Aug. 23, 2013

This last weekend was beautiful.  Fridays I get to leave work at noon, so as soon as I got out I headed home to eat and then to Birdseye Dock with my SUP.  There were a lot of cars parked there, and I happened to run into a guy I know through work (no surprise, I work like 1 minute from the dock and lots of people go to Birdseye to eat lunch).

By the time I launched it was only about an hour from high tide, so I rode the current upstream a bit and popped into the marsh.  I am really loving cruising through the marsh between Stratford and Milford (also known as Duck Island according to Google Earth) - around each turn there's either seabirds, ducks, or a turtle popping his head out of the water checking me out.  The only bad thing about the marsh is the gnats and flies, which end up eating up my feet and legs regardless of if I wear bug spray or not.

After kneeling down to burn one, I paddled out of the marsh and upstream farther, heading across the main marsh-channel and the secondary, Milford-side channel.  I kept paddling, passing the docks on the Milford side, at which point I stopped to snap a picture just for the hell of it.  I cruised up to the Washington Bridge and turned around the pilon, now heading directly into the wind and current.  The wind was barely blowing so I had an easy paddle back downstream, and with the tide changing the current was almost non-existant.  There was some awkward cross-chop from the changing tide coming through the harbors, but my Ark handled it with ease even when a following wave caused the front of my board to dunk below the surface of the water, causing me to quickly get swamped but fortunately didn't put me in the drink.  Overall a great paddle and a very nice day!

Went out Saturday and Sunday but the weather got too cold and that was the end of the season.

-TreeburnerCT

Indian Wells

Saturday I went to my cousin Lindsey's house right on Indian Wells in Shelton.  She introduced me to SUP a few weeks prior, so now that I had my own we had arranged to go for a paddle together.  She also brought along a very hot (and unfortunately married) friend of hers who had never been on an SUP before, but had borrowed one of the neighbors' plastic SUP.  I got there around 10am, and after carrying my cousin's board to the dock and then my own, we launched into the lake, joining her friend who was already standing and paddling around (not bad for a beginner!)

So we head upstream towards the Stevenson Dam.  They estimated it's around 2 miles, which took us quite a while since we had a newbie with us.  At the start I had to point out that she was holding the paddle backwards, but once we got going she held her own.  As we cruised along I knelt down periodically to take pictures, including a picture of "The Beach With No Name" (unfortunately the sign is illegible in the picture, stupid zoom) and Indian Head Rock.  Every bend we came around my cousin was convinced would bring us within site of the dam, and eventually her friend began to question whether she would be able to make it all the way there AND back.

Very soon we did come around the final bend and saw the Stevenson Dam in the distance.  At this point we were paddling in only about 12 inches of water with smooth, rounded rocks dotting the bottom below us.  Rather than continuing up and actually trying to touch the dam, we decided to turn around.  You could see rocks sticking out of the water on the way up to the dam, so we were worried we would hit our fins on the rocks.  I snapped a picture then spun around, paddling to catch up to the girls.

Just as I caught up to them, BAM!  I hit something, which almost threw me off the front of my board head first!  I was paddling up the middle of the lake/river, but hadn't noticed the water getting shallower and shallower above the rocks.  When my fin hit it was a good thing I had my knees bent and my paddle in the water, otherwise I would have gone in the drink.

As we paddled back I snapped a few more pictures and chatted with my cousin's friend as my cousin sped off for the house to check on the baby.  After a while paddling, we finally reached the dock where the woman's husband was waiting with her kids.  I decided to continue down the lake, so I set up my wireless speaker to play music from my phone then headed off on a faster paddle.

Without the girls I could push much harder, and the dock was quickly just a dot in the distance.  As I paddled towards a bend in the river, I could see two police boats sitting right in the middle.  As I passed them I waved, and looking back I could see two jet skis speeding up behind me.  One of the jet skis calmly passed the police, but the other darted in and out of the skiing buoys, attracting their attention.  They quickly pulled him over as I paddled off into the distance.  Once I was a good way away from the cops I sparked a jibber and continued paddling along, listening to the music and enjoying the calm water.

