"The King Island Eclipse"

What a day in Placentia Bay last Friday. Gave more meaning to the "Good Friday" as we come to know it. King Island is an Island in the Iona Group and though there was no astronomical eclipse of moons or suns there was mine, sharing the earthly beauty and tranquility this day provided and sense of connectedness you can only experience by being out there.

"My Eclipse"

My kayak, my old faithful, never seems to have a dry hatch anymore despite my re caulking efforts. She is getting her fair share of scratches and perhaps those alone would slow her down a bit. Perhaps my own engine is revving a bit lower. We have both shared many waters and kilometers together. Many muds, mucks, seaweeds and sands. However I am still captivated by the beauty of a kayak, the back-packing of the waters in many ways, not just a means to an end but a modem of companionship as the more you get to know her the better she'll perform and more responsive she will most likely be. Soon I'll have another but The Eclipse will always be that boat that turned me on to kayaking the most part of the family of paddles that has come to be her own.

"Can't Wait....."

 Like a kid getting ready for summer break, I can't wait for the spring and summer surf days. As our weather starts to warm I am falsely misaligned to the true course of winter yet hopeful for the early arrival of something not necessarily better but different....like heat and spring.

"Tire Toss"

 Well not actually . I found this tire underwater and reached in with only wool gloves on my hands to fetch it out. Within 3 minutes my hands became pretty much useless not to mention burning. I had enough function to open the truck door and start the engine to warm them up. I purposely done this of course to see how much time I would actually have to make good use of my hands if submerged......not very long at all. Forget about holding a paddle!

"Winter Dip"

Tony doing water exercises practising water angels not the bubbly kind but the ones akin to snow angels.

If I am going to boat in it I figured I might as well get a feel for what it would be like to be actually "In" it. The water is cold make no mistake. I could feel the coldness trying to get through my drysuit but dry it was, and buoyant with the trapped air and of course the PFD. Figured not bad for a February in Newfoundland. A storm just rages outside right now.

"I Like Her Lines"

 Now every now and again I give her praise. I like her inside out and outside in. I love her fine lines and her ability to contrast and stand out. I like how she slides on the cold hard stones and how she rocks when she gets wet. I love crawling in and out of her but I love most how she makes me feel inside. I can't help but feel her smoothness with every stroke as she glides through the water. When she comes to rest it is then and only then that I realize she is mine. Though I like to control her I give her the respect she deserves and allow her to move and respond to my every whim. Sometimes, sometimes when she catches me off guard and flips me over, I love to roll back up on top and take control and once again enjoy her rhythm with mine as we harmonize to a cadence that is one with each other. When I give her the accessories she seems to crave we find balance in our desires and when those times arise when she needs to be tweaked she gets nothing but the best. She never seems to tire and is always available when I need and want her most. When those emotions prevail that can only be spent on her we seem to soak up each others strengths and use them to meld a fluid motion that only she can then push down her sides. That is when I love her lines, that is when she shines.

"St. Phillips Put In, Newfoundland"

 The start of a great paddle always begins with the first stroke. Just before launch on a rainy Saturday in Newfoundland.

"Returning To Branch , Newfoundland: Part Two"

 As I finished my walk down the cove and scanned the flotsam for booty, all I could salvage was this old plastic Black Duck, a very quiet paddling companion. Since I planned to do all the talking I figured it may well work out.lol

As I prepared to leave Gull Cove I quickly reflected on my thrill of having come to this area to paddle on the weekend of Sept. 27th and 28th. I was fortunate to have had good weather, which I had previously researched, and at this point looking forward to the leisurely paddle back to Branch and hoping for adventures along the way as I always do when I paddle. I was not to be disappointed. Please read on and enjoy the last segment of my paddle which really got it's beginning in St. Bride's one day ago. The images of this journey follow.

"Leave No Trace"

 I leave only my wake and that temporarily when I paddle. Does A kayak look like a seal from under water? Hmmm. Maybe that is why the seals were following me.

"Putting In, Lance Cove, Newfoundland""

 Well padding on the Avalon Peninsula does not allow for you to drive on your put-in site very often. Thought I'd drive right on the beach and unload for a paddle at Lance Cove on a Sept. 27th late morning after a short trip from St. Bride's and a botched attempt to paddle to Cape St. Mary's because of fog. As it turn out there was fog here too but rolling in and out so that the sun was out more than in.

"Drying Out In Lance Cove, Newfoundland"

 Looking SE down the beach here and taking every opportunity to dry gear after playing in the surf. Getting ready also to pack up and head back to Cape St. Mary's to see what it looks like there without the fog. The previous post from yesterday will show that it was well worth the trip.

"Maintenance"

Putting my boat back together after a bit of TLC. Re-gooped the bulk heads, took out the old seat that projected above the coaming and stuck in a Wildwasser back-band, and attempted to put in some foam padding on thigh braces to replace stuff i took out, but on this occasion thought I'd go "Green" . So I bought this expensive contact cement that was well pretty much useless as you can see by the shims. It just wouldn't set, even after five hours. I therefore bought some cheap and probably not environmentally friendly stuff and voila, worked like a charm! 15 minutes snug as a bug. My f/g boat needs way less maintenance, but still TLC.

"Hey Up there?"

 You had to be a bit careful that you didn't get a kayak torpedo into the side of you however I do believe there may have been one such event today. Just have to beware and constantly be looking behind you because there is likely to be more than a wave back there....up there....under there......

"Got One"

 Surfing waves is one thing .....trying to catch a picture while surfing is quite another.......at leat when you have the camera in one of your hands! Simply a blast.....

"Awash"

 Returning to try and get another one here in Chance Cove today.

"Rinse Cycle"

 Whether I wanted that saline flush or not here it comes. Such were allot of the waves at Chance Cove in Newfoundland on this 25 degree Celsius day. Ya just had to be there!

"Vertical"

 This is my bow toggle as I was vertically inclined I guess you would say, however I was not catapulted backwards.

"There And Back Again"

 Thanks Eclipse for another great adventure.

"Looking East"

 Looking east down Placentia Sound almost to the end actually.

"-ve "G"

On Conception Bay in Feb. of this year. As the weather starts to warm there will be more opportunities to hit the waters of NFLD. Hopefully the fair weather kayaking gods will cooperate. When I look at this picture it's like I'm about to do a -ve "G" or something.....wishful thinking..or not.....on the same note I am not even sure what a -ve G would be in the kayak world. The things called g's are just a way to quantify force. The standard pull of gravity is called '1 g.' It is defined as positive g, since it pulls down towards your feet. If you stand on your head, you are experiencing 1 'negative' g, and all the blood rushes to your head.
If you are upside down in a kayak after a capsize are you executing a -ve "G" or are you just upside down in a kayak? And is the roll a fighter pilot type response to correcting for a -ve "G". Does this matter in kayaking? Being upside down does. But I saw Derek in the pool on Saturday night paddling his kayak upside down, so the -ve "G" didn't seem to bother him. I just wish I had my camera handy. All in fun.