sense was, let’s go around Straitsmouth (windward—south—side first) and then decide what to do. Off we went around Straitsmouth and it was impressive as usual. Despite the prevailing small swell the big shoal outside the island was causing big waves to build up and break on the rocks facing outside. When we arrived on the lee side—north—it began to feel like lunchtime so we organized an impromptu landing on a relatively well behaved stretch of rocky shoreline. A pleasant lunch was had while we regarded the granite grandeur of our locale and the ocean stretching out towards Europe. The tide was rising and T storms were predicted to be imminent so we got back on the water in a launch that was an increment dicier than the landing had been as the swells were now swooshing in with a bit more momentum. Back to Granite Pier we went, looking up at the somewhat ominous sky. We did have a little time to play around the rocks and pourovers in front of the pier though. As we finished packing up the sky began looking clearer. It seemed we might have cut our trip short for naught but we couldnt be sure. On peoples way home several reported truly nasty looking clouds but it never seemed to really hit Cape Ann at all. oh well. better safe than fried.

It's come up a few times recently that ever since the weather warmed up, the NOAA page for the Massachusetts Bay Data Buoy (numbered 44029 by NOAA) has been showing water temperatures that are strangely cold – where "strange" means "couldn't possibly be true". At the time of this post, the page above shows a water temperature of 44.8ºF. All the other regional buoys (including buoys well north of this in the Gulf of Maine) are showing temps in the 60-65ºF range. We recently had a paddler show up for a warm-water paddle with a heavy wetsuit because—to their great credit!—they had checked the buoy reading and dressed for immersion in 45 degree water. But the North Shore water is indeed warm, as I can attest from having taken several recent swims, not all of them intentional. At first I thought the buoy was broken somehow. I dashed off an email to NOAA, and they responded that they do not operate the buoy but merely use its data. They told me to contact the actual buoy owner and operator, known as—long acronym warning—NERACOOS, the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems. NERACOOS has its own website, so I promptly went there to see if they were reporting the same weird sea temperature for this buoy as NOAA. It turns out that they were, and yet they were not... The NOAA website reports water temperatures without specifying any particular depth. In most cases, where a buoy measures temperature at multiple depths (and most do), NOAA supplies the water temperature at or near the surface. However, in this particular case, the buoy doesn't have a surface sensor. Here's what NERACOOS shows this morning for the buoy on their own web page (the buoy is known as A01 Massachusetts Bay in their system): Water temperature (20m) 45 ° F (7.1 ° C) Water temperature (50m) 43 ° F (5.9 ° C) Water temperature (51m) 43 ° F (5.9 ° C) This buoy doesn't even measure the surface temperature, it only measures temps at depth. So NOAA just glommed up the temperature at the depth nearest the surface... which is 65 feet down. Pretty darn cold down there. By the way, how about the fact that NOAA shows 44.8º and NERACOOS shows 45º? This is just a rounding issue. NERACOOS apparently measures to the nearest 0.1ºC. If you convert 7.1ºC to ºF, you get 44.8 (rounding to 1 decimal place) or 45 (rounding to the nearest whole number).

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on June 24, 2020 out of Granite Pier, Rockport MA: https://goo.gl/maps/c5DTCwDPDotnnfW78 Registration: To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/cy7h4ngDw1LNyifb8 You must be a paid-up NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other members on the trip. Parking and Fees: There will be a launch fee assessed by the Town of Rockport for the use of Granite Pier. Prices are as follows. Please bring exact change. Non-Resident park and kayak launch $12 Rockport Resident kayak launch $6 (no parking fee) We will be launching from the main boat ramp, NOT the "kayak launch area" which is closed. Drop off boats/gear next to (not on) the ramp and park on the upper level of the pier. Predictions: This trip looks more likely to encounter conditions than other recent WLPs, so we will be taking care in planning and responding to the environment as it evolves. The current forecasts suggest we will see wind from the South in the 10-12 kt range in the morning, possibly reaching 15+ kt by mid-afternoon. The wind will have been blowing since Tuesday so once we are outside of Sandy Bay we may see 3' waves, some combination of chop and swell. At the launch location and inside Sandy Bay the chop will be smaller as we will have Rockport providing some lee to our south, but some swell may be present at the put-in. Besides the wind and waves, we'll have fog clearing to partial sun, air temps in mid 60s F. Water temp forecast as 60-62 F (see data here). Date Day of the Week Time (LST/LDT) Predicted (ft) High/Low 2020/06/24 Wed 01:39 AM 9.91 H 2020/06/24 Wed 08:09 AM -0.37 L 2020/06/24 Wed 2:20 PM 8.55 H 2020/06/24 Wed 8:16 PM 0.86 L Possible Plan: We can paddle along Rockport shore to Gap Head just W of Straitsmouth Island, assess conditions in more open water, some combination of landing/lunch/circumnav on Straitsmouth or Thacher Islands depending on the interests and comfort of the group (we would likely have a tailwind on return, but also a following sea). A fallback plan would be lunch in protected Rockport Harbor. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please research and respect all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. There is a strict limit of 10 paddlers on the trip. You must register using the form link below to be sure that you're actually on the paddle. We will stay at least 6 feet apart, minimize sharing docks and ramps with others, and wear face masks while off the water in public use areas. We also employ an online waiver to avoid passing around a physical piece of paper. When/what: We will meet at 10 and launch at 10.30 sharp. We'll have a beach briefing in some safe manner, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing. This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there!