I was almost to the park when I decided to turn around.  I sat on my board for a few minutes on the side of the river, having a cigarette and the last of my water.  As I paddled back I could see the jet skier still sitting on the police boat!  As I neared them they finally let him take off, which had to be 45 minutes or so in total.  I kept paddling along the Shelton-side of the lake, the seagrass sweeping the bottom of my board as I cruised just outside the boat docks.  I kept imaging my fin getting stuck in a loop of grass, throwing me forward, but really the grass isn't that strong and my fin is pretty sharp, so if there were any closed loops I just cut right through them.

When I got back to the house my cousin was shocked at how long I had been gone.  They were waiting for me to get back so they could go over to the neighbor's house for coffee, so we quickly said our goodbyes as I packed up my gear and headed for the car.  Overall a great day, and a nice change from my usual route on the Housatonic River.  It was also very nice paddling with someone else for a change, so hopefully eventually I can either find a girlfriend who's into SUP, or at least some friends who are!

Long paddle at Low Tide

Friday I worked from home in the morning (I'm working on a Certified Aging & Disability Specialist certification), so after I finished I could head straight out.  I loaded up my board around noon, and headed back to Birdseye Dock, my go-to launching spot.

When I got there I was shocked by how low the tide was.  As I unloaded my board and gear I noticed the tide was so low all the duck and goose poop was exposed at the bottom of the ramp.  Disgusting, but I had no choice but to walk through it to get my board into the water.  I strapped all my stuff to my board and launched, being careful to clean the bottom of my feet before putting them on the board.

Once on my feet I headed across the river.  After going out Wednesday night and being rejected by the wind, it was a pleasure paddling across.  Wednesday it was so windy I had to paddle on the same side the whole time, leaving me exhausted after only reaching the marsh after which I turned around and went back.  So on this day I easily made it across to the marsh and paddled upriver towards the entrance.

Upon reaching the entrance I was amazed at how low the tide was.  I slowly made my way up the main channel of the marsh, but quickly realized the water wasn't going to be deep enough to explore the smaller channels as I wanted (hell, they were 4 feet above my head at the moment!), so I decided to go back to the river and head down to the Washington Bridge.  On my way out I noticed something swimming along the edge of the marsh.  Initially I thought it was a turtle, but it was moving too fast and I could see a sleek body behind it.  "Must be a snake," I thought, and I spun around to paddle quietly after him.  If he saw me he paid me no attention as he continued to make his way up the edge of the marsh, slowly weaving in and out.  Occasionally ducking under the water only to reappear a few yards ahead.  As I continued to follow I realized it wasn't a snake - it looked like a ferret or a weasel!  After it turned around and headed back down the marsh, with me following the whole way, it finally came out of the water onto the beach and I realized what it was - a huge RAT!

Anyway, after the rat ducked into a hole in the marsh, I headed out into the river.  As I paddled towards the Washington Bridge a boat approached, slowing beside me.  "You okay?  Do you need a lift?" the driver of the boat asked.  I told him I was great, but he didn't seem to believe me.  "I can throw you a line and tow you back if you want" he again offered.  "No I'm great right here, couldn't be better!" I insisted.  I guess he got the point because he took off, his young daughter waving as they disappeared up river.  I had a few other boats full of people wave as I passed, many looking surprised to see a paddleboarder out in the middle of the river.

I got to the Washington Bridge, and as I passed underneath on the Milford side I could see kids hanging out up in the rafters.  I crossed into the harbor and snapped a few pictures, enjoying my new waterproof case for my Samsung Galaxy Note 2.  The case is a DiCAPac, which I highly recommend if you have an electronic device that needs protection from water.  It has very clear plastic windows, and seals just like a dry bag, with a ziploc type closure at the top, which rolls down and is secured with velcro, which is then secured by another velcro latch.  Highly recommended, and worked fine in conjunction with my screen protector.

I had a smoke and some water, then spun around and headed back up river.  I made my way back to the marsh, going in as far as I felt I comfortably could with the tide as low as it was.  I sparked a joint, but the current out of the marsh was quickly carrying me back to the river.  Rather than coasting out into the river I paddled towards the beach, and anchored myself with my feet.  I finished off my smoke then had a cigarette and some water before pushing off the beach.  I paddled further into the marsh, making my way a few hundred yards in before turning around and paddling back out.  I headed down river, making my way past the dock.  I passed a sailboat full of hot girls, waving as I passed, and finally slowly eased my way into Birdseye Dock.

