"Drifter"

nough said....

"High Tide Cut-Off"

These frozen falls were beautiful to paddle by. Awe inspiring to gaze on. They are from a paddle two weeks ago but this picture was o my header for a while and now I must archive it on my blog which is why you see it here.

"Just The Beginning"

Well Tony, we may have missed the session on the water yesterday but the guys made it out for a session that looked both a little cold and fun. They were undaunted and red faced, and all after the rolls, exited the slip way for a paddle in Conception BAy.

Robert is seen here tailing the group as they head out. You can winter paddle and if you go over in it and practise that well, you just get a feeling for what it is like.

"Kokatat"

Well we all wear it. Or at least some form of it. Especially on days like yesterday. "Kokatat" is actually a Native American word meaning "into the water". It only seems fitting that it should brand a company designed to produce paddling gear. Couldn't have found a better one really. Today the literal affirmation of that word was approached by some paddling dudes who felt the need to be 'in the water' on a very cold day. About -20 celsius I guess. I actually liked my vantage point. The wharf.

"Positioning"

HAve you ever done a roll and coming up banged your head on a floating sheet of ice? No, me neither. But the possibility was there yesterday, hence the helmets. A handful of guys got together to practise just that, rolling and assisted rescues. It was chilly and here they are just jockeying for spots to roll in the Gut at St. Philips. How come I'm not in the water? I just came from work but didn't want to miss the photo op so Tony and I are planning fo a colder day! ;-)

"Who'd Know"

Well I would and I am here to tell you that they were rolling in -16- -20 degrees celsius yesterday just to get an idea of what it would be like and what it would feel like. Some rolls seemed fast(just get me out of here) and others more controlled. HAd to be careful not to bang your head on floating sheets of ice though. Sea using his stick to take him through the motions.

"It Does Get Frosty"

When you winter paddle it becomes clear instantly that things are just a little bit different. The water is cold, the air is cold, and well you simply have to be more aware because things just are not going to click and snap as readily as they would in warm weather. Clyde exiting the Gut to the open ocean outside yesterday.

"Into The Light"

Some parts of Saturday's paddle were shaded while others allowed us to paddle in a bit of very transient sun, nice contrast and swell action to propel us along.

"Let There Be Water.."

Where would we be without it? Something neat about creating your own platform or 'kayak island' in the middle of a big body of water. Conception HArbour Newfoundland.

"Open To Blue"

Though we started out on Saturday with overcast skies it was not long into the paddle that we realized a bit of blue poking through the clouds in the distance. Ralph and Gerard chatting it up as they paddle along.

"Crystal Cliff"

Neville cruising near the shore the frozen water seepage from land. Very beautiful to paddle near the frozen stalactites. Some were menacingly sharp.

"Make It An Even Ten, 10"

Nine of us started out today, Robert, Neville, Sean, Dean, Ralph, Gerard, Tony, Tobias and myself and later the even ten Clyde showed up to complete a paddle from Conception Harbour to Collier's Point. We were gone for four hours and had multiple stops to maintain our group.

The scenery of frozen ic falls, blue and grey skies and turqoise, blue and black waters, kept the interest peaked for there was always something worth gazing on around the next bend. But then again in kayaking for me.......there always is! Paddle Safe.....Paddle Hard.

"Geology 101"

To Tony Geology-To me...a big friggin' rock! Watch out ya don't hit that Gerard. :-) Great paddling with you buddy. I love your passion.

"Sky to Sea"

Definitely a sky to see today as the clouds were just beautiful to photograph. You couldn't help but feel very lucky to be where we were today considering what is going on in other countries. Life was good today and we were grateful to be partaking of it. Tony, Gerrard and Robert here.

"Down The Shore"

Hugging the coast and feeling the small swell and wave rebound for that extra umph! Tobias preparing his video camera I think.

"Niceeee Hat!"

Getting ready for the shot. lol Good job Neville.

"Holding Pattern"

The beach was not big enough for us all to land at once so it was done pretty much one at a time to keep it clean and safe.

"Quick Stop"

A quick stop to kick start the energy reserves and be on the way again. Bacon Cove was a tease really as a few of us were discussing how nice it would have been to have bacon and eggs and a hot cup of java at this point. Next Time.

"Homeward"

The hills in the distance would be Witch Hazel Ridge as we make our way to Conception Harbour, in from Conception Bay, NL.

"The Sprint"

Ralph and I decided to sprint back to Conception Harour from Collier's Point. We both agreed that while it was sweet to paddle in the winter, it is equally sweet to make haste for shore during the colder season. 4 hours of winter paddling, is I think, a good limit.

"The Weather Outside Is Frightful"

Not really as bad as it might look and just as refreshing as paddling in a light rain in the summer.

