Joseph Berkovitz

This was super fun, Dan! I can't wait for the next one....

I think the Virgo would have been just fine although it does maybe broach a little more readily in 15’ following seas. I say this because I attempted a transatlantic crossing in the Virgo the previous week, which was going pretty well until I had to turn back because I had forgotten to bring any Peanut Toffee Buzz Clif bars. Those are a good nutrition bar flavor and I did not think I would make it across the ocean with the inferior bar choices I had made. A serious adventurer knows when the risk is so great that it just doesn’t make sense to proceed. Less serious — OK, I’ll just say it — lightweight adventurers would have just kept going, out of some kind of insane machismo or something.

Thanks for doing this and see you “there”!

There are two main differences. The Scorpio is slightly shorter than the Cetus and of course they are made of different materials. That last point sounds vacuous, but in fact plastic feels significantly different from composite even if you clamp down all the other parameters. The Scorpio hull is a little more flexible and some of the paddling energy you put into the boat will go into flexing its hull - think carbon bike vs steel bike frame. It just doesn’t feel quite as efficient and crisp in its motion and handling. But they are both great boats. I have a Cetus MV and a P&H Virgo as its playful plastic sibling. I find this a perfect combo. The new Virgo is a foot shorter than the Aries and has a pretty different hull, I really love it for play.

Date: March 23, 2020 Imaginary Route: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/route/b1b3c0b3-15b9-46f3-81fe-ef5003cbbfd3/?layer=gaianoaarnc Tides(Marblehead Harbor): HT: 12.26pm (24.1'); LT: 6.30pm (-3.2') Distance: 30 nm Conditions: wind 25 kt NE -> 5 kt SSW, air 35 F -> 80 F, water 40 F, seas 15' @ 18 seconds Before setting off yesterday afternoon on a solo jaunt, I took a brief scouting trip on foot over to Marblehead Harbor to make sure that conditions would be doable. Things did seem a bit hairy over by the fort (see pic below), but I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal as long as I was careful. As soon as I left the harbor, conditions got noticeably worse. Fortunately my PFD was securely tucked into the bungees behind me, where I could grab it and put it on if things got rough. To be extra safe, I had a helmet stowed in the rear hatch. Right away a huge wave -- maybe a 10-footer -- slammed into me and I capsized, but I rolled up right away. Boom! Another one hit. I rolled up again and paddled straight into the rest of the set with a killer forward stroke. As I punched through each wave my boat belly-flopped onto the water from an enormous height. After I got through the whole set, it looked like maybe the hull had cracked open right next to my seat mount from the impacts. Thank goodness I had a length of duct tape behind the seat for a quick temporary repair. Then, on to Halfway Rock. The tough don't quit! Due to the tidal range being almost twice normal due to an unusually close approach by the planet Jupiter, I rode a 5-knot ebb current out of Salem Sound past several ferocious whirlpools. Things calmed down a bit after Children's Island, until I got out to the Rock. It was a little lonely out there, and visibility was maybe only 100' in the blinding spray and foam blowing everywhere, but I figured there was no reason not to go for a rock landing in the huge seas. We all should be practicing these techniques constantly in case we're in a tight spot. Fortunately I saw a nice swell coming and positioned myself perfectly. It lifted my boat and dropped it directly on top of Halfway Rock, which is maybe 50 feet high. This unfortunately blew out my temporary hull repair, but it was no big deal to get out the repair kit and throw some fiberglass and quick-setting epoxy on there. In the meantime, I watched a tourist boat out of Boston tussle with a huge freak wave: After a quick sip of nice hot tea from my thermos, it was time to get on with the paddle and head to The Graves. I thought some big waves might be hitting the lighthouse, and I've always liked long crossings in big conditions. Today did not fail to check that box. When I got there, not only had the lighthouse been redecorated in a striking fashion (good work, whoever did that), but conditions were really going off out there. Perfect rock gardening conditions! I had great fun timing the swells and crossing in front of the lighthouse. All good things have to come to an end, though. It was time to head back north for a surf landing on Devereux Beach. As I paddled, I had no trouble maintaining my 6-knot pace even in the stiff headwind and oncoming chop. To my great surprise, the wind died and then reversed, and temperatures climbed into the 70s. By the time I got to the beach, it seemed as though climate change was in full effect. I backpaddled into a small wave and then rode it in for a perfectly calm landing next to an empty deck chair that someone had left out. All I needed was a drink. Thank goodness I'd had the foresight to fill my hydration pack with Mai Tai Mix...

I just want to quickly add that - like Gary - I started out in the “we can do this” camp. It was only after posting and attempting a small group paddle a little while ago that I realized it didn’t feel right to me, and that it was surprisingly hard to execute.