Another great day on the water!  Was nice to know my DiCAPac lets my Note 2 take excellent photos still, and I can't wait for my waterproof bluetooth speaker to arrive!

Marsh Madness Part 2

After having so much fun in the marsh Saturday, I headed back out Sunday.  I launched from Birdseye Dock around noon, with the tide very low but coming in.  I paddled upstream towards the northern entrance to the marsh, but rather than going to the main channel I instead went up a smaller side channel with a decent flow of water almost directly across from Bonds Dock.

As I paddled up the channel it broke off into two; I took the left because it seemed to have more water flowing through it.  As I continued into the narrowing channel, I noticed something sticking out of the water ahead.  As I approached it ducked below the surface of the water, and as I coasted over I saw a turtle swimming beneath my board.  Knowing to look for them, I noticed turtles at almost every turn in the smaller channels, their heads peaking above the water to check me out then quickly fleeing as I neared.

After half an hour or so of cruising around channels of varying sizes, I decided I better start trying to make my way back out to the main channel or the river.  However try as I might I couldn't find my way out!  Every time I found a channel with some current I would follow it, expecting to find my way out but instead running into a dead end every time.  After about an hour in the marsh I was getting a little concerned, so I sat down and burned one, had a cigarette and some water, then again made my way forward.  And what do you know, right after I finished smoking the slow-moving channel I was resting in lead right into the main channel!

Once in the main channel I headed upstream, out of the marsh and into the river.  There was lots of boat traffic, but my Ark seems to handle wake and swells very well as only once did I even feel off balance, and that was only because a following wave caused the nose of my board to dip about 8 inches into the water, and even then I was able to maintain my balance with a sweeping brace.

I got down to the George Washington Bridge before turning around.  I headed back downstream as I started to feel winded from the wind and waves.  I alternated between kneeling and standing, making my way down the river as passing boats honked and waved.  I passed the main channel of the marsh and again entered where I originally had that day.  I paddled up the channel but took a right this time, which led me down a nice, lazy path that went by a large egret nest with the bird sitting on top.  I also saw more turtles, and two mother or father birds with a bunch of babies who were not happy with me passing by them.  I came to a fork, but taking a left quickly brought me to a dead end.  There was barely enough room for me to turn my 11 foot board around, but I managed, and headed down the other path, only to find it also lead to a dead end in short order.  Fortunately this one was easier to turn around in, so I slowly paddled my way back out to the river.

I headed back to the dock from there, and as I unstrapped my gear from my board a women in her car commented "Aww I was waiting to see you go out, I thought you were just leaving!" and then proceeded to lecture me about why I should carry a knife in case I'm attacked by a shark, because the Housatonic River is a perfect environment for bull sharks which can live in salt and fresh water!  I tried to explain to her that bull sharks and other dangerous sharks are not found in the Housatonic or even Long Island Sound for that matter.  There are some sand tigers in the Sound, but they feed primarily at night and aren't large enough to eat a person anyway, and while a Great White could technically find its way into the Sound, you'd have a better chance of winning the powerball jackpot than getting bit by a great white in Long Island Sound.

Looking forward to heading out into the marsh again, but after getting lost I decided to order a waterproof case for my phone (a Galaxy Note 2).  Since I was ordering that I figured I might as well get some water resistant headphones, and I also ordered a Pyle Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth stereo speaker.  Once I have the waterproof case I will finally be able to add pictures to my blog!  Tune in!

Marsh Madness, Part 1

Saturday I headed out around 11:30am and launched from Birdseye Dock.  This time I kept my t-shirt on, and was careful to put sunblock on my neck, face, ears and arms.  Having the rigging on the front of my board is great - I brought a frozen Vapur anti-bottle of water, my type 4 pfd, my inflatable lifejacket and my dry bag, which held my car key, cigarettes, lighter and sunblock.

It was low tide when I launched, so I headed across the river towards the marsh.  I paddled upstream a short ways to the main entrance to the marsh and made my way in.  There were not a lot of boats as people tend to avoid the marsh at low tide, but it's perfect for a paddleboard!  I paddled up the main channel a ways until I hit a spot where the wind was whipping through and I had to kneel down to cut down on the resistance.  I was about 1/3 of the way through the main channel when I took a left and headed into a smaller channel in the marsh where I could see very little current and protection from the wind behind the tall marsh grass.