Can not do Sunday. Other days ok.

Is there a charge for parking (as opposed to launching)?

Yeah I'm aware of the VT/NH situation. Visitors to other states either are required to get a test more than 72 hours prior to arrival, or less than 72 hours prior to arrival depending on which document you read. Prudence recently called the Maine CDC to get clarification and they acknowledged that conflicting statements have been made but the person she spoke to claim that the answer is more than... which is weird, but that's what they said. Makes no sense to me.

By the way, the fire truck comes out on these errands so the crew can instantly respond if something more urgent comes up like, say, a fire. I never knew that!

Another perfect day on the water. How does it happen, week after week? We don’t know. But it does! Today featured 9 paddlers (one cancelled): me, Bob, Jane Cobb, Prudence Baxter, Nancy Hill, Pat Donahue, Mike Hazeltine, Al Coons and Liz Neumeier. We had sunny skies, both air and water at about 65 F, a nice 2 foot swell to make things interesting and wind around 5-8 kt SE. We went around MHd. Neck along the rocks down to Tinkers for lunch and then did a bit of surfing at the subtle Devereux surf spot. We had enough action Between rocks and surf to send several of our number harmlessly into the drink at various times. One bit of intel was gleaned: the “social distancing T rescue” in which the swimmer does a cowboy scramble while the rescuer steadies the bow of their boat in front of them on their front deck is... not very steady. there was also an exciting lost car-key search at the beginning of the paddle in which the Marblehead FD opened a paddler’s car by force to help in finding the key (at the time presumed to be locked inside by accident). However the key was found forthwith in the paddlers cockpit and all was well with an on time launch. I am far too modest to say who found the key. please append photos from the water, people! The only picture I took was this:

I just got a marketing email from them and they are indeed reopening for kayaking and camping only - I.e. the things we care about the most. great news. Now if we can only figure out the quarantine situation...

Great - let’s move further discussion To the private thread.

I’ve been thinking about that. Of course I’d be willing to get a test in 1) a safe setting that was 2) covered by insurance. It’s the latter point that is a big problem for me. Most test sites either charge a lot of money up front (more than $100) or require a doctors screening, which in my case also costs a lot of money up front (thanks, American health care system!). So I’m still in a watch and wait mode until something gets better in the situation. if others have ideas on this I would love to hear them because I really do want to go.

We saw a couple of them around Marblehead on Sunday’s skills session.

Ken, the proportions of who does what for how long on any WLP are completely adjustable as per People’s preference. We can also do some rock gardening and just plain paddling. But I doubt that surfing could take up more than 30 or 40 minutes in any case since travel to and from the break is needed. Jim, I took out the explicit limitation as I think paddlers can read the MA regulations themselves and make up their own minds whether it’s a good idea to come.

Liz, we are usually done by 2.30 or 3.

Oh yes, it will most definitely present a positive image (and it already has on previous editions of this paddle). We are very disciplined about masking up, social distancing and keeping the numbers to the state recommended limits. [I assumed that your quotation marks were sarcasm-free. But it’s always hard to be sure in this textual medium. If you were being sarcastic, then my answer is, “it depends whether you show up for this paddle or not”.]

