Topics

46

Events / Cape Cod Bay Challenge 2018

« on: April 05, 2018, 06:28:01 PM »

Lot's of changes this year.

Here's the official release from Chaser

"CCBC Paddlers –
 
Benjamin Franklin said….”When you’re finished changing, you are finished”….after 10-years of running the CCBC we are not finished but we do believe it is time for a change…..
 
The 2018 Cape Cod Bay Challenge will take place on Saturday, July 28th. This year we are shaking things up a bit and the route will be a 22-mile coastal paddle from Nantasket Beach (Hull, MA) to Duxbury Beach (Duxbury, MA). In addition, registration for the paddle will be open to a limited number (amount TBD) of teams (two people). There will be an alternate start location to the south of Duxbury Beach in case of unfavorable wind and weather conditions.
 
The after party will be held at Blakeman’s Restaurant on Duxbury Beach and should be a crazy good time. As organizers of the event, we are extremely excited about the new format and believe it will open the paddle up to more participants which will hopefully translate into greater awareness and fundraising for the non-profit we support….Christopher’s Haven (www.christophershaven.org).
 
A special thank you to the Duxbury Beach Reservation and Dana Battista from Blakeman’s Restaurant for allowing us to hold our event in such a spectacular location.
 
Registration for the event will open in a few weeks…….
 
Paddle on people!"



We had considerable discussion about the route and venue change. I and others voiced some concern about not crossing the bay but after talking it out I think it's a good change....certainly worth doing and seeing how it goes. I think most folks that wanted to cross the bay have likely already done so. Last year was our 10th anniversary and for many paddlers their (5th, 6th, or more) time doing it. The change for most of them we're hoping will be welcome.

This route gives us far less to be worried about and reduces our expenses..primarily the whale watch boat we were required to charter for safety. We also wanted to open up the event to relay teams to help increase attendance and fundraising and this also makes that far easier to support. It's a shorter paddle...still long but a little more inviting to a larger number of folks. The bottom line is that our focus is on raising funds for CH and we think this will enhance that.

The change is energizing us and we're all anticipating a very fun event. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be pushing for a break at the halfway point at the south river...though I'm not sure how much break we'll get if there is surf....long, long rides there on a 14'er......

47

SUP General / Please, Please, Please

« on: March 26, 2018, 03:59:26 PM »

Wednesday....day off....forecast is 3' at 14s with light offshore winds. Still heavy onshore today....too much to paddle into. The point will be awesome if the forecast holds.

Foamy yesterday.


Windblown and mushy today The point seawall is undergoing emergency repairs. Riley took out about 30' and undermined the road...

48

Gear Talk / Biggest impact vest

« on: March 25, 2018, 07:05:12 PM »

I think I'd prefer a pullover impact vest. I've tried some of the belted but haven't found one I like....too bulky. Unfortunately I'm not having much luck finding anything....I have a 52" chest.  I thought I'd check here one last time and see if there are any suggestions before I buy one and have my sister customize it for me. I have a wetsuit we can cut up for extra panels and I know she can do a good job but if I can find one even better.

Regardless of whether I can get one to fit...what's the consensus (or lack of) on the best one for big guys.

49

NorthEast / Possible short downwinder tomorrow anybody?

« on: March 20, 2018, 08:48:31 AM »

I'm off tomorrow...no surf but was thinking of a short DWinder. It's in a protected spot so not a tough one. Figured probably best given the temps and my shitty DW skills.. Powder Point in Duxbury to Nelson Park in Plymouth....inside Plymouth bay, 4.5 miles...winds are forecast at 20 with gusts to 40. I'll probably just go on my Foote to keep things comfortable. Not sure it can really be called a DWinder on a 10-4 but oh well.... No fetch at the start but should start getting  glides 1/2 way in. I've done this route a few times, easy as DW goes but still fun and a good intro into it. Shallow water with lots of bottom variations so it generates some small bumps quickly. High tide is at 2:00 so anytime after 11:00 would be good if anyone is interested. Quick run...time for two.....

If no takers for a DW I'll be doing my upwind downwind workout...probably what I should be planning anyway.....

50

Random / Great knot tying website

« on: March 19, 2018, 02:47:41 PM »

What a great site.....just about any knot you can think of animated. Search by activity, type, or name. Some tech info on rope properties too....very useful stuff.

http://www.animatedknots.com/

51

NorthEast / Small kine nor'easter fun in Plymouth

« on: March 14, 2018, 07:09:05 AM »

Just came home to suit up after driving the neighborhood breaks. I was expecting to go out at Long beach/Warren Cove to get out of the wind but both the wind and swell have dropped off quickly. High tide so the cove is also just waves slamming into the wall. Long beach looks good but it's closed with heavy equipment moving boulders.

