Or maybe renamed "Adventure on the High Seas".
As usual Norm was first at the meet point down in Quisset Harbor, Falmouth. I'm not going to try to beat him unless I can pitch a tent at the launch. Bea was with him and we loaded my kayak INTO his truck and left mine at Quisset. 50 minutes later we were shoving off from the shore at Megansett Harbor into calm seas. It was cool and a little cloudy but the forecast was good...."Wind from the north 5 to 10 kts, seas 1 foot or less" and low tide at 1.20pm. So, thanks to the summer mini Nor-easter it looked like we would have everything in our favor rather than a slog against the usual southwesterly wind.
It was much clearer than last week and we could see the canal traffic light tower, but not what color the lights were. Ahead of us was a lighthouse, Cleveland East Ledge Light, marking the Shipping channel into the Cape Cod Canal. I had marked compass bearings from the light on my chart so I could plot our progress south. We made excellent time, zipping right along, passing Fiddlers Cove before turning south towards Woods Hole. Ahead of us, way in the distance, we could see Naushon Island and most of the Elizabeth Islands chain. As we rounded Nyes Neck, the water got rougher and choppier just as it had last week when we rounded the peninsulas. the expanse of Old Silver Beach stretched out to our left and we all enjoyed getting a helping hand from the waves and wind. At an easy paddle we were making 4 kts . We checked out Seacrest Resort at the end of the beach and Bea recounted a previous trip where the Turkeys group was nearly ejected by an over zealous security guard!! At the end of the beach we had to head south west to follow the coast which meant we were now broadside to the waves. The wind seemed to be picking up slightly and I remember thinking "seas 1ft or less....hmmmm"
Only 1 hr 20 mins into our trip, with the winds help, we were already down at West Falmouth Harbor so we decided to poke our noses in and have a look round. The Harbor entrance was a little choppy due to the out going tide and incoming wind but no big deal. Once inside we admired the boats and paddled to a creek in the far North East corner before retracing back to the entrance.
By this time the wind had picked up a little more and leaving the harbor was a little interesting. The wind had definitely picked up now and seemed to have shifted slightly, coming from the north west which meant that for the rest of our trip the short steep wind driven waves were coming now from our right rear quarter.
We followed a long stretch of sandy beach with a few houses on for a 1 1/4 miles until we found the channel leading to Quahog Pond. From the Google Earth image it looked like a small marshy area with some channels that may have be worth exploring, but when we arrived the entrance channel was very shallow and the water was rushing out as the tide was still falling.
By now it was 12 noon and so we took a lunch break by the channel. I wandered round the corner to see into the marsh , looked like it would only really be accessible within a couple of hours either side of high tide.
Nearly an hour passed on the beach before we set off again. I had been paddling in T-shirt and shorts but opted for the wetsuit for the last push home as the wind had now picked up considerably and I was feeling the chill. Our take out point, Quisset harbor, was 2 1/2 miles away but the waves were still coming from our rear quarter. The big ones came in sets of three, were steep, closely spaced and were about eye level/head height, at times it was like riding in a washing machine! Needless to say there wasn't much conversation between the 3 of us. Bea preferred to stay closer to shore, Norm stayed mostly in the middle and I preferred to be out deeper.
As we rounded our last headland we could see "The Knob", the rockpile that marks the entrance to Quisset Harbor a mile away. At the Harbor entrance we could finally turn southeast and get a great ride in. Once inside, all was peace and calm. We all discussed the "excitement" of the last couple of miles! It was about 1.45pm.
After loading up and shuttling back to Norms truck, we agreed we'd earned an ice cream at "Holy Cowz" in Megansett.
My GPS showed trip distance 11 nautical miles(12.7 miles), time moving 3hrs 30 mins.
Thanks Norm and Bea for the company, another (exciting) great day on the water!!
Cape Cod pt 2. Weds 15th June 2011
Moderator: Chip
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Re: Cape Cod pt 2. Weds 15th June 2011
I think the dog and the Harbor Master were trying to send us a message as we were leaving West Falmouth Harbor???
