Joseph Berkovitz

Unfortunately I have commitments both weekend days, or else I’d love to go!

I just noticed that the NOAA chart 13276 has been recently updated to include the temporary floating markers that bracket Bowditch Ledge. See comparison below. Oddly, the chart still show "RW Bn" where (at least, last time I looked) there is nothing. I wonder if this is because there are plans to actually rebuild the daymarker?

There are likely to be vacancies on this trip. If you'd like to go, please PM myself and Gary York (username gyork) and we'll pass it along.

Hi Paul — I’ll be heading cross country by 9/21 so I’m afraid I have to drop out at this point. Have fun! joe

WLP #17 Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/d528aa98868b7fb79a56cc73154e0de6/?layer=gaianoaarnc People: Joe Berkovitz, Bob Levine, Jeff Charrette, Phil Morrow, Sue Hriciga, David Mercer, Jim Snyder, Mike Habich Route: Lanes Cove -> Andrews Point -> Rockport/Back Beach -> Straitsmouth I. -> Andrews Point -> Lanes Cove Distance: 11.4 nm Conditions: Sunny becoming cloudy/light showers, winds 5 -> 13 -> 5 kt SE, seas 3 ft @ 8 sec HT: 9:56a (8.7); LT: 3:54p (0.4) 10.35a: We launched from Lanes in sunny, calm conditions with the plan of heading right and making our way to Andrews Point, then deciding where to head from there. The uncertain timing of the arrival of a cold front and torrential rains was a factor. Some NOAA warnings had this time at 1 pm, although the radar showed this to be not at all a sure thing. 11.00a: Rounding Halibut Point, there were some dramatic breakers and stand-up swells (as per usual) and the SE wind really picked up. Some of this was merely losing our lee from the sure, but looking at the buoys later it seems the wind actually did increase a lot around this time. After making our way to Andrews, the idea of crossing straight to Straitsmouth or the Dry Salvages against the wind and chop didn't seem universally appealing. We decided to head to Granite Pier for lunch instead and then reassess the weather. There was a good hour of hugging the rocky coast and enjoying the rough swell/chop combination hitting the boulders and cliffs next to us. 12.00p: Granite Pier had a very slippery ramp so we headed for nearby Back Beach in Rockport. This is a nice fine-sand beach with bathrooms that are open during the season, and no swimmers were there (not much parking in that area of town), so it was kind of a perfect lunch spot. Upon landing we had some shelter from the wind and the sun was still out. Checking the weather, it seemed that any precipitation was 2-3 hours away, and there was no particular wind warning, so 6 of us decided to round Straitsmouth next while Jim and Jeff peeled off to head back more directly to Lanes Cove. 1.00p: We crossed Sandy Bay to Straitsmouth. 1.25p: The next 35 minutes were a stretch of rough and tumble water (but no capsizes) since we had exposure to the ocean, with occasional long swell plus a good solid fetch of wind chop from the SE. Lots of wave-breaking ledges to avoid and reflections flying back at us off the island. Plenty to absorb one's attention! 2.00p: A brief break on the new boat ramp at Straitsmouth for some of us -- they are building some sort of wooden shed at the top of the rock steps there. Then a direct crossing of Sandy Bay all the way to Andrews Point. We covered this 2 nm stretch in a little under half an hour. With the wind, chop and occasional swell helping us out we were doing around 4.1 knots at times. 2.30p: Andrews Point and the home stretch back to Lanes. Conditions had moderated hugely, with much less wind and chop. The swell seemed to be diminishing quite a lot too. 3.15p: We landed in the light rain that was just beginning and a little bit of gentle wind. The weather was right on time! Thanks to everyone for a wonderful end (or maybe not?) to this season's WLP series!

I have been looking at the FC also this morning. My read on it is that we have a good chance of avoiding it altogether and the timing of the precipitation is quite uncertain. It looks like the winds associated with this are likely to be gusting not sustained. My thought is to get out on the water, but not put ourselves in a position where we might get caught out by the weather. It’s a well-defined front and we can watch the radar as the day progresses and not get into any committed situations.