And here we go! This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle is on June 17, 2020. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. Please inform yourselves of all regulations that apply at the time of the paddle. There is a strict limit of 10 paddlers on the trip. You must register using the form link below to be sure that you're actually on the paddle. We will stay at least 6 feet apart, minimize sharing docks and ramps with others, and wear face masks while off the water in public use areas. We also employ an online waiver to avoid passing around a physical piece of paper. To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/eZMZgZkQW4RKvfiU6 You must be an NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other members on the trip. Location: Riverhead Beach, Marblehead MA. https://goo.gl/maps/p6cWChiSE88bCkrCA Predictions: Light winds 3-8 kt SW becoming SE, Partial sun 64 F, Water 58 F, <2 foot swell (Yes, Dan, this has been updated from last week ? 9:23 AM EDT High Tide, 8.19 Feet 3:16 PM EDT Low Tide, 1.34 Feet When/what: We will meet at 10 and launch at 10.30 sharp. We'll have a beach briefing in some safe manner, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing. Our current thinking is to go around Marblehead Neck to the Devereux surf break which should see increasing action as the tide goes out. Lunch on Tinkers or the Devereux "pocket beach". This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before. Hope to see you there!

This paddle will happen but the details are still being planned. Please wait until this afternoon when I will post a registration from and provide more information. Thanks!

Hi Rob - what’s happening with the solstice paddles? I have been looking for an announcement one way or the other but have not seen one. Maybe I missed something but no one else I have talked to seems to know either.

It is hard to know exactly what to do, but I can tell you that it's not about you. The MA policy "urges all visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days" and has not changed in Phase 2. Since we have a club that is openly posting trips, I have been trying to simply follow the policy and not get into second-guessing whether it makes sense compared to what other possibly states are doing. Since it is hard to stay abreast of what's happening, going forward I will leave it completely up to paddlers to read the requirements and figure out what to do. I think the risk is obvious: it may not take much for a town to change its mind and re-close a launch facility that just opened. But that won't be on me to calculate just what that risk is.

whoops, thanks - corrected.

This week's Wednesday Lunch Paddle will be held on June 10, 2020. Covid-19 paddling: on this trip we will strictly observe social distancing and MA state recreational boating guidelines for the pandemic. You must be a MA state resident to participate. There is a strict limit of 10 paddlers on the trip. If you do not pre-register using the form link below, you are not on the trip! We will stay at least 6 feet apart, minimize sharing docks and ramps with others, and wear face masks while off the water in public use areas. We also employ an online waiver to avoid passing around a physical piece of paper. To attend, please register using this form which will also add your information to the float plan: https://forms.gle/avp37VKBjsrbtoGD9 You must be an NSPN member to join this trip. Your signup information will only be shared with other members on the trip. Location: Riverhead Beach, Marblehead MA. (Sorry about the repetition, we're still short on solid alternatives during the pandemic; many put-ins still have limited or closed parking areas.) https://goo.gl/maps/p6cWChiSE88bCkrCA Predictions: SE wind 7 to 10 kt increasing to 10 to 13 kt in the afternoon. Partly sunny, air temp 65 F, water temp 50s. Seas 1 to 2 ft. Salem Harbor Tides: 2020/06/10 Wed 09:32 AM -0.21 L 2020/06/10 Wed 3:52 PM 8.60 H When/what: We will launch at 10.30 sharp. Then we'll have a beach briefing in some safe manner, possibly on the water to avoid cramped quarters, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing. This trip doesn't have a specific level: we'll determine the route based on who shows up, what people want to do, and what the environment wants to do. All properly equipped members are welcome: please bring boats with rigged deck lines, bulkheads, spray skirts, and dress for immersion. NOTE: The Wednesday Lunch Paddles are cooperative adventures, not guided trips. Each participant is responsible for her/his own safety.Don’t assume the trip initiators are smarter, stronger, better at rough water, more attractive, or more skilled paddlers than you are. For more information, see this description of our trip philosophy from the NSPN web site. We encourage paddlers to make their own independent decision about their comfort level with conditions at the time of the paddle. Please PM me if you have questions or if you haven’t paddled with me or Bob before.

Yesterday’s WLP was a very mellow 8 nm excursion on Salem Sound, from Riverhead to Children’s to N Gooseberry Island (after finding out that S Gooseberry’s beach was too cramped at the current tide level) and back. We had 9 paddlers including: Myself, Bob L, Nancy H, Sue H, Prudence B, Ken K, Jane C, Shari G, and Pat D. Conditions were dreamy: light/variable winds mostly SE, sunny with a bit of haze, and almost no swell. Highlights included seeing ibises and herons at the west end of Children’s (from offshore, we did not land) and occasional harbor seals surveilling us as we ate our socially distanced lunch on Gooseberry. Almost no boats were seen of any kind, and the ferry remained on hiatus. A perfect day in great company.