Loving the Miseries

H and I decided not to waste a beautiful day and headed up to Manchester by the Sea to hit water. Like most places on the North Shore parking in Manchester is scarce. We tried to park behind the police station, but it is two hour parking. We found parking in a lot just up the road. It is listed in the guide book H has. There are about 15 parking spaces. When we pulled in just before 9am, most were full.
The only bad thing about paddling in New England at this time of the year is the disconnect between dressing for the weather and dressing for the water. It was in the mid-70s and sunny, but H was wearing a wet suit and I was wearing a dry suit because the water was 50. It was so cold that it was uncomfortable to put your hands in the water. Still, I always find myself thinking that I could get away just wearing shorts and a T-shirt, or maybe a drytop. Its not like I don't have a mostly reliable roll or that I was really worried about tipping over. There was hardly any wind...
Setting out of Manchester Harbor was idyllic. The water was smooth as glass and there were hardly any boats on the water. The houses out that way are lovely and BIG. We paddled south down the shore for awhile checking out the houses before crossing over to the Miseries. The water was a little bouncy. It was a good reminder that ocean paddling is nothing like paddling on the Salt Pond or even Upper Naragansett Bay. The swells were under two feet, but they were powerful and steady.
The crossing to the Miseries was uneventful and we quickly found ourselves parked on the beach ready to explore Great Misery. It is not a big island, but it is pretty and sports a real toilet. The island is maintained by the Trustees of the Reservation and they keep two composting toilets on the island. Sometimes they charge you $5 to land, but it is a small price to pay. We took a short tour of the island and had a bite to eat on the beach. The sky was clear so we could see all the way down to Marblehead.
Over on Little Misery we spotted two paddlers who were out in just shorts and T-shirts and as we were landing a group pulled up who were even less equipped. There were three people in a row boat who were shocked to find that their digital cameras got wet sitting in the bottom of the boat... They then unpacked their Boston Sunday Globe and laid it out on the rocks to dry. The kayaker with them was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. He had no PFD or spray skirt and he carried his beer like it was liquid gold.
It is no wonder that every year some politician tries to pass safety regulations to make kayakers safer. Personally, I think that the Darwin rule is perfectly OK for people on the water. If you cannot take the proper care when you go out on the water in a small boat, then you must accept that you may die. The ocean is not a safe environment. Despite its beauty, it can be deadly.
H and I headed off Great Misery through the eastern spilt between Great and Little. It is the rougher of the two gaps. We headed out around the back of Little Misery where there is much less protection from the open Atlantic and it was interesting. The swells were coming fast and strong, plus they were refracting off the rocky cliffs on the back side of Little Misery. It took a second to settle into the groove and feel comfortable. It is still pretty early in the season and we both needed to regain our sea legs.
Once we put the Miseries behind us, things calmed down. We circled around the back of Great Misery and checked out the power boat fest at the south beach.
The crossing back to Manchester Harbor turned out to be pretty challenging. The wind had begun to pick-up and the wave action picked up with it. The crossing is about a mile and the swells were coming at us breach. It wasn't really rough, but it was enough to keep you on your toes.
To make matters worse, H had a pretty bad headache and was feeling unsettled. She was a trooper, kept herself together, and powered through to the put-in.
Once back at the put-in I tried to do a roll, but just couldn't put it all together. After multiple tries, I popped out the boat and swam it to shore. The water was COLD!!! Even in my dry suit I could feel it.