AMC Paddle - Rome Point

After my last blog entry, I had several inquires as to other trips "future Steve" might be making.

I thought about maybe another Marblehead trip with our good friends there.  On the other hand, maybe that crew from AMC in Rhode Island would be up for another trip this season.  After all, it would MikeK's 80th birthday this week.  I finally determined that a trip to Rome Point in Narragansett Bay (like the one I did 3 years ago) would be ideal.  But perhaps a trip that could include people of varying abilities, where there would be several paddling options to choose from.

For a start, going in late September would mean that we could launch from the North Kingstown Town Beach (where the bandstand is).  Normally, there would not be enough parking on a busy summer weekend.  A mixed group of experienced and intermediate paddles would enjoy an excursion like this.

September is such a great month to paddle; the water is warmer and the days turn out generally sunny.  Those clouds beyond are not rain clouds, but morning fog.

Since we'll have multiple skill levels on this trip, we do a quick paddle around Fox Island then head to Rome Point for lunch.

Viewing the lunch area from the water, you can get a sense of now narrow this peninsula is (the water is right on the other side).   From here, the group will split up with a) some going back to the put-in, b) some going past the put-in to explore Wickford Harbor, and c) some heading out the
Plum Beach Lighthouse just north of the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge.

I thought I would photo-shop myself into a picture of paddling on the bay.  I picked photos with no fog.  The first one gives you an example of how tricky taking a photo while paddling can be.

For reference, here's what you'll need to know if you embark on this adventure.  Good luck.

    

    Total distance8.71 miles

    Average speed2.12 miles/h

    Total time04:06:49

AMC Paddle - Sakonet River

Here's a paddle I would love to do sometime when interstate travel restrictions become relaxed.

On a Saturday morning, I would head down to the Sakonet River in Rhode Island.  The trip would start in Middletown and cross the river to Little Compton.  This body of water is a river in name only, because it is much more open water sea kayaking.  We need a good leader for this trip, someone who I enjoy paddling with from the AMC Narragansett Chapter.  I'll just have to make sure I get to the Third Beach parking lot at the end of the road.  Hopefully it will be a beautiful blue sky day.

We might not have calm seas with winds upwards of 15kts.

But there might be some cool rock formations right along the shore line.

After almost 2.5hrs and paddling all the way across the river (2.4mi), we should take a lunch break. 

Hopefully the beach has some sand and isn't all rocks.

I'm betting they'll be some impressive houses with stunning views of the river along the banks.

It's even possible we'll run into some "red tide" as we labor through the waves back to our put in.

Taking a straight-line across the river on the way back will only be a distance of 1.75 miles.  It would be a pleasant surprise if the waters calm down a little, but tiring when the wind picks up again.  I would expect the total distance for a trip like this to be about 8.15 miles being done in 4:18.  The company will make it a very enjoyable adventure.

Well, maybe someday. 

Salem Neck

Labor Day Weekend!  The plan?  Visit Tom & Kay in Marblehead and head out for another paddling adventure.

As for a paddling plan, my very trusting wife and friends left it to me.  We start by departing from Stramski's Beach, the furthest point of the last trip we did back in July.  From there I have a rough idea of where to go based on a trip in my my AMC Sea Kayaking Coastal Massachusetts book.  There are still lots of trips in this book I've never done.  This particular one has trips of 3.2, 6.0, and 12.0 miles although the primary put in is a different location from our starting point. 

My goal is to do some exploring of new shorelines and not "kill" my partners in the process.

We start out at about 10:30am.  The skies are a crystal clear deep blue.

First objective:  head for the lighthouse on the other side of Salem Harbor.

His and Hers Kayaks, right?

We're having a pretty easy time on the way out.  You can see how smooth the water is.

We round Salem Neck into Beverly Harbor and start heading west (even though it feels like south).  Like Dorchester Bay, we see a National Grid gas tank in the distance.  Closer to us is a ziggurat-shaped channel marker.  These were several of these unique structures in this harbor.

About an hour and a half into the trip, we are a little overdue for a break.  We pull up on Sandy Point Beach in Beverly next to the Jubilee Yacht Club.  We've gone 2.8 miles to this point.

Kay and I pass by a lobster boat pulling up traps.  Yeah, we're getting hungry, too. 
Notice how much choppier the water has become.

This gaff-rigged sailing vessel cruised past us in Salem Harbor.
Look at the flags to get a sense of how the wind has picked up, too.
At least the tide is coming in, so we're not fighting that.

We finally return to our starting point after 2:44 and a grand total of 5.21 miles.  That last hour was a bit tiring as we had to fight some of the wind and waves around Salem Neck.  We cross back over to the Marblehead side of the harbor to try to get out of some of the wind and then relax pulling into the beach.  A lunchtime lobster roll is waiting for me somewhere.

It was the longest paddle so far for our coastal-town friends, and I did succeed in not "killing" anyone.  Kay characterized it as a "good workout", but it's fair to say we all needed some recovery time on Tuesday.