One of my favorite places to paddle is out of Gloucester Harbor to Kettle Island. This past Sunday was clear and cold, a perfect day to paddle.

A small group of five of us headed out from a launch on the Annisquam River and through the canal and out the harbor. We launched at nearly low and the ramp was slippery with ice and frozen algae. No need to carry the boats, just slide them on down the ramp.

We poked around in the rocks but not much swell coming in but the water was clear and you could see to the bottom.

There is a “cave” hidden in the rocks that you can only enter when the conditions are right, just enough water, not much swell…

Hardly a cave though as there isn’t a “roof” until you get way back. This is only the second time that I have been able to get to the back. Not room enough to turn around, just a slot really and in places you need to use your hands to scooch your way through.

Headed to Kettle for a cup of tea and a chance to try out a Christmas present, a little alcohol stove. It’s really sweet - tiny, it’s made from a can and the stove, pot holder and wind screen and a tiny bottle of fuel all fit in a small dry bag that I don’t mind carrying in my day hatch. Inside the bag, I keep tea fixings so that if all the flasks are empty, we can still have a “cupa”.

Even though it was a flat day, Rick managed to find a way to go upside down w/o a hood on. Over he went and up he came… disoriented and went right back down. Tried to roll but ended up sculling and amazing enough, Walter was positioned correctly to handily come in and give him a paddle across both boats - my first to see a eskimo rescue used in earnest.

Silly Dutchman was the second to get wet. After he was a gentleman to help us all off the rocks after tea, he was the last to get in. Decided to seal launch off the kelp covered rocks on to get hung up on the stern and over he went. Those Greenlander sterns really wedge themselves nicely into rock crevices… He rolled up off the bottom and got upright only to be balancing on his stern and over he went again… This time he had to pull his skirt as the boat was rolling nowhere. Could have been nasty, no helmets were on and water temps are below 40, but the Dutch are hearty so all was well.

We paddled hard to warm up our two cold paddlers and were off the water by 4:30 long before sunset.

Days like this remind me that I love paddling in the winter if you can just get past the cold parts of unloading and loading your boat!

Suz

Posted by Suzanne Hutchinson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Day Trps.