Powder Point to Gurnet Light to Duxbury Beach-Friday, July 5

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Aquaholic
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:52 pm
Location: Norton

Powder Point to Gurnet Light to Duxbury Beach-Friday, July 5

Post by Aquaholic »

Looking to escape the 90+ heat we'd been having, I posted a last minute trip on the board for Friday, July 6. The tides and the forecast looked favorable and I was hoping the boat traffic would be light. Two other lucky people who had the day off from work responded, so it was that 3 of us launched from Powder Point Bridge early in the morning two hours before high tide.
The P&H flotilla
The P&H flotilla
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We headed out and along the western shore of Clarks Island where we encountered a few fishermen trying their luck. Duxbury Bay was calm so we could see the bottom in quite a few spots and this got Ken reminiscing about his kayaking days in Florida. The conversation turned to fish, and then to flying fish, in particular needlefish which are known to jump out of the water and stab kayakers in the back (at least in Little Torch Key, FL, that is). One of us decided right then and there that they were never paddling in Florida!

After some discussion about paddling the creek that winds its way up to Gurnet Point, it was determined that we'd long since passed the entrance and should continue on towards Saquish Neck. There were almost no boats moored off the beach as most of the Fourth-of-July revelers were still asleep.
Checking the GPS
Checking the GPS
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Deb had brought her new Greenland paddle crafted for her by Turner Wilson, so she was happily trying out the different strokes she'd learned last year at Walden Pond.
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Conditions were so good that we were able to paddle directly from Saquish Point to Gurnet Point.

The original Lighthouse was built in 1768 and, after burning down, was rebuilt as 22 foot twin towers, 30 ft apart in 1803. Eventually, due to erosion, the lighthouse had to be moved 140 ft to the North at which time one tower was taken down. It was automated in 1986 and switched to solar power in 1994. It had the first woman lighthouse keeper (Hannah Thomas) and is the oldest wooden lighthouse still standing in the U.S.

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After rounding the point we started to look for a good place to stop for lunch and a swim. Most of the beach in this area was closed to protect the piping plovers that are nesting here, but we were able to find a bit of sand that wasn't claimed by seagulls or patrolled by arctic terns. One of us went swimming while another took a call from the President.
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After about an hour of relaxation, we headed back, paddling along the beach where there were quite a few parties in progress.
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Erosion is still a problem along the cliff.
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Many more boats were now moored off Saquish Neck.
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We returned to Powder Point about an hour before low tide and had the gear stowed and the boats tied down in no time flat. Here is our GPS track.
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GPS data recorded showed:
16.57 miles paddled
2.8 mph average moving speed

Many thanks to Ken and Deb for the pictures and for joining me on a perfect day on the water!

Audrey
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norm
Posts: 2126
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:13 pm
Location: Stoughton, MA

Re: Powder Point to Gurnet Light to Duxbury Beach-Friday, Ju

Post by norm »

Excellent trip report Audrey. Glad to see you got out paddling on such a nice day.
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kayakerjnj
Posts: 2720
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Randolph MA

Re: Powder Point to Gurnet Light to Duxbury Beach-Friday, Ju

Post by kayakerjnj »

Nice!

Loved the pictures, you had great day out there :D
Paddle with a big smile, its contagious 8)


Jordan
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