Sure, we can have more. I just won’t be able to help organize them since I am leaving town mid Sept.

NSPN Wednesday Lunch Paddle #17 takes place on August 28, 2019, a Wednesday. This is the last W.L.P. of the year! You wouldn't want to miss it, would you? Really??? We will meet at Lanes Cove in Gloucester at 10:00am on the Duley Street side of the cove. https://goo.gl/maps/GNwTMjNBSZQmeEZj7 Predictions: HT: 9:56a (8.7); LT: 3:54p (0.4). Forecast is mid 60s F, sunny, light S winds building to 12 kt SE, seas 2 ft @ 9 sec. When/what: Let's meet at 10 am sharp, and ready to launch around 10.20 am. Then we'll have a beach briefing, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing, and get on the water, hopefully around 10.30 am. The launch location should give us plenty of wind/swell protection at the outset of the paddle; we'll decide where to go based on our group discussion (which will continue after we're on the water!). 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 rigged boats with 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. A waiver/float plan will be created at the launch, so there's no need to commit in advance. It's always 100% OK to show up, decide you don't like the conditions or the trip, and opt out. If you're interested in coming, it's nice if you let us know by posting on this thread. There is no calendar entry for this particular trip. Other conversation (including stating your interest in going) can also happen on this thread. Looking forward to seeing you there! 

The parking situation anywhere around Fort Point Channel has become harder as the Seaport district becomes ever busier. If you want to get to the Inner Harbor, consider launching the Little Mystic Boat Ramp in Charlestown which usually has ample parking because it's in a rarely visited industrial area: https://goo.gl/maps/mBSRNm8hyPkveQJu5

I'll help hijack my own thread. The side-of-the-skirt release should really be a standard alternate wet exit technique (and at least some coaches teach wet exiting to new kayakers with this as a feature). It could be needed for all kinds of reasons -- loop tucked in, bottom too shallow, something else in the way. (I for one have tucked in the Snapdragon grab loop at least once because it is black and doesn't stand out like the bright orange Seals ones.)

Wednesday Lunch Paddle #16: Marblehead rock play and Devereux surfing People: Joe Berkovitz, Sue Hriciga, Jeff Charrette Route: Riverhead Beach -> Marblehead Light -> Neck (outside) -> Devereux Beach -> return via Fort Sewall Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/0765f1334a28e9444365a3e019f52f56/?layer=gaianoaarnc Conditions: partly sunny / cloudy, air 70 F, water 67 F, winds light/var -> SSE 10 kt, seas 1.5 ft @ 10 s LT: 9.41a (1.0); HT: 3.53p (8.6) Launch: 10.30a; Land: 2.00p Distance: 7 nm The trip this morning had looked a bit iffy, with severe thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon as part of a frontal system coming through. But the three of us decided to do it since the radar suggested we might have a substantial break before any storms arrived -- and indeed, they never really did (as of press time, which is 7 pm, a mere sprinkle of rain has occurred here in Marblehead). We launched from dead low tide at Riverhead; at least, one can safely drive almost to the water in this situation. We made a rough plan to keep the trip on the short and sweet side, going around the Neck and then investigating the mysterious Devereux surf break (with lunch on Devereux to follow). Conditions looked small to nonexistent until we got outside the Neck, at which point the 10-second swell made for some really good exploration of the many rock slots and fun spots -- large enough to provide real interest, but small enough that very few things felt off limits. From 11 to 11.30 we ran down the Neck. Then we found the Devereux surf spot. And it is a hidden beauty. How did we ever miss it all this time? Probably because it can be active while almost nothing else is happening anywhere on the beach (which was the case today). You can see it on the chart: about 1/3 of the way along the causeway from east to west, a shallow underwater spit sticks out from the beach, perpendicular to the incoming waves. It focuses all the wave energy into a narrow strip above the spit -- maybe 30 feet wide -- where the waves stand up and then spill beautifully all the way to the shore. The effect was a bit like Nahant on a perfect day (if Nahant were only 30 feet wide). The rides began several hundred feet offshore. I was able to ride the entire length to the beach over and over: perfectly formed, symmetrical spilling waves. Because the strip is so narrow, when you want to get off the wave, just move a few dozen feet to the left or right, and the wave is gone. The whole effect is incredibly focused, and it must have collected and added up energy from a wide swath of water since there were no swells visible elsewhere. Note for the future: despite the low swell, the surfing was great from (at least) 11.45 to 12.00. Being about 2 hours after low, this would give us a depth of 1 + ((8.6 - 1)* (3/12)), or 2.9 feet above MLLW. Directly over the break, I could see the bottom about 3 feet down. I am sure the long period was helping out a lot. We should come here when the waves are bigger and the water's a bit deeper. Lunch was eaten. Then an enjoyable but somewhat quicker return to Riverhead, to avoid any bad weather. We kept seeing clouds that look nasty in the distance, but thankfully they never made it to us!

