Stand up Paddling at Great Island (Old Lyme, CT)

Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to go stand up paddling at Great Island in Old Lyme, CT.  It's a really neat spot about 10 miles up I-95 from my house.  This area was one of the first places I learned how to kayak when I first moved up to Connecticut in 2006.  Come to think of it, it is also one of the last places I kayaked, considering that my Necky Elaho kayak was eventually stolen (different story for another time!).

I arrived at the boat launch around 4 PM, and there were not many people around.  A couple of people were parked in a car, just looking out into the water, the marshlands, and the Long Island Sound.  The tide was coming in as I started to paddle out, but the water conditions were perfect for a calm, peaceful session.  I passed and waved to a gentleman working on his sailboat (the one pictured above) as I made my way towards the various waterways in and around the marshland.  A group of ten or so high school-age kids were in kayaks and canoes heading back to the boat launch.  I received a few customary "What is that?" looks from some of them, but one woman stopped and asked me about stand up paddling.  Her exact words were "That is awesome!".

I spent about an hour paddling in and out of the coves, passing the usual wildlife: herring gulls, snowy egrets, cormorants, jumping bait fish, etc.  I also paddled past several osprey nests but did not see a lot of activity there.  I also passed a flock of swallows, which I didn't pay much attention to, but have since found out that these are popular birds among the locals.  Two different sets of people stopped me in the parking area when I was leaving to ask if I had seen the "swallows".  I told them that I had passed by a huge flock of these miniature birds, all flying, turning and landing in unison.  Now I will know what I'm looking at the next time I go out paddling in that area.

Great Island Boat Launch

Marshlands. w/ osprey nest platforms

A nearby property that I admire.  Very Connecticut!

East River (Madison, CT) Morning Paddle

East River in Madison, Connecticut

Yesterday was the day after Labor Day, which naturally has that day-after-summer-ends feeling for many people.  Fortunately I had taken this week off from work to spend time with my family & extend summer a little bit longer.  I woke up early as usual, made my coffee, and went through my normal routine of checking news, tweets, weather, etc while my wife and two children slept.  The weather forecast called for a beautiful September day, low 80's & sunny, and I was looking forward to playing in a golf tournament in the afternoon.  More immediately though I wanted to try to fit in some time with my stand up paddleboard.

Hurricane Earl had come and go late last week, but the after-effects on the winds and tides were still being felt throughout the long weekend.  Yesterday morning was no exception, with whitecaps and choppy waters still prevalent on the Sound.  Long Island Sound is typically glassy in the early morning, followed by minimal swells (if you can call them that) throughout the day, and then often a return to calmness in the early evening.  Since Earl, though, the Sound has been somewhat choppy.  Here is an example photo from Saturday morning:

Garvin Point, Surf Club, Madison, CT 09/04/10

Yesterday I felt like something different, so I decided to try out the East River boat launch area off of Neck Road in Madison.  East River borders the towns of Madison & Guilford, and contains several inlets and waterways nestled around salt marsh lands.  As expected, this inland waterway was calm and flat, with the exception of the incoming tide pushing water from the Sound upriver.  At 8:00 AM it was also peacefully silent, and it was nice to be out there alone.  There was an abundance of wildlife, however, including sea gulls, herons, egrets, cormorants, and the occasional bait fish jumping out of the water.  It was a different experience to let the tide carry my board with it, and all I really had to do was use my paddle to navigate.  Of course, it also made it a bit more difficult paddling back into the current to return to the shore.  Here are several photos I took of the area:

Pebble path from the road to the launch area

Prime parking, of course

Calm water beyond the launch point

Moored sailboats, with Guilford in the background

One of dozens of docked boats that line the river

Another view of docked boats, moorings & beach houses

Panoramic view of beach houses that line the Sound