Bea
Proud foster mother of Athena (P&H Cetus LV turquoise-white)
Proud foster mother of Athena (P&H Cetus LV turquoise-white)
Re: Cape Cod pt 2. Weds 15th June 2011
NorwayLady wrote:I think the dog and the Harbor Master were trying to send us a message as we were leaving West Falmouth Harbor???
I hope the barking dog and harbormaster are not signs of unfriendly times to come as we search for places to launch during the summer months!
I'll add some pictures, hopefully Friday night. I spent Thursday night lounging around on the pond in Hanson and then went to PPR after, so I have not had time to pick out some of the better pictures out of the 235 shots I snapped. So many fuzzy and crooked pics! But, I do have quite a few good ones to share.
Re: Cape Cod pt 2. Weds 15th June 2011
I tried to pare down my pictures, but after cropping and straightening them, I might as well post just about all of
them.
This is the beach we launched from. Briggsy said they prefer you launch from the boat ramp, but sand is easier on the gel-coat and there was nobody around this early anyway. Thanks Bea and Briggsy for carrying my boat across the sand. Hopefully by part 3 my knee will be all better.
Briggsy giving Bea her copy of the day's chart and showing her the route we'd be taking.
A little lumpier to start the day than we had in part 1, but the wind and waves were favorable for most of the trip.
Heading in towards Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort. Big place! Probably too expensive for my budget.
It looked like there was a small public beach beside the resort and we watched 3 yellow school buses drop off a bunch of kids for a day at the beach.
Heading into West Falmouth Harbor, I liked the name on the back of this catboat.
A couple more nice wooden sailboats.
A couple snowy egrets, or great egrets...I'd have to look it up.
We turned north and headed under a bridge in the northern part of the harbor.
I checked my GPS to find that the creek continued on for another 2 tenths of a mile but it didn't look that interesting.
Bea and Briggsy looked over the chart again as we floated gently back toward the bridge on the outgoing tide with the a gentle breeze on our backs. Good opportunity to have a snack so I munched on a pack of almonds.
This little shack near the bridge caught my attention. I wonder if it is just used as a boathouse or if they use it as a spare bedroom.
I managed to catch a fuzzy shot of an osprey flying overhead.
And a cormorant along the shore.
And another egret.
On the way out of the harbor as we waited for the harbormaster to pass by in the channel, I found the lines on this house interesting.
Our respite from the wind ended for a little while when we left the harbor, so the camera got put away until we headed into our lunch beach at the entrance to Quahog Pond. Heading into the shallow water as it was flowing out of the marsh was a different type of difficulty than we had just experienced with the following seas that pushed us here so quickly.
There were plenty of various types of birds to watch as we sat and ate lunch on a sand bar at the outlet of the pond.
This little bird was perched on a sand-covered rock.
Briggsy took a walk around the corner to look at the depth of the water in the marsh. I tried to capture the swirls in the sand left by the water as it dumped out of the marsh.
A few shots of the marsh that was too shallow at low tide to paddle into.
The grassy areas were blocked off by a simple string fence line and signposts with warnings to protect the nesting birds.
Heading back to our sandbar, the contours created by the water were striking.
As we ate lunch we watched a military plane come in. As we prepared to launch, we watched the plane heading back out.
As we started paddling out into the surf with a little assist from the marsh water still flowing out, I tried to grab a shot of all the birds surrounding us.
Again, with the surf and wind pushing us, the camera had to be put away until we pulled into Quissett Harbor.
Weekday paddling is great! So little boat traffic. Just a couple small sailboats.
I remember this odd sailboat from last year.
We took our time coasting into the calm harbor, looking at all the boats.
I'm still a fan of sailboats over powerboats, so here are a few I liked.
And a look at the piers at either side of the harbor.
And after we got all the boats loaded, Briggsy mentioned stopping for ice cream and Bea started jumping for joy!!!
them.
