Trip Report - L.I. Ocean Paddle -3rd Leg

Posted by Miles (168.100.198.130) on January 27, 2006 at 12:43:38

Finally a beautiful day! Sunny, 34F, water 40F, wind from the northwest about 8 - 10mph, we set off into tranquil seas about 10am. We covered about 12 miles before landing for lunch. Thanks to Tim's new MSR stove we had hot coffee and chocolate to wash down our lunch with. Back on the water I remarked to Tim that there seemed to be quite a bit of motion on the horizon and it seemed to be well offshore. It was no mirage, as we approached what turned into a 3 mile stretch of offshore sandbars. The ebbing tide was producing a virtual playground of offshore surf. Needless to say for the next 45 minutes or so we inched our way down the coast in what looked like a zig-zag stitch when I later uploaded my GPS. The waves were predictable, well formed 3-5 ft high....Sweet!!!!!!!! We were in surf city heaven. As we approached Moriches Inlet we noticed claptois (voodoo chop)shooting water into the air. I let out a whoop and barrelled right into the devil's playground. Waves coming from three, four directions at once. Later I asked Tim if he had ever seen water like that before and he said only once down in the triangle in Georgia (remember that Rachel?). All this playtime proved to be costly as we had about 4 miles to go and sunset was 30 minutes away. Hence we finished our 22 miles for the day in near darkness, and played blindmans bluff trying to find the trail to the parking lot carrying my kayak. Then upon returning to Hampton Bay to retrieve my car we went into this local bar near the Coast Guard station. Captain Willy bought us a round, two other of his companion's were arguing about liking "Big Ladies" and another had his head down on the bar drunk asleep. A big and big haired lady sitting next to Tim was brandishing the snout of a swordfish and threatened to decapitate one of the loudmouths if he didn't quiet down. We thought we had entered the twilight zone. Nonetheless we ordered some calamari and some fried clam strips to go with our Captain Willy beers. Tim and I pondered our exit and we decided to buy a round for the bar and a coffee for the sleeper who by now had awaken. We said our goodbyes, shook hands with Captain Willy and headed for our cars in the Long Island darkness. Yikes, the paddling was a breeze compared to that encounter with the natives.

So folks, we are a little past the halfway point of our journey, stay tuned for more adventures! (Sorry nothing scheduled for this weekend...skiing instead!)

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Re: Trip Report - L.I. Ocean Paddle -3rd Leg Rachel 15:22:45 02/01/06 (0)

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Message » Finally a beautiful day! Sunny, 34F, water 40F, wind from the northwest about 8 - 10mph, we set off into tranquil seas about 10am. We covered about 12 miles before landing for lunch. Thanks to Tim's new MSR stove we had hot coffee and chocolate to wash down our lunch with. Back on the water I remarked to Tim that there seemed to be quite a bit of motion on the horizon and it seemed to be well offshore. It was no mirage, as we approached what turned into a 3 mile stretch of offshore sandbars. The ebbing tide was producing a virtual playground of offshore surf. Needless to say for the next 45 minutes or so we inched our way down the coast in what looked like a zig-zag stitch when I later uploaded my GPS. The waves were predictable, well formed 3-5 ft high....Sweet!!!!!!!! We were in surf city heaven. As we approached Moriches Inlet we noticed claptois (voodoo chop)shooting water into the air. I let out a whoop and barrelled right into the devil's playground. Waves coming from three, four directions at once. Later I asked Tim if he had ever seen water like that before and he said only once down in the triangle in Georgia (remember that Rachel?). All this playtime proved to be costly as we had about 4 miles to go and sunset was 30 minutes away. Hence we finished our 22 miles for the day in near darkness, and played blindmans bluff trying to find the trail to the parking lot carrying my kayak. Then upon returning to Hampton Bay to retrieve my car we went into this local bar near the Coast Guard station. Captain Willy bought us a round, two other of his companion's were arguing about liking "Big Ladies" and another had his head down on the bar drunk asleep. A big and big haired lady sitting next to Tim was brandishing the snout of a swordfish and threatened to decapitate one of the loudmouths if he didn't quiet down. We thought we had entered the twilight zone. Nonetheless we ordered some calamari and some fried clam strips to go with our Captain Willy beers. Tim and I pondered our exit and we decided to buy a round for the bar and a coffee for the sleeper who by now had awaken. We said our goodbyes, shook hands with Captain Willy and headed for our cars in the Long Island darkness. Yikes, the paddling was a breeze compared to that encounter with the natives. » So folks, we are a little past the halfway point of our journey, stay tuned for more adventures! (Sorry nothing scheduled for this weekend...skiing instead!)
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