As some of you have already noticed, there is a severe Tstorm watch posted for this afternoon which seems to be associated with a frontal system, so probably a “when” rather than an “if”. This sort of event doesn’t suddenly arrive out of nowhere, so my personal feeling is to go ahead & stay very well tuned to the radar and the sky. Often the timing is way off and things don’t happen until later than expected. There are also tons of emergency bailouts here. But conservatively, we can expect the trip to likely wind up early. Of course this is not necessarily worth the drive time (which for me is zero) and David and Pru have already cancelled. But I will be going for a paddle anyway, and I’ll be on the beach at 10 if anyone turns up, since it’s convenient for me. It just may be briefer than the usual WLP. Lunch might be at the Barnacle instead of a beach... but... they do serve beer there...

I recently removed the thigh braces from my Delphin 155 because I also prefer the lighter, less aggressive support offered by other boats. I want room to disengage knees and thighs from the top of the boat but still be able to make contact when I want to (usually only in a roll or brace). For many people, that kind of locked-in contact with the deck results in a twitchy and unstable experience; my feeling is it's better to edge using onside weight, not with an offside thigh. The Delphin system has two distinct pieces on each side: the backband adjuster with a lever-and-pawl arrangement, and the molded plastic thigh brace itself. Since I wanted to preserve the ability to adjust the backband (and also put the braces back in case I sell the boat), I decided to just remove the thigh braces and leave the backband system more or less in place. But because the thigh braces actually form part of the mounting for the adjusters, I did resort to one hack: I screwed the adjusters directly onto the coaming where the thigh braces had been. This works fine. I did not install any additional foam braces, since the adjuster itself still takes up some room in that spot. One could certainly rig up something more like the Cetus if so inclined. In any case, I just stayed with the stock Delphin parts, minus the braces, and now I am much happier with the boat.

NSPN Wednesday Lunch Paddle #16 takes place on August 21, 2019, a Wednesday. How fitting! We will meet at Marblehead's Riverhead Beach at 10:00am. The parking lot is on the left of Ocean Avenue just as you approach the causeway to Marblehead Neck. LT 9.41 am; HT 3.53 pm. Forecast is for 70s, light S winds increasing to 8 kt, showers/Tstorms possible, and 1.5' swell @ 10s. This makes for potentially nice rock play conditions along the coast, and a possible goal of surfing the small ledge break off the middle of Devereux Beach. Let's meet at 10 am sharp, and ready to launch around 10.20 am. Then we'll have a beach briefing, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing, and get on the water, hopefully around 10.30 am. There are several options to paddle from this launch so we will plan as a group based on conditions and skill level. 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 rigged boats with 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. A waiver/float plan will be created at the launch, so there's no need to commit in advance. It's always 100% OK to show up, decide you don't like the conditions or the trip, and opt out. If you're interested in coming, it's nice if you let us know by posting on this thread. There is no calendar entry for this particular trip. Other conversation (including stating your interest in going) can also happen on this thread. Looking forward to seeing you there! 