I have already written privately to some people about this but I’m since this is now a full-blown forum thread I’ll chime in. I’m with Dan, Al and Bill on this. Two reasons. First, we don’t really have the right to call this decision based only on the perceived risk to each other, within this group. What we do, no matter if it seems like “just among us kayakers”, can have a huge downstream effect due to the nature of a pandemic. We are all connected to other people who are depending on our actions, people who might come into contact with us or with things we’ve touched or breathed on, through no intent of their own. And they’re connected to still other people. Breaking even one link in this chain could save many lives - we can’t know how many. Second, right now, we are being called on not only to practice safe social distancing, but to model it. There are so many people out there (in all age groups) who have this wrong idea that their risks are just personal risks and they’re ok with them. I’m seeing people every day acting like nothing is any different from normal. Every time we engage in a visible group activity for recreation, we run the risk of reinforcing that mistaken perspective in others, whether we like it or not. This is a serious situation and we need to reinforce that seriousness with every decision we can take. My personal policy is therefore this: I’ll go out by myself from time to time, I will only paddle in situations and conditions in which I have absolutely no need of assistance, I will not travel substantial distances, and I will not invite groups to paddle with me. It hurts, but more important to me is that I want to feel OK about this later when I reflect on it. One final personal note. A member of my immediate family (not in Mass.) has recently come down with Coronavirus and now thankfully seems to be recovering. They are young and healthy, but let me tell you, this is not something you want to catch at any age.

Alex Debski called this trip, and it was a good idea. Beat the apocalypse, at least for the moment (in truth, that’s the best we can ever do) and get out there on some sparkling, clear winter water. Alex, Jim Snyder and myself set out from West Beach around 10.20 just before LT at 10.45. There was a solid NNW breeze and the temps were mid 30s in bright sun. The beach had some weedy parts but it was really not bad at all. There was a very subdued, quiet long swell but in the lee of Cape Ann almost no wind waves. We headed east along the coast. Gales Point and Ram Island were as quiet as we’ve ever seen and we wandered at will among the slots and ledges. Alex has a newfound superpower at identifying seaweed and algae, and along the whole trip he kept up an edifying patter of Latin names for the various species. Singing Beach was full of perambulating people, and many dogs were seen failing to practice proper social distancing protocol. We sailed past the beach, rounding Graves Island to land for lunch at White Beach. All this time the wind was dropping a bit and veering to NE and ultimately E, as predicted and then some. On our way back we had a pleasant tailwind and rear quartering wind at times. Alex found an attractive specimen of feathery bright green seaweed which he attempted to reconstitute in the calm water between our rafted boats, but the weed promptly dodged us and sank out of view before it could spread its tendrils. We landed in much higher water at West Beach around 2.15, about an 8.1 nm paddle when all was said and done. After loading up, farewells were exchanged according to Japanese and Wakandan custom, sans physical contact. I didn’t take any pictures, but maybe Jim did. Hope to see everyone out on some salt water soon. ...j

Alex...? What do you want? In case you don’t have a definite decision, we can always meet at west beach and drive down 127 a short bit to somewhere else if we don’t like what’s happening. Doesn’t sound like there will be many of us, so we have multiple options...

It’s a bit messy, sure. Soggy red seaweed, not mud. I wasn’t thinking about that factor when I proposed it. but it’s nothing that won’t wash off. Walking down the beach a bit avoids the worst. We’ll be returning at higher water so landing should be ok. I am cool with launching from wherever you want. The other beaches bypass some of the more fun parts of the Manchester coast but they’ll be cleaner.

Cool - let's try to convert this into something concrete! Trip Proposal: Meet at West Beach, Beverly on Sun 3/15 at 10 am with the goal of a 10.30 launch. (I think it's best not to stress the parking situation at Tucks Point with a publicly posted paddle.) It will be a low water launch with LT at 10.45 or thereabouts. Paddle east until we decide to turn around. I think Norman's Woe is a nice goal which would give us 11-12 nm roundtrip, but we will have multiple turnaround and/or lunch options short of that: Kettle Island, Magnolia Beach, White Beach. We may get a wind vector assisting us in both directions if the timing works out well, but don't count on it. Important Boilerplate: Oceangoing boats with flotation/bulkheads, static decklines required. Water temperature is 41º F so drysuits and robust insulating layers are a must. Radios and tow lines if you have them. Want to come? Please respond on this thread by end of day. We will make a float plan at the launch. Note to our microscopic friends: We will practice safe social distancing on this trip, unless someone needs an assisted rescue.

I am very interested. Per the FC it may be chilly in mid 30s but quiet conditions and low humidity. The forecast says under 5 kt but I don’t trust it too much. if winds shift from NW to NE as predicted then launch from west beach in Beverly and paddle East could be a nice plan...? We would get some lee S of cape Ann. I just went out Wed. on a similar mild forecast with the same wind shift, and the NE wind sprang right up over 10 kt with lots of chop. that said I am up for going elsewhere provided not too much travel involved. J

Fishcurrents.com is quite nice, it overlays NOAA's current predictions on top of a base map, showing them as arrows for any given future date. The zipcode lookup does not seem to work, but that's not a big deal. Their FAQ points out a couple of important caveats: - The site is based on downloaded current prediction data which does not change. However, NOAA can adjust its current forecast on the fly based on wind and weather. So they (and I) recommend still checking NOAA for the latest current forecasts. - The downloaded data only runs through 31 December 2020. The site is clearly a one-person operation. So it's worth checking in a year to see if fishcurrents.com is still alive and functioning.