I have to say that I always paddle with a deck bag. This one is from Northwater in BC Canada and they make tough kayaking gear,sometimes "frilly" like the paddle pants, but most times very funtional. This sleek, peaked bag has my flares, waterproof light, spare mitts in small plastic bag for when I get out, rope, and some snacks. All is accessible via a horizontal zipper which I check upon every outing for proper function. In the winter if you happen to get out of your boat in the dunk, the essentials are a small zip away, no fumbling, mumbling or grumbling (you get the umbles when 'the hypo' sets in) just easy access at you mitt or glove tips. At least this works for me. One thing you may want to take care of is having the pump exposed in really freezing cold climes. It may seize and/or break(the skinny handle). It may be wise to store it below deck capitalizing on the enclosed sealed cockpit. This day was not cold enough to present such a problem.

"Contrast"

Well Ralph has a Nordkapp with a light grey deck and a white hull and I have a black nordkapp which on this day's paddle were excellent contrasts for white snow and seemingly black rock. So needless to say it was kind of neat taking shots and besides Ralph seemed to be having some fun on the water as I believe we all were.

"Rock and Water"

Surrounded by rock and water on a winter's day with a light snow we were. This was the header of my blog for a few days and now I just want to archive it to my site.

"Y"

Becasue they can!

"iMMERSION"

Tony and Dean Cleaning the salt off in the fresher water.

"Vignette"

Ralph with Tony in the barely visible distant kayak in Conception BAY.

"Distant Headlands"

Visible to us now the distant headlands were a range point. Soon though they were lost to the snow we enjoyed on a nice leisurely winter jaunt to Portugal Cove.

"The Plan"

Almost to Portugal Cove we decided to stop and evaluate conditions and give everyone an opportunity to choose to continue or not. Group consensus was to continue paddling to Potugal Cove even though a snow squall had moved in. Visibility on the distant horizon was gone but we certainly had visibility as you can see here.

"Snow Lessons"

Well if you can learn something new every time you go for a paddle it kind of enhances the paddling experience for me and if not that, then at least the stories are livlier.

Today I found out that when I padle head on into a snow squall my eyes hurt like hell and couldn't adjust to the beating. Now I have paddling into what seemed like torrential rains and never felt the same annoyance or pain on the eyes. This face must have been the one I paddled with all the way to Portugal Cove and was relieved to be able to turn around and head back to St Philips and let the snow pelt the back of my head.

"To Portugal"

On the way to portugal Cove today we paddled in a light snow with temps hovering around -1 celsius and 15 knot winds. It was an excellent day on the water for Jan, 2010. Dean up ahead is being followed by Tony through a rock channel.

"Kayaking Newfoundland Waters"

Kayaking Newfoundland waters is an exciting prospect. Kayaking is an exciting prospect. Not everyday is a kayaking day nor is every kayaking day without it's inherent risk. It is managing risk in this area to enjoy the waters that it has to offer. The amazing thing about all this is that there is so much beautiful coastline the non-paddler cannot see, and it is very close to St. John's and area.

So sometimes when it is dark and seemingly gloomy and waters to rough to be plied by kayak or any other boat we will always be thinking where our next adventure lies and if you cannot for what ever reason make it on the water yourself, visit this site and you will enjoy photos and some fun banter on our beautiful coast that is Newfoundland. More photos at gullfeather.com/

"December 24th"

Reposting this image because I had it as my blog header and they do not get archived on my site. I wanted this image archived so here it is again. Some of the boys of St. John's kayaking club preparing for Christmas.

"It's All In The View"

One of my favorite paddles last year was a trip I took MAy long weeekend to The Dungeon campground in Bonavista Newfoundland. The wind was howling when I arrived that evening and set up my tent on the edge of a cliff in the park. I had read about the Dungeon Sea Cave and how long ago it was covered and caved in over time, when that actually happened I am not sure but it left an indelible mark on the beauty of the cave.

You can paddle in and of course out of the cave as I did. The wind was so strong through the openings it blew me against the inner shore and out.

The upper image is looking down on the sea cave from a viewing platform in the park.

The bottom image is a view from my kayak seat exiting the sea cave via the left portal as viewed from the top image. What a beautiful and mystical kind of paddle that morning. I wonder if the roof was on the cave when John Cabot paid his visit to the area in his ship the MAtthew in 1497. If he knew of the cave he would have had to find it by row boat because it is a very shallow draft.

This is my first post of the year and I think it only fitting to look on the new year with the same anticipation of excitement in new adventures as John Cabot surely had in making his discoveries in his many trips across oceans, bays and likely coves of foreign lands. Though I may not paddle foreign lands I certainly hope to paddle new waters, bays, coves and the like. Maybe even some lake trips this year. One can dream of plying new waters and feeling the freshness of their spray as we are whisped along by tides and winds of distant origin.

"Under The Bridge"

Under the bridge in St. Philips is the gateway to the fresher water flowing in from a stream to the little harbour. It is where we generally wash off apres paddle. No different yesterday and afterall ya gotta have your boat clean for Christmas??????

"In From The Open"

Derrick making his way in from the Bay. I was using my Nikon for some shots after my paddle and trying to catch these guys playing around. I settled for less than stellar shots with freezing cold hands.

"Stickin' it to'em"

There are a few members who like to utilize the "stick" when they paddle. Sean has recently been mastering his, roll and all.