So I drove down to Whitehorse......mo betta.....clean, thigh to waist, maybe some chest, 10-15mph straight offshore. Going to slowly drop but I'm hoping for a double session today. A few quick pics before I head out.

Frosted truck..

First tracks....

Whitehorse...

Boat ramp (washed out at the moment)...beach boat launch with on beach parking.

Flag wave...

OK...outta here...back in a few to warm up.....

52

Random / Ski the World

« on: March 11, 2018, 07:17:33 PM »

52,000,000 views on YouTube.

53

Sessions / Rejected again!

« on: March 08, 2018, 06:11:30 PM »

Feeling a bit beat up at the moment...got my ass handed to me a 1/2 dozen times before giving up. Probably wasn't the wisest choice to go out....I've been unable to drive all week because my heads been all screwed up...head cold and storms screw me up royally. I was wheezing this morning so maybe a touch of bronchitis coming on too. Foolishly decided to go down to the beach this afternoon...just to look. Then turned around came home and suited up.... Forecast was 5-7' and clean....it was 8-10' outside and 5-7' at the beach...6-7 sec period but the big sets were really nice looking waves.

The beach is absolutely destroyed from the two storms. The road just opened this afternoon from the damage caused by Riley but the parking lot is still closed.....seawall breached in 3 places, parking lot washed out or covered 18" in boulders. Snack bar that a good friend just sold last year took a beating...concrete patio washed under, flying boulders knocked out concrete blocks in the walls. The hotel on the beach is going to be closed for awhile...lots of damage...one corner of it is just gone. The beach itself is completely changed...lost a lot of sand or pushed it all around anyway. Had to park and walk a 1/4 mile in to where I could get into the water.

So.....out of shape, dizzy, and sick I'm standing looking at this slamming beach break and wondering how wise this is. Not being the brightest bulb I wait for a lull (not really) and go for it. When it gets like this at Plymouth it can be sketchy getting out. There is a channel of sorts but it's deceiving and with all the rebound off the cliff and beach the water near shore is a mess, tough to get up and going...at least when I'm feeling like this it is.

I kept almost making it and then getting slammed. Rejected hard on the 3rd attempt in shallow water and came down on my ribs on a rock....thankfully not the large pointy one 4' to the right. Took a break for awhile to make sure nothing was broken, catch my breath, and try and warm up. Getting washed around has the wonderful 38 deg water flushing my suit and I'm getting cold...no truck nearby to get warm in so I huddle out of the wind behind the wall for a bit and just watch. I'm fucking determined to get a damn wave......it looks so awesome outside....mother nature laughs at my determination....she starts throwing sleet....I get rejected 3 more times. Tide has dropped and now it doesn't even look like I can get out. Cold, sore, and frustrated I head back to my truck.

Still better than not going

54

SUP General / Leave politics out of it

« on: March 07, 2018, 08:13:33 AM »

I made some of this comment elsewhere but thought it deserved it own thread.

Can we please leave politics out of it....how about we all simply agree to stop interjecting politics into posts about SUP. Even if you think it makes a point. It's tearing this place.....and everything else apart. .....neither side has a monopoly on stupidity. I'm not saying don't make political statements...but go to random and start a new thread about the issue....let's stop poisoning the rest of the zone with this shit. I'm not pointing any fingers...1st one I pointed would need to be at a mirror....but how about we simply agree to keep our political points of view out of SUP posts.

I've been here longer than most. This place has helped change my life and many of my best friends today have come out of it....and we don't necessarily agree politically. The zone is important to many of us. It's a place to share story, to laugh, to learn...a place of refuge of sorts. I can't begin to explain what it means to me....so it's worrying that I find myself not wanting to come here sometimes because we're starting to argue so much about politics....and in the past I've been guiltier than most.

So I'm done...I hope you can agree to join me...if I have something that is political to discuss I'll say it in a new random post and you can all ignore it in bliss....

55

Downwind and Racing / Best downwind runs in New England...is anybody out there?

« on: March 05, 2018, 06:45:15 AM »

Downwind has never really taken off here. Not sure why. All you need to do is look at a coastal map of NE to know there are opportunities, spots that work but just not much discussion. I'd still like to do more of it but it needs a crew to make it work....at least two to shuttle and for safety.

