Daily stats
Start: 5:00 AM - Sturgeon Point, NY (Sturgeon Pt. Marina)
Finish: 1:00 PM - Lake Erie State Park, NY
Time: 8:00
Daily dist: 25 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: None
Weather: Clear, high in low 90‘s, calm very early then breezy, hazy
Notes: Very, very calm start to the day.
My strategy of early starts to beat the wind worked quite well this morning. Now I’m faced with what to do with the rest of the day when I’m done paddling by 1:00 PM. It wouldn’t be a problem if I was camped somewhere away from civilization but for the next couple of weeks that won’t be the case. State parks and established campgrounds would allow me to set up camp early and laze around for the rest of the day but both cost money. In addition (and more importantly), both private and state campgrounds generally are not worth the trouble involved with securing my kayak and moving my gear up to wherever the camping areas are.
An alternative, which I’m trying today, is to find a comfortable place to hang out during the windiest and hottest part of the day then get back on the water in the early evening to put a few more miles in before “commando” camping on a beach right at dark. When I say “commando” camping I don’t mean I’ll be setting up a tent right in somebody’s back yard. The shore line around here often consists of a cliff with about 100’ of sand and cobble beach below. Most of the homes are perched safely atop the cliff well back from the edge and a tent set up at dark down below would go unnoticed especially if it’s out before dawn which is my plan.
Start: 5:00 AM - Sturgeon Point, NY (Sturgeon Pt. Marina)
Finish: 1:00 PM - Lake Erie State Park, NY
Time: 8:00
Daily dist: 25 miles
Total dist: 4000+
Companions: None
Weather: Clear, high in low 90‘s, calm very early then breezy, hazy
Notes: Very, very calm start to the day.
My strategy of early starts to beat the wind worked quite well this morning. Now I’m faced with what to do with the rest of the day when I’m done paddling by 1:00 PM. It wouldn’t be a problem if I was camped somewhere away from civilization but for the next couple of weeks that won’t be the case. State parks and established campgrounds would allow me to set up camp early and laze around for the rest of the day but both cost money. In addition (and more importantly), both private and state campgrounds generally are not worth the trouble involved with securing my kayak and moving my gear up to wherever the camping areas are.
An alternative, which I’m trying today, is to find a comfortable place to hang out during the windiest and hottest part of the day then get back on the water in the early evening to put a few more miles in before “commando” camping on a beach right at dark. When I say “commando” camping I don’t mean I’ll be setting up a tent right in somebody’s back yard. The shore line around here often consists of a cliff with about 100’ of sand and cobble beach below. Most of the homes are perched safely atop the cliff well back from the edge and a tent set up at dark down below would go unnoticed especially if it’s out before dawn which is my plan.
enjoying a mid day break
All that being said, right now I’m hanging out at the Lake Erie State Park after already paddling an eight hour day, cooking lunch/dinner, and reading a book for a half hour. You sure can get a lot done in a day when you get up at 4:00 AM.
Luck was with me this morning after I bid farewell to Phyllis at the marina I was on the water by 5:00 AM. A southeast wind was already up and the predictions called for 10-20 out of the southwest. The offshore breeze lasted for three hours leaving me in relatively calm water as I paddled right next to shore. By 8:00 AM even that little bit of wind died down leaving the water mirror smooth in flat calm winds. By know I’ve been out long enough to know that this kind of good fortune doesn’t last long and that dead calm can mean that the wind is about to shift, which it did. One hour after taking pictures of the flat calm I found myself paddling into a steady, but tolerable, 10mph head wind. Thankfully the early start had me well on my way to my destination and I only had to paddle a few more hours into the wind before calling it a day, at least for now.
a calm start to the day, it pays to get up early
After wrapping up this blog I plan to sneak a shower at the campground and get a bit of a nap before heading back out this afternoon. With luck the wind that’s blowing now will settle down and I’ll be able to make a few more easy miles before dark.
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