2016: Post 20c – Tack's Beach - Day 3

We were into the full swing of things on the morning of day three.  We woke, had breakfast, cleaned up, and got ready for another paddle.

Today we decided to paddle south from our campsite.  The wind was still blowing from the south and we had no set destination in mind.  We would paddle into the wind, tucking in to coves and behind islands to get a break and see how far we would go.

Just south of Broad Cove we found a little spot where there was some current flowing with the flooding tide.  So we mucked around in the moving water for a while, some of us did a few rolls for good measure, and we continued on our way.

We paddled around Pond Head and into The Grandies.  Some of us elected to paddle across, and others decided to follow the shore a little closer.  We hadn't gone far distance-wise, and I can't remember exactly where, but somewhere in the vicinity of Smiths Cove we found a little cranny on the north side of one of the islands to take out for a stretch.  A couple of the guys were still back in The Grandies and our stop gave them a chance to catch up.

Back on the water we hatched a plan.  There was a stiff wind blowing and so we would round the southern end of King's Island and start our paddle back towards Best's Harbour... not sure if I have mentioned that Tack's Beach is on the west side of Best's Harbour.. well, actually, I believe that technically speaking, Tack's Beach is a community next to Best's Harbour, and we were camping on the isthmus that connects the north and south ends of King's Island... but who really cares as it's a lovely spot to camp and visit anyway....  

As we rounded the end of the island, four of the guys decided to carry on farther south while the rest of us stuck to the plan.  I think they carried on along South Tilt Island and found a spot for lunch; I cannot remember if they made it to Lower Gray Gull Islands or not.  The rest of us had a late lunch we got back to camp.

We paddled in a beam sea to the south end of Long Island and then to the south end of Upper Castle Island.  Along the way, Shane encouraged Cathy to do a roll in the wind and waves...

Now, Cathy has learned to roll, but it's not yet bomb-proof.  I give her a hard time about it (all in fun though) and I tell her she simply does not yet believe in her roll... Anyway, she set up and I was prepared to do a rescue, just in case.  Over she went, and up she came, with Yee-Haws shouted across the waves... But we won't discuss what happened in calm waters at Davis Cove the next day; we will only focus on this particular roll!!  Suffice to say I think she is better at rolling in conditions.

Once we rounded the end of Upper Castle the wind was behind us and we had a push back to Best's Harbour, trying to catch some surf rides along the way....

Back at camp we had lunch and then decided we would walk to the headland on the south side of Best's Harbour.  The wind had picked up since we had gotten off the water and we wanted to see if we could get the weather on VHF.  Also, we would see if we could see the four guys that had carried on by themselves...

We passed a tree that had a bunch of old kettles hanging from it.  No one could guess the reason for this 'artwork' but perhaps the reason was just to get people talking about it.... if that was the reason it worked on us.

Well we did get the weather, and we mulled around for a while...

Then we spotted the wayward kayakers coming in from the perils of the sea.  We knew they were  all okay out there, but the wind had picked up a good bit, and I think we were all a little relieved to see them.

Back at the beach it was chores as usual... prepare supper, clean up, gather up some firewood for the campfire.

I found Shane taking it easy, really enjoying himself on the beach.  

As we did during the last two nights, we enjoyed a good campfire, drinks, and lots of laughs. This would be our last campfire for this trip.

Among the laughter during the evening, I think there was an undertone that people knew that tomorrow we would be leaving Tack's Beach....