This is the beach we launched from. Briggsy said they prefer you launch from the boat ramp, but sand is easier on the gel-coat and there was nobody around this early anyway. Thanks Bea and Briggsy for carrying my boat across the sand. Hopefully by part 3 my knee will be all better.
Briggsy giving Bea her copy of the day's chart and showing her the route we'd be taking.
A little lumpier to start the day than we had in part 1, but the wind and waves were favorable for most of the trip.
Heading in towards Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort. Big place! Probably too expensive for my budget.
It looked like there was a small public beach beside the resort and we watched 3 yellow school buses drop off a bunch of kids for a day at the beach.
Heading into West Falmouth Harbor, I liked the name on the back of this catboat.
A couple more nice wooden sailboats.
A couple snowy egrets, or great egrets...I'd have to look it up.
We turned north and headed under a bridge in the northern part of the harbor.
I checked my GPS to find that the creek continued on for another 2 tenths of a mile but it didn't look that interesting.
Bea and Briggsy looked over the chart again as we floated gently back toward the bridge on the outgoing tide with the a gentle breeze on our backs. Good opportunity to have a snack so I munched on a pack of almonds.
This little shack near the bridge caught my attention. I wonder if it is just used as a boathouse or if they use it as a spare bedroom.
I managed to catch a fuzzy shot of an osprey flying overhead.
And a cormorant along the shore.
And another egret.
On the way out of the harbor as we waited for the harbormaster to pass by in the channel, I found the lines on this house interesting.
Our respite from the wind ended for a little while when we left the harbor, so the camera got put away until we headed into our lunch beach at the entrance to Quahog Pond. Heading into the shallow water as it was flowing out of the marsh was a different type of difficulty than we had just experienced with the following seas that pushed us here so quickly.
There were plenty of various types of birds to watch as we sat and ate lunch on a sand bar at the outlet of the pond.
This little bird was perched on a sand-covered rock.
Briggsy took a walk around the corner to look at the depth of the water in the marsh. I tried to capture the swirls in the sand left by the water as it dumped out of the marsh.
A few shots of the marsh that was too shallow at low tide to paddle into.
The grassy areas were blocked off by a simple string fence line and signposts with warnings to protect the nesting birds.
Heading back to our sandbar, the contours created by the water were striking.
As we ate lunch we watched a military plane come in. As we prepared to launch, we watched the plane heading back out.
As we started paddling out into the surf with a little assist from the marsh water still flowing out, I tried to grab a shot of all the birds surrounding us.
Again, with the surf and wind pushing us, the camera had to be put away until we pulled into Quissett Harbor.
Weekday paddling is great! So little boat traffic. Just a couple small sailboats.
I remember this odd sailboat from last year.
We took our time coasting into the calm harbor, looking at all the boats.
I'm still a fan of sailboats over powerboats, so here are a few I liked.
And a look at the piers at either side of the harbor.
And after we got all the boats loaded, Briggsy mentioned stopping for ice cream and Bea started jumping for joy!!!
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- Posts: 1338
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:03 pm
- Location: Marshfield, MA
Re: Cape Cod pt 2. Weds 15th June 2011
Awesome job, Norm.
I had a couple of "oh shit" moments where I thought I was going to flip, but I was determinded not to let panic get the best of me. Very nervy when a big wave comes under your boat and your bow is below the surface. 2 1/2 miles of that stuff is exhausing. We were completly silent while out in the elements, but had lots to say once we got to shore. Great to paddle with two big guys who have their rescue skills down to a science, and for Briggsy always wearing a tow belt!
I had a couple of "oh shit" moments where I thought I was going to flip, but I was determinded not to let panic get the best of me. Very nervy when a big wave comes under your boat and your bow is below the surface. 2 1/2 miles of that stuff is exhausing. We were completly silent while out in the elements, but had lots to say once we got to shore. Great to paddle with two big guys who have their rescue skills down to a science, and for Briggsy always wearing a tow belt!
Bea
Proud foster mother of Athena (P&H Cetus LV turquoise-white)
Proud foster mother of Athena (P&H Cetus LV turquoise-white)