“Homeward Bound"

With the rewards of a stellar time spent on the water with good friends it is time to head home to our take out in Pouch Cove. Just around the bend really from Biscayne Cove.

Gerard passing a rock island in Biscayne Cove.

Gerard in a droplet warp.

A small inlet that allowed for a small break and mini exploration.

This is actually in the backyard of someone up on the cliff there.

There are a couple of slipways in Pouch Cove and they both are fairly steep. Lucky to have a slipway at all really. When the waters are rough and the winds from the east, gaining access to them can be tricky because of the crashing waves. Today was quite uneventful ands though we did not choose this slipway it is a very scenic one on nice days. I was here last weekend taking pictures on shore.

Our proper slipway in site it is time to prepare for docking as we line up to wait in queue. 

As with most launches and landings there is always help available if needed. This was a real slippery slipway. Hence the name I guess. lol

Having unloaded our boats and returned in body and not yet spirit, we have boats loaded and memories etched for recall for the satiated drive home regardless of the still clinging fog.

“Rounding Cape St. Francis"

Rounding capes seem to be significant. They are gnarly most times or at least their waters are. So I guess this makes for some interesting hydro dynamics. The environment always seems a bit different at capes than other parts of the coast.  Perhaps it's their gradual extension out into the oceans they sprawl in that cause huge flowing volumes of water to reactive ferociously as the weather changes and the sea states impart their energy.

Sean rounding Cape St. Francis in the fog. Fog certainly sets a mood for rounding a cape .

Dennis and Dean having rounded are further lulled into a tranquil paddle by the thickness and dampness of the fog banks embracing the coastline during the whole of our paddle.  

Clyde and Tony making haste as the glide through the waters.

Entering Biscayne Cove.

Just when we needed a bit of a reprieve the fog broke just enough to allow us to see what was once a slipway. This area is now retreat for summer cabin goers and the damage from many a storm over the last few years has taken a toll that is likely never to be repaired. Once a thriving fishing village like so many along this coast, now a remnant and reminder of the fragility as well as the ferocity of our waters and  vulnerability of the creatures living there.

Well, rounding a cape sure makes one hungry. The old wench house has seen better days no doubt. When I hiked out to this point last year all these things, the slip way, the wench house, the wharf were all well and intact. We’ve had some weather since then. Just enough shelter to prevent the sandwiches from getting soggy. lol What a paddle thus far!!

"Enhancing The Paddle"

You just know that if there is a dark hole in the side of a rock cliff, someone of the group, is going there. To me paddles should be like that. Not even should,  that is just the way it is when I get in the boat. As neat as it is prying through that dark opening yourself and not knowing for sure what may lay hidden in its recesses is watching someone else ease their way through being guided by their sense of curiosity, adventure and loathing for discovery.

Sean getting ready to enter the blackness. 

The other fun part of a unique discovery is sharing it with other members of the group. Did someone say it was raining?

Waterfalls!! Waterfalls are one of those naturally enticing phenomena  that will usually attract everyone. I love them. We all love them. It must be the roar of their cascading tortuous paths down the face of an edifice or perhaps the contrast of their whiteness against a darker background or maybe even their smell and wetness. Could be that feeling of cleansing you get when you glide under them, even if it is minus 2, and allow their force to overtake your senses and wash away the salty brash of your paddle strokes. Whatever it is to each of us, they seem to soothe in some fine way and break the monotony of a long distance paddle.

Where fresh water enters the ocean you feel yes there is water simply everywhere, beneath you, beside you and falling from the ski above.

A kayak wash. Gotta like it.

You get the odd sun break and enjoy the tranquility and colors that surround you as they burst through the leaden fog and release the stimuli make paddling close to shores edge so lulling and enjoyable at times.

When you release into the more open waters and enjoy your skills around shoaling or rock outcrops you begin to entertain your senses on your own level and enjoy the watery field as your craft is wielded to the tune of tides, waves, wind and current that come together and coalesce the enhancement of every stroke on your paddle today. Clyde enjoying the waters at Cape St. Francis.

