Knowing Dog Beach, Knowing your surroundings

Skipper's Journal: Sunday, April 13th, 2010

Dog Beach, Nahant, is a hidden gem with 50/50 favorable and unfavorable spot to ride within the kiting community. It remains off the beaten path because of the circumstances of accessibility and beach conditions. You either like it or hate it because of its obscurity or the fact it is the only spot within Boston vicinity that works in any west wind direction. On any given westerly, windy weekday during, after work or on the weekend more and more kiters can be seen flocking to Dog Beach Nahant. Known to myself and many other old school kiters as well as the new schoolers Dog Beach has remained a spot less talked about for many reasons. The first being is it a dangerous spot to ride given the conditions, second accessibility and third cleanliness. If you look beyond that it really has a lot to offer and teach every kiter about reading your conditions and environment. This is one of those spots where you really have to be conscientious about your where you are riding and how much time you have to ride safely. People have asked me to describe it many times and I have to say that the every description and every experience I've had there is different. Some love it a lot more hate it and some won't bother at all. For me it's like playing the lottery taking a chance to get a great west wind session close by home or a nightmare because of the conditions aren't ideal. Wind or tide they determine the possibility of any session there.

The beach if often littered with debris, such as driftwood, spaghetti grass wet or dry, trash and the occasional, semi-sun cooked dog shit pile left by the careless owner of some cute pooch. In any instance it can be an environmentalist's nightmare. What it is to many kiters is a very narrow beach with a sharp boulder jetty, broken clam shells littered on the dry sand and lurking in the water. Even in the semi sandy/muddy bottom of Dog beach inches below are many clam beds underneath your feet ready to slice your foot open. There are embedded, rusted lobster pots/traps in the sand a certain places just looming under the surface of the water you can't see until it's too late.

I've seen many kiting accidents at this place due to riders not really paying attention to their surroundings or the conditions of the winds and beach. If you look at it from that perspective Dog Beach isn't for everyone because you have to understand it and understand the environment. Onshore winds with a very narrow beach at high tide and a long walk to ridable water at low are both at opposite ends of the spectrum. Either way danger is always lurking down wind of you or beneath your feet and board. Typical westerly winds are onshore or side on shore and what looms down wind is the danger of the large granite boulders that protect the dune and Little Nahant Causeway to sage brush shrubbery laced with bladder popping needles and then the roadway where many kites have gone halting auto traffic. Dog Beach is not a place to keep a kite in the air while you are standing on it. It is meant for two things, launch/land your kite and go riding. Get your kite up, go out and ride and stay out until you are done. Paying attention to the tides will better favor a safer kiting experience at this spot. As I have been telling many new kiters to the area, the spot or just kiting, Dog Beach is dangerous if you are ignorant of what is around you. High tide riding is simple. Think about how much beach you have and what you need to land/launch. Once your kite is up keep it low and towards the water. Body drag at least two line lengths to deep enough water that your kite won't be flying over land because there is no room for error. Out going tide riding: Pay close attention to the tides and time your session accordingly because the water drains out of the bay leaving only inches of water in scattered and broken clam beds just below the sand as well as the occasional rusted and sharp lobster pot/trap. Low tide be prepared for a long walk out to rideable water and wear booties.

If you follow these suggestions Dog Beach can be a great place to ride so long as you take the time to understand it. Where else can you ride into the sunset with the Boston Skyline in the background? Ride, respect and enjoy this spot.