Thanks to everyone who made it to the talk - and there were quite a few people! Here are links to the slides and the resources for the talk: Slide deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15MNYkiiALa8iZz8RZb2kCS_RNYaPXTY2KuwT9BRildQ/edit?usp=sharing Resources and links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ez6W5xnperDTw3-239UYZXpX4aKk-EkaKpcC3oEsPWw/edit?usp=sharing Best, Joe

If you want a playful design, I just bought a new P&H Virgo and I love it. It is a new plastic boat from P&H, at 14'. 35 lb in the CoreLite layup. Very maneuverable with tight turns and a fair amount of rocker, it also surprisingly goes faster than the Delphin (and tracks better too) whose hull design is totally different.

A quick update on this trip: it is now full and has a pretty solid waitlist. If you would like to get on the waitlist, please PM me and I will be happy to add you. There are often cancellations on any trip of this size.

Hi Karen, I will be posting slides and resources after the talk. Joe

Yes, very interested (repeating here for visibility). Wind FC is still iffy but all the models show <= 10 kt W. Swell forecast around 1.5 ft @ 11 s which will be lovely. Another random idea – and I'm OK with anything you decide – is launch from Good Harbor Beach or Niles Beach in Gloucester and paddle the outside of Eastern Point. This area has nice lee from west winds, is really stunning, and is hard to access in the summer due to lack of parking.

Note to attendees: please bring a laptop and/or smartphone. For laptops, the Chrome or Firefox browser is recommended as not all tools will work on other browsers.

I recall that it does have WiFi so don’t think we need equipment. Have asked BoD to double check this and thanks for offering to help.

In this workshop, we’ll explore (and in many cases use) a variety of websites and smartphone/desktop apps that can help us do useful things as paddlers. Our goal is to look at how internet technology and digital devices can help us, while remaining clear-eyed about the costs, drawbacks and tradeoffs. Throughout there will be an emphasis on free or low-cost solutions. The session will run from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Sunday, March 1, 2020. This workshop will be held in the Meeting Room (rear of the store) at REI, 279 Salem St, Reading, MA. Want to come? Sign up in the calendar entry! Attendance is limited by room capacity. Topics covered include: Websites and apps for weather, sea, surf observations and predictions How to download, crop, combine, and print NOAA charts with magnetic grids GPS tracking, wayfinding, analysis and logging of paddles Beyond the VHF radio: communication on the water Creating your own online maps and guides in Google Maps and Earth Pooling our paddling knowledge in the cloud Discussion of upcoming changes in NOAA chart technology Organizing paddles with polls and spreadsheets in the cloud Throughout the workshop, we’ll undertake group activities that use these tools in an authentic way to perform real-world tasks: create maps, plan trips, analyze weather, decide routes and more. (Slides will be published after the talk, so the raw information will be available to all. But if you don’t come, you’ll miss out on the problem-solving fun!)

For comparison here's the NOAA paper/raster chart version with some notes on why it's better– in ways that have nothing to do with the data. Some differences from ENC renderings above that help readers distinguish the different kinds of information Buoy labeling is typographically distinct from depths (italicized and boldface) Place names (e.g. "Dog Bar Channel") are oriented in the direction of the corresponding feature Descriptive labels for secondary features like seafloor (e.g. "rky") are italic and do not share a typographical baseline with nearby depths Underwater or administrative features ("e.g. "Cable Area") are in a distinct and lighter color.

I'm very much in agreement with the need to shift to digital cartography. But I think the problem with ENC right now is not the level of detail in the data itself (the shoreline data in ENC actually seems quite usable to me). It's the poor presentation of the ENC data for human readability, because the software that displays this data makes poor typography and graphic design choices, and fails to prevent visual collisions. Here's a detailed example of the mouth of Gloucester Harbor from NOAA's prototype ENC custom viewer. Can you quickly find the green "1DB" and red "2DB" buoys? It's hard! The labels are at a distance from the object, and are rendered in exactly the same font and size as the depth contours. Furthermore the 1DB buoy is superimposed directly on top of a depth, and its label "1DB" is obscured by the line for the underground cable. But this is not really the fault of the ENC data per se. Here is Navionics' Chart Viewer rendering of exactly the same data, but with different choices: It's also far from perfect, but the channel buoys are a lot clearer. My point here is this: software employing ENC can evolve to make better layout decisions, ones that meet human expectations for readability. But it hasn't, and we need to figure out how to push things in that direction. Then we'll be able to go get our custom charts, download them as PDFs, and be happy with them. I would really prefer that to cobbling together fragments of paper chart PDFs, in the end it will be better for everyone.

This seems like a good type of change to make (the paper charts do have all kinds of consistency problems and must be very costly to maintain). BUT NOAA is obviously not ready to do this yet. The quality and layout of the new ENC (pure digital) data seems way worse and harder to read than the paper/raster charts. Everything is going to depend on NOAA's ability to get this stuff figured out by 2025. Good thing we can always trust the government to get something done on time ? I would recommend that anyone interested in this issue send NOAA their feedback via https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/customer-service/assist/ with maybe a specific example of why the current formatting doesn't work.