Duxbury Back Rivers - April 21, 2012

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norm
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Location: Stoughton, MA

Duxbury Back Rivers - April 21, 2012

Post by norm »

I got good news at work on Friday morning that I would not have to work on Saturday so I sent out an email to a bunch of people to see if anyone was available to go out Saturday. I got a lot of replies that people were busy, but Sue was available after noon. Sandy wanted to go out in the morning, but I needed a little extra sleep, so I had to plan for an afternoon trip.

The wind forecast was a little high and I think there were small craft advisories up. It seemed like a good day to opt for a place with protected waters, so I chose a launch spot of Powderpoint Bridge. Soon after arriving, the Duxbury Harbormaster stopped in to say hello and ask a few questions. I told him I was not going out alone and had all the proper safety and communications gear and would be headed into the Back River rather than out into the bay.

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Just after the Harbormaster left, Sue arrived and parked in the upper lot, unable to cross the big driveway hump into the beach parking lot where I was. We got our boats ready and launched into a little bit of surf and a lot of wind. Sue was in her Greenland boat and had some trouble keeping her boat straight into the wind. She got bashed sideways and put the first few scratches in her hull.

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We started off by hugging the left shoreline, which according to the chart, is named Duck Hill River when you get further inland. There's a nice little road that ends at the water. It looks like the trees are not blossomed as much near the water as they are inland.

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Sue commented that the water was much warmer here than we've experienced anywhere else so far this year. She talked about going for a swim, but I guess the wind kept her cool enough that she decided against it. The water was a lot murkier than we had down the cape last week.

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The marsh grasses were mostly brown and matted down, but the green was starting to show.

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We went as far as we could till you couldn't turn around an 18 foot boat.

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Sue found out how difficult it is to spin her Greenland boat in tight quarters with the wind pushing you around.

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There was one other kayak out on the water with us, a tandem, off in the distance. Didn't get a picture of them, but headed down the same branch of the river where they were to check on them. They had gone up a little creek and their paddle motions looked odd over the top of the grass but they were fine, pushing off the mud rather than paddling. It was two adults and a child, all in life jackets but not in proper clothing.

We continued up one of the middle branches of the river where there are a couple of shacks. Sue said this one looked better last time she was here.

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There were a few osprey in the area, but none of them came close enough for a good picture.

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There was a second nicer summer cottage on higher ground. I guess this might be on Great Wood Island.

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Coming back out to the bridge was a good amount of work paddling into the wind. There were serious white-caps out on the bay side of the bridge.

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I thought Sue might want to head back to the take-out but she was game to take another downwind ride toward the back of Duxbury beach. The wind and waves gave us a nice ride and we both got some good riding practice in our new boats.

There was a kite-boarder that looked like a rookie, trying to get a ride and failing miserably. Sue was concerned he'd loose control and the kite would fly into the power lines.

The slog back to the take-out was another good workout. To avoid scratching up the boats in the waves upon landing, we chose to land at the protected beach inside the bridge. Carrying Sue's boat a couple hundred yards back to the parking lot was not too bad but mine is probably twice as heavy with all the stuff I carry. So, I thought I'd try driving my truck to the boat since the tide was out far enough for me to pass under the bridge. Big mistake! My truck is too heavy for the soft sand on the beach inside the bridge. It sunk in the sand till the running boards on one side were touching the sand...not good. Sue suggested putting some boards under the tires. We found one good piece about 6' x 10" and a little piece about 5' x 6" and I jammed them under the tires. I put the transmission in 4 Hi instead of Auto 4x4 and gave it a try. Luckily it worked and once it got moving it was a slow sinking ride back toward the bridge. I chose a different section to pass under the bridge and then at the last minute worried that with the boat on top I might not make it through so I stopped and got out to take a look. Sue was walking along behind and higher up the beach and could see that there was plenty of clearance. It was a huge relief when I made it back to the beach parking area. I had one more idea to try if the wood failed, letting air out of the tires for better traction, but the frame was already in the sand so that probably would have failed. Oh well, lesson learned with no damage done.

Here is a picture of the ruts where my truck was stuck. Notice there is a third rut in the middle where the rear axle was probably hitting the ground.

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Here is a topo map of the area with our track highlighted.

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A few specs from the trip:

Launch time: 1:14pm
Take-out time: 4:34pm
Total Distance Paddled: 9 miles


After changing out of our dry suits into dry clothes, Sue headed home. I hung around to watch the windsurfers that were using the same parking lot and to play with my new camera and telephoto zoom lens.

About half the windsurfers were done for the day and were just hanging around chatting but there were still 3 out on the water staying fairly close to the bridge area.

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One guy seemed to get much faster rides than the others.

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The flag at the far end of the bridge was straight out.

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The strong wind was really keeping the air very clear. Gurnet Lighthouse was easily visible. You might notice something else in the foreground too.

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The really good kite boarders were about halfway out to Saquish flying around in the big wind.

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I took a walk under the bridge again to check on the kite boarder we were watching earlier and found that he was having some success now.

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While I was there, I thought I'd try a few wildlife shots of some birds.

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Then I noticed a cute shot of a clam digger and a little girl that looked like they were done and leaving for the day.

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Thank you Sue for coming out to paddle and all the help getting the truck off the beach.

Norm
centered
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Location: Stoughton, MA

Re: Duxbury Back Rivers - April 21, 2012

Post by centered »

A nice location for a windy day paddle, lots of activity out there, too. Your new camera seems to be agreeing with you, just like your boat. Glad your new toys are working out!
Sue
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kayakerjnj
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Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Randolph MA

Re: Duxbury Back Rivers - April 21, 2012

Post by kayakerjnj »

Great day you guys had!

Your pictures are always great!
Paddle with a big smile, its contagious 8)


Jordan
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