August 14, 2019 Wednesday Lunch Paddle #15 People: Joe Berkovitz, Bob Levine, Dave Merriman, David Mercer, Jim Snyder, Jeff Charrette Route: Nahant Beach -> Egg Rock -> Saunders Ledge -> East Point -> Nahant Beach HT: 11.45a (8.72'); LT: 5.29p (1.02') Conditions: partly sunny, air 65 F, water 64 F, wind 10-12 kt N -> NNE, seas 1-2 ft @ 5 sec Distance: 8 nm Despite the locale this was not a surf day, with short wind waves sheltered by the bay, so we decided to make it into a rock gardening day and head for Egg, then Saunders, then East Point. Once we got out near Egg Rock the wind and conditions really picked up and the water became quite lively. Egg and Saunders were a fun warmup but East Point was certainly the star today. We thought it might be calmer out there given the wind direction but, no, it was the most active place on the menu today. We ran a number of passages, including the "Twins" (a large ledge with anywhere from 2 to 4 runnable slots depending on tide) and the "Subterranean" (maybe Bob can explain why he calls it that) which is a longish passage behind a big ledge with a tight turn, where a wiggly sheltered slot connects to a larger slot that funnels in the eastern swell energy. Notable was a team-effort rescue coordinated by Jeff after Jim capsized in the aforementioned passage and came out of his boat (no room to roll). Jeff asked Jim to flip his boat and shoot it out of the slot towards us, and then paddle-swim out to meet us. Jeff passed his boat to me and I took on the task of emptying Jim's boat, while Jeff stayed close to Jim as he swam. David Mercer bulldozed me as a temporary measure to keep me from being blown onto the rocks. After Jim swam out to me, Dave Merriman applied an anchor tow while I got Jim back in his boat. This all happened pretty smoothly and with a minimum of discussion. Then, back to playing in the rocks again. After this excitement, we were ready for a nice lunch and rest on the pocket beach just west of East Point. Finally, back to Nahant Beach. Sadly, still no surfing (although there were mini-rides available to make the paddling faster!) But we did manage to avoid being slimed by the algae for the most part -- unlike our launch, which was fairly slimy. Thanks to all for making this YET ANOTHER INCREDIBLE WLP!

I'm leaving town mid Sept. but before that I am also interested in this trip. Any day of the week works.

I shall be in attendance at this august occasion.

Lots more pictures can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ax3bLYPgrVpHmAyJA

