Tough decision, but the safest option

Linda, Deb and Steve -the decision makers

With charts spread before us, and the marine forecast and tide charts in hand, Linda and Steve brought their sailing experience and local knowledge to bear as we explored the route from Plymouth to Sandwich.
Yep, about 22 miles.  Yep, could be 7 hours with the wind and currents against me.  Yep, really no place to land between start and finish.  Yep, have to arrive at Cape Cod Canal at slack water to get into Sandwich.  Yep, must either paddle before dawn, or else plan to arrive at 3:30 pm.  Yep, afternoons are dicey with the winds.  Yep, the Small Craft Advisory will be past, but the waves could still be high.   Well...

If I was on this expedition alone, I would just wait for a day or two for more favorable tides and weather.   But with hosts and events set up along the coast, it's hard to take the extra time to be safe.  But I'm not inclined to take risks.

I have to take a shuttle between Sandwich and Wareham anyway, since I'm not allowed to paddle through the Cape Cod Canal without a motor.  So why not just do the shuttle between Plymouth and Wareham, as it's about the same distance?  While I could probably paddle safely from Plymouth to Sandwich, if anything went wrong with the weather forecast, or my kayak, or me, there would be no "Plan B" possible.  My daughter-in-law gave me a flowery pen for the journey with the message "Life is all about how you handle Plan B".   Seeing the pen was the last straw, and a decision was made. My hosts from Bourne were already working on the shuttle and quickly agreed to the new plan.

So I am skipping one section of the coast.  Is this a slippery slope?  When will this turn into a road trip with the kayak traveling aerodynamically on top of a vehicle?  Stay tuned for the answer!