2011: Post 4 - My first paddle for 2011

Yesterday I paddled on the ocean for the first time since Dec 28; I do not count the New Year’s Day frolic at Quidi Vidi as a paddle…  I met Stan, Tony, Tobias, Clyde, and Gerard at St. Philips.  Initially a plan was offered to possibly paddle across to Bell Island, but we decided that we would make a final decision at the put-in.  But at St. Philips it was decided to paddle toward Brock Falls (I think that is the name of it), a few kilometers past Portugal Cove.  It made no difference to me where we paddled, just as long as we paddled. 

We have done this paddle before.  I think I can paddle the same route 100 times in succession and not tire of it.  I always seem to see something different that I have not seen there before.  And the water is often different – maybe there is a little more wind, or it comes from a different direction, there is less or more swell than before, or there are different combinations of swell and wind waves.  Sometimes it snows (winter) and sometimes the sum blazes down on us (summer).

The company on the paddle is often different too.  Sometimes there are just two of our regular group that can make the paddle on a particular day.  Other days we have six of the regulars, like yesterday, sometimes more.   Sometimes some of the regulars can’t make it but others can.  And sometimes one or two paddlers join us that seldom do not – these are especially enjoyable paddles for me… I like to see non-regular people getting out with us, we have lots of room to add new faces to our little group, both those with a lot of experience and those with lesser experience.

Sometimes you can paddle inside a rock and other days the ocean decides it’s too risky so you stay outside of it.  Some days it is colder and some days it is warmer.  Sometimes you see a seal, otter, whale, an eagle, or just a few gulls; sometimes you only see water, rock, sky, and your paddling companions. 

Sometimes somebody decides to do a little rock-hopping and takes a swim, or ends up on the rocks with a hole in their boat, or side-surfs a wave and ends up high and dry on the shore.

All these things above, and more, have all happened in the same stretch of coast from St. Philips to Portugal Cove.  I know that some people, especially the picture-takers, like to paddle in different places for a change of scenery.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a change of scenery too, but still I do not seem to get tired of paddling the same places that we have paddled before.  I guess for me it is more about the company that comes along on the paddle more so than where the paddle takes place.  

[[If you go to Tony's blog (My Newfoundland Kayak Experience) and Stan's blog (Kayaking Dreamin') you can see pics of yesterdays paddle]]