Thursday August 1, 2019: NSPN Bold Coast Pre-Trip Dinner We all arrived in Lubec Thursday afternoon, and set out for a group dinner at Cohill's Pub to come up with a rough plan, charts and ideas in tow. It looked like Saturday would be the windiest day, so we reserved it for playing in Cobscook at Reversing Falls. It looked as though the timing would work out to arrive mid-flood, play as it wound down to slack, then play some more in the ebb as it built. In a break from last year, rather than save Canada for the last day, we decided to go to Canada on the first day. This was driven by a tidal consideration: we would hopefully view whales feeding at high tide around midday near White Island, then continue our paddle north towards Passamaquoddy Bay to investigate the edge of this westernmost Fundy island chain. The idea was to make it sort of a warmup-with-whales kind of trip. The thinking at this dinner was to save the Bold Coast for the last two days, doing a shorter section as a warmup on Sunday and a longer shuttle on Monday through the Lubec Narrows. We did wind up modifying Monday's plan later, though... Friday August 2, 2019 NSPN Bold Coast Day 1: Fundy Whale Watch and Passamaquoddy Bay People: Joe Berkovitz, Peter Brady, Dan Carr, Mike Habich, Kate Hartland, Sue Hriciga, Bob Levine, Jim Snyder Route: Campobello I. NB/Head Harbor -> White I. -> Macs I. -> return Conditions: sunny, air 60-70 F, water 54 F, wind 5 kt variable, calm seas HT: 12.32p @ 25.8' EDT; LT: 6.44p @ 2.5' (St John NB) Start: 9.00a; End: 3.45p Length: 14 nm Track (partial): https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/3b089880e421a76671b663f3e3611993/?layer=gaianoaarnc As planned, we got a bright and early start driving into Canada, to launch from Campobello's Head Harbor. The plan was to follow the harbor out to the bay, shoot through a small tide race behind the iconic lighthouse, and then get a look at Head Harbor Passage to see what the current and conditions looked like. The weather was forecast to be perfect, and indeed it was. Kate surfing the Head Harbor Light tiderace At Head Harbor Passage conditions looked calm and the flood was certainly still running strong. Boat traffic was light. We ferried across to Spruce Island, with its strange conglomerate rocks that look so different from every other rock island in the vicinity. The current might have been 2-3 knots in places during the crossing, but we crossed a number of eddies and counter-eddies along the way with the water switching directions several times. Certainly once we were up against Spruce Island, only a very narrow strip of quieter water was available next to the island. Anywhere else was a fight up-current. We got to the end of Spruce around 10.00a. Rounding the corner of Spruce Island By 10.30a or so we were roosting between White and Nubble Islands, in the company of a number of both commercial and homespun whale watchers, hearing whales spouting from many directions. Numerous porpoises were also skipping through the water around us. (This seems to be a prime spot for the whales to feed, perhaps because it's a patch of fairly quiet water surrounded by shifting currents.) Soon, whales started surfacing repeatedly, many quite close to us. The rest of the group dubbed Kate the "whale whisperer" since she seemed to have some mysterious sense of where they would come up next. We saw mostly finbacks, but at least one humpback that lolled on its side. Finback whale surfacing near our group They were a spectacular sight and we remained in this spot for almost half an hour, watching whale after whale break the surface. Kate whispering to a humpback From here, we continued to follow the island chain north, beginning with a lunch stop on Barnes Island. Then we made our way up to the narrow Little Letete Passage that links the Bay of Fundy with Passamaquoddy Bay to the north. By now the tide had turned and there was a substantial ebb beginning to run. We decided that we'd reached our turnaround point when we rounded the point of Macs Island. Passamaquoddy Bay as seen from cave on Macs Island Then back south again to ply a different route through the chain, stopping this time on a narrow tombolo at the south end of Parker Island, a long crossing to Simpsons and another one to Spruce. On this final crossing we heard and saw whales once again, but not in the numbers we'd seen them before. On Spruce, Bob was interested in checking out a passage that he felt should exist at high water between two rows of the strange tooth-like rocks. So on the way back we spent some time looking for "Bob's Slot". Alas, it only seemed to exist in theory, and the water had subsided enough that we weren't getting quite the high water viewing experience we had hoped for in this location! Finally the day came to an end back at Head Harbor. The water was glittering with millions of iridescent particles flowing out from the harbor with the ebb. Alas, despite their colorful charms these turned out to be fish scales, probably a byproduct of the intensive fish farming operations in that area. Yuck! We washed our gear with extra gusto that evening. And... it hadn't been such a light day after all. Our "warmup" was a 14 nm paddle. Oh, well! Sometimes exploring is just too much fun! Saturday August 3, 2019 NSPN Bold Coast Day 2: Pembroke Reversing Falls in Cobscook Bay Conditions: sunny, air 70-80 F, water 60 F, wind 12-15 kt W Slack before ebb at the falls: ~2.00p (Cutler HW: about 1.10p) Distance: a few miles Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/cf03f528a5d0063694c84d1c1b1992e2/?layer=gaianoaarnc Our day of fun in currents began with strong breezes on the campground that quickly dispelled any fog or dew. The decision to stay away from the coast today seemed to be clinched - the forecast had coastal winds gusting to 18 kt from the SW - and we headed off to Reversing Falls, about a 45 minute drive. This was another change from last year, when we had paddled all the way to the falls from the campground's private beach. Although it's a fun paddle with a high-speed tidal assist, this didn't really leave enough time (or energy) to enjoy the unique paddling environment of the falls. So with some helpful prompting from Sue, we elected this year to launch from Leighton Point right near the falls and focus specifically on that area only. Mike also pointed out that we would benefit from first going to the nearby overlook, to survey the whole area from above before launching. Here's a video of what the falls looked like at this point: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TDGC4l7Zz02VXgCxB_udi0dnV3Ctyg4w/view?usp=sharing The route from Leighton Point around the back of Falls Island to the flooding side of the falls was our first nut to crack. We benefited hugely from Dan's familiarity with the place; the back of Falls is actually a no-kidding kind of place with some swift currents to cross, but there are plenty of eddies for parking and hugging the shore. Dan's plan of ferrying from the SW of Fox Island to Falls Island, and then hugging the shore all the way to Reversing Falls was a good strategy in the flood that gets all the current out of the way with one move. Then there's a nice eddy at the destination to rest and check out the situation. What the situation was when we arrived around 12.40p: big, big, big. It was after max flood but even though the current speed was about the same as when we'd observed things before, the water was so much higher that the picture had changed very substantially. A big ledge that had stuck up above