As I slowly eased into the narrower channel, I was worried about bumping my fin on the bottom.  I sat down and had a cigarette and some water, then slowly made my way forward through the smaller channel on my knees so that I could clearly see if I was going to run aground.  After continuing for a ways the small channel broke off into two, and having been paddling through for 10 minutes or so I stood up, confident I wouldn't be hitting the marsh floor.  I took a right and continued forward a bit, with every bend bringing another set of shocked ducks bursting from the water!  Soon I spun around and headed back the way I came, concerned about getting lost (a justifiable concern, see Part 2!).

Before exiting the small channel I sat down again and burned one, then had a cigarette and some water and continued out towards the main channel.  I headed upstream a ways, then turned into another smaller channel that had a decent flow of water through it.  As I paddled through I could see fish splashing at the surface along the banks, and as I continued forward I again encountered a lot of shocked ducks.  I continued through the channel as it widened out, and started thinking about where this channel was going to come out.  I was heading downstream quickly and was approaching Milford when I finally saw the way out to the river.

Paddling out towards the River was quite a chore.  The current was pushing against me strongly, and the wind coming off Long Island Sound made standing and paddling a pointless endeavor, as any forward motion was defeated by the wind and current.  Kneeling down I paddled towards a beach at the entrance to the river, working hard to fight my way there as I passed two kayakers leasurely paddling in the opposite direction.  As I reached the beach I was relieved, as I needed some water desperately.  I drank most of the remainder of my water and sat for a few minutes, preparing for the remaining trip back to the dock.

As soon as I launched from the beach I was surprised by the size of the waves.  It didn't help that boat traffic was at it's max, with large vessels charging through the waves leaving big wakes for me to contend with.  Most of my way back to the dock was done kneeling as I can make a lot more headway in the wind and chop kneeling.  I actually like to almost sit but in a kneeling position, and use my core muscles as much as possible as I maintain a windmill-type motion with the paddle, six strokes per side.

When I finally got back to the dock I was spent but at the same time felt great.  It's a very freeing feeling being out in the open water, nothing but you and the board.  I did try fishing with my homemade trolling rig, but it's too awkward trying to let the line out while paddling or even drifting and trying not to have it tangle on my leash or end up on the bottom from going to slow.  Sometime soon I'm going to bring my regular fishing pole out with me in 2 pieces and just assemble it out there.  Can't wait to get out there again!

Burnt to a crisp at Short Beach

Wednesday morning after attaching the rigging to my board, I headed out for Short Beach.  When I got there I went all the way down to the far end of the beach where I didn't see anybody swimming, and after unloading all of my gear I walked the short distance across the sand with my 11 foot board acting like a sail in the wind.  The swells were coming in consistently around knee-high, and as I strapped everything to my board and attached my leash to my ankle I prepared to launch into the breaking surf.  "You can't use that here Sir!" I hear from behind me.  I spin around, and a young blond lifeguard is approaching me, hands on her hips.  I asked her why, and she said all boards and crafts had to be launched from the other side of the jetty as I was in a "designated swimming area."  There was nobody swimming, but I relented and trudged down the beach.  The wind wasn't making carrying my board easy, but I eventually got to the other side of the jetty and was able to launch into the incoming tide.

As I paddled out, the sun broke through the clouds.  My shoulders got burned the day before, so I was happy I was wearing a light colored t-shirt under my inflatable pfd.  As I paddled out through the knee-high and occasional waist-high waves, I grew accustomed to paddling up the front of the wave, using the paddle as a brace to increase the stability of my already very stable board.  I quickly got out past the jetty, continuing to paddle out through the swells.  As I looked back, I realized the incoming tide was carrying me up river into the "swimming zone" - although I was very far out, I didn't want another encounter with the wannabe-beach-police, so I turned around and started to paddle in and downstream.  Having never dealt with following waves before, the first waist-high set that came along caught me by surprise with my paddle out of the water, sweeping my board out from under me on the backside of the wave.  I quickly jumped back onto my board, but quickly realized the downside of wearing a t-shirt:  The howling wind was freezing!  I paddled in and ditched my t-shirt in my car, swapping it out for some sunscreen.  I burned one on the beach then had a quick conversation about the local sealife with a good looking mom and her two boys.  "No sharks here, but I did see a man-o-war the size of a garbage bag" I told them.  Not entirely true, Long Island Sound is home to a variety of shark species including sand tigers, browns, and threshers, although it's entirely safe to swim at least in the daytime.