To get any kind of thing going we would 1st need to find some good spots. It's surprising how some spots you think would work don't and others that surprisingly do.  Next is access....shuttling is key so a good coastal road with multiple access points along it. 3rd...getting together to do it. We'll never have the luxury of lots of folks going at the same time like Maliko or Hood River making rides or shuttles easy. So finding spots somewhat central to what small crew there is would be important.

So who's out there....where have you gone? What do you know of that looks good? I've had a few decent runs, a few terrible ones and many so so. Most fun I've done is Green Harbor to Plymouth Beach in 25-30 NNE...easy launch behind the jetty and a nice near shore run. Best conditions I've seen (but was unfortunately racing the wrong way that day) was in Vinyard Sound between Woods Hole and Oak Bluffs. I was racing from Oak Bluffs back to Falmouth. Woods Hole to Hyannis would have had you gliding/surfing the whole way....perfectly lined up 6'-8' swells with the tops feathering and even breaking. Buzzards Bay has looked good at times and I've done some downbreezers along the Falmouth shore there that showed promise.

I really suck at it...it's my Achille's heel of SUP. My balance is so visually dependent and getting constantly nudged from behind I never feel comfortable unless I'm actually gliding. I've been getting back to my upwind/downwind workouts so hopefully I'll be able to improve a bit. Part of why DW hasn't taken off as well here is winter. Anybody looking to do some summer runs I'm still game.

56

Classifieds / Shit to Sugar....Best cover ever!

« on: March 04, 2018, 08:52:22 AM »

57

SUP General / Bombogenesis Apocalypse

« on: March 01, 2018, 08:28:24 PM »

Say goodbye to the current configuration of the beaches all over the south shore of Boston. The shifting here at my local beach could be all time if this forecast holds. Expecting the already weakened seawalls (from January storm) to fail all over the place if we really get what they're showing now. Starts off with a big pounding tomorrow 18' at 11 secs and 50 mph onshore. Then it gets a bit smaller but still going to pound the beaches at 8' and all NE winds for days before it starts to die down late Tues into Wed. With the constant heavy nor'easter the tides are supposed to stay very high so lots of flooding and pounding on already beat up spots.

My beach parking lot still has 1,000's of cannonball sized boulders that got thrown up in the last storm all over it. The seawall is cracked and broken in a couple spots. The street 100' from the beach that got flooded out is still covered in boulders and debris on the shoulders for 100' on each side. The town always goes into a flurry of cleanup and repair after each winter before the summer tourist season starts...they'll have lots to do this year.

Cape and elsewhere obviously going to get pounded too....hold onto your hats folks.

This is the spot near me that always gets hammered in a NE. Everything gets focused into that cove.

58

Random / Richard Sharpe on Youtube

« on: February 27, 2018, 08:44:07 AM »

Pono got me hooked on Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction novels. I knew that the Last Kingdom series had made it to TV but didn't know about the Sharpe TV series....available on Youtube now. I think some binge watching is in order the next time I'm stuck in the house.

59

Sessions / Another Surprise

« on: February 18, 2018, 05:58:02 PM »

I'm finding some nice surprises locally now that I'm getting to the water more frequently. Had time for a paddle Saturday mid afternoon. There was a slight bump in the forecast but I wasn't expecting any waves. Went down to Long beach (1 mile north of my house) tiny knee high wave deep in the corner in about 1' of water. Drove a couple miles along the beach and found just gray gloomy water with some minor chop that made it look even colder and more uninviting. So I decided to head over to Whitehorse beach (1 mile south) to get a look at the bottom for future reference when there are waves.

I've realized that I strangely haven't paddled Whitehorse much in all the years of SUP. It's not as nice a beach, has very limited parking, especially for non-residents, and unlike Long beach has no amenities. It mostly used by the cottage community around it. I've also always figured it wouldn't be much different than Long beach and need a NE swell. I'm finding that I was completely wrong. I walked over the dune to find a long peeling thigh high wave. I had no friggin idea! It was breaking in a dozen spots all the way over to the rocks 200 yards to the left. It was just local windswell, a bit mushy, but some fun decently long rides. I surfed for a couple hours until my hands got numb...need some new gloves. We were going out with friends or I would have just gone home and warmed up a bit and gone back out. I hope this wasn't just some freak. Those weather conditions aren't infrequent and if it generates that wave often....

60

Random / Amazing fossil

« on: February 03, 2018, 05:51:16 AM »

I hadn't heard about this before. Very cool...make sure you look at the 3d interactive.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/dinosaur-nodosaur-fossil-discovery/