Paddle Log #11: Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

Post-Facto Comments on Paddle Log Format: (written after I composed the Paddle Log post below)

Bear with me. I'm still trying out different ideas. I used some feedback I received via email along with another website I found to improve upon what data to include in my paddle log.

However (comma) I'm not sure I like the overall format. I look at what I have written below and it seems dry to me - not very readable. When I look back at previous posts like the one about the Jack's Boathouse trip, I think it read more like I was telling a story. Maybe the better way to do this is to write the storyline blog post, and then include a standardized set of data and statistics at the end. What do you think?

Here's the post for today...

Location: Paddle Around Looooooooong Island on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH

Quick Summary: AWESOME, quiet paddle on a calm, mostly cloudy day. Second longest distance I've paddled in one day, but the longest I've done (8 miles on Goose Creek) was paddling with a current helping me along.

Southwestern point of Long Island, 1.0 miles into the trip.

Date: Saturday, 22 August 2009
Launch Site: Private beach access at Jonathan's Landing on Long Island
Time In: 10:30 a.m.
Time Out: 12:30 p.m.
Elapsed: 2 hours
Pull-out Site: same as launch site

Mileage: 6.6 miles
Paddling Odometer: 24.5 miles (since I started keeping track for this kayak).

GPS screenshot upon arrival back at the beach

Weather Forecast: 50% chance of showers, thunderstorms expected in the afternoon (I was trying to get one last paddle in before the thunderstorms and before we head back to Virginia). It was mostly cloudy and lightly raining when I got underway. As I rounded the southern tip of the island (1.5 miles in), the sun broke through the clouds. It was partly cloudy / intermittent shade as I paddled up the eastern side of the island.
Sea State: Nil for the first 4.5 miles, 1 for the last 1.5 miles (wave chop due to wind picking up from the South)
Winds: 0 for the first 4.5 miles, South 5-10 kts for the last 1.5 miles
Air Temp: ~75F (high today was 81F)
Water Temp: ~77F (last reported temp on www.winnipesaukee.com 4 days ago) I stepped into the lake as I was launching the boat and as my brain registered the temperature around my feet, I said to myself, "Self, ooooooh, thaaaaat's niiiiiiice." :-)
Tides & Currents: None
Traffic: Very little for the first 4 miles. The closer I got to the Multonborough Neck Road bridge by Trexler's Marina, the more pleasure craft / power boats (and hence wakes) I encountered.

In Company With: None. Went solo this time. Passed 3 other kayakers along the way.
Configuration: I sat in the center seat this time.
Kit:
- Ocean Kayak - Malibu Two XL (8th use) with Comfort Seat
- Werner Skagit paddle and leash
- Forgot my hat & sunglasses again. Actually, I didn't forget. I left them home because it was mostly cloudy with a light rainfall when I headed out. Wished I had them when the sun came out on the eastern side of the island.
- NRS Men's Boater Gloves prevented me from getting blisters in the crux of my thumbs this time, but I ended up with blisters above the second knuckle of my middle and pinky fingers on my left hand.
- Long sleeve swim shirt, swim trunks.
- Flip flops since I lost my old water shoes on my previous trip.
- Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
- Garmin Forerunner 405
- Olympus Stylus 1030 SW waterproof, shockproof camera
- BB Storm in floating cell phone dry bag

Route: Counter-clockwise circuit of Long Island starting from Jonathan's Landing (private beach access). I reviewed the route on the local chart and on Google Earth and expected it to be about 6.0 miles.

Southeastern point of Long Island, 1.5 miles into trip

ORM (what could go wrong and what I did to mitigate the risk):
- Getting swamped by a passing power boat, maybe capsizing. Mitigation: Stay close to shore, follow the coastline, wear PFD, turn bow into oncoming wakes.
- Weather turning sour / thunderstorm: Review weather radar immediately prior to departure. Stay close to shore, follow coastline. Every foot of waterfront property on the island has a house and some sort of boat dock. I would seek safe harbor at the nearest dock and call my wife to come get me in the event of a thunderstorm.
- Medical Problem / Physical Exhaustion / or otherwise not capable of completing the route: Carry cell phone in dry-bag. I had a few spots along the route that I could stop and have my wife come get me if I wasn't able to complete the full 6 miles. I decided to go counter-clockwise so that I would start out heading south into the expected wind for the first mile. If at the end of the first mile I wasn't feeling up to it, then I could turn around and go with the expected winds back to home. If I decided to continue, the expected winds would help me travel northbound on the east side of the island.

Comments:

No wind, water was flat, and very little boat traffic for the first 4.0 miles, resulting in an avg speed was about 3.5 mph. As I got closer to the Long Island bridge and Trexler's Marina, the boat traffic picked up and I had a lot of wakes to cross that slowed me down. Then as I rounded the northern tip of the island and turned south, the winds and the seas picked up from the south. The last 1.5 miles I paddled into the wind, but I really enjoyed the sound of the wave slap and sloshing against the hull and the small amount of spray coming over the bow.

Tried taking some video by setting the camera on the main deck in front of me with the front seat folded down, but the bow was too high and blocked the view. All you can see in the video is the sky over the bow bobbing back and forth. Next time need to prop it up on top of something.

Self portrait by Trexler's Marina and
the Multonborough Neck Road bridge,
4.5 miles into the trip.

Marine/wildlife sightings or encounters:

I paddled by a flock of the brown-headed birds like I saw on Newfound Lake. I have determined they are American common mergansers (Mergus merganser americanus).

(Click to enlarge - 10MB file)

Closeup - note the "mane" on the backs of their heads.

Shoulda Coulda Woulda:
- Brought water. It might be okay for a short paddle to go without water, but since I was planning on a longer paddling trip, I really should have taken some water with me.
- Brought hat and sunglasses. I intentionally left them behind because it was mostly cloudy and raining when I left, with rain in the forecast.
- Put sunscreen on my legs (or brought some with me). I put some on my face before I left as a precaution, but that was it.
- Brought a strap to secure kayak to the caddy. The weight of the kayak isn't enough to keep the kayak on the caddy. If the wheels encounter any resistance, then the caddy comes to a stop and the kayak just slides right off the top of the caddy. I ended up just dragging the kayak up the sand to the boardwalk and then putting the kayak on the caddy to wheel back to the condo.