Paddling in Gloucester, Ma

[Adam]

Anyone up for paddling in Gloucester, MA. I know the area well.

Most of the good trips up there are five miles and more, notably to the lighthouse at Thachers which you can climb or to the seal colony at the offshore Salvages.

Also the fishing up there from a kayak has been fantastic lately.

email me at adambolonsky@yahoo.com

[pat]

Definitely.

It's a bit of a hike for most of us, but I know that the area is beautiful, and I'd love to see it from the water.

[Birdseye]

Absolutely! When do you want to go?

I'm available this weekend.

[Ron]

Nelson,

Your response was hard to predict.

[getnoutside]

Yes!!! I spent most of my childhood summers in Rockport (back when you could camp at Halibut Point). I love that area.

Nelson, if you're bored feel free to run up to my house and remove the two huge trees that came down in my yard

Steven

[Chip]

Adam,
How would you rate that trip. Most of us Turkey sea kayakers are level 2-3 range. Mostly 2, I would say.

I read your Duxbury bay trip report on NSPN, very entertaining.

[Birdseye]

Nelson,

Your response was hard to predict.

I didn't want to disappoint anyone. And I'm pretty sure all you Blueberry Hill folks will be wrapped up in your Labor Day festivities.

I'd go every weekend if there was a trip. The more you go, the better you get, the easier it gets and the more you learn. But I don't have to tell you that right?

Since I was 21 I was married with kids (step/then my own). Now I'm free (and what a feeling it is), so I want to take advantage of it.

Nelson, if you're bored feel free to run up to my house and remove the two huge trees that came down in my yard

Then we'll go paddling right??

[carbarlar]

Gotta love local trips.....I will watch for the date.

I look forward to seeing Pat & Chip again and meeting all you new folk.

Carol,
in Gloucester

[Adam]

I'd be willing to do a sort of intro trip to Gloucester for those interested.

Problem is most of the good destinations are a level three...and to call any of the level 2's a 2 (such as the Annisquam or Little Rivers) always runs the risk of the weather changing.

I'll post one soon. But it would probably be best to say that the only trip I could do up there would be a level three.

[carbarlar]

Hey Adam,

Can you help me out here......maybe I am a better paddler than I think....

I paddle the Annisquam all the time, in my canoe. I go from the High School- down thru little river- to jones creek and thru mill river and back. If the wind is up - then it is more difficult for me since I paddle solo in my tank of a canoe.

I was out there all weekend and it was glorious, the weather was perfect with a nice gentle warm breeze.

I guess my question is, why do you classify this river as a class 2?
Is it the wind and current that would make it a class 2?
I have done some 2-5 foot drops on some rivers and they were classified as class 3 drops- and they got my adreniline going ( I did stay dry)

Just wondering - here in Gloucester,

Carol

[pat]

I'd be willing to do a sort of intro trip to Gloucester for those interested.
[ ... ]
I'll post one soon. But it would probably be best to say that the only trip I could do up there would be a level three.

Adam,

I'd love to do one of these trips, but I'm not overly familiar with the various classifications. I've read up on them on a few sites, but the ratings aren't all the same.

The Ricka site seem fairly clear, but I'm curious about the distance requirements. One of the specifications for class 3 is that you can paddle 13 miles in a day. I don't understand why the distance factors into the classification. It seems that they're two seperate issues. Maybe I can handle all sorts of rescues, I'm comfortable in high seas and high winds, but I can't do it all day. Or maybe I can paddle from dawn to dusk, but I don't even know how to swim.

Yesterday, a few of us went out to Minot Light in Cohasset. The trip was 2 miles straight out in 4-foot swells, plus occasional wakes from passing boats confusing the issue. On the trip back, the swells slowly reduced to 2 feet. Including the tour of Little Harbor, it was probably just under 10 miles for the entire tour, which lasted under four hours.

I really don't think I had another 3 miles in me. When they speak of 13 miles in a day, is that a full day? Paddle 2 miles, rest an hour, paddle 2 miles, rest an hour... I could probably do that!

I'm fairly comfortable with the rest of the Ricka requirements - Would I be able to handle the trips you're talking about? What sort of distances do you expect?

[carbarlar]

Pat- thank you, the ricka site explains it very clearly.

I have always used the amc river guide book classification scale...but yes indeed it is all different water and different scales would be used.


www.ricka.org

thanks again,
Carol

[Adam]

Hey Adam,

Can you help me out here......maybe I am a better paddler than I think....

I paddle the Annisquam all the time, in my canoe. I go from the High School- down thru little river- to jones creek and thru mill river and back. If the wind is up - then it is more difficult for me since I paddle solo in my tank of a canoe.

I was out there all weekend and it was glorious, the weather was perfect with a nice gentle warm breeze.

I guess my question is, why do you classify this river as a class 2?
Is it the wind and current that would make it a class 2?
I have done some 2-5 foot drops on some rivers and they were classified as class 3 drops- and they got my adreniline going ( I did stay dry)

Just wondering - here in Gloucester,

Carol

Hi Carol,
I'm not a river guy, so I don't know what level 2 in river terms means. I was referring to level 2 as according to how NSPN (nspn.org) rates levels for their kayak trips on the ocean.

Basically level 2 is a beginners trip, according to the NSPN rubric.

Level 3 is advanced intermediate.

Their ratings have mostly to do with distance and what kinds of winds one can expect.

So most of Cape Ann to my eye is a level 3 if judged on the NSPN rubric.

At least all of the stuff that's fun is level 3 trip.

Again, I'm not a river guy. I was using an altogether different rating rubric. [/i]

[pat]

Since this isn't really a specific upcoming trip, I'm moving it to the General Discussion section. If a date gets assigned at some point, I'll move it back to Upcoming Trips.