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SeaDawg
Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 273
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 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:25 am Post subject: Moving to Concord,Mass |
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After 10 years in Richmond we are moving back North, hello Boston. Just posting to see if anyone that windsurfs lives in the Concord area. I've only read about the Boston area sailing venues. The Cape/Nahant/Duxbury etc.
I've done a lot of cold water sailing on Lake Erie but have not used more than a 3/2 sailing the obx for the past 10 yrs.
Is there an extented fall season Sept/Oct where the water stays in the 60"s?
Happy 100 Fenway!! |
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swmckay
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 128
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:22 am Post subject: Re: Moving to Concord,Mass |
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| SeaDawg wrote: | After 10 years in Richmond we are moving back North, hello Boston. Just posting to see if anyone that windsurfs lives in the Concord area. I've only read about the Boston area sailing venues. The Cape/Nahant/Duxbury etc.
I've done a lot of cold water sailing on Lake Erie but have not used more than a 3/2 sailing the obx for the past 10 yrs.
Is there an extented fall season Sept/Oct where the water stays in the 60"s? |
Apologies for the lengthy reply. Welcome to New England! You'll find excellent conditions and some very good sailors -- if you know where to look.
I live in Arlington; Concord is about 15 minutes drive to the west.
You won't have a full sailing season with a 3/2 suit. Get a 6/5/4 or a 5/4 if you want to be able to start in March and finish in December. Since the very best sailing is March/April/May and Sept/Oct/Nov/early Dec, you'll definitely want one. A 3/2 will take you to the end of September, but you won't want to miss Rocktober. The summer months will have some great days, but they tend to be more rare (last summer we had, like, zero of them).
On a good day, I can get to Nahant in 25-30 minutes (don't get me started about Rt 1/1A/16 traffic, which can turn that into an hour or more to drive 14 miles). Nahant can have brilliant wave sailing, both side-on (NE, rare SE) and side-off (SW, NW). On a good side-off day, it's comparable to the best wave sailing anywhere, with waves ranging from chest high up to mast high and beyond. The shore break can be literally impassable on a big side-on day; in that case, drive a few miles south to Revere Beach.
And there's also Winthrop (where East of Air is). It can be pretty awesome in NE and NNW.
I can get to Kalmus in about 1 hour 40 minutes, West Dennis in another 10 minutes. Both of these are good in WSW/SW/SSW. Avoid going down on Saturdays on summer weekends, unless you leave at 6am. Great for bump and jump and freestyle sailing, especially in the few hours around low tide. The summer thermals at Kalmus can be amazing, but climate change might be taking its toll. WD in the summer is annoying because of life guards and crowds.
Chapin/Mayflower/Bayview/Corporation are 1:45 away. The first three are best at high tide in NE. Corp can be EPIC as the tide changes from low to high tide, but ONLY in NW; in NW, the wind will also die at 12:30 like clockwork. Corp is a serious spot, be prepared to get pounded -- mast high waves, pounding gear-eating shore break, with a huge wind hole right in the middle of the impact zone, waiting to trap the unwary first-timers.
Duxbury is an hour away. It's sorta off-limits (locals only) during summer, but in SW in spring and fall, in can be awesome both inside Dux Bay and outside in Mass Bay. The waves can get as big and mean as a freight train; in those conditions, go a bit north to Green Harbor.
Horseneck in the spring and fall can have epic wave conditions. So can Deep Hole/Matunuck/Point Judith in Rhode Island. There are some fantastic local sailors down there.
Then there's Pleasure Bay and Boston Harbor. P Bay is a unique sort of spot, a large enclosed "bowl" in a hyper-urban setting. Off limits from 9am to 6pm during the summer months, but a sunset sail there can be absolutely beautiful on a breezy summer night. Avoid W and NW like the plague, it's gusty beyond word. This is definitely the spot to sail in hurricanes because it's completely protected even when the wind is blowing 50+ and gusting to 75. (But watch out for hidden debris!)
Honestly, in terms of number and variety of locations, there's an embarrassment of riches around here. In terms of wind, well, it's more of a crap-shoot. In summer, it might blow 0-10 for weeks on end; in Sept/Oct, you might sail 3.7 for the entire season (I did in Sept/Oct 2010, and all my fall days in 2011 were on 3.7/4.2). I use sails from 3.7 to 5.9; that's a common quiver here. Some people add 6.5/7.5/.../11/... and big-ass boards; I decided instead to add a nice sailable SUP instead of slalom/formula gear. If you've got gear that sub-80 liters, it won't get too much use. Most people here use boards in the 85, 100, 115 range (my go-to boards are an 85 freewave and a 100 freestyle, I use my 74 liter maybe 2-3 times per year; I'm hoping the new 92l Quad gets plenty of use). |
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swmckay
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 128
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Moving to Concord,Mass |
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| swmckay wrote: | | SeaDawg wrote: | After 10 years in Richmond we are moving back North, hello Boston. Just posting to see if anyone that windsurfs lives in the Concord area. I've only read about the Boston area sailing venues. The Cape/Nahant/Duxbury etc.