"Let It Ride, Let It Ride, Let It Ride!"

Tony allowing the wave to do the work yesterday at St. Philips.

"Frosty The Nordkapp"

About two weeks ago we got winter in one day...literally, 25-30 cm of snow. We felt swamped. Today it is barely visible except as frost on the stern of my boat. I'm just getting ready to put-in here for a Dec 24th paddle with some friends. What a day it turned out to be. If you are not a paddler and stumbled on my blog for some reason, I give you the gift of encouragement for the season. I encourage you to paddle, as I believe you will find a certain peace there, for many, like myself, it may be our only religion. This of course means that everytime we are on the water and finding our peace we are in fact celebrating our own faith. A hope, maybe even a belief that we have found something bigger than ourselves and something worth sharing. So just do it and you too will enjoy writing and talking about it. Just ask any kayaker, well maybe you shouldn't because once they are on the topic it is hard to shut them down and you all know what I mean. Happy Holidays to you and your families and safe winter paddling.

"When Ya Need It, Ya Need It!"

Plain and simple really! When you really need the water you get out there. I sensed that Tony needed the water today. Good paddling out the old year Tony. More in the new.

"Darting Back and Forth"

The winds were there, 20-25 knots maybe, some swell, the temp about 2 celsius, conditions for a paddle. Some days you just got to be on the water. Sometimes it takes a bit of enticement, like the day before Christmas, yeah that sounds enticing,and other days you need a friend to motivate you. Whatever it maybe, get on the water, we all know that we never regret the decision to do it once there. So today we decided to play in the waves and dart back and forth from headland to headland stopping to catch our breaths and chat andmostly trying to catch a fun running wave.

"Cruisin"

Well if you get off work early and phone a few guys the night before you just might have some takers for a Christmas Eve Day PAddle. So we did. I arrived a little early at St. Philips to loosen up a bit and was later joined by Tony, Derrick, Sean and Dean. Derrick and Sean just crusin' by here.

Dean, Dec.24th 2009

Dean finishing a roll today. The water was not bad at all he claimed. I thought that was pretty good considering it is the day before Christmas and in Newfoundland waters. Ya gotta like it! Good on you Dean for gettig the 'noggin' wet.

Point La Haye, Put-In

Put-ins' they are the greatest and not so greatest of spots in kayaking. We try to make them the easiest and sometimes they are just as scenic as your kayaking destination, after all they may be it. It is bonus when you can choose to do it that way. Sometimes they are that happy place where you all meet and know ahead of time that sometimes the gathering is as good as the journey. Sometimes they are miserable spots designed it seems to pi$# kayakers off, well not really, most times sea kayakers can choose pretty excellent sites because what started as as put-in may well be a take-out upon your return. So, having said that, it is wise not only to plan for what you are putting in to, but also what you will be taking out in. Long walks at a miscalculated low tide takeout is a real slug when your boat is loaded and you are tired after a trip. A couple options,carry boat with a friend, unload and then carry (this means lots of short trips),or haul the darn thing and you might not want to do this if you want to avoid hull mayhem. Best option plan as much for your takout as you put-in. :-)

Winter Paddling Newfoundland

I won't be here next year for our annual Jan. 1st paddle in the gut. But if tradition is holding I'm sure the usual gang will be putting in like Alex here from last year bound for The Gut. The Gut is the entrance to St. John's Bay via Quidi Vidi Harbour of which Alex is paddling in here. This was JAn 1st 2009.

There are those days where the sun just doesn't seem to want to shine, literally and figuratively. On those days perhaps it is best just to step back and find your own sunshine. Maybe it's in people, maybe it's in more inanimate things like photos. Photos can almost always guaranteed, take you back or rejuvenate a long lost scent, or simply get those forgotten sounds of summer reverberating once again in your head. This past summer was excellent in St. John's as far as good weather for paddling went. One of the best paddles of the summer was trip done with Alison, Tony and Peter. We paddled leisurely around Woody Island and others, stopping to eat, sun bathe, swim in water holes filled with fresh river water, watch moose, caribou and jelly fish as we just floated on by like Huck Finn floating down the Mississippi on a sweet, hot summers day kind a thing with a straw in our mouths and not a worry or care in the world. Those are the days to be lost in paddling and those are the days to reflect on again and again when you haul out that photo or bring it back up on your screen. This is one of those pictures.

Newfoundland

My friend Tony and I love mulling around in boats. Our boat of choice is the Nordkapp kayak. What fine craft indeed they are. What fun they are to paddle really on any day but this sunny fine day paddling around Kelly's Island and Little Bell made for some typical kayak fun on the water. Off course one of us always finds a bit of excitement either we are lifted skywards on waves or pushed menacingly sideways in surf or just rocked in wind, whatever the case, we feel at home on the water.

CN Tower in Toronto Canada. A landmark if there ever was one in Ontario. This night scene allowed me to capture the moon that was plying hide and seek during the whole time I tried to snatch a pic of it. It was a fun night wondering around the city snapping shots of various things. More at www.gullfeather.com