Rocks, Rescues and Incident Management in Salem Sound 9.7.2015
The goal of the trip was to get wet. Playing amongst the rocks, pushing personal comfort limits and managing events should a paddler end up in the water. With that in mind, 5 of us left Dolliber Cove bound for the rocks around Marblehead. Low tide combined with high pressure meant bumpy condition would generally be hard to find. Yet, Salem Sound delivered once again as the rocky coastline stretching from Peaches Point to Gerry Island provided the necessary lump.
After encouraging folks to try a bit of rock play in fairly calm conditions, we paddled out to Coney Ledge, about 1nm off shore with 10-15kts on the beam and wind/boat wake driven confused seas. Coney Ledge provides a low consequence place to play in the rocks regardless of conditions. The only drawback is its viability plus or minus 2 hours around low tide.
We stayed at the ledge for about 45 minutes before needing to head back to the mainline. A little more rock play off of Crowningshield Island gave everyone a chance to see how conditions can change in a fairly short amount of time. Upon arrival back at the put in, the trip ended with rolling, rescue practice, and answering the many questions from the curious onlookers. Overall, a great short rock trip where everyone chose to push their limits a bit.
More pictures can be found here.
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| Testing the water off the Marblehead coast |
After encouraging folks to try a bit of rock play in fairly calm conditions, we paddled out to Coney Ledge, about 1nm off shore with 10-15kts on the beam and wind/boat wake driven confused seas. Coney Ledge provides a low consequence place to play in the rocks regardless of conditions. The only drawback is its viability plus or minus 2 hours around low tide.
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| Going up! |
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| Falling out! Incident management time |
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| Over the ledge |
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| Rescue practice to tend the day |
More pictures can be found here.