Boy Scout canoe trip

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Housecallbob
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Boy Scout canoe trip

Post by Housecallbob »

We have planned a trip on June 25. What is a good time to start at Hanover boat ramp? Is is also advisable to stop at end and canoe back to Hanover? Thank you. Forgot it's for Boy Scouts 12 canoes.
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pat
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Re: Boy Scout canoe trip

Post by pat »

On June 25, high tide is about 9:30. This puts high tide at the Hanover launch at about 1:00.

Making a round trip from the Hanover launch is tricky, unless you're thinking of a fairly short trip to the Washington St. bridge and back, which is barely 3 miles total. The problem is that with the exception of a few hours around high tide (at Hanover), the water can be treacherous, and often impassible, going under that bridge. I'm guessing you're thinking of a longer trip, so I'd suggest one of the following options:

- Start at Hanover and end at Bridge Street.
- Do a "there and back" trip, starting at the Bridge Street launch in Marshfield, stopping at the Hanover launch for a break, and then back to Bridge Street.
- Make Hanover your final destination with a one-way trip up-river.

If you go Hanover to Bridge street, I'd suggest starting between 12:00-1:00. You'll be paddling against a gentle current for a short time, then the current will change and you'll be going with it. By time you get to bridge street, the tide will be getting a little low, and travel beyond that would be ill-advised due to the current rushing past the rocks and through narrows, especially at Damon's Point.

If you go from Bridge Street to Hanover and back, a good launch time would probably be about 9:30. This would put you just ahead of the tide for almost the entire trip, and you'll have some current to help you in both directions. And of course, a shorter trip would be to simply finish in Hanover.

Possibly the most interesting trip might be to start at the Driftway launch in Scituate at about 8:00 and paddle to Hanover. This trip would be similar to the Bridge St -> Hanover trip, but with another couple of miles through the area where the river widens into marsh flats. There can be a lot of powerboats in this area (although possibly not too many at this early hour), and near high tide, the river can be so wide, it's sometimes difficult to know where your target is. I'd recommend you have a couple experienced paddlers do this area ahead of time to get familiar with it.
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