the rushing water like a mountain before (with a potential play spot in front of it), was now a nasty waterfall fronted by a killer hole. We climbed out and had a look and a bit of a wait for things to get calmer before people started going out to play. After a while Bob had worked his way to the far side and downcurrent, positioning himself with an eye to someone possibly going for a swim and drifting up towards him. Peter and Jim were slowly cruising back and forth near the closest branch of the main current, and most of the rest of us were observing the falls from the rocks on the shore. (I was getting back into my boat in a small cove, and so I personally missed all of what happened next – others will have more of a first-person take on events.) A large whirlpool suddenly formed around the eddy line very close to – or around – Peter. People on the rocks saw it materialize in real time; by the time Peter could see it, though, he was already in it. It grabbed his boat; while he wasn't completely submerged nonstop, the water surface was steeply inclined and rolling or self-rescuing wasn't an option. Peter later said the water surface outside the vortex was above his eye level and he could see he was in a depression, even if he wasn't being sucked completely down and under. At some point he came out of his boat, after which the vortex broke up leaving him pretty close to Bob, who rescued him in fairly short order. By the time the rescue was over, they had drifted far out of sight of the main group and we reestablished contact by VHF as they slowly eddy-hopped their way back to the falls. The flood was now beginning to wind down, and most of the group collected on the other side of the falls for lunch (with occasional apprehension about whirlpools along the way). The wind picked up very considerably during this time and boat handling began to be a matter of managing moving air as well as moving water. After a surprisingly short pause, the ebb began to build and we all played with the "reversed" flavor of Reversing Falls for maybe another 45 minutes to an hour. Bob and Dan and I tried to hunt in the current for some sign of the previously seen mountain or ledge which was now underwater, but presumably causing some action at the surface. Maybe we found it, maybe not; what is for sure is that we did find some rough water! Eventually it started to feel late and time to head back, so we just cruised downcurrent to our put-in which was considerably hotter and more sultry than the falls. A good day, with with no small measure of excitement. And some learning to take away: substantial whirlpools form around the eddy lines here with little warning! Sunday August 4, 2019 NSPN Bold Coast Day 3: Bailey's Mistake to Moose Cove and back Conditions: fog dispersing to sun, air 60 F, water 50 F, light SW winds with developing sea breeze, 1-2 ft. swell HT: 2.06p @ 15.6'; LT: 8.19p @ -1.0' (Cutler) Distance: 10.4 nm Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/f07d9f80b5a821f8033e60b23af6b1b9/?layer=gaianoaarnc The winds had died down and it seemed like a perfect ocean day. Mist around the campground shrouded the view of nearby Lubec, turning a small-town skyline into something resembling a distant big city. We headed off to Bailey's Mistake to launch shortly after breakfast. The megalopolis of Lubec in the early morning fog The Bold Coast was as majestic as I've ever seen it. Crossing Bailey's towards Eastern Head, big fog banks occasionally drifted in and out of our view. But on the whole, the trend was towards clearing. It was nice to feel some swell again, as we approached the headlands. It was not a big day in terms of conditions, but there was plenty of interest generated by what we had and lots of nooks and crannies to play in among the large-scale scenery. There were a few nice pourovers and mini-surfing spots. Jims Head from Bailey's Mistake Just an everyday Bold Coast moment As we've noted before, the famed Grand Manan Channel current is just not that big of a deal near the coast. Somewhere well away from the coastline, the flood was running full tilt from SW to NE (against our direction of travel) at maybe 4 knots, but where we were, there were just occasional small tide rips and eddy lines near some of the headlands. At lunchtime we enjoyed the superb spot at the SW end of Moose Cove. Some napped on the beach; others snacked on the excellent blueberries growing on the promontory above. Not the worst Down East lunch spot ever Then we wound our way back to Bailey's along the same rocks, but thanks to the tide change, a very different landscape. We stopped at Haycock Harbor for "second lunch" and a view of the ruined sailboat, then a final session at Jims Head where Bob and Peter somewhat... um... impulsively... attempted to land on the rocks in some bouncy water and climb up the cliff face to a spectacular sloping ledge 50 feet above the water. The landing part of this plan was realized, but the climbing part was aborted when it became clear how much longer the entire operation was going to take (by now it was late afternoon). To be clear, no one wimped out, but discretion may have been the better part of valor on this occasion. And now, ladies and gentlemen, watch as we defy death by climbing to the top of... uh... wait a minute... We paddled back to our landing. Damn - another great day on the water with perfect weather and conditions! Monday August 5, 2019 NSPN Bold Coast Day 4: Canada Again People: everyone minus Peter Route: Herring Cove Beach (Campobello I) to Whiterock Cliffs and back Conditions: sunny, air 65 F, water 50 F, light winds, calm seas LT: 8.58a @ 1.4'; HT: 3.10p @ 26.1' (St John NB) Distance: 8.8 nm Track: https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/29517257bd9f4cd3b5d415290dafbe22/?layer=gaianoaarnc On our last day, people were not into a big shuttle of running the Lubec Narrows and then potentially dealing with max flood around W Quoddy Head. Whatever the situation might have been over there, the clear vote was for another day in Canada, this time exploring the Campobello coastline on the Fundy side which we had ignored the previous day. So that was our plan. Disgustingly perfect weather again greeted us this morning. We launched near dead low at Herring Cove. With a tidal range of over 20 feet, it was a long, long walk to the bay. From there, a serene experience of cruising through slots and huge seaweed-covered cliffs unfolded. In the calm waters we dawdled by rocks while looking at many small iridiscent comb jellies (colloquially known as "sea walnuts") and both tiny and huge jellyfish. There was a strong current running in our favor from 50 to 100 feet offshore, a kind of "mini-escalator" that we generally ignored, but finally used as lunch approached, when we wanted to get to our chosen spot quickly. Dan Carr at Campobello A "sea walnut" (Mnemiopsis leidyi) with iridescent cilia and 2 feeding tentacles Eventually we had lunch at a beach next to white rocks in a startling contrast to the black cliffs that predominate here -- unsurprisingly named Whiterock Cliffs. Whiterock Cliffs Then another relaxed cruise back to the beach, trying to stay out of the developing breeze at our bows. We chased a set (family?) of mature and immature bald eagles that continually stayed one step ahead of us as we paddled. Eventually we wound up back at the beach, but with a 5-foot ascent to the parking lot instead of 25 feet! This year was hard to top. Many thanks to everyone in the group, and to the forces of nature for being so kind to us all!

