I met Gif down at Prince Cove Marina around 8am, we left my truck there and met Norm at Whites Landing in Waquoit at 8.30. Unlike him, he had ONLY JUST arrived !!!
We unloaded the boats and got ready to launch which we did at 9.05. Paddling past Washburn island we could see a lot of tents and boats up on the beaches. At the inlet the tide had just turned but it was pretty strong already and required some effort to get out into the Sound. We had some current with us but a NW wind was against us. The breeze actually felt good. We paddled past some beautiful deserted sandy beaches, really good to see these parts of the Cape only accessible by water.
New Seabury came into view and the houses got bigger and bigger, the beaches were beginning to fill up. We reached the Popponesset inlet in good time. Gif decided to wait on his favorite beach while Norm and I paddled around Popponesset Island looking at the ginormous houses crammed onto the island. By the time we got back to Gif at Thatch Island it was lunchtime.
Back out again we decided to paddle along Dead Neck and head over to the easterly inlet to West Bay then back along Seapuit River. The river was calm and Gif enjoyed some time dock ducking amongst the big boats. The creek opened up into Cotuit Bay and we wound our way north to our take out point at Prince Cove where we arrived around 3 ish. Parking at Prince Cove Marina is run by Barnstable Town and cost $8 for the day.
We travelled 16.1 nautical miles (18.5 miles)
Thanks Norm and Gif for coming down to paddle for the day.Bea, we missed you.
Briggsy
Cape Cod Pt 4, Weds 3rd August 2011
Moderator: Chip
Cape Cod Pt 4, Weds 3rd August 2011
Last edited by Briggsy on Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 1338
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:03 pm
- Location: Marshfield, MA
Re: Cape Cod Pt 4, Weds 3rd August 2011
Great report, Briggsy. Looks like you had a great day on the water. I was thinking of you guys all day, but know I made the right decission. With the jammed skeg slide and a pulled core muscle I knew things could turn very easily, and I didn't want to hear you say in your British accent "You ARE the weakest link!"
Bea
Bea
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 4, Weds 3rd August 2011
Great paddle and great pictures. Thank you Briggsy. Hope to be able to join you for part 5 !!!!
Re: Cape Cod Pt 4, Weds 3rd August 2011
Gotta share a few more pictures from this beautiful day on the water! Briggsy covered the info clearly, I'll just add a comment here and there.
Heading down the Childs River from the put-in.
We made a quick stop near the mouth of Waguoit Bay for Gif to get something out of his rear hatch and Briggsy started digging for clams with his bare hands in the shallow water.
The lower leg of Washburn Island behind Gif.
We were a little late getting out of the bay. The tide had turned and the water was flowing in at a pretty good clip, making it hard to get a clear shot of the cormorants and terns. We thought about trying to sneak through a hole in the jetty, but the water was rushing in a little too hard and the depth was hard to judge.
Gif and Briggsy
Some sort of Beach Club along Great Neck.
When we got to the inlet of Popponesett Bay, Gif took a break on the beach while Briggsy and I checked out the waterfront properties along Popponesset Creek. The calm water in the creek was a nice change of pace after 5.5 miles of open water paddling into the wind.
Everybody's got a dock and a boat or two in this area.
The creek was like a neighborhood street and it even had a few cul-de-sacs.
This house must have kids. The yard was set up for soccer and lacrosse...along with the standard dock and water toys.
At the New Seabury Marina, the price of gas was $4.34 for regular or $4.85 for the good stuff.
The bridge to Popponesset Island.
I liked this picture for all the lines on the catboat from the mast to the boom and the clouds in the background.
This house had an odd wind vane on the copula. We think it is a bear on a rock.
We headed back down Popponesett Bay to meet up with Gif and had to fight the incoming tide at the inlet. These PWCs were nice enough to give us plenty of space as we zig-zagged to the beach.
We took about a 30 minute break for lunch. Briggsy and I had done about 11 miles of paddling.
Heading back out into Nantucket Sound.
It seemed like we had just gotten back in the boats and we already had the entrance to Cotuit Bay in sight.
So we decided to continue further in the open water and head to the entrance at West Bay.
Inside West Bay, we took a left and headed down the Seapuit River. There were some boats anchored and people swimming on the inside of Dead Neck.
We were in calm waters again with a little current gently pushing us along.
The local bays all seem to have these home-made channel markers. Definitely not your standard Coast Guard issue buoys.
Some of the houses looked rather old with very large central chimneys.
Many homes had beach houses. I think this is the just a beach house or guest house. There was a much larger house behind.
The big house must have had a large pool. It had this structure that must be a giant pool slide.
Notice there even seems to be a play cannon to the right in the bushes.
This place had all the best toys!
The next place had a more common beach house.
Rounding the corner into Cotuit Bay. There were a couple good size cabin cruisers.
I like this slide...right off the dock with a good drop into the salt water.
There were a few nests set up for osprey.
And take a look at the chimney on this house - the osprey chose their own location for a nest.
There were quite a few osprey flying around also.
We headed up Cotuit Bay.
Once in a while there was a more modest home...but it was still prime waterfront property...
Some homes had quite extensive sea wall structures.
