June 21– Early start on the longest day of the year, paddling from Eel Pond in Edgartown out to Cape Poge on Chappaquiddick, then WNW past East and West Chops, 2 miles down Vineyard Sound and ducking in Lake Tashmoo to finish, where a friend picked me up at the agreed upon 8:30. The primary purpose of today’s outing was to arrive at Cape Poge at the same time in the tide cycle as I hope to on August 9– high slack in Nantucket Sound– and see if the current behaved as predicted (focusing on the counterclockwise route this time). It was a little late in shifting, and provided no assist at all for the first 5 miles from Cape Poge as the light N headwind slowed speed to 5.3 mph (HR below 100 the whole way)…. but then like clockwork off Oak Bluffs the GPS ticked up to 5.7, 6.0, 6.2 and more as the ebb current began to kick in…. plenty of speeds over 7 crossing the bight between East and West Chop, high 7s rounding the latter (minimal rip at the corner), then comfortable mid-6s to the Tashmoo Jetties. If I can hit the same tide on Aug. 9, I’ll thereafter have another 3 hours of fair current down Vineyard Sound towards Gay Head. If only it could be as calm as today….
In decades of kayaking around West Chop, I’ve come to believe it’s simply inevitable that I’ll find myself on a converging course with one of the Steamships coming or going from Vineyard Haven, no matter what– and today was no different. After rounding East Chop I spotted the freight boat GOVERNOR mid-Sound and Vineyard Haven-bound, 3 miles away at least but there was no doubt what was going to happen. From a paddler’s perspective those boats are fast, and sure enough he made his turn as I closed in on West Chop, upping the course from converging to collision– but with plenty of room for adjustment. Discretion being the better part of valor, I veered determinedly to starboard and let him pass ahead– Steamships are on a tighter schedule than I am!
Good to see the average speed go up from 5.5 at Cape Poge to 5.9 at the finish, with a maximum of 8.6 rounding West Chop; 15.6 miles in 2:39.