This sounds super fun! I am sad that I could not join – but happy that you guys did it. Everything we do could be the last thing of its kind... or not... but I am glad that we just go out and do these things, knowing that we don't know the answer to that question.

Wednesday Lunch Paddle #13 Route: Riverhead Beach -> Peach's Pt. -> Coney I. -> Eagle I. -> Grays Rock -> Brown's I. -> Riverhead Beach Track: GaiaGPS People: me, David Mercer, Sue Morin, Ray Andrews, Romaine Randall, Rich Zwiercan, Elizabeth Williams, Mike Habich Distance: 7.75 nm LT: 11.06a (1.1'); HT: 5.24p (8.4') Conditions: 5 kt N changing to E, seas < 1ft, air 69 F, water 70 F, dewpoint 60 F, overcast -> sun A fun, relaxed Salem Sound outing in perfect summer weather. 10.30a: Low-tide launch from Riverhead Beach in overcast with some clearing apparent. Almost zero wind. We elected to stay to the west side of MHD harbor to avoid getting tangled in the multiple waves of Marblehead Junior Race Week contestants heading out to their race lines. Plan was to get to the fort and then look around to see what the racing venues would be and avoid them. 11.15a: Reconnaissance from Fort Sewall showed a lot of race activity to the NE and SE of the harbor. We decided to continue to Peach's Point and then cross to Coney Island for lunch. Some opportunities for low-impact rock play were found along the way, although there was little swell. 11.45a: Landing at Coney Island and lunch. Many kind offers from seagulls to help us consume any leftovers that might exist. By this time, skies had cleared and a light, pleasant easterly breeze was developing. 12.45p: Launch from Coney. The group wanted to put in some more mileage so the plan was to cross to Eagle Island by way of the Coney Ledges, much of which was still visible. 1.20p: Arrival at Eagle. A couple of folks got out on the west-side rocks for a break, while others surfed a small ledge break on the Eagle Bar jutting out to the SW of the island. I got one semi-decent ride but there was not a lot to work with. David M fared somewhat better. 1.40p: Begin crossing to Gray's Rock. Nearing max flood, with a strong (well, maybe 1 kt) NW current apparent during the crossing especially nearing Gray's. 2.20p: Short break behind Browns Island. 3.00p: All 8 paddlers return to Riverhead: another WLP with 0% lost at sea!