There were some modest sailboats moored on this side of the bay. Looked like many more boats on the west side.
When we came around a point and looked into Tim's Cove, I thought this was a house and then realized it was a country club.
This house looked like it was a different style than most.
We paused for a moment and had a sip of our drinks before heading into North Bay.
There was a group of sailboats loaded with kids in North Bay.
The crane on this work barge had an osprey perched on top.
I didn't get a shot before it started to fly away.
At this point my camera battery died and I thought I was done taking pictures for the day. Then I noticed something I have not seen before, an osprey nest with three osprey in it. I just had to get a picture so I dug out my spare camera battery and swapped it into the camera, fully expecting the birds to fly away before I was ready. But, they stayed right in the nest and I was able to take a few shots. The ones in the nest were pretty quiet, but there was another nearby that was making a lot of noise from a tree. I kept some distance.
The one in the tree eventually flew off.
Gif and Briggsy had continued on toward Prince Cove.
This tall, skinny house caught my attention near the Prince Cove Marina. They must have a small lot.
Prince Cove Marina
Nice little boat ramp in the shade.
Thanks for another great trip Briggsy. Can't wait for part 5 next week.
Heading down the Childs River from the put-in.
We made a quick stop near the mouth of Waguoit Bay for Gif to get something out of his rear hatch and Briggsy started digging for clams with his bare hands in the shallow water.
The lower leg of Washburn Island behind Gif.
We were a little late getting out of the bay. The tide had turned and the water was flowing in at a pretty good clip, making it hard to get a clear shot of the cormorants and terns. We thought about trying to sneak through a hole in the jetty, but the water was rushing in a little too hard and the depth was hard to judge.
Gif and Briggsy
Some sort of Beach Club along Great Neck.
When we got to the inlet of Popponesett Bay, Gif took a break on the beach while Briggsy and I checked out the waterfront properties along Popponesset Creek. The calm water in the creek was a nice change of pace after 5.5 miles of open water paddling into the wind.
Everybody's got a dock and a boat or two in this area.
The creek was like a neighborhood street and it even had a few cul-de-sacs.
This house must have kids. The yard was set up for soccer and lacrosse...along with the standard dock and water toys.
At the New Seabury Marina, the price of gas was $4.34 for regular or $4.85 for the good stuff.
The bridge to Popponesset Island.
I liked this picture for all the lines on the catboat from the mast to the boom and the clouds in the background.
This house had an odd wind vane on the copula. We think it is a bear on a rock.
We headed back down Popponesett Bay to meet up with Gif and had to fight the incoming tide at the inlet. These PWCs were nice enough to give us plenty of space as we zig-zagged to the beach.
We took about a 30 minute break for lunch. Briggsy and I had done about 11 miles of paddling.
Heading back out into Nantucket Sound.
It seemed like we had just gotten back in the boats and we already had the entrance to Cotuit Bay in sight.
So we decided to continue further in the open water and head to the entrance at West Bay.
Inside West Bay, we took a left and headed down the Seapuit River. There were some boats anchored and people swimming on the inside of Dead Neck.
We were in calm waters again with a little current gently pushing us along.
The local bays all seem to have these home-made channel markers. Definitely not your standard Coast Guard issue buoys.
Some of the houses looked rather old with very large central chimneys.
Many homes had beach houses. I think this is the just a beach house or guest house. There was a much larger house behind.
The big house must have had a large pool. It had this structure that must be a giant pool slide.
Notice there even seems to be a play cannon to the right in the bushes.
This place had all the best toys!
The next place had a more common beach house.
Rounding the corner into Cotuit Bay. There were a couple good size cabin cruisers.
I like this slide...right off the dock with a good drop into the salt water.
There were a few nests set up for osprey.
And take a look at the chimney on this house - the osprey chose their own location for a nest.
There were quite a few osprey flying around also.
We headed up Cotuit Bay.
Once in a while there was a more modest home...but it was still prime waterfront property...
Some homes had quite extensive sea wall structures.
There were some modest sailboats moored on this side of the bay. Looked like many more boats on the west side.
When we came around a point and looked into Tim's Cove, I thought this was a house and then realized it was a country club.
This house looked like it was a different style than most.
We paused for a moment and had a sip of our drinks before heading into North Bay.
There was a group of sailboats loaded with kids in North Bay.
The crane on this work barge had an osprey perched on top.
I didn't get a shot before it started to fly away.
At this point my camera battery died and I thought I was done taking pictures for the day. Then I noticed something I have not seen before, an osprey nest with three osprey in it. I just had to get a picture so I dug out my spare camera battery and swapped it into the camera, fully expecting the birds to fly away before I was ready. But, they stayed right in the nest and I was able to take a few shots. The ones in the nest were pretty quiet, but there was another nearby that was making a lot of noise from a tree. I kept some distance.
The one in the tree eventually flew off.
Gif and Briggsy had continued on toward Prince Cove.
This tall, skinny house caught my attention near the Prince Cove Marina. They must have a small lot.
Prince Cove Marina
Nice little boat ramp in the shade.
Thanks for another great trip Briggsy. Can't wait for part 5 next week.