Tag Archives: Massachusetts Sea Kayaking

Still

Posted on June 18, 2016 by | 18 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

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The perfect stillness of an early morning…

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(A Paddle Among the Islands, Cape Cod, May 2013)

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A contribution to Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge, Still.

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Posted in Nature, Photography

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On the Way

Posted on May 31, 2015 by | 7 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Underway off Cape Cod, Massachusetts—

On the Way(story and more photos are here)

A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, On the Way.

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Posted in Kayaking, Photography

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Paddling Cape Ann

Posted on June 17, 2014 by | 31 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

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Summer’s here—it’s high time to make our summer paddling plans!

And, as in the last four years, those plans absolutely have to include the Blackburn Challenge—our favorite open-water boat race. It’s 20 miles around Cape Ann, Massachusetts. All manner of human-powered boats take part—canoes, rowboats, dories, kayaks, surfskis, outrigger canoes, dragon boats, stand-up paddle boards—making for a fun day out on the water and afterward on the beach.

Last year, we raced in the Blackburn Challenge, then spent another two days paddling leisurely around Cape Ann.

In eager anticipation of this year’s trip, we’ve been looking over the photos from last year…

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Travel Theme: Dry

Posted on January 31, 2014 by | 36 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

Ailsa’s travel-themed photo challenge this week is Dry.

As kayakers, we like Wet. We don’t like Dry at all!

“I don’t believe this!! There was water all the way up to these rocks yesterday!?”

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Denial

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Anger

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Depression

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Acceptance

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(A day on Cape Cod Bay in 2011.)

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Posted in Kayaking, Photography

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A Paddle Among the Islands

Posted on August 5, 2013 by | 77 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

IMGP3727 cropped smallFor kayakers, islands exert a special allure. There is the attraction of  a circumnavigation, returning to the very same place from which you started from the opposite direction and completing the magic circle. But even more romantic is the idea of paddling out to that remote, preferably deserted, island that you can see on the horizon—or just on the chart!—which can be reached only by boat…

In New York Harbor, we have plenty of islands—even apart from the world-famous ones. But there’s no denying that they all offer a decidedly urban paddling experience. No matter what remote corner of the harbor you are in, the city is always there when you look up. And the city is exciting. But sometimes the country calls.

So in mid-May, we drove up to Westport, MA, on the south coast of Massachusetts just past the Rhode Island border. While Johna was enjoying a couple of days of surfing and rock-gardening (which I hope she will write up, as she did last year), I set out to paddle to my favorite deserted islands.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Resolved

Posted on January 5, 2013 by | 49 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

This week’s Photo Challenge is Resolved.

Cape Cod Bay, July 2011. We are Resolved!

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Resolved to reach the water, no matter how long it may take

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and to set out over the turquoise sea

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to “fresh woods, and pastures new.”

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And that makes a fine resolution for this New Year as well!

(The story of that day on Cape Cod Bay is here; more photos are here.)

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Get Ready for Blackburn Challenge 2012!

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | 13 comments

By Vladimir Brezina

The other day I looked at the calendar and suddenly realized that there are barely three months left: it’s high time to get into shape, and get the kayaks shipshape, for this year’s Blackburn Challenge!

The Blackburn Challenge, organized by the Cape Ann Rowing Club, is a ~20-mile open water race around Cape Ann, the rocky cape that projects into the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston, Massachusetts. It’s a well known and well established event—last year was the 25th running of the race (and there was one participant who had been in all 25 of them!). The fun part is that the race is open to “all seaworthy oar or paddle powered craft. Classes include men’s and women’s Banks dories, fixed seat singles, doubles, multi-oars with cox, multi-oars without cox, sliding seat singles & doubles, single & double touring kayaks, single & double racing kayaks, surf skis, and outrigger canoes.” Even, in the last couple of years, paddleboards! So it’s quite a colorful flotilla out there on the ocean during the race!

Johna and I have raced in the Blackburn Challenge in 2010 and 2011, and we will be going again this year. The 2012 Challenge is on Saturday, July 14th. If that sort of thing appeals to you, you should certainly think about going too!

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Circumnavigating Monomoy

Posted on February 13, 2012 by | 42 comments

By Johna Till Johnson
(With additional text, charts, and photos by Vladimir Brezina)

This happened in July 2011.

The day dawned clear and bright, and we were excited: This was the day we were going to circumnavigate Monomoy Island. Located at the “elbow” of Cape Cod, Monomoy juts out some eight miles, dividing Nantucket Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. It offers a nice spectrum of paddling opportunities: The protected, shallow water of the Sound on one side, and the deep swells of the Atlantic on the other.

And then there is Monomoy Point, the very end of the island, where the two waters meet.

“Kayakers have died there,” Vlad informed me cheerfully over breakfast.

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Posted in Kayaking, Nature

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