Bauline to Pouch Cove Newfoundland

Fog and Such…….

On one of the northern sections of the Avalon Peninsula there is a range of rock hills with steep cliffs that plunge deep into the waters of Conception Bay. It amazes me the numbers of trees that mange to thrive right down to the waters edge. 

When paddling in weather other than say fog, it can get monotonous because there is little change in the scenery with scattered wildlife mostly Bald Eagles.

When however you do get to paddle with fog and rain the scenery changes dramatically, almost at every stroke.

As the fog decides where it shall roll it covers and uncovers like ebbing and flooding tides leaving behind or in its midst the changes of the surrounding environment that are nerve really altered just exposed to varying degrees depending on natures brush of fog strokes.

The rolling hills can dwarf a kayaker and the fog ever changing the landscape can make the paddle quite mystical and magical and every new headland approach, a waiting discovery to be had. It is hard during times like this, not to think on what ocean explorers must have felt when they once sailed through the fog, a fresh opening, only to discover some new piece of geography or hidden cover or even treacherous coastline.

Sometimes you may even get a momentary hint of blue sky or total breaking of the fog’s thickness. It sometimes during these breaks that Bald Eagles are seen soaring from treetop to treetop in the distance watching our seemingly stealthy approach but knowing full well that they saw us long before we would ever catch the first glimpse of  them.

But on really foggy days you know that total open exposure is a transient relief and the fog rolls back in to mask your way and to muffle and baffle the sounds of the sea but keep close to the surface the smells of the waters. For the denseness of the air is too thick to allow the water scents to dissipate too far from your senses and everyone comments on how well they love that smell …the smell, of the briny sea.

Sometimes just stopping to take in the surroundings is all one needs to be grounded or watered so to speak….and be whisked away in thought or imaginations of spent time and time yet to be delivered.

“ Mentalling"

Well this may be a ‘stanism’ …….”mentalling” …. but because this is my blog I figure I can have my own ‘ism’s’. Well of course there is mentoring but in my context you need the mentoring to get the ‘mentalling’. When you paddle with those who have been before, you are very apt to get something out of the experience and more oft than not it is one of those wisdom gems that seem to make you wonder why the heck you hadn’t figured it out already. Courses do that too.

Someone once told me that river boating was for the younger crowd. Well my file footage bags to differ. Now I remember Des saying when we hit terra firma that it feels a bit more cramped in there, but lets face it, we never seem to stop growing. This is Des on the Terra Nova River in Newfoundland during one of our kayaking retreats. Appears as at home surfing here as he would on the ocean which I believe is his preference. Though I cannot speak for him.

Malcolm shown here with Des, his constant paddling partner, is one of those mentors whom can relieve some of those ‘mentalling' issues. Has on various occasions offered a few gems of advice that have enabled me to approach something differently and most likely and importantly more effectively or efficiently. Mostly to do with paddle strokes and combinations and when various ones are effective when used together. He may not remember or I may have received it at one of his presentations but my point is  that it has helped me around the mental struggle with a concept.

So we know as kayakers that skill development is ongoing like it is in most activities. Brian Smith seen here with MArk Dykeman taught me a very simple thing this day we were on the river at Terra Nova for a lesson and I was able to apply it to sea kayaking as well. It simply was to exert pressure on the thigh braces for good contact and then RELAX. You can’t imagine how significantly that simple piece of advice has changed my comfort level in river kayaking and sea kayaking conditions. It is very easy to tense up and try to control the boat all the time but sometimes it is good to let the boat do what its design was engineered for. Loose lips may sink ships but loose hips, I believe, keep them afloat. 

So now when I find myself getting way too tense in conditions, I loosen up and let the boat do some of the work if not all while allowing myself the ability to exercise further control when  I need to. Not only does this make for a comfortable paddle but it reduces injuries do to over exertion and tension. From me simply, paddle hard, paddle safe!