I've done a lot of cold water sailing on Lake Erie but have not used more than a 3/2 sailing the obx for the past 10 yrs.
Is there an extented fall season Sept/Oct where the water stays in the 60"s? |
Honestly, in terms of number and variety of locations, there's an embarrassment of riches around here. |
Shoot, and I forgot to mention a couple of fine spots in Chatham (Hardings, The Cut -- be careful at the Cut, in an outgoing tide you'll be headed to Greenland before you know it) and the Outer Cape (Lighthouse, Coast Guard, etc). These are more advanced spots: cold water all year, full-on ocean conditions. Oh, yeah... and great white sharks. Lots and lots of sharks. I don't sail these places unless the sharks have left town for warmer waters. |
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DriverA
Joined: 08 Aug 2010
Posts: 187
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:34 am Post subject: |
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We are in Harvard, just West of Concord. There is some lake sailing around when you can't get away, but we usually head to the Cape or Rhode Island. Duxbury can be good in the spring and fall, but is usually lighter in the Summer.
Fogland is a good summer spot that is closer than the Cape when you want to avoid traffic and there are plenty of wave spots in MA and RI. The locals can weigh in on this.
Sailing is comfortabe well into the fall and possible year round if you're motivated. Drysuits or 5 mil wetsuits are the call for the winter months. |
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SeaDawg
Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:51 am Post subject: |
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That's alot of info for my old noggin but interesting for sure. I know I have a 5/4 somewhere, I'll just need to start using a smaller spoon and start pounding out some miles on my mtn. bike. to fit in it. Good insentive.
Won't be closing on the new house till mid July so I will be missing the spring season, I do have 2wks booked for the obx however....
So when the wind is perfect and when the tide is right and the Great Whites have gone away it all a good time--- have I got it?
SD |
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SeaDawg
Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:51 am Post subject: |
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That's alot of info for my old noggin but interesting for sure. I know I have a 5/4 somewhere, I'll just need to start using a smaller spoon and start pounding out some miles on my mtn. bike. to fit in it. Good insentive.
Won't be closing on the new house till mid July so I will be missing the spring season, I do have 2wks booked for the obx however....
So when the wind is perfect and when the tide is right and the Great Whites have gone away it all a good time--- have I got it?
SD |
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dcharlton
Joined: 24 Apr 2002
Posts: 216
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome back! Not sure if Ned's Point (Mattapoissett) was mentioned but that is a GREAT alternative if you don't want to drive to the cape and is a little closer. I find the summer sailing is more reliable there than at Fogland.
Works great in SWrlies and generally is the best bet in the Summer (next to West Dennis and Kalmus ofcourse).
Directions are in iwindsurf.
DC |
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swmckay
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 128
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:25 am Post subject: |
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| SeaDawg wrote: | | So when the wind is perfect and when the tide is right and the Great Whites have gone away it all a good time--- have I got it? |
Heh. I think it's more like, when there is any wind at all, you can find a spot that works very well for that wind direction, provided you are willing to drive a bit (30-90 minutes) and provided you have a good selection of gear. Today, eg, I plan to head to Nahant even though the wind will be only 15-ish; there should be some nice (though not big) waves with side-shore wind. Perfect for a medium sail (4.7? 5.3?) and my new SUP (9'3" Fanatic Pro Wave). I get about 75 days/year (except for 2011, which was epic fail territory) with a full-time job and 3-4 months set aside for skiing; folks on the Cape easily double that. |
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SeaDawg
Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 273
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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Just did an up and back for a house inspection in Concord, all went well and expect to move in mid July.
I've got a good quiver, from long boards to various freeride and a AHD GT85 that I do alot of light to medium wind cruising.
The longboards are a Kona One and a Starboard Serenity.
Looking forward to my new venue, |
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mat-ty
Joined: 07 Jul 2007
Posts: 988
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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There is one other place that needs to be mentioned if you live in Concord. That's lake Quanapowitt in Wakefield. It is only 15 minutes away , can be pretty good when the wind is up , and on a northwest it is better than most spots north of the cape. It's gusty with big holes so always rig big. Many of us north of Boston have spent many days on that lake and had a darn good time . There has been a wednesday night longboard racing there for years also, not sure if it is still going on.
We have a great group that all meet at the lake about 10 years ago, we mostly sail pleasure bay, nahant, revere, dux , Ned's and the cape.. But still hit the lake on northwest and for quickies when the wind is up.
See you on the water. |
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