"Mussel Pond Cove to Colinet Passage"

Sharing in the kayaking experience 5 of us set out today on a grand paddle. 22 km in length it proved to be a muscle tightener for the first long paddle of our kayaking season but we are coming to realize that all year here in Newfoundland is kayaking season. You just got to pick your day and your spot. Iwas actually hoping to paddle up Salmonier river and get some wnter shots but the river was frozen in many spots. Should have expected this really. So we made the best of it and headed for O'Donnell's and on to Admiral's Beach.

"Setting Off"

Heading out of O'Donnell's in St. Mary's Bay, myself, Tony, Sean, Dean and Gerrad seen here leaving the cove were headed on a kayking paddle that would take us to Admiral's Beach and Great Colinet Island and beack again for an approx. 22km paddle in stellar conditions. Sweet way to spend a Staurday.

"One with Shore"

Tony finding Zen I believe.

"More Times Than Not"

More times than not I am extolling the virtues of kayaking. The beauty of the scenery and mans harmony with ocean, land, and sky. Well more times than not when I kayak that is how it is for me. But trust me, if something is going to be rotted on land, sea or sky, you can be rest assured that it will be man that will do it. Not sure if any other creature would treat earth this way. So there it is in stark contrast to the natural environment and the aesthetics of kayaking........a seaside dump. Would be a good area for a kayak clean up one day I think.

"Coming Along"

Heading for Admiral's Beach community and Great Colinet Island. Staurday Feb.20th, 2010.

"Hugging Coastline"

It is where the outdoor sounds are sharp, where sea meets land and where that extra little ummph can push you along and where time can be spent zig-zagging amongst rocks. A gentle passtime today.

"I Love Kayaks"

You should too!

"Lunch"

Why do we take blasted images of kayakers eating on a beach? It is the one time when you can take a picture when you are not moving in all directions out kayaking. I figure! Besides I bet we were the only people having lunch on the beach at about 1330h on a Saturday in February in St. Mary's Bay, maybe in Newfoundland. Heh. Heh.

"Rock Chafe"

Well I think Tony got a little stern chaffing here as he loves to ride the shore sometimes with the surfs edge. Tony and I both hugged the shoreline quite a bit today and I slid over more than one rock this day as I cringed at the sound on the hull. Gotts do what ya gotta do. Scrapping my hull absolutely would not stop me from playing near rocks or shore. Just don't want too big of a gash. Dean in the foreground looking on.

"Gerrard"

If kayaking were a religion, Gerrard would be a priest. He is such an advocate as well as an awesome ambassador of the sport of kayaking and when you paddle with him you are kept in the moment and the excitement that is there no matter the conditions. He is fun to photograph because he always seems to be smiling and having fun, kayaking just does that to a person, eh Gerrard? Amen brother!

"Mulling Around In Boats"

We like doing this!! In the distance is Great Colinet Island in St. MAry's Bay on the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. On the other side of Great Colinet you could cross the rest of St. Mary's Bay to Acommunity called Branch. I did a awesome paddle out of there a few years back and the sea life there was amazing as was the scenery. I didn't quite make it to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Bird Sanctuary but I did have stops at Lance Cove and Gull Cove along the way.

"Admiral's Beach"

Good fishing grounds and a sheltered Cove first attracted people to this area. Some resettled from Great Colinet Island across Colinet PAssage. In 1864 there were three families and by 1911 there were 39. Population cebsus 2006 stood at 185.

"Great Colinet Island"

Dean rounding the head land at Great Colinet Island for Regina's Cove.

"Regina Cove"

Gerrard looking into Regina Cove on Great Colinet Island in St. Mary's Bay Newfoundland. After an uneventful cross of the Colinet Passage we took a break in the sheltered waters of the cove. The crossing was only 15 minutes but winds were starting to pick up along the way. They died down once we crossed back again to Admiral's Beach.

"Only 4 hrs"

Seemed longer on the water today but there were not many land breaks. One for lunch on a beach across from little Colinet Island which you can see in the distance on my header image of the blog. Sean, Dean and Gerrard heading for home.

"Whirlpool?"

Not really, just a bit of suction that results from the effects of a wave washing in then out creating a vaccum. When a succeeding wave comes in again it gets sucked in the vaccum, looking like a whirlpool. Usually created near rock outcrops so if you see them they are good to avoid unless your timing is good and you can ride over top.

"Working BacK"

With the sun in our back we headed NE for O'Donnell's from Admiral's Beach. Lots of close shoreline paddling for a little wave action in the otherwise flat calm waters.

"Days' End"

Well it was another nice paddle on Saturday. This was our put-in and take-out at O'Donnell's in St. Mary's Bay. We guesstimated about a 22km jaunt. Certainly enough to work out the kinks and to really stretch the muscles.

"The Barrens"

A cabin looks like a welcoming spot on a snowshoeing trek onsome of the "Barrens " that exist in various parts of the Island. This was a foggy day but mild and the pond in front of the cabin provided some nice goreground for a panoramic shot. This shot is actually the culmination of nine pictures.

"Snow Shoeing The Barrens"

There exists in various parts of Newfoundland especially along the, South Shore, of the Avalon Peninsula areas that are flat with lots of marsh, bog, ponds and rolling sprawls of brush but know trees. Newfoundlanders call these areas the Barrens, simply because they are Barren, especially in the winter. There are huts or cabins for summer visitations and stays also useful in winter for lots of ski-dooing, snow shoeing or cross country skiing but you have to keep in mind should the weather turn there is not much to shelter you. From last Saturday.

