Three Weeks Later

SATURDAY, August 30th– How time flies; I’ve been enjoying taking it fairly easy, mixing more running in with paddling, while at the same time gearing up for the 14-mile Lighthouse-to-Lighthouse Race/East Coast Surfski Championships in Connecticut on September 6th. I still marvel at what a perfect day August 9th was…. but inevitably the racer in me thinks of things which could have been done differently to turn in a faster time. The trip was really a tale of two halves; the first half was considerably slower than anticipated, while the second half (and particularly the final third) was much, much faster. Starting an hour earlier would have made a huge difference, as I not only got caught by the foul flooding current during the first hour but, inexplicably, it persisted well beyond, and kept progress slow in the Atlantic where I expected to encounter no current at all. Still, I never would have wanted to ask my chase boat to begin that early, and by 5:30 we had adequate light  to see where we were going and enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the Moshup Trail.

While my navigational GPS had decided not to operate properly and was providing no data whatsoever, the heart rate monitor told the story: rather than my planned 5.5 mph, keeping HR below 110, I was making 5.0 to 5.2 mph @ HR 130+…. and therefore expending considerably more energy than anticipated over the combined 22 miles from Aquinnah past Squibnocket and down to Wasque Point. That added unnecessary stress, because I knew I had to arrive at Wasque no later than 9:30, and was hard pressed to do so. I remain perplexed as to why there was a west-running current 2 miles south of Chilmark in the Atlantic…. but the only thing to do was paddle harder and get the long ocean leg over with.

It was even more demoralizing rounding Wasque 5 minutes late, and discovering that the current there had already turned against me, which meant another 5 miles struggling to maintain 5 mph to Cape Poge, and falling a bit behind schedule; regardless, I knew that I’d still be able to capitalize on a whole afternoon’s worth of ebb current in Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds…. but was definitely tired by the time I finally made landfall on East Beach just south of Cape Poge. The short break there was essential; had I tried to do the full 52 miles nonstop I no doubt would have been considerably slower overall. I got back in the boat refreshed enough to tackle the 12-Meter Regatta with renewed vigor; psychologically, the tough part of the route was behind me as it would be simple line-of- sight navigation to East Chop, West Chop, Makonikey, and the home stretch from there to Aquinnah. Mercifully, winds were light enough that the 12-Meters were barely moving faster than my paddling speed, so it was a low-stress maneuver wending my way through them.

I knew it would be busy getting past Oak Bluffs, since it was a beautiful Saturday with the inevitable powerboat traffic coming over from the Cape; this proved to be true, and some colorful profanities were hurled to the wind and waves….

 

 

On the plus side, the fair current finally kicked in just past the Steamship pier and I delighted in seeing the GPS tick up to 6+ mph; it would stay above there the whole rest of the trip…. conditions were transitioning from good to magical! The final challenge would be navigating the rip off West Chop– but all I really had to do was keep my bow pointed into the waves as the 4 knots of current pulled me around the corner to an eagerly awaited break; I didn’t know it then, but all my hard work was done!

With 15 miles to go, conditions turned absolutely dreamlike– as close to mirror calm as Vineyard Sound ever gets, and with 2+ knots of fair current rewarding the morning’s struggles with 7.5+ mph @ <110 heart rate. Having Aquinnah come into view past Makonikey Head, and the lighthouse blink its welcome, was uplifting beyond description…. the sea was so calm, I had absolutely nothing to worry about– whereas all summer I had been fearing a brisk southwest headwind and messy chop all the way down the Sound. In hindsight, sticking closer to the Vineyard’s north shore would have resulted in a priceless photo-op, as had I infiltrated the 1000-yard perimeter off the summer White House I would have been stopped and escorted out by 6 armed Seals in a Zodiac with a large machine gun on the bow…. but I was on a beeline to home, and comfortably offshore of any security personnel.

The scenery approaching the Cliffs was simply spectacular, and my good friend Tad Thompson captured the magic of the setting with a series of incredible photographs…. given 365 afternoons in a year, it’s impossible to imagine any more placid and ethereal as this, off a headland known for it’s rough seas and devilish underwater hazards. I continue to marvel at the beauty and majesty of land, sea and sky as I crossed the Finish line with a smile a mile wide!

While a few tactical changes would have made for a faster time– and I can’t help thinking about thinking about how to break the new record– I’m not sure I’ll ever see a day like August 9th, 2014 again; I’ll certainly never see one better, from pre-dawn Start to mid afternoon Finish…. that would simply not be possible!

Because I paddled moderately for most of the trip, I had surprisingly few aches and pains afterwards; all I recall were my hands continuously cramping for 3 or 4 hours during the after party. For the next few days I felt like I’d gotten way too much sun, but otherwise was none the worse for wear. No doubt having such benign conditions had a lot to do with that; when I think of the challenges one could encounter over 9 plus hours and 52 miles circling the Vineyard, I can only count my lucky stars! To Start– and Finish– beneath the Lighthouse on such a glorious day was icing on the cake.