Last Sunday we met at 11:00 at our usual launch spot at the mouth of the river in Beverly Massachusetts. It was a bit breezy, so I suggested to the Mike C. and Bill K. that we shuttle a car to Manchester-by-the-Sea and do a downwind run. Bill called Mike M. who was still en route. Mike's response was "I don't want to mess with a shuttle, let just paddle". Five minutes later Mike showed up, pulled his boat off the roof and announced we should do a shuttle. ;-) The breeze was 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 (according to the boston harbor buoy). With the boats stored in the wind shadow of the jetty, so they wouldn't blow away, we shuttled a couple of cars down to Manchester. We first tried to park at Tucks point but the "non residents will be towed" sign with no mention of off season rules, convinced us to continue on to the inner harbor. We dropped 2 cars off and returned to the put in. With the wind at our backs and the whitecaps around us we started toward Manchester. For the first little bit the waves in the channel were nice as the wind was against the current so the waves were stacking up nicely. Mike M.'s Huki S1-X special is wonderfully fast on downwind runs. It wasn't long before he and I were 100 yards up on Bill K and Mike C. I turned back to see how they were doing. Mike M's still a little tender on his special so he opted to continue, slower, in the same direction. I looped back and got some nice spray as the boat punched through the waves, feeling the back deck oilcan on a few of the waves. Mike C and Bill were fine so I linked up a few waves and caught back up with Mike M. On one wave I managed to bury the bow to within a foot of my foot pegs, all while staying in control and headed in the same direction. We had a couple of choppy sections as the waves reflected off of the various points of land on the way but nothing unusual. I was surprised the waves weren't bigger, or less well behaved. I would have liked more entertainment but the others were happy to be in well behaved conditions (the water temp was 51 degrees). When we got to Manchester harbor a sailboat was motoring out of the harbor. I switched boats with Mike M to try out his S-1X special. It's tippier than my S1X, but the single footwell feels nicer. Ahead of me the sailboat rounded the last channel buoy and turned right toward Beverly. 10 seconds later the sailboat turned right again and headed back into the harbor, a little too rough for their likes. I turned around and surfed a few waves back toward the others. The S1X special has a little more rocker than the S1X and turns easier on the waves. I also thought it was noisier. There was a lot of "swooshing" sound from the stern while surfing the waves as the whitecaps break around the hull. Mike and I traded boats and I caught up to the sailboat. They were rather surprised to have paddlers catch up to them while motoring. They also thought we were a bit nuts to have been out playing in the breeze. As we packed up we noticed it was a HIGH tide. The water was all the way up the ramp and pouring into the storm drains in the parking lot. Checking later it was an 11.3 foot tide. There's an 11.4 foot tide once in December and we don't have another 11+ foot tide until spring. It was also getting chilly - the air temp had dropped 7 degrees while we were on the water. Overall, a lovely day for a paddle. It was only a half hour for the car shuttle. I have a feeling we'll be doing a few more downwind runs now that people realize how easy the shuttle is.... Great sprint workouts on those waves. Surfing wasn't all that much faster than a flatwater day and a fast pace - but it's a whole lot more fun. Kirk -- Kirk Olsen *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Kirk... that's a great story! I'm clearly going to have to figure a way to get on a surf-ski. I'm afraid I know what will happen if I do, though. I mean besides falling off. Do you use a wing paddle? Regarding parking problems: In many states having a disability parking pass gives the person some perks that normal people don't get when parking. One perk is that tow trucks are VERY shy about towing a vehicle displaying a disability pass (at least in this state). The reason is that state laws in many states allow people with a disability tag to park without regard to paying parking meters or observing time limits. Here in Washington we can't just park in "no parking" areas that are marked by the city (or other municipality) nor can we park all day in loading zones. But displaying that disability parking pass means to a tow truck driver that the chances of litigation - and loss - are very high. Hard to explain to a jury why they towed a car with that pass from any spot that isn't actually creating a greater hazard to others. So you might consider having someone with that pass act as your shuttle car. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 9:30 AM, Kirk Olsen <kork4_at_cluemail.com> wrote: > Last Sunday we met at 11:00 at our usual launch spot at the mouth of the > river in Beverly Massachusetts. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:34:08 -0800, "Craig Jungers" <crjungers_at_gmail.com> said: > I'm clearly going to have to figure a way to > get on a surf-ski. I'm afraid I know what will happen if I do, though. I > mean besides falling off. Do you use a wing paddle? I do use a wing paddle. I currently use an epic mid, it's an adjustable length/feather paddle which is great for storage and regular conditions but for more difficult days I need to either crank down on the adjustment more or buy a fixed length paddle. There is a learning curve. Don't start with an advanced surf ski. One of the locals went from being an accomplished sea kayaker in a Valley Rapier (he won the Blackburn challenge and was a regular storm paddler, I expect he's also BCU 4 certified) to swimming with an Epic V10. After a couple of months he sold the Epic V10 and bought a Think Evo. He immediately went from uncomfortable and likely to swim to a little twitchy but confident and comfortable. There are 3 levels of surf ski. The absolute beginner surf skis are something like the Futura II. This boat is more stable than many sea kayaks and can be skipped by most sea kayakers. The next level up is the intermediate surf skis. These are the boats to start with when moving to a surf ski. Boats include the Fenn Mako XT, Think Evo, Huki S1R, Honcho Gueverra, and Epic V10 sport. The next tier up are the advanced surf skis. Don't bother with these until you are competent on an intermediate surf ski. The Epic V10, Fenn Mako (millenium, 6, or elite), Think Legend, Huki S1x, or Huki s1x special are all advanced boats. For open water swell riding the sub 35 pound boats work best as a quick stroke or two get you onto the waves much easier. Last week I found I could climb over waves with an enthusiastic stroke or two even if the wave was in front of my feet. Finally look at the used market. I've purchased 3 of my 4 surf skis used. If you see a surf ski paddler ask what the boat is and if you can try it. If it's one of the advanced boats it's unlikely you will enjoy the trial. I've got an intermediate surf ski, if anyone in eastern massachusetts/southern NH wants to try a surf ski - the offer holds for next summer too.... Kirk -- Kirk Olsen *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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