"Washed Up"

Well I'm not sure of the event that occurred here but it sure looks like the interpretation stations were shattered by waves here in Witless Bay Newfoundland. This is a beach not far at all from the roadway and local grocer. This Saturday I went for a drive down the south shore taking pictures and of course came across this. This is not the first time in the last month that this site has presented itself. We also saw this at our put-in at St. Philips, where waves and rocks from the beach there breached the retaining wall and washed up on the wharf. So what is going on? Are the waters actually getting higher due to global warming? Are we just in the middle of some astrological alignment? Perhaps storms are occurring more frequently and more treacherously. What does that mean for kayakers? Well beautiful places like caves and such we can now access may be inaccessible. Also areas not reachable may now be accessible. A bit of give and take at what cost, to wild life and habitats of coastal plants and animals. Perhaps us kayakers may be the first to know.

"Repost Of Ralph"

This got deleted in my archive somehow so I am just reposting to add it back. Kind of a mood I am in anyway.

"Petticoat Island"

I believe this was near Petticoat Island or Smock Islands as Tony and I made our way to Long Harbour in Fortune Bay. On February 17th, we will be giving a slide presentation of the full trip taken last year to KNL members at the Govnor's Pub on Elizabeth Avenue.

"A Fortune"

A paddle last year in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland saw Tony and I experience some wonderful scenery and witness a remarkable coastline in geology and topography that changed subtlely as we paddled along. This was a kayak/ camping weekend and we never really do get enough of these in throughout the year.

The fortune of this paddle, may not be equated in dollars and cents, but it's value in enjoyment was priceless!

"Just The Bow"

Sometimes it is just the bow of a kayak you see in photos, not the whole kayak, hard to do if you are taking the picture yourself.

This is my Perception Eclipse rotomolded boat, my first kayak. Alot of bow shots later and alot of different waters under it's hull, it has served me extremely well. From the Pacific to the Atlantic this boat has been. As far north as Fort St. John, BC.

The bow of a kayak is put there on purpose or inadvertently to basically accomplish the same thing in both instances and that is to give perspective to your shot and of course to let others know that that is your boat and you were there....see!

This boat has been recaulked several times, rudder cable changed, new deck lines added, sealed launched many times, beached often, pulled through mud on rivers up north, sat on, pee-ed in, ate on, rudder caught on gargae door, dropped, dunked, rolled, dove off, stood on, laughed in, cried in, humbled in, fogged in, rained in, iced in, frozen, sunned, carried, shouldered, scrapped, scratched, holes put in, fittings added, miles on miles added in strokes, stolen, found, floated alone, retreived, but most of all it has been my confident, my personal psychologist, my proesac, my life saver, my stories, my dreams, my hopes, my disappointments, my love, my passion, my floatation device, my adventure, my prospect, my to do, my to don't, mine to have, mine to give up occassionally to others, mine to gain a better understanding of myself and others, mine to test, mine to excel, mine to challenge, mine to fail, mine to succeed, mine to share something bigger than myself with friends and mine to connect with the out-of-doors and nature and more than anything it has been an imaging platform that I have taken advantage of in every conceivable way, in order to show to you and for myself to review the wonderful activity that is kayaking. So really, it is not "just" a bow, it is life.

"Diggin"

If all things were easy life would be boring to me. So it is when on the water that some paddles require more effort than others. Sometimes it feels as though you are not so much riding or gliding on waves but digging thru them to get out the other side. This is more times than not likely to be occuring when you get a strong head wind or a sudden gust that seems to last for minutes on end. Just paddle on...it works.

"Wave Rider"

The weather outside is horrendous. We are currently in the middle of a 50cm snow storm with blizzarding conditions. No paddling tomorrow either as winds will be high.

I've revisited this photo. It always humbles me as I am lead to think on the size of waves. This is actually Tony, one of my best photo subjects and avid paddling partner, coasting down the side of a big roller. This image is actually waves on a wave.

When I kayak, I feel as much in touch with the sky as I do the water and most times they seem to be one, just separated by a horizon. Our eyes are always on both for different reasons. The sky for weather information and just plain eye aesthetics. Of course the water for clues on how to control our boat as we paddle along. Where sky, paddler and water meet is where I can find some harmony.

"Spirits"

Spirits or at least their meaning I will leave open to interpretation. Tempeatures may be low these past few weeks in St. John's (-6 to -21 C, with wind) but the spirits of some paddlers like Neville here seem to remain high. These guys have been practising rescues and rolling in some pretty less than ambiant conditions in the past few weeks. I would say they are and have prepared for cold water immersion and what it is like to do different tasks in those conditions. This was shot just after a re-entry and roll in minus 10C.

I know others are paddling in the cold and I respect that. I also know that they are most likely doing it safely, at least the ones whose blogs I visit are and that is what kayaking is all about to me. Getting out there when you can, doing it safe to be able to do it tomorrow and sharing it with friends or paddling pals that just seem to make the sport everything it truely is.

Sean, Clyde, Dean, Tony, Gerard, and Robert are helping making winter paddling another day on the water in this area, namely because they are doing it right. Sweet!

"View To A Dream"

Sometimes I like to dream when I look at pictures. Sometimes that is made easy by the content. Sometimes it is made easy by the mood it portrays. This just makes me think on that.

More at http://www.gullfeather.com/

"A Tranquil Spot"

On a recent hike, on part of Newfoundland's East Coast Trail, I found a spot where tranquility and beauty seem to be one and where living in the moment was worth every bit of life.