Oh yes did I mention there is an iceberg not to far from this spot on the ocean side. Well there may be more when we return here next month. I also mentioned in the last post that all our snow was gone. Well it returned overnight. I think a bunch of kayakers have to get together to exorcise winter.

“It’s About Favourites Today"

One of my favourite pictures I ever took was the above picture of Tony on the slipway at Bauline  Newfoundland in his boat just preparing and adjusting gear before we set off. It was just one of those isolated transcendent moments when all things seemed aligned. I’m not feeling much of that way today.

This is one of my favourites I never took. It is a shot of me paddling in the Tickle of Conception Bay with Bell Island to the left and Portugal Cove to the right. This is my best profile by the way. I asked Gerard to take this shot one day and with a bit of cropping his work was art to me. A couple of cool shots, a couple of cool guys, on a couple of different days, in a couple of nice boats doing what has become a mainstay I think in both our lives and that of our friends. 

So as spring nears and my schedule seems to be getting busy I am looking forward to getting on the water with friends………. Whenever that may be. The whales are on their way here now, the birds are gearing up I’m sure for their flight to our ecological reserves around the island and there is that hint of seasonal change. Hopefully some overnighters this year and more of them to try and stretch those longer days even longer.

“Givin’er"

Ya know what? Sometimes you just break out in a sweat watching these crazy adrenalin junkies on TV or in magazines. Sometimes you just break out in a sweat putting your snowshoes on. Other times you’re sweating because your anxiety is so beyond control your body has a hard time dealing with its situation and its reality whatever that may be at the time.

More often than not I hope you break into a sweat because you truly earned it. That is, you exerted your body’s potential to a max or near max or maybe just to your rev zone.  The area where your muscles and your breathing are peaking in unison and lactic acid buildup is beginning to cramp and taunt your muscles for just a mere break, just a pittance of time to cycle some glucose and feed those  pains. Then slide down off that wave and wait for the next one and grip the surface breaking the tension between blade and ocean getting purchase and accelerating through the stroke as you ride the trough to the crest and descend the face bringing salt and spray and brow sweat flying with every feeling of excitement and exhilaration as you release into the calm of the outer  flow of the wave cycle and brace for the next ride. Hell you earned it! You Sweat!

“Isn’t It True Though…..?"

Isn’t it true that when you are doing something you enjoy the passage of time feels as though it wasn’t even there in the first place save for the markers of time passage like day to night, sunrise to sunset, small belly to big belly for some, big muscles to small muscles for others or wrinkles!

So isn’t it true that we associate wrinkles with aging and thus by association or perhaps even still because of, the passage of time. Isn’t it also true that we as kayakers treat our boats sometimes like a second skin. You really have to feel it, to get the most out of it, that is for sure. It is kept reasonably clean by all the exposure to waters.  It is fairly easy to accessorize. God knows we like to do that to her.

But sometimes just like our own skin, our boat “skin” gets the equivalent of “wrinkles”. They come in the form of stress fractures, dings, nicks, scrapes, bumps, rubs, slaps, chafes and well just about anything else. Even the color may start to fade a bit as the “boat skin" takes on its older more mature pallor. Like other skins it comes in all colors and I tend to like all colors equally well, well most. Robin Egg Blue is not one of my favourites but it is the color most easily seen from the air when looking down on the water. That is a fact. 

So whatever color your boat skin may be it sure looks good on the water to me. I really am not to concerned about the number or presence of wrinkles in your boat skin or mine for that matter nor the passage of time. Somethings just are and will just always be. But you gotta like that feeling of realization when you discover geez! I’ve been on the water for 5 hours, where does the time go? Absorbed in good times and fun with friends I guess, better to be on the water then, than anywhere else. 

“Three Amigos"

Three different brands, three different boats. Perception Eclipse on the far left, Current Designs Siroco in the middle I believe and Valley Aquanaut far right.

Neville, Dean and Gerard embarking in a flotilla of yellow. The sunshine on a cloudy day!

Refuelling the engine.

Maintaining the peace.