Thanks Peter - sorry this didn’t work out for you! have fun in Sweden. Joe

O People of the Paddle, heed our call! NSPN Wednesday Lunch Paddle #13 (sorry triskaidecaphobics, we don't skip that number) takes place on July 24, 2019. Bob is away this week, but I am back from California and it's good to be home again. We will meet up at Riverhead Beach, Marblehead at 10 am. The launch location has been determined scientifically, by analyzing the fact that I will not have a car at my disposal. It appears we will enjoy some of the best summer weather, with temps around 70 F, light easterly winds and partly sunny skies. Seas 1' or less. LT is 11.06a @ 1.1 ft, so there will be some carrying or beach driving when we put in, but with the neap tide it's by no means the worst that Riverhead has to offer. Let's meet at 10 am sharp, and ready to launch around 10.20 am. Then we'll have a beach briefing, make a plan together based on what people feel like doing, and get on the water, hopefully around 10.30 am. Many different kinds of trip are possible if the forecast holds up. 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 rigged boats with 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. A waiver/float plan will be created at the launch, so there's no need to commit in advance. It's always 100% OK to show up, decide you don't like the conditions or the trip, and opt out. If you're interested in coming, it's nice if you let us know by posting on this thread. There is no calendar entry for this particular trip. Other conversation (including stating your interest in going) can also happen on this thread. Looking forward to seeing you there! 

Hi Liz What a nice sounding idea. But with the extreme heat I am just not up for car topping and boat carrying today. I think I might need to just stand in the water with a drink in my hand... tomorrow sounds like better weather thank goodness.

Hi Paul — REALLY sorry to hear that. Good luck with everything. Bob and I will consult the wait list, I am sure your spot will be filled. Joe