May Snapshots Volume II

Horseneck Beach, Massachusetts. I camped here for a couple of nights while I took trips in both branches of the Westport River and explored Newport. You can park and camp just above the beach at the State Park campground.

Newport, again. This time I launched from Third Beach, on the Sakonnet River side and paddled to Lands End, connecting the dots from previous trips. Played in some surf as I made my way along Second Beach. Backed into Purgatory Chasm, a deep cleft in the rocky shore (video here) and made my way around Easton Point and Easton Beach to the Cliff Walk. There are lots of large houses in Newport.

On my way home I stopped in Salem and camped at Winter Island, where the fog came in in the evening and hung over Salem Sound the next morning. I followed the Beverly shore out to Manchester where I saw plenty more big houses. Not as big as the ones in Newport, but it looks as if people actually live in these, at least some of the time. The Greek temple above appears to be someone's beach cabana.

From Manchester Harbor I made my way out to Great Misery Island for lunch. I was hoping the fog might lift so I could follow the mid-sound islands back to Marblehead and Salem, but it remained as dense as ever until I was about half-way back along the shore route.

Back home with Pinniped's Leadership and Guide class, we went out for a couple days in the archipelago, camping in a favorite spot. It was good to be home.

May Snapshots, Volume I

In the three weeks since the last paddling excursion I wrote about here, I've managed to get-in plenty of paddling, mostly in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I've been too busy paddling (and driving) to spend much time writing much more than copious notes and plans for the next trip. And yet I really love those days I get to spend writing about it as well.  I've also been helping Nate teach Pinniped's Leadership & Guide Training class at Old Quarry, and today I'm feeling a bit worn-out, beat-up and waterlogged.

Several excursions could have easily warranted a blog post, but for now I'll have to settle for a few snapshots of highlights.

Hingham Harbor. On our way down to Osprey Sea Kayak in Westport, MA, where Rebecca would be taking an Instructor Development Workshop, we stopped just south of Boston for a paddle in Hingham Harbor. We paddled to the public islands, checked-out the sights and campsites, and returned to the beach to witness a bunch of high school girls doing "polar plunges"- dips in the ocean usually lasting about half a second. The plunges were well-documented on phones, and afterward the girls warmed-up in cars, each attentive to the little screens on their hand-held devices.

Newport. For four days while Rebecca took her class, I went off on my own to explore. In Newport I launched at Fort Adams, following the shore south past Ocean Drive to Land's End and back. Then I went out to check out the Rose Island Lighthouse (above- I always seem to get those "flag fully extended" winds) and back around Goat Island in Newport Harbor. At the Goat Island Bridge, fishermen lined the railings almost shoulder to shoulder, casting lines and continuously hauling-in squid. The fishermen were strangely quiet, with only the sound of reels and squid expelling water as they were hoisted up. 

Jamestown Island, Rhode Island. When I see a big island on the chart, my mind inevitably veers into planning circumnavigations. I went all the way around Jamestown (AKA Conanicut Island) to discover that the southern end is a good deal more exciting and lively than the northern end. Fun paddle, but tiring. Here's a few moments of that trip on video.

Sakonnet Point, Rhode Island. Swells rolling into the mouth of the Sakonnet River squeeze through a sieve of rocky domes and ledges, creating fun play spots. Paddling solo, I maneuvered cautiously among the islands which were thick with nesting seabirds. The islands and Sakonnet Point Lighthouse are easily recognizable from far-off, with three stone columns on West Island marking the site of the The West Island Club. The club was a haven for wealthy sportfishermen in the late 1800s and was finally washed away in the hurricane of 1938.

Fort Wetherill, Jamestown. I joined a group of paddlers on a Rhode Island Canoe & Kayak Association (RICKA) trip that met on Saturday morning. This trip ventured into lively and sometimes large conditions for a bit of rock play among the cliffy stretches of Jamestown.  I often found myself paddling near the appointed leader, hanging-back from much of the group, which seemed almost indifferent to the probability of larger swells turning the impact zone into chaos. A few mishaps ensued, but were followed by efficient rescues. After paddling alone so much, I was grateful to be included, and had a great time paddling with this group. They assured me that their trips didn't usually result in so much carnage. Check-out the video here.