Heading back out into the growing swells, I could feel the sun beating down on my back and shoulders.  While I had put sunblock on my neck and shoulders, my back was exposed and quickly started to burn.  I paddled in and out a few more times, getting used to the feel of paddling through the heavy chop, especially with following waves on the way in.  After about 3 hours out, I packed up for the day, content with my day at the beach.

That night I realized my big mistake in not doing something about uv protection on my back.  Even my shoulders which had a generous helping of sunblock were burnt to a crisp, but my back especially was lobster-red and very painful.  Fortunately after one night of sleeping on my stomach it felt somewhat better, and after another night the pain is almost completely gone.  Definitely have to get some kind of surf or swim shirt that is made to get wet then dry quickly, because sunblock just is not effective enough.

Next time out I'm going to try fishing off my board.  I'm going to launch from Birdseye again, and go to the marsh-side of the docked boats and troll from there out towards the Sound.  I made an interesting setup for fishing which I will show pictures of next time!

Review of Seattle Sports Lashmates Superstik Attachment System

Wednesday morning before going out on my SUP I attached the new Seattle Sports Lashmates Superstik Attachment System.  With my Ark being a foam board with soft top I was concerned that the super glue used with EZ-plugs would cause damage to the board, but I knew I needed some kind of cargo-carrying system on the board.  Searching Amazon the pickings were slim, but I settled on these and I'm glad I did:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009V60I92/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1375990379&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY190

I measured out a 15in x 15in grid on the front of my board, and attached the lashmates with the easy to use peel-and-stick 3M adhesive that comes pre-installed on the bottom of the lashmates.  An hour later, I strapped a bungee cord to the lashmates and took off for the beach.

I was out in heavy chop for about 3 hours, with waves crashing over the front of my board constantly.  I had a type 4 pfd cushion strapped to the board, as well as my water bottle, dry bag and for a while my inflatable pfd.  The lashmates held strong, and upon arriving home and hosing my board off (don't leave salt water on the lashmates!) I was happy to find them still completely secure to the board - not a single spot that looked like it was coming loose one bit.  I know one day doesn't say much about durability, but after drying they are still securely attached today, and I'm confident they will hold for a long time to come! 

Below is a picture of my Greco Ark with Seattle Sports Lashmates Superstik Attachment System:

Got my Ark!

Got my Ark w/ Staff of Moses from http://www.grecosurfboards.com Monday!  The DHL guy wouldn't go under the Merritt Parkway bridge, so I had to drive down the street and throw it in the back of my mom's car.  So I got it back to my house, took off the box DHL trashed, and marvelled at my first SUP!  I threw it in the pool and jumped on, paddling back and forth to make sure it would float me.

Tuesday I loaded my board up on my car with my soft car racks, which are suprisingly easy to use.  I put washcloths around the edges of my board where the ropes make contact with it, and was happy to find that no marks were left on the board on my 30mph drive to Birdseye Dock.

Launching at Birdseye, my first thought was how windy it was and how big the chop was.  I've only been out on an SUP once, and although I had no trouble standing I was using it in a lake with only minor boat wake.  Between the wind and the waves I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get going, but as soon as I launched I realized how stable my Ark is which allowed me to quickly get accustomed to the feel of paddling through the waves.  I crossed the Housatonic River, paddling along the edge of the marsh checking out the fish swimming beneath.

As I crossed back to the other side, I was suddenly greeted by a "BANG" on the back of my board.  Thinking I might have hit a piece of driftwood I looked back quickly only to see a silvery streak as a large fish flapped and darted away.  A few minutes later I cruised by a man-o-war the size of a garbage bag, it's brainy-looking tentacles hanging far beneath the large, bell-shaped head.  I saw a few smaller red jellyfish, but mostly just harmless white ones which scattered the river (I knelt down at one point to scoop one up, remembering my brother and I having a white jellyfish fight on the docks when I was younger).

Definitely hooked on SUP!  Next time I'll write about my 2nd time out, even heavier chop launching from Short Beach, as well as my review of Seattle Sports Lashmates Superstik Attachment System.

-TreeburnerCT