“Having A Time"

I love being on the water. It seems some force just takes right over as soon as I get into my boat. I really don’t want to get out. It just feels good knowing I got all my gear safely stowed and could be self sufficient if need be. It makes me want to roam. Getting there sometimes is difficult. I may be tired and not motivated, planning something else, weather could be real crappy(a blizzard/ storm as I type), or I just too involved in taking photos on land.

When I do get to the waters edge I am always delighted that I made the trek. Good company makes it that much better of course. Being involved in the pre-paddle work up through email exchanges and AMEC weather forecasts posts from members of our club and friends certainly helps with getting your butt out there.

Catching up on all the news since the last meeting, well, is all part of the fare. Even taking pictures of people taking pictures is a blast. Most of us have blogs and paddle on the same trips typically so it is pure fun to check in on how the other guys saw the paddle and review their take of the trip.

Coming into Camel Beach I believe for a mug up. Not sandy by no means here. The Avalon is mostly rock and when you paddle the coast you will be accustomed to this.

I’ve started bringing my other camera. It is certainly better than the Olympus one i use on the water and those shots are starting to degrade as the many immersions in the dunk are taking their ware on the quality. The only problem with my Nikon is that I have to be out of my boat. I certainly won’t use it on the water in any condition but I may get one I can..and a waterproof case. I am becoming more interested in getting the on water image of kayak out there to everyone or anyone willing to look at photos or maybe video. Quality is an issue with me. I want more of it.

Clyde playing on the waves. I actually have some real cool ones of Clyde and some of the guys but the were sent of for possible publishing. If not they’ll end up here. They all, always do!

Clyde just loves that stuff. Me too. I had a most excellent time this paddle. It was full of energy and fun rather than just straight line destination traverses. Not that many of our traverses are ever straight. All of our guys like to explore. There are at least 5-8 Christopher Columbus’s whenever we are out there. We love it.

Of course paddling this time of the year allows for a shoreline display of frozen water falls that very few get to see, especially close up. Some are neat but all are unique in their surroundings and contrast starkly with the deadfall of the land,  the shore rocks and cliffs that the frozen monoliths cling to.

One thing I always forget to take with me is a dry cloth to clean of the lens while on the water. A lot of these shots reveal streaks etc. I lost a lot of good ones to these instances. Thanks Gary for being patient. The smudges on the lens were less than desirable which made for some less than stellar cropping. lol What a day though.

“Paddle Days"

Some days are paddle days and of course others are not. Sometimes you just have to make do with what you have and that includes the elements. So as I try to interpret the weather forecasts around the world I am left thinking, just take it as it comes because if you really want to get out there you will.

Ralph is seen here paddling in a squall we got caught in coming from Portugal Cove a few years back. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Not sure where Ralph is now though? 

“Getting Out"

Can I ever think of lots of ways not to paddle in this kind of weather, I mean slack reasons for not putting in the effort to get out there! I got there early yesterday to St. Philips for a paddle to the falls two hours away.

Apparently or, maybe not, to those unfamiliar with St. Philips, our put-in was awash. It was said that the combination of some fly by comet, a full moon and various other celestial and earthly events may be contributing to the unusually high waters. Also the recent storm surges pushing water into enclosed places like this harbour and bay can’t be dismissed.

Whatever the contributing factors one thing was certain, the water was pushing the bottom of the bay well up to and beyond the seawall built to help contain these sorts of phenomenon. There is usually about 5 feet of retaining wall visible along this beach. Today barely a foot and in some places none because the rocks were washed over it right on to the dock behind.

Not only rocks came a knocking. Check out the various pieces of log scattered around our put-in. I think it snowed too.

Oh well, time to be moving on.There’s a paddle happening!

Just have to get through this pesky little harbour channel……….

…whooaaa! Without going over the top of course. The tide was higher than normal and did I mention a comet, well whatever was going on was surging the water up beyond the ramparts of the dock. Clyde here seems to be enjoying the lift as he is taken for a ride.

Now we are off to Portugal Cove and the falls beyond. Tomorrow the trip.