Marion, Massachusetts. As we meandered home, we launched in Marion for a paddle in Buzzard's Bay. The shoreline is mostly residential and Bird Island- the only public access destination- is off-limits much of the time due to bird nesting, but we had a nice lunch on a ledge in Aucoot Cove.

Then as we drove home, feeling a bit worn-out and sleepy, it seemed that a bit of surfing at Popham Beach might be a good eye-opener. It was near the end of the day, so we hurried down to the beach and got in a bunch of good rides in less than an hour. Plenty of adrenaline to get us the rest of the way home.

But it was good to get home. A few days later we taught a pool session in Bar Harbor and took a spin out around the Porcupines- about the calmest day we've had there for awhile, which made for some enjoyable near-shore paddling (or like the photo above - "in" shore paddling).

Boston Harbor

Last year I joined a sea kayaking Meetup group, but I wasn't able to get to any of their trips, most of which take place a good bit south of here. Last week I got a message that one member was organizing a trip in Boston Harbor. I was planning on being in the area, so, along with a few other tentative paddlers, I pressed the "accept invitation" button. By the time I met Matt, the organizer, at City Point in Boston, we were down to two paddlers.

Two paddlers is probably my favorite group size anyway (my other favorites are one and three). I guess it depends on who that paddler is, but Matt and I quickly found some common ground and we  established what we had for safety gear and how to manage our "group." Matt is originally from Boston, and he'd recently moved back east from San Francisco where he'd developed his paddling skills, and was now busy re-discovering his former backyard. It was an excellent chance for me to get shown around by someone with a lot of knowledge of the area.

I'd arrived a bit early and took a walk around Pleasure Bay, among countless others out for their Saturday morning exercise. Being in Boston is a bit overwhelming for me: a different sort of sensory overload than I experience in less-developed places. Jets from Logan rumbled into the sky every few minutes, and everywhere the air just hums with the coalesced background drumming of the city. I started my walk feeling obviously out of place, and finished, almost an hour later, feeling like I'd found a new favorite place. That feeling continued after we launched and made our way out among the islands.

We passed the green slopes of Spectacle Island, which was used as the dumping ground for fill from the Big Dig, and is now a park and the highest point in the harbor. To the north, the wastewater treatment plant on Deer Island looked about as industrial as it gets, with its huge weird orbs and wind turbines. A tanker lay at anchor just off of the plant. We kept a sharp eye out for boat traffic, especially the high-speed ferries, but there wasn't much- one advantage of being here early in the season.

We stopped for lunch on Great Brewster Island, where we made our way to the top of an eroding bluff for a spectacular view of the harbor and the city beyond. The other paddlers who'd opted not to join us had joined a different group that left from Hull (a shorter trip to the same area) and we kept an eye out for them. After we ate, we spotted their kayaks on nearby Calf Island, and we went to say hello. I'd met a couple of the other paddlers before, and we chatted for a few moments as the others paddled away.

We made our way out to The Graves, a group of ledges where a tall lighthouse guards the entrance to Boston Harbor, and began our trek back.

There's so much to see in Boston Harbor: lighthouses, the ruins of old fortifications and places with layers upon layers of history. We made a big loop that gave us a bit of everything- the perfect introduction to Boston Harbor, but I can imagine shorter trips with more time to investigate on shore.

We rounded Little Brewster Island, where Boston Harbor Lighthouse marks the entrance to Nantasket Roads. We waved to the lightkeeper, who stood in the doorway of the house; I think that's the first manned lighthouse I've paddled past, and I felt a little regret that we didn't have time to stop. By now though, the day was waning and whatever current that ran against us was taking its toll. Over on Deer Island, brilliant end of the day light lit the wastewater treatment plant vividly. The last miles went slowly, and it felt good to get back to the car.

We got out of our gear and packed up, and some people asked us about our trip (no one seemed shy) but the comings and goings at City Point continued. A woman parked her BMW and put on her Rollerblades, and a guy whined past on a stripped-down moped. A group of corporate co-workers on a team-building exercise were marched past in formation, carrying logs and grunting. A couple former Special Forces guys handed-out business cards to anyone who seemed interested or curious, explaining, "we basically beat the crap out of 'em" before asking Matt if he knew the water temperature (41) since they were soon marched into the chilly water of Pleasure Bay. Saturday night in Boston was well underway