"Bay Bulls Newfoundland"

Bay Bulls Put-In

On Sunday past a group of us got together for a paddle. A bountiful paddle indeed.

The Kayaker.......The Kayak

Ralph like a few of us on the Island, like our Nordkapps. They paddle nicely and fair well in conditions we like to be in. A reliable craft that has held the test of time in many areas including performance and seaworthiness as far as I am concerned.

May #2

Call it May Day, call it another kayak trip. Call it both. The first paddle of May and it was beautiful weather, well there were 15-20kt northerlies, but we were sheltered as we made our way up the north side of Bay Bulls on the Southern Shore of Newfoundland. Where else should one be. This is a half hour drive from St. Johns and the paddle can give you exposure to both protected and shelterd waters in a short jaunt from your put-in. Boat tours of all types seem to be offered out of here.

Being There

Sometimes just being there is fulfilment enough for a journey. This Sunday in Bay Bulls was one of those moments. The sun was unexpectedly out for the trip and the waters were reflecting the light like the paparazzi at a red carpet shake down. Easy to be in any moment at this point.

Emerald Waters

Robert gliding in the waters of the North Shore of Bay Bulls.

``Bay Bulls, Well....Bay``

Sean and Clyde with the community of Bay Bulls as a backdrop for their stop.

``Visitors``

Visitors from Toronto were on the water as well with one of our own paddlers guiding, Gerard Keough. Gerard looked happy to be on the water as usual. I paddled that double last year on a weekend trip and it is a tub of a boat but excellent stability for the waters they were in and a sure way t give a Torontonian a thrill in Bay Bulls.

``Ànticipation``

I guess we are pretty close to Gras Cove here getting ready to round Columbine Point. The northerly winds that were predicted were being felt and the swell 2-3 m from the open ocean wrapping around the point into the Bay was also starting to intensify. As we like to do, you got to take a peek. We rounded the head and paddled north into the wind and waves to just about level with the light there. I took pictures but of course the settings were messed so the light didn`t get photographed. We turned around and headed back for the south side in a nice following sea.

``A Raft``

A raft by any other name could be a stable platform in sloppy water.Sometime you just have to raft up even if it is to thoroughly clean your camera. Our group is like that. They don`t mind lending a hand when on the water. Dean was doing such a great job I figured I had another photo op. lol.

"Zones"

Everybody seems to have one of these from time to time or at the very least be in one. There are a bunch of definitions for zones. I like "a region or area set of as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts". I liken this to the term "being in a zone" as in mentally isolated to a task or deep thought. As we returned from the North side of Bay Bulls after rounding Columbine Head in gnarly waves we were blown across the Bay to the south side pretty much and had an opportunity to feel the surf. I kind of figured Tony and Ralph were in their own zones I could tell.

After reading an article Saturday night in Ocean Paddler by Aled Williams, of Rockpool Kayak fame and many more I am sure, in his article titled 'A feel For The Boat Part 3", I decided to employ some of what he was trying to relate and man I really felt like I achieved something on this paddle. I liked specifically: Restrict your actions only to perform the minimum necessary actions and movement. This gives you time to listen to the boat and reduces unwanted 'noise'.

Also Quoted by Aled: Focus on each feedback zone in turn: feet, knees, seat and hands. Isolate the feedback zones while keeping a visual overview of your position. As I focused on these tasks in following seas I gained a better feel for my Nordkapp and began to isolate things I thought I could improve or tweak and I felt that I was 'mentally" in the zone, with my boat. After all she was one year old today and I thought it was time to make sure we are on the same keel and get to know her even better. This was made all the more satisfying in the morning sun. It was actually sunny today.

"Bay Bulls Double Paddle"

 

Carla and I decided to paddle here today to continue our quest for sunshine this weekend and double paddling. Had a wicked time camping, paddling and hiking. We did some East Coast Trail on Monday but that is tomorrow's post.

"Tors Cove Salt Box"

 

After out paddle we did a little hike for lunch before we called it a day.

"Fellow PAddlers"

 

Met Gerard from Outfitters returning from a tour. There were other kayakers on the water but we missed them out there and met them in the parking lot. Joy, Alex and Dave were just finishing coffee when we returned.

"Cheese Cove Point"

 

Heading out of Bay Bulls to Cheese Cove Point. There was a fair amount of lop but the sun was shining hard and we slugged it through.

"Open Ocean"

 

Carla's first taste of the open ocean as we headed out of the Bay and into open waters. There was a good 20km/hr or so wind going on and whitecaps and swell but the double was very stable and Carla didn't mind the wave action at all. We had fun paddling the double this long weekend and Carla's first introduction ended up being a success. We stuck to the south shore because it seemed to be where a lot of sun was forecast.

"Industrial Bay Bulls"

 

Paddling by the dock in Bay Bulls Newfoundland. This area is booming with construction of pipeline at the offshore oil platforms. Rock is being hauled out of here for anchoring pipelines and other structures in the offshore oil industry. All the south shore seems to be humming with tourist activity and industry.

"North HArbour"

 

Playing around before taking out on our paddle in North Harbour in the Colinet area of Newfoundland. Sometimes you just don't want to get out of the water......even if it is a double ;-)

"Saturated Gannet Babies"

Original Image.

 

Carla and I headed over to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Gannet Sanctuary while we were in Colinet Newfoundland on May long weekend. My shots wouldn't really do St. Mary's justice but this one was fun because without over-saturating the image the babies were hard to see and blended in with their natural background, the wonders of nature and survival. I can't imagine who might prey on them on these cliffs though, maybe a rogue Gull or another wacky Gannet.

The adults are white with yellowish heads and the babies are the ones with the mottled saturated blue appearance. Kind of cool I thought.

"Gull Cannibal"

 
This Gull brought new meaning to the term scavenger. As we were paddling the shore line Wayne noticed lots of feathers in the water. I thought it was nothing. It may have been a gull scrap and if so, this was ones' fate. The gull floating nearby was digging at the not so lucky gull's chest as we paddled near and he wasn't willing to fly away none too soon either.