Frederick Goodman

I'll also be out of town on the 27th.

Thanks!

Fascinating. Is this tool available in some form?

I think Janet has it right. There was definitely a long period (13 secs or so) not terribly high swell (maybe 2 or 2.5 ft) which was really big and powerful when it hit the shore or shoal areas. While in other conditions, we might be comfortable playing close in, we mostly needed to stay far out on Sunday. On the other hand, entrance and exit both at Cape Neddick River and at Perkins cove was pretty easy, and once one was far enough out, paddling was bouncy but not especially challenging. Landing at the beach just north of Perkins Cove (called Oarweed Cove) was also easy, but you can see from aerial views that it wouldn't have been easy at all at a lower tide. Ricardo just cut it too close exiting from Perkins Cove; just a few feet made a huge difference. Ricardo displayed remarkable presence of mind in his self rescue, and the rest of the crew also provided the right level of help, standing by near Ricardo ready to provide an assist, and recovering the boat pieces (from land).

Thanks, Mike. Does someone have an opinion on nylon vs. polypropylene? For example, is nylon too stretchy?

What is a good material/type/diameter, and what are good retail sources, for perimeter deck lines and deck bungees?

We have funny weather situation since last week. There has been a big storm just sitting way offshore producing big waves. This may dissipate by Sunday, or moderate. I took a look at the water at West Beach yesterday (Tuesday), when the buoy out at sea was reporting 6 or 7 ft waves. The surf launch would have been OK, but a little challenging. There was a safe place to paddle as far out as Misery Island, and I imagine in a strip along the coast W to the Danvers River. Looking out, there was a wall of water between Misery and House Island, occasionally breaking. Of course, it was breaking at the shoal with the day-marker, but elsewhere as well. It was rough out there. Bottom line: there will be a reasonable place to paddle in any case, but it may not be possible to paddle up the coast towards Gloucester or do a tour of the islands. Edit: today it looked a good deal tamer out there.

VHF radios with DSC emergency calling send a mayday signal with embedded GPS information and then switch to channel 16 for 2-way communication. I think the apple watch emergency signal uses the built-in GPS in the watch to give GPS information; doesn't depend on another app.

Interested, but it's hit or miss for me on the dates. 9 or 16 works, possibly 17.

Interested.

We didn't go NE out of Gloucester Harbor because of the fog, Karen. We went SW to Magnolia instead.

There is a place on the trip for everyone who has signed up till now (Tuesday, 2:30 pm).

Wow

If you previously expressed an interest, please do sign up on the link above as soon as possible, or if you no longer can make it, please let us know. People on the wait list will want to know! (Thanks, Bill, for letting us know you are out.)

Arrive at Pavilion Beach, Gloucester at 9:30 am for a 10 am launch. Paddle along the eastern shore of Gloucester Harbor to the Gloucester light and then NE to Salt Island, about 12 nm round trip. Please register for the trip here: https://forms.gle/A1aQ3QFHyNibBc51A. Co-leaders Fred and Prudence. Priority for those who already indicated interest on our previous post. Limit of 10 participants. Based on previous interest, we already are full, with a waitlist. High tide in Gloucester Harbor, 11:50. Forecast according to windy.com: light winds and 2ft swell at 8 seconds, air temps in mid to high 60's and water temp. mid 60's, overcast skies with partial sun. Usual requirements: sea kayak with full deck lines and bulkheads, spray skirt, dress for immersion, and bring a helmet if you want to go near the rocks. There is a small, free parking lot at the launch site. If nothing is available, drop your gear and park on Western Ave. GPS co-ordinates of the site: 42.610376, -70.667934